Author: Steven Sahiounie

Larijani, tested due to having some of the coronavirus symptoms, has been quarantined and is receiving treatment, IRIB added. Earlier, Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi, Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Masoumeh Ebtekar and former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati also tested positive for COVID-19. In the Middle East, Iran has been the nation worst-hit by the pandemic, and its response to the crisis has been affected by continuing US sanctions. As of 2 April, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Iran stands at 50,468, with 3,160 deaths; more than 16,000 have recovered, Johns Hopkins University says. Globally,…

On 10 March, General Kenneth McKenzie, chief of the US Central Command, said in an apparent reference to the Patriot interceptors, that the Pentagon is in the process of delivering its “air defence systems” to Iraq. The Middle East Eye news outlet quoted unnamed sources as saying on Monday that the US military had deployed its Patriot missile defence system to the Ain al-Asad base in the western Iraqi province of Anbar. According to the sources, the system is currently being assembled amid reports that the Pentagon plans to send two more Patriot batteries to an undisclosed location in Iraq.…

In January, an international conference on Libya took place in the German capital, counting Russia, the United States, the European Union, Turkey, and Egypt among its participants. The sides agreed to a ceasefire and for third parties not to be involved in the conflict. US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have spoken by phone about efforts to “defeat the virus and bolster the global economy”, the White House said in a statement. The presidents underlined the need for ceasefires in Syria and Libya during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a White House statement. Trump and…

The Department of Defense (DoD) announced a grim milestone Monday — it’s total number of COVID-19 cases among US service members, civilian contractors, on-base civilian staff, and family dependents of troops has surpassed 1,000. “Total DoD Cases (current, recovered and deaths) is 1,087,” according to DoD fact sheet released on Monday. The numbers are as follow: 569 military cases220 civilian cases190 dependent cases64 contractor cases The Pentagon said 569 service members have been infected, among these 26 hospitalizations, and 34 have recovered. The remainder of total cases involve civilian contractors working on military bases and/or at the Pentagon, as well as dependents. This number is up significantly…

Last night, the Libyan National Army shot down another Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drone near the Libyan city of Tripoli. The Turkish military uses Bayraktar TB2 drones to support operations of forces (including al-Qaeda-linked groups) of the Tripoli-based ‘Government of National Accord’. Ankara also sent own military specialists and redeployed several thousands of own proxy fighters from Syria to Libya to support the Government of National Accord. Despite this, Turkish-backed forces have failed to make any gains in the battle against the Libyan National Army so far.

On March 30th, the US registered a record number of new registered COVID-19 cases – 20,353, to a total of 163,844. It also registered 573 deaths, to a total of 3,156. Additionally, New York’s Empire State Building lit up in red and white, revolving around the famous needle to resemble the lights that accompany a siren. The building’s owners call the display “the heartbeat of America.” The US Navy Ship (USNS) Comfort arrived in New York City, bringing 1,000 hospital beds to help relieve the city’s overwhelmed hospital system amid COVID-19 pandemic. Both New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and…

The price of crude rebounded on Tuesday from an 18-year low after Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump have agreed talks to stabilize energy markets. International benchmark Brent rose 1.5 percent to $23.15 per barrel, as of 08:06 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was up six percent at $21.19 a barrel. Both Brent and the WTI closed the previous session at their lowest levels since 2002. According to the Kremlin, Trump and Putin agreed during a phone call on Monday to have their top energy officials discuss stabilizing oil markets. “Oil prices are clawing back…

Iranian diplomats have yet again taken aim at ongoing US sanctions which are hampering the country’s efforts to battle the coronavirus outbreak, this time showing off decent photo-editing skills. The image, posted by the ministry on Twitter, is a call to “stop aiding war crimes” and “obeying immoral and illegal US sanctions,” echoing earlier comments by the country’s top diplomat Javad Zarif. The picture features “sanction” written in large right in the center, its letter “O” stylized as coronavirus with a translucent US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lurking behind it. Smaller coronaviruses can be seen in the background, possibly representing those states that abide by the anti-Iranian sanctions, or…

The Iranian president has warned that “the new way of life” in Iran was likely to be prolonged. The Islamic republic is one of the countries worst-hit by the virus. “We must prepare to live with this virus until a treatment or vaccine is discovered, which has not yet happened to date,” Hassan Rouhani said in a cabinet meeting on Sunday. “The new way of life we have adopted” is to everyone’s benefit, he said, adding that “these changes will likely have to stay in place for some time.” After weeks of refraining from imposing lockdown or quarantine measures, Tehran decided on Wednesday to ban…

EU countries should allow the hundreds of thousands of seasonal migrant workers who plant or harvest crops to cross borders despite national measures to contain the coronavirus, the European Commission said on Monday. States across the 27-nation European Union have set up border controls to stem the spread of the virus, but with the side effect of delaying food and medical supplies, as well as cross-border workers. The EU executive last week urged EU countries to limit to 15 minutes the time it takes for goods traffic to cross a border. However, some crossings into and out of Hungary had…