Author: Steven Sahiounie

After holding five rounds of talks in secret, the next meeting between Riyadh and Iran will be public, and held in Baghdad. Iraq’s foreign minister Fuad Hussein announced that next meeting between Saudi Arabia and Iran will be in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and will be a public one. Over the past months, Iraq hosted rounds of talks between Tehran and Riyadh, with aim to soften up the tensions between the two countries. Hussein confirmed, in an interview with Rudaw, an Iraqi news outlet, that “five rounds of talks were held between Saudi Arabia and Iran on the security level,” noting that “the meetings that were…

The West’s reliance on military aid to Ukraine and sanctions on Russia has failed, Hungary’s PM has said The Russia-Ukraine conflict could end the West’s dominance and shift the balance of power in the world, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said. Russia launched a military campaign against the neighboring country in late February. Orban argued that the decision to impose sanctions on Moscow and supply Kiev with heavy weapons de facto turned the EU and NATO member states into participants in the conflict, but ultimately yielded no results. “Instead, today we are sitting inside a car with flat tires…

The death toll from Friday’s flash floods in the southern Iranian province of Fars has risen to 21, and three others are still missing, rescue sources told state media on Saturday. Mehdi Valipour, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, said initially 89 people were stuck in the flood waters, and that the rescue operation will continue until the rest of the missing people are found. Speaking to the semi-official Mehr News Agency earlier in the day, Estahban Governor Yousef Kargar said 13 of the recovered bodies have been identified. He noted that so far, 55 people, who were stuck…

Rosneft and Gazprom may now be able to ship oil to third countries The EU will allow transactions needed for Russian state-owned companies to sell oil to third countries, the EU Council said in a statement on Thursday. “With a view to avoid any potential negative consequences for food and energy security around the world, the EU decided to extend the exemption from the prohibition to engage in transactions with certain state-owned entities as regards transactions for agricultural products and the transport of oil to third countries,” the statement reads. This provision means that Russian state-owned companies, including Rosneft, Gazprom Neft, and…

Pakistan’s political crisis is growing following the chief minister’s election in Punjab province. The 371-member Punjab assembly on Friday held a disputed vote of strength in which Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s son Hamza Shehbaz was declared the winner, Bernama reported. Hamza, who belongs to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) group, received 179 votes and his challenger Chaudhry Parvez Elahi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) secured 186 votes. However, deputy speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari rejected the 10 votes of the PML-Q members on the ground the members did not follow party chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s instruction to support Hamza. The…

Russian combat aircraft eliminated more than a half of the 2nd battalion of the Ukrainian army’s 14th mechanized brigade in the special military operation in Ukraine, Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported Russian artillery struck the combat positions of the Ukrainian Neo-Nazi Donbass formation near Verkhnekamenskoye, eliminating over 60 militants, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Saturday. “As a result of damage by firepower inflicted by Russian artillery on the combat positions of the Neo-Nazi Donbass formation near the settlement of Verkhnekamenskoye, over 60 militants were killed,” the spokesman said. Russian combat aircraft eliminated more than a half of the…

On July 22, two civilians were killed and five others were wounded when militants based in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib shelled the government-held towns of al-Suqaylabiyah, al-Baraka, Nobol Elkhatib and Jurin with artillery and multiple rocket launchers. The three towns are located in the northwestern countryside of Hama. The militants’ rocket and artillery strikes targeted several other government-held towns in the northern Lattakia countryside, the southern Idlib countryside and the western countryside of Aleppo. However, no casualties were reported there. The al-Fateh al-Mubeen Operations Room, which is led by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), claimed responsibility for…

At least four American mercenaries were killed in Ukraine, and two more were captured by Russian forces. US officials said, on Friday night, that two Americans who were fighting in Ukraine died in the war-torn country’s east. A State Department spokesperson said as quoted by ABC News: “We can confirm the recent deaths of two US citizens in the Donbass region of Ukraine.” “We are in touch with the families and providing all possible consular assistance”, he added. At least two other American fighters were killed in Ukraine, and two more were captured by Russian forces. Stephen Zabielski, 52, was killed in May after…

Ukraine and Russia signed a deal Friday to release an estimated 22 million tons of wheat and other crops, allowing Ukrainian grain to be exported, which will be supervised by Turkey and the United Nations. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres attended the signing ceremony, with Russia represented by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukraine by the Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, who signed the deal separately with Turkey and the UN. Turkey first announced the tentative deal last week after hosting talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the UN. Under the agreement, Ukrainian vessels would guide ships in…

On July 21, a unit of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) backed by three battle tanks stormed the town of Jubata al-Khashab in the southern Syrian governorate of al-Quneitra. The unit advanced in the outskirts of the town and reached the area of Hursh al-Hurriyah. Some Syrian pro-opposition activists alleged a unit of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) was operating in the area before the Israeli incursion. However, this is yet to be confirmed. Jubata al-Khashab is located within the UN-monitored 235 square kilometer buffer zone in al-Quneitra, which was created under the 1974 separation of forces agreement. This was…