Iraq’s ambassador to Iran Mohammad Madjid al-Sheikh on Tuesday told reporters that Tehran has “played an important role in supporting Iraq politically” but that Baghdad has not asked the Islamic republic for assistance in combating extremist Sunni fighters. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has made steady gains...
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Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Baghdad Monday to meet with Prime Minister Nour al-Maliki, with the intent of urging the Iraqi leader to accelerate the formation of an inclusive, unified government amid reports of further Sunni extremist gains and unrest across the country. The visit comes following reports...
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press yesterday (video embedded below). The primary focus of his interview with host David Gregory was the current turmoil in Iraq. MTP: Netanyahu on Iraq: "Both sides are enemies of the US. You don't strengthen one – you weaken both"...
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Representatives from the P5+1 global powers and Iran emerged from nuclear talks Friday without having made any major breakthroughs, and with Iranian negotiators reportedly rejecting “excessive demands” from the West: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif highlighted the wide gulf between the sides, urging the six nations to “abandon excessive...
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The Jerusalem Post reported Friday that bipartisan efforts to impose sanctions on Hezbollah were progressing in both chambers of Congress: Last month, US Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) and Marco Rubio (R-FLorida), both members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act of 2014...
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As we march towards the July 20 deadline for reaching agreement on stopping the Iranian nuclear weapons program, it is worth gauging Iran’s intentions by looking at the words of its foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif. On June 13, The Washington Post published an op-ed by Zarif entitled Iran is Committed to...
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Dozens of people protested as the Iran-Argentina World Cup soccer match kicked off in Belo Horizonte, Brazil yesterday. Twenty years after the worst terror attack in Argentina’s history left 85 dead at the Buenos Aires Jewish Center, Israel maintains Iran was behind the bombing. Six Iranians were identified as collaborating...
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A professor at the University of Tehran announced on his Facebook page Wednesday that he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for questioning Iran’s spending on its nuclear program. Reuters reports: Sadegh Zibakalam, a political science professor at the University of Tehran, confirmed to Reuters on Thursday Iranian news...
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President Barack Obama on Thursday announced plans to send 300 American military personnel to train and advise Iraqi forces and to expand intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance missions as Washington aims to curb recent advances by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The President also addressing growing concerns from U.S....
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On Wednesday, an Israeli diplomat was appointed to serve on a United Nations committee focusing on “decolonization, Palestinian refugees and human rights, peacekeeping, mine action, outer space, public information, atomic radiation and University for Peace.” The Times of Israel reported: Israel overcame a coordinated effort by Arab states on Wednesday to thwart...
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