How did Iran plan tanker attack? Links and sources show Iranian media may have given us hints

Iranian media falsely reported that the country rescued all the crew of the tankers, that one sank and even showed fake video. Why? By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Just after six in the morning on Thursday, June 13 the Kokuka Courageous oil tanker off the coast of Iran travelling in a major shipping lane experienced what crew described […]

Lebanon says Russia, Europe eye investment in oil and gas

As progress made in talks with Israel, companies look at Lebanese energy sector as it prepares to start offshore drilling by end of 2019; US says American firms can join By LAYAL ABOU RAHAL and TOI STAFF15 June 2019   Lebanese Energy Minister Nada Boustani displays a map of offshore oil and gas blocks in the Mediterranean, on […]

Fars News: Kurdish forces are being sent to Israel to train with Mossad

The Kurdish forces have been allegedly sent to Iraq, awaiting transport by Israeli authorities to a base stationed in the West Bank for “espionage” training. Zachary Keyser June 16, 2019 11:25 Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga, in a photo taken in 2015.. (photo credit: SETH J. FRANTZMAN) Multiple units of U.S.-backed Kurdish forces are currently being trained […]

The Central Asia summits that show Washington is losing grip

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan host Russia, China, Iran for two important summits that showed how US is losing influence to other world powers Seth J. Frantzman June 15, 2019 22:29 If one wanted to see what a world without US influence looks like, you could have been an observer at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s summit in […]

The Central Asia summits that show Washington is losing grip

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan host Russia, China, Iran for two important summits that showed how US is losing influence to other world powers Seth J. Frantzman June 15, 2019 22:29 If one wanted to see what a world without US influence looks like, you could have been an observer at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s summit in […]

Iran Months From Hitting Enriched Uranium Cap Despite Acceleration

June 15, 2019 10:00 am An IAEA inspector at an Iranian nuclear facility. Photo: IAEA. Iran has multiplied the speed at which it enriches uranium but it is still far from the maximum rate possible under its nuclear deal with major powers, meaning it would be months before production ceilings are hit, diplomats who follow […]

Intelligence Report: The Israel-Abu Dhabi connection

Why MBZ has become a close ally of the Jewish state. Yossi Melman June 14, 2019 01:29 The New York Times recently published an elaborate profile of Mohammed Bin Zayed, the crown prince known as MBZ and the de facto ruler of Abu Dhabi. MBZ contrasts starkly with the notorious and controversial MBS – Mohammed […]

PA: ‘We have foiled Trump’s peace plan’

Ramallah protesters urge Arabs to boycott Bahrain ‘workshop’ Khaled Abu Toameh June 15, 2019 18:44 PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh (third left) and other members of the new government attend the swearing-in ceremony in Ramallah last month.. (photo credit: MOHAMAD TOROKMAN/REUTERS) The Palestinians have thwarted US President Donald Trump’s plan for […]

Putin and the former Soviet Union

A well-connected Democratic political operative warns of the Russian leader’s intentions and calls for a new proactive American and European policy. By RAYMOND S. SOLOMON June 15, 2019 15:24   Russia’s President Vladimir Putin chats with Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar during a ceremony unveiling a monument to heroes of resistance in concentration camps and ghettos […]

US grants Iraq additional waiver to Iran sanctions — source

Iraqi official says extension came after ‘long discussions’ with Washington, which has sought to curb Iranian energy exports By AFPToday, 2:16 pm   Fires flare off from gas in Kirkuk, Iraq, October 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Emad Matti) BAGHDAD — The United States has granted Iraq another 90-day waiver to continue with vital energy imports from neighboring […]

Report: UAE foreign minister says Iran fingerprints clear on oil tanker attacks

Published:  06.15.19 , 13:58 UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahya said Iran’s fingerprints were clear on the attacks on oil tankers on May 12, Arabiya TV reported on Saturday.   He also called for the international community to work together to protect shipping routes, Arabiya TV said. Iran has denied any involvement […]

Iran president renews ultimatum over nuclear pact compliance

Published:  06.15.19 , 14:03 Iran will continue scaling back compliance with its nuclear deal commitments unless other signatories show “positive signals”, the Iranian president told a meeting of Russian, Chinese and other Asian leaders in Tajikistan. “Obviously, Iran cannot stick to this agreement unilaterally,” President Hassan Rouhani told the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building […]

Israeli families struggle as their kids move back to Germany and Austria

In ‘Back to the Fatherland,’ descendants of a Holocaust survivor and an avowed Nazi team up to examine the trend of young people returning to countries that perpetrated the Shoah By CURT SCHLEIERToday, 10:38 am Gil Levanon, left, and Kat Rohrer, are the minds behind ‘Back to the Fatherland,’ a documentary on Israelis moving back to […]