Milley Says the US Should Attack Iran’s IRGC Quds Force

Dave DeCamp

March 30, 2023

Direct US attacks on the Quds Force could spark a full-blown war with Iran

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told Congress on Wednesday that the US should be targeting Iran’s Quds Force, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), following a drone attack in Syria that killed a US contractor.

Iran denies it had plans to invade the Kurdistan region of Iraq

SETH J. FRANTZMAN

Pro-regime media in Iran published an article over the weekend saying that Iran’s Ambassador to Iraq has denied claims that Iran sought to invade northern Iraq.

U.N. court rules U.S. must compensate Iran over frozen assets but leaves $1.8B on ice

Darryl Coote

March 30, 2023

Both the United States and Iran are claiming victory after the U.N.'s World Court ordered Washington to pay compensation over freezing Iranian assets though it is allowing nearly $2 billion to remain out of reach of Tehran.

UN court rejects Iran’s claim to £1.6bn assets frozen by US authorities

MikeCorder

March 30, 2023

The United Nations’ top court has rejected Tehran’s legal bid to free up some 2.0 billion US dollars (£1.6 billion) in Iranian central bank assets frozen by US authorities.

Iran pulls US attention back to the Middle East

Ellen Mitchell, The Hill

March 29, 2023

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.

Iran isn't worried about the US attacking it, but Biden has other ways to cut a deal with Tehran

JohnReid Wilcox, Defense Priorities

March 28, 2023

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.

A new world order? BRICS nations provide an alternative to the West

AstridPrange

March 27, 2023

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.

Is The Iran Nuclear Deal Truly Dead Now?

Maya Carlin

March 26, 2023

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.

From rockets to shells, Pentagon struggles to feed war machine

Erik Lipton

March 24, 2023

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.

American contractor killed, troops wounded in Iran-linked drone attack in Syria, prompting US airstrikes

KimHjelmgaard

March 24, 2023

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.

After Iran, Saudi Arabia to Re-Establish Ties With Syria, Sources Say

Laila Bassam and Aziz El Yaakoubi

March 23, 2023

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.

Once banned, now back: Iran sees timid return of neckties

AFP

March 21, 2023

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.

US announces sanctions on Iran drone procurement network

FATIMAHUSSEIN

March 21, 2023

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.

Nowruz

March 20, 2023

[This article is copied form Twinkle.  For a more detailed description of this event, see Wikipedia. blogger]

How Saudi-Iran rapprochement is a win-win situation for India

ColRajeev Agarwal

March 18, 2023

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.

Child detainees in Iran subjected to flogging, electric shocks and sexual violence, says Amnesty

HandeAtay Alam

March 16, 2023

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.

WHY DID PUTIN START A WAR? VLADIMIR POZNER 03.2023

https://youtu.be/bxR6qbxUp6k

Iran to stop weapons shipment to Houthis in Yemen – WSJ

JerusalemPost Staff

March 16, 2023

By ending the weapons sales and shipments, it could "put pressure on the militant group to reach a deal to end the conflict."

11 killed, thousands hurt during Iran fire festival

AFP

March 15, 2023

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.

Iranian teen girls hunted by police for posting viral TikTok dance to Selena Gomez song

BradfordBetz

March 143, 2023

A group of Iranian teen girls are being sought by police for posting a TiKTok video of themselves dancing to a Selena Gomez song