The Wall Street Journal yesterday published comments made by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in which the Paris official expressed skepticism that Iran is willing to verifiably dismantle its nuclear program. “We have to implement honestly the first phase,” Mr. Fabius said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “Then my...

National Journal reported this evening on statements emerging from the Senate regarding efforts by a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce new legislation that would impose sanctions on Iran should Tehran refuse, at the end of an upcoming six month negotiation period, to commit to sufficiently dismantling its atomic program...

A car bomb detonated early yesterday near a Hezbollah base in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley has deepened concerns that sectarian tensions generated by the Iran-backed terror group’s participation in Syria’s nearly three-year-old conflict are spilling over into Lebanon. Shiite Hezbollah has provided critical support to the Bashar al-Assad regime, allowing it to...

Washington is seeking to downplay tensions with Riyadh over the West’s recent diplomacy with Iran, after Saudi Arabian Prince Turki al-Faisal was quoted by the Wall Street Journal this weekend highlighting deep skepticism inside Kingdom and within other Gulf countries regarding a deal announced last month between the P5+1 global...

Palestinian media outlet Ma’an reported yesterday that Hamas is close to creating a single Palestinian government with its rival Fatah faction, laying the groundwork for upcoming West Bank and Gaza Strip elections that would see a unified leadership elected to govern both territories. Hamas has officially notified Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas of the...

National Journal last night reported that progress is being made on advancing bipartisan Senate legislation that would impose sanctions on Iran if the Islamic republic fails to dismantle its nuclear program during an upcoming negotiation period. Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, the lead Republican working on a bipartisan Iran sanctions bill, told reporters...

Hamas officials yesterday linked much of the devastation from this weekend’s historic storm to a lack of fuel in the Gaza Strip, a scarcity that the Palestinian outlet Ma’an pointedly noted Hamas has for months been blaming on Egypt and the Palestinian Authority (PA). The storm generated flooding that reportedly displaced at...

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told CBS News this weekend that Iran is willing to restart implementation talks revolving around  the recently announced Geneva interim agreement. “We are committed to the plan of action and the implementation of Geneva – but we believe it takes two to tango,” Zarif said. “The process...

Statements from a top Saudi Arabian official published over the weekend have the potential to deepen concerns that the US’s traditional Arab allies are preparing to pivot away from Washington – and potentially towards American rivals – as actors throughout the region continue sorting themselves into three solidifying and opposing camps. The Wall Street...

The Associated Press yesterday reported on efforts to prevent escalation in the aftermath of what it described as “a deadly border skirmish” between Israel and Lebanon. Israel and Lebanon on Monday rushed to ease tensions following a deadly border skirmish that left one Israeli soldier dead, with the enemy countries holding a...