Iran

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – al-Hayat [Life] reports that on Sunday, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, called for unity between al-Qaeda and Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) in the face of American, Russian and Shiite forces in Syria. Al-Zawahiri, a mastermind of the September 11 attacks on the US, succeeded Usama Bin Laden when […]

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Iran’s Attendance at Syria talks in Vienna marks its Emergence as Regional Power

contributors

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – On Friday, Iran and Saudi Arabia will both attend an international summit on Syria and speak diplomatically about its future for the first time. It won’t be easy, since Iran has 1500 troops on the ground supporting the government of Bashar al-Assad, while Saudi Arabia is […]

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Iran helping build “New Syrian Army;” ISIL fighters Fleeing to Iraq from Russian Airstrikes

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Alarabiya television is reporting 16 new casualties in Syria since October 9 among Iranian fighters there. There are thought to be some 1,500 Iranian military personnel in Syria, though some of these are actually Afghans. Several of those Iranian personnel killed during the past 2 years […]

Iran

Ahmadinejad’s Ex-Bodyguard Among Growing Number Of Iranians Killed in Syria

contributors

By Golnaz Esfandiari | ( RFE/ RL ) | – – A onetime bodyguard for former Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has been killed in Syria while fighting Islamic State (IS) militants, according to Iranian media reports. Abdollah Bagheri Niaraki was killed October 22 while “fighting terrorists” in the suburbs of the northern city of Aleppo, […]

Iran

Could Nuclear Deal hand power to Reformists inside Iran?

contributors

By Farhang Jahanpour | (Inter Press Service) | – – OXFORD, Oct 19 2015 (IPS) – As in most countries, in Iran too there are hardliners and moderates. All polls show that a large majority of Iranians support the nuclear deal (or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA) between Iran and the P5+1 (the United […]

Investment

Investing in Iran after Deal? Be careful of doing business with the Revolutionary Guards

contributors

By Mohammad M. Hedayati-Kakhki | (The Conversation) | – – The merest hint of a successful deal over Iran’s nuclear programme is enough to get people excited. And as the country emerges from economic isolation, nowhere is the enthusiasm more keenly felt than in the huge oil firms with a chance to make a splash […]

Iran

Will Iran’s Alliance with Russia Strengthen its hand in Mideast?

contributors

By Nader Habibi and Harith Hasan Al-Qarawee | (The Conversation) | – – The sudden launch of Russia’s military operations in Syria late last month caught the United States and regional players by surprise. It began with an announcement that defined the primary objective of the mission as a confrontation with the Islamic State (ISIS) […]

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Iran in Syria? Reports its Troops plan Idlib, Aleppo Campaigns

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Jordanian newspaper al-Ghad (Tomorrow) is reporting that the commander of the Jerusalem Brigade of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards has been spotted near Latakia, urging on a volunteer militia of Alawite Shiites. The report comes as AP says it was told by a senior Western official […]

Iran

Iran Parliament ratifies Nuclear Deal as Tehran Emerges on World Stage

contributors

By Edward Wastnidge | (The Conversation) | – – Iran’s parliament has approved the much-ballyhooed deal to limit its nuclear programme. After years of suspicion and sanctions, the tense stand-off with the West has, at least for now, been defused – and not before time. Even with the world gripped by the Russian entry into […]