Ex-CIA Director Warns Iran to Be ‘Very Careful’ Amid Rising Tensions with US

Former CIA Director David Petraeus warned Iran that it is going to have to be “very careful” in its responses to the US’ pressure campaign in recent months. The former CIA Director suggested that Iran has a decision to make as to how to approach the US from now until the November 2020 elections, where, as they hope, the US pressure […]

War talk grips Iraq as storied US carrier returns to Gulf

Iraqis convinced conflict looms between Washington and Tehran as the USS Abraham Lincoln, whose warplanes bombed Iraq in 2003, returns to region and tensions spiral By ALI CHOUKEIR19 May 2019, 1:19 am  0 160shares The USS Abraham Lincoln sails south in the Suez canal near Ismailia toward the Persian Gulf, May 9, 2019. (Suez Canal Authority via […]

Abbas aide: U.S. peace plan will fail without Palestinian statehood

Comment comes after White House announces June summit to unveil first stage of Mideast peace plan; PA says wasn’t consulted about conference, which will not discuss final borders, Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees or Israeli security demands Associated PressPublished:  05.20.19 , 12:24 Any American peace plan that ignores the Palestinian people’s political aspirations for an independent state […]

Whodunit? The rocket fired near the U.S. embassy in Baghdad

The question for the US now is whether the rocket fired at the Green Zone was an attack and who carried it out. It took place after darkness fell in Baghdad on May 19. Seth J. Frantzman May 20, 2019 11:41 They say that “third time’s is a charm” but in the case of the […]

The Watered Lilies

The MASTER stood in His garden, Among the lilies fair,Which His own right hand had planted, And trained with tend’rest care. He looked at their snowy blossoms, And marked with observant eyeThat the flowers were sadly drooping, For their leaves were parched and dry. “My lilies need to be watered,” The Heavenly Master said;“Wherein shall I draw it for them, And raise each drooping head?” Close to his feet on the pathway, Empty, and frail, and small,An earthen vessel was lying, Which seemed no use at all; But the Master saw, and raised it From the dust in which it lay,And smiled, as He gently whispered, “This shall do My …

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War talk grips Iraq as storied US carrier returns to Gulf

Iraqis convinced conflict looms between Washington and Tehran as the USS Abraham Lincoln, whose warplanes bombed Iraq in 2003, returns to region and tensions spiral By ALI CHOUKEIR19 May 2019, 1:19 am  0 160shares The USS Abraham Lincoln sails south in the Suez canal near Ismailia toward the Persian Gulf, May 9, 2019. (Suez Canal Authority via […]

In echo of 1980’s, US warns airliners on Persian Gulf flights

WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan 24) – US embassies in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates warned that commercial aircraft flying over the Persian Gulf could be attacked by “miscalculation or misidentification” by Iran. The warning, first issued on Thursday by the US Federal Aviation Administration, was relayed on Saturday by US diplomatic missions in Kuwait and […]

Saudi Arabia intercepts Houthi missiles heading toward Mecca, Jeddah

Monday, 20 May 2019 Saudi Arabia’s air forces on Monday intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles over Taif, one heading for Mecca and the other for Jeddah, according to eyewitnesses. The Kingdom’s air defense forces were able to destroy the ballistic missiles. Saudi authorities are expected to issue a formal statement later. In light of the […]

Israel Secret Kamikaze Drones are Killing Syria’s Air Defenses

Here is all we know about it. Sebastien Roblin Syrian troops reported in social media the munitions were relatively slow, and left winged debris. According to Alftayeh, the anti-SAM weapon was likely an Israeli-built Harop (Harpy 2) kamikaze drone, which can either be remotely piloted, or set to automatically home in on radar emissions, detonating […]

Kushner on peace plan rollout: “People are letting their grandfathers’ conflict destroy their children’s futures.”

The White House announced the first phase of the Mideast peace plan on Sunday, an economic blueprint which will be the subject of a summit in Manama, Bahrain on June 25 and 26. Finance ministers and business leaders from the region will be invited to participate in the “economic workshop,” said administration officials, in an […]

Pakistan on a Tightrope

By Dr. James M. Dorsey May 19, 2019 Map of Pakistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia via Flickr CC Amy Statton BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,176, May 19, 2019 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Pakistan risks falling off a tightrope as it attempts to balance its relations with rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran. Recent developments – including the […]

Spotlight on Iran May 5- 19, 2019

  Soleimani, al-Muhandis and al-Zaidi (al-Arabiya, May 12, 2019) Israeli involvement in the Fajura Port incident (Fars, May 14, 2019) Ziad al-Nakhla, the Secretary General of Islamic Jihad in an interview to the Lebanese TV channel al-Mayadin (al-Mayadin’s YouTube channel, May 7) The Lavrov-Zarif meeting in Moscow (Tasnim, May 9, 2019) Full document in PDF […]

US Economic Sanctions Seen Tanking Iranian Oil Exports

According to industry trackers, Iranian oil exports have dropped by half in the weeks since US President Donald Trump ended a waiver program that allowed eight countries to purchase crude from Tehran despite US sanctions. The Islamic Republic’s oil exports in May have fallen to some 500,000 barrels per day (bpd), down from about 1 […]

Large US warships train together in Arabian Sea with eye on Iran threats, Navy says

Lucas TomlinsonTravis Fedschun | Fox News   Video USS Abraham Lincoln moves into position near Iran Members of Congress set to be briefed on the Iran threat; Rich Edson reports from the White House. A rare training exercise between two large U.S. warships took place in the northern Arabian Sea over the weekend as tensions […]