By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University (The Conversation) – Saudi Arabia is 2,000 miles from Ukraine and even more politically distant, so at first glance it might seem like it has nothing to do with the ongoing war there. But the Gulf state has emerged as a key intermediary in the most serious ceasefire negotiations […]
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Iran
Can the Caspian Sea be Saved from turning into an environmental Disaster?
Written byNurbek Bekmurzaev ( Global Voices ) – The Caspian Sea, the largest enclosed body of water in the world, faces a grim future in the form of significant desiccation, loss of flora and fauna, and large-scale pollution. All these processes have already started and their further deterioration poses immense risks for the economies and […]
On Int’l Women’s Day: In Memory of Iranian Women who have Struggled for Freedom
Newark, Delaware (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – When Ruhollah Khomeini was still in Neauphle-le-Château, in various declarations and interviews, he had promised that women would have the freedom to choose their attire. That they would have the same rights as men. “In an interview with a left-leaning Lebanese newspaper, he said that Islam believes in the total […]
Iranian Singer Mehdi Yarrahi Flogged Over Song Against Mandatory Hijab
By RFE/RL’s Radio Farda ( RFE/RL ) – Pop singer Mehdi Yarrahi has been given 74 lashes for a song criticizing Iran’s mandatory dress code for women, ending a criminal case against him that also included a prison term. His lawyer, Zahra Minuei, wrote on X on March 5 that Yarrahi’s flogging sentence had been […]
Iran Press: Zelenskyy Diss shows Unwisdom of Giving up Nukes; Relying on US is “Dishonorable”
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In Iran since the presidency of Hassan Rouhani (2013-2021), the ruling elite has debated whether a grand bargain with the United States is possible. Those who believe that the US is not an honest or reliable partner for any deal-making are taking some delight in Trump’s humiliating treatment of Ukrainian […]
Why Is Saudi Arabia Seeking To Mediate A Deal Between U.S. And Iran?
By By Kian Sharifi ( RFE/RL ) – After facilitating the first high-level talks between U.S. and Russian officials since the Ukraine war began, Saudi Arabia is now reportedly positioning itself as a mediator in another high-stakes negotiation — this time between the United States and Iran. CNN, which first broke the story, reports that […]
Lebanon at a Crossroads: Can Saudi Arabia Counter Iran’s Waning Influence?
Trabzon, Turkey (Special to Informed Comment, Feature) – The recent visit of Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to Lebanon on 23 January marks a critical moment for Saudi Arabia-Lebanon bilateral relations. This visit comes after years of strained relations between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, driven by the ongoing rivalry between Saudi Arabia […]
Can Israel Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Program?
By Kian Sharifi ( RFE/ RL ) – U.S. intelligence has concluded that the odds of an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear program in the next few months are high, according to major American media, but the jury is out on whether Israel can destroy its archfoe’s nuclear facilities on its own. Iran is widely […]
Netanyahu’s Quest to Attack Iran with the Mother of all Bombs
The emboldened Netanyahu cabinet is in a war path, again. It is mobilizing to attack Iran and lobbying President Trump into a plan that presumably would use the “Mother of All Bombs” Ever since his rise to power in the late 1990s, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has worked toward a war with Iran, presumably […]