Tag: Middle East

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks after he received the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Monday, Oct. 16, 2017. The honor is given annually to an individual who displays courage and conviction while striving to secure liberty for people worldwide. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

John McCain issues warning about lack of post-ISIS plan for Syria and Middle East

Travis J. Tritten · October 17, 2017 9:46 pm

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a warning to Russia, which has been Iran's partner in backing Syrian President Bashar Assad, during a meeting in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)

National Security

Benjamin Netanyahu: ‘Israel will not allow’ Iranian bases in Syria

Joel Gehrke · October 17, 2017 2:49 pm

Against the backdrop of the Kirkuk crisis, it was Qassem Soleimani who brokered a deal between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Shiite militias, and the Iraqi federal government to avoid bloodshed. (AP Photo/Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader)

Beltway Confidential

Iran’s real foreign minister isn’t who you think it is

Michael Rubin · October 16, 2017 7:58 pm

Iraqi state media say federal troops have entered disputed territories occupied by the nation's Kurds. The move comes three years after Kurdish militias seized the areas outside their autonomous region to defend against an advance by the Islamic State extremist group. (APTN via AP)

Beltway Confidential

What’s happening in Kirkuk and how the US should respond

Tom Rogan · October 16, 2017 5:53 pm

"King Salman praised President Trump for his visionary new Iran strategy and pledged to support American leadership," the statement regarding a telephone call between the two leaders on Saturday read. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

White House: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud congratulates Trump on ‘visionary new Iran strategy’

Naomi Lim · October 15, 2017 5:41 pm

"What the president has done has created new space to prevent a very bad deal from materializing, and to fix it." (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)

National Security

Benjamin Netanyahu: Trump made ‘very brave decision’ to disavow Iran nuclear deal

Josh Siegel · October 15, 2017 3:34 pm

President Trump says Iran is not living up to the "spirit" of the nuclear deal signed in 2015 and announced a new strategy in a speech Friday. He says his administration will impose additional sanctions on the regime to block its financing of terrorism. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

National Security

Trump throws a Hail Mary pass against Iran

Reuel Marc Gerecht · October 13, 2017 8:46 pm

Congressional Democrats feel President Trumpâs determination that the nuclear deal is not in the national security interests of the United States could lead to war "in the Middle East." (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Democrats fear Trump will spark war with Iran, North Korea

Joel Gehrke · October 13, 2017 5:43 pm

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, center, reviews a military parade during the 37th anniversary of Iraq's 1980 invasion of Iran, in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder, Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. Iran's Revolutionary Guard has unveiled its latest ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers -- about 1,250 miles-- capable of reaching much of the Middle East, including Israel. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

White House unveils ‘new strategy’ for Iran ahead of nuclear deal announcement

Sarah Bedford · October 13, 2017 9:00 am

The trouble is that after ISIS falls, it will not go away, and neither will Iraq's long-standing ethno-religious conflicts. (AP Photo/Balint Szlanko)

Beltway Confidential

After ISIS falls, what’s next for the US in the Middle East?

Bonnie Kristian · October 10, 2017 9:07 pm

Although Iran's terrorist and espionage activities are well-known by global intelligence services, Iran rarely faces serious consequences for what these malfeasant actions. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

Beltway Confidential

Of course Iran is proliferating nuclear weapons technology

Tom Rogan · October 10, 2017 1:45 pm

Decertifying Iran on October 15th would hurt, not help, Trump's appropriate and urgent pursuit of a better deal. (AP)

Diplomacy is to win, not for show — recertify the Iran deal, then make it better

Washington Examiner · October 7, 2017 4:01 am