Last week’s airstrikes in Yemen by the US and UK are prompting concerns about potential impacts on oil prices. Despite media portrayal of unrest, it is prudent to exercise caution before prematurely asserting a significant spike in oil prices. The 4% surge in crude oil futures on Friday falls within …
Read More »Iran warns US of ‘new fronts’ in Middle East
The US could face dire consequences in the Middle East if it continues to support Israel, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has warned. His comments came amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, and following American strikes on military sites in the region allegedly used …
Read More »A thaw in Türkiye-Syria relations can be a step toward a ‘New Europe’ in the Middle East
Delegations from Syria, Iran and Türkiye met in Moscow with their counterparts this week to discuss the normalization of ties between Türkiye and Syria. It’s the prelude to a higher-level meeting that will take place later this month. Improved cooperation would be particularly important in bringing a close to the …
Read More »US clears heavy arms sales to Middle East state
The US State Department greenlit a potential sale of 300 Patriot missiles and related equipment to Saudi Arabia to bolster its defenses for an estimated cost of $3.05 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Tuesday. The agency said that the kingdom requested to buy 300 Raytheon Technologies-made MIM-104E …
Read More »Dmitri Trenin: How a smart Middle East strategy can help Russia play a significant role in shaping the new world order
This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to Tehran for a summit of the guarantors of the so-called Astana process, which aims to find a political settlement in Syria. Apart from a joint session with the other two participants, Iran’s Ibrahim Raisi and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin will hold …
Read More »US is ‘priority’ of every Middle East country – White House
Washington has re-established itself under President Joe Biden’s watch as the dominant security and economic partner desired by Middle East governments, halting a trend toward countries seeking closer ties with Russia and China, a senior White House official has claimed. “If you go back to this region, say, I don’t …
Read More »Biden comments on ‘vacuum’ in Middle East
President Joe Biden told reporters on Thursday that the US would “continue to lead” in the Middle East, in order to stop Russia and China from filling a “vacuum.” Beijing took a dim view of his words, responding that only the “people in the Middle East are the masters of …
Read More »Ukraine severs diplomatic ties with Middle East state
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday that it’s severing diplomatic ties with Syria after Damascus recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics in Donbass. In a statement published on its website, the ministry said it “strongly condemns” Syria’s decision, which it considers an “unfriendly …
Read More »The untold story behind the fall of the Middle East’s largest private equity company
It’s a chilly day in London. I arrive at a members-only club in Mayfair. I’m about to have a meeting I’ve been waiting to make happen for nearly two years. It’s with Arif Naqvi. He’s the man accused of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from the world’s most powerful elite …
Read More »Robert Inlakesh: How Israel’s 1967 war paved the way for the turmoil in today’s Middle East
On the 5th of June, 1967, a conflict which lasted only 6 days would go on to re-shape the entire Middle East, overthrow secular Arab Nationalism and unite Tel Aviv with Washington. All of which would pave the way for Israel to be handed carte blanche by the worlds most powerful …
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