https://www.middleeastmonitor.com Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa Tue, 08 Aug 2023 11:59:28 +0000 en-GB Middle East Monitor 30 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com 32 32 116394717 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230729-asias-strategic-autonomy-how-the-new-era-could-shape-our-collective-identities/ Sat, 29 Jul 2023 11:30:40 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656406 In a recent speech, China's highest-ranking diplomat Wang Yi spoke of a "united Asia" and its need to develop a "strategic autonomy". In principle, Wang was not wrong; after all, a stable and prosperous Asia would benefit the region's peoples and deny Western meddlers the chance to exploit historical fault lines and sow the seeds of political division. Wang's language, although from the outside may seem simple and straightforward, is quite loaded with meaning. "No matter how blonde you dye your hair, how sharp you shape your nose, you can never become a European or American, you can never become a Westerner," Wang said, as cited by Chinese state media. In fact, common culture, beliefs and origins have historically served […]]]> 656406 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230606-iran-unveils-first-alleged-hypersonic-missile-giving-it-significant-military-edge/ Tue, 06 Jun 2023 13:41:06 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=642845 Iran has revealed its first hypersonic missile which can outpace missile defence systems and that will apparently give it a military edge against the West and the surrounding region, Iranian state media has announced. At an unveiling ceremony today in the capital, Tehran, which was attended by President Ebrahim Raisi and senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the 'Fattah' missile was presented and was visible to the public. According to IRGC aerospace chief, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, quoted by state media, the Fattah missile "cannot be destroyed by any other missile due to how it moves in different directions and at different altitudes". With the name of the missile – translating roughly to "the opener" or "conqueror" – […]]]> 642845 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230413-top-japan-diplomat-discusses-tehran-nuclear-issue-with-iran-counterpart/ Thu, 13 Apr 2023 12:45:58 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=628855 Top diplomats of Japan and Iran, on Wednesday, discussed the latest developments surrounding Tehran's nuclear issue, a statement from Tokyo said, Anadolu News Agency reports. Foreign Minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, told his Iranian counterpart, Huseyn Amir Abdollahian, that Japan has "consistently supported" the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Tokyo has "strong hopes for a constructive response from Iran, including the full and unconditional cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," Hayashi told Abdollahian. Besides, the statement said, the duo exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine and agreed on continuing bilateral dialogue on a wide range of fields. Hayashi also held a half-an-hour-long video conference with IAEA Rafael Mariano Grossi on Wednesday. The duo discussed a variety of issues […]]]> 628855 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230412-revelations-galore-as-pentagon-document-leak-shakes-us-allies/ Wed, 12 Apr 2023 14:02:32 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=628709 A major leak of top secret Pentagon documents shook the US and its allies on Monday, with the files providing a rare private peek into Washington's global policies. One of the key factors making the documents so controversial is that they show the US has been spying on major allies such as South Korea, which is crucial for American interests amid the presence of a nuclear-armed North Korea run by an unpredictable dictator; Israel, which is central to US policies in the Middle East and Ukraine, which is in dire need of US military support amid the ongoing Russian war. How it all started Not in the depths of the dark web or on an obscure website, instead it all […]]]> 628709 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230316-iraq-war-quotes-from-the-conflict-and-its-aftermath/ Thu, 16 Mar 2023 16:56:07 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=622789 Here are some notable quotes from before, during and after the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 that toppled President Saddam Hussein. 29 January, 2002 – "States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world." – US President George W. Bush referring to Iraq, Iran and North Korea in his State of the Union Address. 5 February, 2003 – "My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we're giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence." – Colin Powell, then US Secretary of State, to the UN Security Council, describing what he said was evidence […]]]> 622789 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230220-syrias-long-history-of-sanctions-hurts-the-people-much-more-than-the-regime/ Mon, 20 Feb 2023 16:59:50 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=616153 Some countries just seem to be doomed from the start, and Syria looks like one of them. With a family of dictators at the helm, an ongoing civil war, an economic crisis and now the devastating earthquake which has killed thousands and displaced more than  million people, it really does seem as if Syria can't get a break. But can a country that has been crippled by sanctions since the 1970s even dream of better days? Hafez Al-Assad and his son Bashar have both ruled Syria with an iron fist; Assad Junior still does. They built up a network of loyalists and spies which enabled them to gain and then stay in power. Their reputation, fanned by the West, is […]]]> 616153 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221222-us-accuses-russia-of-using-weapons-from-north-korea-iran-in-ukraine-in-violation-of-un-resolutions/ Thu, 22 Dec 2022 18:28:56 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=602368 The US accused Russia on Thursday of using weapons in Ukraine procured from North Korea and Iran – violations of UN Security Council resolutions, Anadolu reports. "The United States can confirm that the DPRK has completed an initial arms delivery to the Russian private military company known as Wagner, which paid for the equipment and currently has thousands of troops deployed to Ukraine," said American envoy to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. "Last month the DPRK delivered infantry rockets and missiles into Russia for use by Wagner." She said it is "despicable" that Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, is using weapons from North Korea and Iran. "Wagner's purchase of weapons from the DPRK to wreak destruction in Ukraine […]]]> 602368 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220902-the-totalitarian-dream-gulf-and-israeli-surveillance-is-going-global/ Fri, 02 Sep 2022 08:56:20 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=577282 It has forever been the dream of almost every state, intelligence agency, empire and totalitarian regime to oversee the doings of all of their subjects, to detect any hint of dissent, to control their movements, to influence their thinking and even to peer into their minds. That dream has hardly ever been achieved, no matter their efforts and determination, not because of any moral qualms or principles holding them back, but simply because they lacked the tools to do so. In this decade leading up to 2030, however, things have changed. When the vision of 'The Line' – that revolutionary, green, eco-friendly, and technologically-advanced, 75-mile-long vertical city in the Arabian desert – was presented to the world in June, it […]]]> 577282 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220401-from-korea-to-libya-on-the-future-of-ukraine-and-natos-never-ending-wars/ Fri, 01 Apr 2022 08:12:26 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=546350 Much has been said and written about media bias and double standards in the West's response to the Russia-Ukraine war, when compared with other wars and military conflicts across the world, especially in the Middle East and the Global South. Less obvious is how such hypocrisy is a reflection of a much larger phenomenon which governs the West's relationship to war and conflict zones. On 19 March, Iraq commemorated the 19th anniversary of the US invasion which killed, according to modest estimates, over a million Iraqis. The consequences of that war were equally devastating as it destabilised the entire Middle East region, leading to various civil and proxy wars. The Arab world is reeling under that horrific experience to this […]]]> 546350 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211209-assad-north-korea-iran-developing-nuclear-reactor-syria-opposition-member-claims/ Thu, 09 Dec 2021 22:29:24 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=518796 A former Syrian member of parliament and current member of the Syrian opposition has claimed that Iran and North Korea are helping the Syrian regime to develop a nuclear reactor, according to the Saudi newspaper Okaz. Mohammad Barmo, who is part of the Syrian opposition in the north of the country, reportedly said that the Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad is working on a project to construct a nuclear reactor in the Al-Ghab plain in north-west Syria, with assistance from its allies Iran and North Korea. Barmo's claim is the latest out of numerous others in previous years which also alleged that Tehran and Pyongyang are attempting to help Damascus develop nuclear capabilities. In 2018, the London-based Arabic language news […]]]> 518796 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210216-58-countries-denounce-practice-of-arbitrary-detention/ Tue, 16 Feb 2021 14:12:30 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=456425 Canada has launched the Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention denouncing state-sponsored arbitrary detention of foreign nationals for political purposes. The US and 58 other countries have endorsed the non-binding declaration which aims to "protect citizens of all countries who live, work and travel abroad." The declaration, announced by Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau, comes as part of Ottawa's attempts to free two Canadian citizens who have been detained in China since 2018. Ottawa has said that the declaration is also aimed at the widespread use of the practice abroad, including in North Korea, Iran and Russia. "It's time to send a clear message to every government that arbitrarily detains foreign nationals and tries to use them as leverage: this will not […]]]> 456425 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200814-north-korea-hacking-group-attacked-israels-defence-industry/ Fri, 14 Aug 2020 11:24:01 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=415981 A team of North Korean hackers breached Israel's security and penetrated its computer system, according to the international cybersecurity firm ClearSky. Though Israel downplayed the incident claiming that the attack was thwarted in real time with no "harm or disruption" caused to its computer systems, there is concern that any sensitive data stolen during the cyberattack could be shared with Iran. ClearSky, whose researchers were the first to expose the attack, said the hackers – identified as the Lazarus Group – likely stole large amount of classified data which could be used to attack the Zionist state. While there was no mention of how Israel could be targeted the foiled a cyberattack on Israel's water infrastructure highlights the Zionist state's vulnerability to such […]]]> 415981 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200331-lift-sanctions-on-iran-n-korea-venezuela-in-coronavirus-crisis/ Tue, 31 Mar 2020 17:02:00 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=394871 A UN human rights expert called on Tuesday for lifting international sanctions against countries ranging from Iran to North Korea and Venezuela to ensure that food supplies reach hungry populations during the coronavirus pandemic, reports Reuters. Iran, under sweeping US sanctions for its nuclear and missile programmes, is among the hardest-hit by the new pathogen. Venezuela has notified 113 cases to the World Health Organization (WHO), while isolated North Korea, which borders on China and South Korea, has yet to report any. "The continued imposition of crippling economic sanctions on Syria, Venezuela, Iran, Cuba, and, to a lesser degree, Zimbabwe, to name the most prominent instances, severely undermines the ordinary citizens' fundamental right to sufficient and adequate food," Hilal Elver, […]]]> 394871 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200227-coronavirus-reaches-palestine/ Thu, 27 Feb 2020 15:26:24 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=389094 Nine South Korean nationals who travelled through Palestine in February were later confirmed to have contracted coronavirus, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced on Saturday. The delegation of 77 people, which visited Palestine from 8 to 15 February, travelled to Jerusalem, Nablus, Jericho, Hebron and Bethlehem. It is unknown whether the group, who were on a trip organised by the Catholic Church to visit tourist and religious sites in Palestine, were infected before or after visiting the country. The Palestinian Ministry of the Interior later closed all facilities and restaurants which had been visited by the delegation. Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister, and Minister of the Interior, Mohammad Shtayyeh, said: "We hope that the owners of the unknown facilities [visited […]]]> 389094 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191209-biden-campaign-attacks-trump-policy-on-saudi-arabia-north-korea/ Mon, 09 Dec 2019 18:40:53 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=375548 375548 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190717-iranian-diplomats-families-living-in-new-york-face-us-travel-curbs/ Wed, 17 Jul 2019 03:03:26 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=353707 The United States has tightly restricted the travel of more than a dozen Iranian diplomats and their families living in New York, according to a US diplomatic note to sent to the Iran mission to the United Nations and seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The diplomats are subjected to the same rules imposed by the United States on Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who arrived on Sunday amid heightened tensions between the two countries. They may only travel between the United Nations, the Iranian UN mission, the Iranian UN ambassador's residence and John F. Kennedy airport. There is also a carve out for the six blocks surrounding Queensboro Plaza in Long Island City in the borough of Queens. It […]]]> 353707 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190712-uighurs-saudi-arabia-and-russia-among-37-states-backing-chinas-policy/ Fri, 12 Jul 2019 19:16:02 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=352770 Saudi Arabia, Russia, and 35 other states have written to the United Nations supporting China's policies in its western region of Xinjiang, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters on Friday, in contrast to strong Western criticism. China has been accused of detaining a million Muslims and persecuting ethnic Uyghur in Xinjiang, and 22 ambassadors signed a letter to the UN Human Rights Council this week criticising its policies. But the letter supporting China commended what it called China's remarkable achievements in the field of human rights. READ: China tells Turkey to support its fight against Uyghur militants "Faced with the grave challenge of terrorism and extremism, China has undertaken a series of counter-terrorism and deradicalization measures […]]]> 352770 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190701-trumps-theatrics-are-bad-news-for-palestine/ Mon, 01 Jul 2019 15:12:57 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=350815 Whenever I have visited Palestine and speak to Palestinians I am always asked, "Why doesn't the West care about our suffering?" It's a question that I try to avoid answering, but the brutal truth is that many Westerners, their governments and media simply don't care. The fact that a humanitarian disaster is unfolding now in the Gaza Strip, for instance, has little impact. That Palestinians are the victims, not the perpetrators, of one of the greatest crimes of the 20th century has virtually no traction these days, despite the shocking statistics emerging from the occupied Palestinian Territories, which reveal a harrowing story of high unemployment, hardship, death and misery. Before I'm deluged with protests, though, let me say this: if […]]]> 350815 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190529-out-of-fear-of-trump-morocco-reconsiders-uss-mim-104-patriot-instead-of-russias-s400/ Wed, 29 May 2019 01:57:50 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=345606 Morocco reconsidered purchasing Russian Air Defence System S400, fearing the US' Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which imposes sanctions on countries dealing with Iran, Russia, and North Korea, reported Spanish magazine Defensa.com Defensa.com revealed in the report, which Arabi21 translated, that "until recently, Morocco has been interested in the S400, which is the newest and most powerful air defence system in the world." "However, the act that the US adopted to confront its adversaries with sanctions known as CAATSA, which imposes sanctions on Iran, Russia and North Korea, has changed Rabat's intentions," the report continued. The magazine quoted its resources as saying: "To avoid the US sanctions, Morocco has returned to the US arms market, and entered into […]]]> 345606 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190428-irans-zarif-plans-north-korea-visit-iranian-state-tv/ Sun, 28 Apr 2019 13:13:47 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=340628 Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is planning to visit North Korea, Iran's state television reported on Sunday, without giving the date of the visit. "The date of this trip will be set and announced soon," the television quoted Zarif as saying, in a Reuters report. It gave no further details. North Korea's top diplomat, Ri Yong Ho, whose country faces international and US sanctions, visited Iran in August as the United States reintroduced sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif does not believe US President Donald Trump wants war with Iran, but he told Reuters on Wednesday that Trump could be lured into a conflict. "I don't think he wants war," Zarif said in an […]]]> 340628 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190328-us-isolated-at-u-n-security-council-over-golan-decision/ Thu, 28 Mar 2019 01:53:58 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=335476 The United States was isolated at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday over President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights as the other countries on the council opposed the move, Reuters reports. In a letter requesting Wednesday's meeting, Syria described the US decision as a "flagrant violation" of council resolutions, while ally North Korea issued a statement backing "the struggle of the Syrian government and people for taking back the occupied Golan Heights." Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981 in a move the 15-member UN Security Council declared "null and void and without international legal effect." British UN Ambassador Karen Pierce told […]]]> 335476 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190307-trump-says-us-negotiating-on-release-of-hostages-abroad/ Thu, 07 Mar 2019 01:42:35 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=332025 US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States is holding negotiations to try to win the release of US hostages held abroad, but he declined to say in what countries, Reuters reports. Trump made the remark at a White House event welcoming Danny Burch, an oil engineer who Trump said last month was reunited with his family after 18 months in captivity in Yemen. "We have a few negotiations going on right now. I won't tell you where, because we don't want to blow the negotiation out the window," Trump told reporters. "I love doing it, because I love the end result. This is the end result: a happy man with a happy family." The Trump administration has secured […]]]> 332025 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190301-trump-says-all-daesh-territory-retaken-contradicting-allied-commander/ Fri, 01 Mar 2019 04:09:05 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=330810 330810 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190228-trump-netanyahu-is-tough-smart-and-strong/ Thu, 28 Feb 2019 10:55:15 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=330715 After his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, American President Donald Trump yesterday described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "tough, smart and strong", the Times of Israel reported. Netanyahu is currently facing several allegations of corruption, bribery, fraud and breach of trust just months before an election is due to be held in Israel. Trump, however, said he "has done a great job." "I can say this, he has done a great job as prime minister," Trump said in Hanoi after the summit with Kim Jong-Un. He added: "He is tough, smart and strong. He is very defensive, his military has been built up a lot." READ: Netanyahu's days may be numbered  Since he started his term, Trump […]]]> 330715 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190226-american-hostage-in-yemen-reunited-with-family/ Tue, 26 Feb 2019 02:42:45 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=330338 US citizen Danny Burch has been reunited with his family after 18 months in captivity in Yemen, US President Donald Trump said on Monday, praising the United Arab Emirates for its role in "bringing Danny home", Reuters reports. Burch, an oil engineer who grew up in Texas and spent years working in Yemen, was taken a hostage in September 2017, according to his family at the time, although Reuters reported in January 2018 that he had been released and taken to Oman. "Today he is safe and secure, and is reunited with his wife and children," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. "The family has asked for privacy as they recover from this ordeal." Trump tweeted the […]]]> 330338 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190212-egyptian-billionaire-eyes-up-north-korea-for-investments/ Tue, 12 Feb 2019 21:33:31 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=328258 328258 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190131-trump-slams-us-intelligence-chiefs-as-passive-and-naive-on-iran/ Thu, 31 Jan 2019 02:13:04 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=326292 President Donald Trump on Wednesday called US intelligence chiefs "extremely passive and naive" on Iran and dismissed their assessments of the threat posed by North Korea a day after they contradicted his views during congressional testimony, Reuters reports. His comments drew criticism from some of his fellow Republicans in Congress, some of whom have introduced legislation that would counter Trump's policies on national security in an unusual break from their party's leader. Leaders of the US intelligence community told a Senate committee on Tuesday that the nuclear threat from North Korea persisted and Iran was not taking steps toward making a nuclear bomb, conclusions that contrasted starkly with Trump's assessments of those countries. "The Intelligence people seem to be extremely passive […]]]> 326292 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190125-eu-adds-saudi-arabia-to-draft-terrorism-financing-list/ Fri, 25 Jan 2019 21:45:35 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=325598 The European Commission has added Saudi Arabia to an EU draft list of countries that pose a threat to the bloc because of lax controls against terrorism financing and money laundering, two sources told Reuters on Friday. The move comes amid heightened international pressure on Saudi Arabia after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate on Oct. 2. The EU's list currently consists of 16 countries, including Iran, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and North Korea, and is mostly based on criteria used by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global body composed by wealthy nations meant to combat money laundering and terrorism financing. But the list has been updated this week, using new criteria […]]]> 325598 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181108-how-a-democratic-us-house-could-alter-foreign-policy/ Thu, 08 Nov 2018 00:32:55 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=314052 Democrats will use their new majority in the US House of Representatives to reverse what they see as a hands-off approach by Republicans toward President Donald Trump's foreign policy, and push for stricter dealings with Russia, Saudi Arabia and North Korea, Reuters reports. Representative Eliot Engel, the Democrat in line to head the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said they might also seek congressional authorisation for the use of military force in places like Iraq and Syria. But on some hot-button areas, like China and Iran, he acknowledged there was little they could do to change the status quo. As the majority party, Democrats will decide what legislation is considered in the House and have a more prominent role in setting spending […]]]> 314052 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180930-trump-swoons-over-letters-from-north-koreas-kim/ Sun, 30 Sep 2018 10:22:00 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=308266 US President Donald Trump took his enthusiasm for his detente with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to new heights on Saturday, declaring at a rally with supporters that "we fell in love" after exchanging letters, as reported on Reuters. Trump and Kim have said they want to work toward denuclearizing the Korean peninsula, holding an unprecedented meeting earlier this year in Singapore to discuss the idea. Before they turned the page on decades of public acrimony, the leaders regularly traded threats and insults as North Korea pushed to develop a nuclear missile capable of hitting the United States. Trump to North Korea: Comply or face same fate as Gaddafi "I was really being tough – and so was he. […]]]> 308266 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180917-obama-takes-aim-at-trump-saudi-arabia-north-korea-and-others/ Mon, 17 Sep 2018 09:46:38 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=306638 306638 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180815-radioactive-sheep-said-to-prove-israel-illegally-tested-nuclear-weapons/ Wed, 15 Aug 2018 12:58:31 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=302334 302334 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180809-khamenei-says-iran-does-not-have-anything-to-be-concerned-about/ Thu, 09 Aug 2018 03:31:50 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=301424 Iran's utmost authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the Islamic Republic had nothing to be concerned about, a report on his official website said on Wednesday, as the country's clerical leadership faces biting US sanctions, Reuters reports. The sanctions imposed on Tehran this week have already led banks and many companies around the world to scale back dealings with Iran. Companies doing business with Iran will be barred from the United States, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday. "With regard to our situation do not be worried at all. Nobody can do anything," his website Khamenei.ir quoted him as saying in one of his speeches in the past weeks but was published only a day after the new US sanctions […]]]> 301424 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180801-trumps-gulf-dream/ Wed, 01 Aug 2018 14:53:12 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=300366 Since the American president was elected, his many dreams were revealed. I say "dreams" because most of them are not based on a realistic vision of international politics. They are dreams that Trump believes his exceptional personality is capable of accomplishing, as he believes he is a "deal maker". He had a dream to end North Korea's nuclear aspirations, he dreamt of a subordinate Iran, and a cooperative Russia. He wanted the deal of the century to pass without a hitch! In the Gulf, Trump wanted a region that agreed to serve his projects, funded him with money, soldiers and equipment. Trump saw in the Gulf a current account that would fund his projects and the stick he used to […]]]> 300366 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180709-north-korea-demanded-israel-pay-1bn-to-halt-nuclear-missile-sales-to-iran/ Mon, 09 Jul 2018 14:06:13 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=297061 An exposé by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has revealed that North Korea demanded Israel pay $1 billion in cash in return for halting its nuclear missile sales to Iran. The alleged offer was made in 1999 during an exchange between North Korea's envoy to Sweden, Son Mu Sin, and Israeli ambassador to Sweden, Gideon Ben Ami, while the pair met in secret at a café in Stockholm, the Swedish capital. An account of the exchange was recorded in a memoir by the translator present at the meeting, a former North Korean diplomat named Thae Yong Ho. Ho has since defected to South Korea. It is believed that Israel refused the offer, instead offering to provide North Korea with food […]]]> 297061 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180619-the-singapore-summit-is-a-wake-up-call-the-us-is-a-threat-to-world-peace/ Tue, 19 Jun 2018 08:40:36 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=294210 After all the hype the Singapore summit turned out to be damp squib. Apart from the spectacular photo opportunities, the meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un produced no groundbreaking agreement. If anything, Trump was outfoxed by his North Korean counterpart. In this there is a wake up call for Arab leaders who have been overawed by the US President's bravado. The man who talked his Arab allies into approving his "deal of the century" on Palestine could not persuade the North Koreans to agree to the verification of their 'denuclearisation' programme. All he got was a "firm and unwavering commitment" with no timetable and no clear definition of what denuclearsation actually means. Like the Korean peninsula the Middle East has […]]]> 294210 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180619-russias-lavrov-uss-pompeo-discuss-syria-koreas-by-phone/ Tue, 19 Jun 2018 01:31:34 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=294192 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke by telephone on Monday and discussed Syria and problems of the Korean peninsula, Russia's foreign ministry said. They also spoke about the schedule of political contacts between Moscow and Washington in the near future and bilateral relations, the ministry said in a statement. Pompeo "reemphasized the US commitment to the southwest ceasefire arrangement that was approved by President Trump and President Putin one year ago," the US State Department said in a statement. Pompeo "noted that it was critical for Russia and the Syrian regime to adhere to these arrangements and ensure no unilateral activity in this area," it said. In addition to Syria, Pompeo and Lavrov […]]]> 294192 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180603-syrias-assad-says-will-visit-north-korea/ Sun, 03 Jun 2018 11:45:35 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=292312 292312 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180528-trump-is-learning-the-hard-way-that-east-asia-is-not-the-middle-east/ Mon, 28 May 2018 12:51:14 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=291565 I am not known for commentaries about East Asia; it's just not "my" region. However, moments avail themselves occasionally where one can share close and informative discussions with experts from various parts of the world. I shared one such a moment with an expert from East Asia recently, which is why this article seeks to juxtapose the politics of US President Donald Trump in the Middle East with his politics there. The rashly organised meeting that was scheduled for 12 June between Trump and North Korean President Kim Jong-un has been cancelled. Trump made the surprise announcement on 24 May after months of positive political dialogue between the US, North Korea and South Korea. The talking was kick-started in part […]]]> 291565 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180518-trump-to-north-korea-comply-or-face-same-fate-as-gaddafi/ Fri, 18 May 2018 12:36:36 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=290278 US President Donald Trump yesterday warned North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un that his security must come to a deal with the West of suffer the fate of Muammar Gaddafi's Libya. In rambling remarks in the White House's Oval Office, Trump said that as far as he knew the meeting with Kim was still on track, but that the North Korean leader was possibly being influenced by China after two recent visits he made there. "North Korea is actually talking to us about times and everything else as though nothing happened," Trump told reporters at the start of a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Trump said he was not pursuing the "Libya model" in getting North Korea to abandon its […]]]> 290278 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180501-the-gulf-can-learn-a-lot-from-the-korean-handshake/ Tue, 01 May 2018 14:21:50 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=287612 The world was surprised on Friday morning by a historical scene that was no less powerful than the destruction of the Berlin Wall more than a quarter of a century ago after the collapse of the Soviet Union. We witnessed North Korean President Kim Jong-un cross over into South Korea and shake hands with President Moon Jae-in. Jae-in then crossed the border between the two countries, making him the first to cross the border in nearly 65 years. The two leaders agreed to end the war that broke out in the early 1950s, which killed more than 2 million people in both countries, as well as dozens of nuclear and non-nuclear conflicts and tests witnessed in the Korean peninsula for […]]]> 287612 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180419-syria-strike-leaves-murky-risky-aftermath/ Thu, 19 Apr 2018 01:05:24 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=286274 The US-led strikes on Syria may be over, at least for now, but the war that produced them – as well as the wider international confrontations that fueled it – is only getting more complex. In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Syrian media reported a second suspected Israeli air strike within the country in little more than a week. In the West, speculation continued as to how Russia – which promised "consequences" for the weekend's US, French and British launch of 105 missiles against chemical weapons plants in Syria – might respond, with Western officials particularly nervous about whether Moscow was planning any cyber attacks. Western states and their Gulf allies, meanwhile, are still struggling to hammer out their […]]]> 286274 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180327-uae-celebrates-completion-of-its-first-nuclear-reactor/ Tue, 27 Mar 2018 12:28:26 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=283389 The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced yesterday the completion of the construction of its first-ever nuclear power reactor, official news agency WAM has reported. The Emirati reactor, the first in the Arab world, is one of four which are being built in the country's Barakah nuclear power plant. The $24.4 billion nuclear plant will start generating power after the issuance of the necessary licenses, officials told the official WAM news agency. It is expected to produce 5,600 megawatts of electricity. Last year, the UAE declared that a nuclear reactor will be constructed near Abu Dhabi and would start operating this year. In December 2009, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) awarded the contract for the Middle East's first nuclear power plant to a consortium […]]]> 283389 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180228-un-north-korea-arming-syria-with-chemical-weapons/ Wed, 28 Feb 2018 13:02:29 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=279840 A UN investigation has found evidence that North Korea sent material used in ballistic missile and chemical weapons programmes to Syria, along with missile technicians, in violation of UN sanctions, according to the Associated Press. The 200-page report found that Pyongyang sent more than 40 unreported shipments to Damascus between 2012 and 2017, which included the transfer of prohibited ballistic missiles, conventional arms and dual use goods. Myanmar has also been an illegal recipient of a range of weaponry, bringing the total value of the exports to nearly $200 million in just nine months last year. As part of the investigation, an unidentified UN member state testified that North Korean technicians "continue to operate at chemical weapons and missile facilities at Barzeh, […]]]> 279840 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180220-iraq-receives-36-out-of-73-russian-t-90-battle-tanks/ Tue, 20 Feb 2018 03:38:49 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=278778 278778 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171117-us-says-sudan-commits-to-severing-north-korea-ties/ Fri, 17 Nov 2017 03:22:52 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=265537 Sudan committed on Thursday to severing all trade and military ties with North Korea, the US State Department said, as Washington seeks to isolate Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs. "The United States welcomes the Government of Sudan's pledge and will continue engagement on this issue to ensure that this commitment is fully implemented," the State Department said in a statement, adding that the Sudanese foreign ministry made the announcement following meetings with a visiting US diplomat in Khartoum. Read: US sanctions not the cause of Sudan's economic problem]]> 265537 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171020-kerry-ending-iran-nuclear-deal-would-worsen-n-korea-situation/ Fri, 20 Oct 2017 02:52:14 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=261842 261842 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171016-trumps-angry-diplomacy-in-north-korea-is-an-attempt-to-counter-china/ Mon, 16 Oct 2017 17:28:29 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=261194 To understand the United States' stratagem in the Pacific, and against North Korea in particular, one has to understand the fundamental changes that are underway in that region. China's clout as an Asian superpower and as a global economic powerhouse has been growing at a rapid speed. The US' belated 'pivot to Asia' to counter China's rise has been, thus far, quite ineffectual. The angry diplomacy of President Donald Trump is Washington's way to scare off North Korea's traditional ally, China, and disrupt what has been, until now, quite a smooth Chinese economic, political and military ascendency in Asia that has pushed against US regional influence, especially in the East and South China Seas. Despite the fact that China has […]]]> 261194 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171012-uae-terminates-diplomatic-ties-with-north-korea/ Thu, 12 Oct 2017 15:09:41 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=260776 260776 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171007-us-lifts-economic-sanctions-on-sudan/ Sat, 07 Oct 2017 09:48:20 +0000 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=259957 The United States lifted long-standing sanctions against Sudan on Friday, saying that it had made progress fighting terrorism and easing the human rights situation in the country, Reuters has reported. The Americans have also secured Khartoum's commitment not to pursue arms deals with North Korea. In a move that completes a process begun by former President Barack Obama and which was opposed by human rights groups, President Donald Trump removed a US trade embargo and other penalties that had effectively cut Sudan off from much of the global financial system. The US decision marked a major turnaround for the government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who once played host to Osama bin Laden and is wanted by the International Criminal […]]]> 259957