Attacks on U.S. forces in Syria are
pulling Washington’s attention back to the Middle East as it seeks to shift its
focus and resources toward Russia and China.
The
trend lines in US-Iran relations today make for grim reading in Washington.
Faced with unrelenting US pressure, Iran's leaders are regularly meeting with
Russian and Chinese officials and pledging unprecedented levels of cooperation.
Iran's nuclear program recently crossed a key threshold into production of
weapons-grade uranium.
Predictions
about the BRICS countries as the fastest growing economies haven't quite panned
out. Instead, the alliance is now offering a diplomatic forum and development
financing, outside of the Western mainstream. The acronym began as a somewhat
optimistic term to describe what were the world's fastest-growing economies at
the time. But now the BRICS nations -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, South
Africa -- are setting themselves up as an alternative to existing international
financial and political forums.
A U.S. contractor was
killed last week when Iranian-backed militants in Iraq launched a lethal drone
attack targeted a U.S. base in northeast Syria. This latest provocation
reiterates Tehran’s disinterest in gaining favor with the U.S. ahead of the
potential for revived nuclear negotiations in Vienna. Ever since the U.S. and
Iran began “seriously” participating in efforts to reinstate the 2015 Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2021, Iran has escalated hostile acts
across the Middle East as well as on U.S. soil.
WASHINGTON – The Navy
admiral had a blunt message for the military contractors building
precision-guided missiles for his warships, submarines and planes at a moment
when the United States is dispatching arms to Ukraine and preparing for the
possibility of conflict with China.
An
American contractor was killed and five U.S. troops and a second U.S.
contractor were wounded when a suspected Iranian-linked drone attacked a
coalition military base in northeast Syria late Thursday, the Pentagon said in
a statement.
BEIRUT/RIYADH (Reuters) - Syria and
Saudi Arabia have agreed to reopen their embassies after cutting diplomatic
ties more than a decade ago, three sources with knowledge of the matter said, a
step that would mark a leap forward in Damascus's return to the Arab fold.
Mohammad Javad
enters a fashionable shop in well-to-do north Tehran with his mother. For the
first time ever he wants a necktie, long banned in Iran as a symbol of Western
decadence.
The
United States said Tuesday it is imposing a new round of sanctions on Iranian
firms and people accused of procuring equipment used for Iranian drones.
They
say that there is never a dull moment in the West Asian region and it seems to
be living up to its billing. On 28 February 2023, the news of Iran enriching
parts of Uranium to 84 per cent purity had just caught the world attention
causing alarm on Iran possibly going nuclear and developing a nuclear weapon
when, another development, this time very positive, was reported by on 10 March
2023, stating that Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to resume diplomatic
relations after seven years, in a peace deal brokered by China. The agreement
includes a deal to re-open their embassies and missions within two months. The
agreement includes an affirmation of respect for the sovereignty of states and
the non-interference in the internal affairs of states.
Iranian
authorities have used torture methods including sexual violence against
imprisoned children as part of a crackdown on recent protests, according to
rights group Amnesty International.
Eleven
people were killed and more than 3,500 injured during celebrations for Iran's
traditional fire festival ahead of the Persian New Year, state media reported
Wednesday.
Poison
gas attacks on schoolgirls in Iran have shocked the world for months, from with
the first reports in November, at the height of the protests against the regime
triggered by the death of a young woman in the custody of its morality police.
An
agreement struck by Iran and Saudi Arabia on Friday to re-establish relations
has shifted concerns back to the state of the U.S. role in the Middle East —
especially since the deal was brokered by Washington’s main adversary, China.