With an eye on the Iranian regime, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey could look to build their own nuclear programs, raising concerns that the failure to halt Iran’s nuclear program could trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. This week Egypt and Russia announced a plan to...

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Syrian government troops, bolstered by Hezbollah militants and officers of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), are continuing a recently-launched offensive in southern Syria. Opposition forces had been making inroads in the region, but on Tuesday the pro-regime forces had “taken a string of villages and hills” along the border of the Israeli...

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Iran is marking the 36th anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution with massive state-sponsored rallies. State television aired scenes from the rallies in Tehran and around the country on February 11, showing participants chanting (Persian link) “down with the U.S.”, “death to America” and “death to Israel.” On February 11, 1979, followers...

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Citing the deteriorating security situation, the United States State Department has shut down its embassy in Sana’a, Yemen, The New York Times reported today. Late Tuesday, Jen Psaki, a State Department spokeswoman, said that because of the “uncertain security situation in Sana’a, we have suspended our embassy operation, and our...

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In another indication that talks have yet to produce significant Iranian concessions, State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki asserted Monday that the March 24 deadline to reach a political framework with Iran over its nuclear program was merely a “goal” and not a deadline. In November of last year, State Department...

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In an interview with Israel Radio, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Yukiya Amano said that no nuclear agreement will likely be reached between Iran and the P5+1 nations prior to the March deadline, The Times of Israel reported Saturday. An agreement between Iran and the international community regarding the...

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In a speech yesterday before Iranian air force commanders, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected the idea of a political framework, which both Iran and the P5+1 nations agreed to when they extended the Joint Plan of Action this past November. According to a translation of Khamenei’s speech he said:...

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Yemeni political and security officials are concerned over the Turkish Airlines decision to increase its flights from the Istanbul to Aden in Yemen. The Yemenis are not hiding their concern that the purpose of the flights is to move Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorists into the territory of Yemen....

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Addressing Iran’s expanding role in the Middle East, The Washington Post editorial board wrote on Friday that “the Obama administration has declined to counter increasingly aggressive efforts by Iran to extend its influence across the Middle East and seems ready to concede Tehran a place as a regional power at...

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Iran sought to block a condemnation of Syria for using chemical weapons at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Colum Lynch of Foreign Policy reported Wednesday. According to Lynch: Iran tried to block a move by the United States and Russia to present a mildly worded statement to...

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