Kurdish PDKI soldiers kill Iranian Revolutionary Guards in direct action raid

Kurdish PDKI soldiers kill Iranian Revolutionary Guards in direct action raid

The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) claims that their Peshmerga forces killed nine Iranian Revolutionary Guards and injured another eighteen during a firefight last week on the Iran-Iraq border. A statement made by the PDKI’s Peshmerga Central Command declared that the clash occurred in mountains of the Iranian controlled Shno region, a border city […]

Iran Seeks Help From China After US Sanctions

Iran Seeks Help From China After US Sanctions

Politics makes for some strange bedfellows. This weekend, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani heads to China to participate in a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. Will China, insistent on pushing the United States on every turn, improve ties with the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism? The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional security bloc led by China […]

Revenge of the Guardians: How the Iranians will evade new US Sanctions

Revenge of the Guardians: How the Iranians will evade new US Sanctions

The nuclear deal with Iran is gone, lying dead on the rubbish heap of history. It all seemed straightforward on the surface. The Iranians promised to halt the enrichment of uranium and not blow up Israel. In return, the U.S. and the European Union agreed to lift economic sanctions that stunted the Iranian economy. Unfortunately, it […]

Top US, Russian Military Leaders Meet in Finland

The top U.S. military leaders of the United States and Russia are meeting in Finland to exchange views on U.S.-Russia military relations, Syria, and the current international security situation. Finnish news agency FNB said Friday’s meeting of Gen. Joseph Dunford, current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Russia’s chief of the military’s General […]

Iraqi parliament leader Muqtada al-Sadr seeks to solve the nation’s growing water crisis

Iraqi parliament leader Muqtada al-Sadr seeks to solve the nation’s growing water crisis

Muqtada al-Sadr has been a long-time enemy of the U.S., particularly during the occupation of Iraq during Operation Iraqi freedom (OIF) when Sadr led the Mahdi Army. Now Sadr has been elected to Iraqi parliament, his Sayriun Alliance partnered with the Communist Party to pull a sweeping victory out of the elections. Together, the Sayriun Alliance […]

Qatar Accuses Saudis of “Reckless Behavior” After Military Threat

Qatar Accuses Saudis of “Reckless Behavior” After Military Threat

Qatar wasn’t pleased after being threatened indirectly by Saudi Arabia after a letter reportedly sent from King Salman to France was published in a French newspaper. In the letter, the Saudis threatened military action if Qatar installs a Russian air defense system. Qatar’s foreign minister told Al Jazeera he did not think the Saudi threat […]

Iran Foreign Minister: The World Must Stand Up to US Bullying

Iran Foreign Minister: The World Must Stand Up to US Bullying

Iran’s Foreign Minister said that the world needs to stand up to the bullying and bellicose behavior of the United States as he attempts to save a nuclear deal after Washington’s withdrawal last month. In a letter from Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to his counterparts, he asked “the remaining signatories and other trade […]

US levels sanctions against Iran for human rights violations

US levels sanctions against Iran for human rights violations

The U.S. has enacted new sanctions against Iran for censorship and alleged human rights violations. Iran has a long history of human rights abuses and harsh action against political dissidents — particularly activists seeking governmental change within the country. Many female activists and protesters seeking equal rights have also been persecuted under the laws of […]

Assad Vows to Retake Areas of Southern Syria Held by US-Backed Kurds

Assad Vows to Retake Areas of Southern Syria Held by US-Backed Kurds

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has upped the ante and warned Kurdish forces that are trained and equipped by the United States that he wouldn’t hesitate to use force to retake the roughly one-third of the country they currently control. Assad also tried to sound ominous and said in an interview with Russian television that the […]

Hamas Launches Mortar Attack on Israel From Gaza

Hamas Launches Mortar Attack on Israel From Gaza

In three separate attacks, Hamas mortars launched about 30 mortar shells at targets in southern Israel. It was the largest attack against Israel from Gaza since 2014. Most of the mortar shells were intercepted by the Israeli “Iron Dome” air defense system, the rounds that did impact caused only slight damage and one civilian was […]

Peshmerga to receive $290 million from the US in 2019

Peshmerga to receive $290 million from the US in 2019

The 2019 U.S. defense budget was approved on Thursday by the U.S. House of Representatives, $290 million of which will be allocated to Kurdistan’s Peshmerga military forces — under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The U.S. budget for Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) is $560 out of $850 million, the rest will be allocated to […]

Kurdish political parties meet with Iranian ambassador in Iraq

Kurdish political parties meet with Iranian ambassador in Iraq

Iranian Ambassador Iraj Masjedi and a delegation of Kurdish politicians met in Baghdad this week to discuss future plans for the new government with Iraqi parliamentary representatives. A group of Kurdistan Diplomatic Party (KDP) officials lead by Secretary General Fazil Mirani met Ambassador Masjedi to ensure that the formation of the newly elected government will not […]