Author: Steven Sahiounie

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) unveiled a new tactical ballistic missile, dubbed “Ra’ad-500.” The new missile was unveiled in the capital, Tehran, in a ceremony attended by IRGC Commander Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami and Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh. According to the Mehr News Agency, Ra’ad-500 is equipped with an advanced engine, dubbed “Zohair.” The missiles’ body and the engine’s shield are both made from composite materials. Thanks to the use of “carbon fiber” composites, the weight of Ra’ad-500 has been reduced by half in comparison with the Fateh-110 missile that has a…

By Shishir Upadhyaya Escalating US pressure on Iran, including sanctions targeting Iranian oil exports, may have had an unexpected consequence – pushing India to diversify its energy supplies by shifting from Tehran to Moscow as a major oil supplier. State-owned oil refiner Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has just signed a contract with Russia’s Rosneft for the supply of up to 2 million tons of oil by the end of 2020. The meeting took place on the sidelines of India’s largest weapons fair, DefExpo, currently going on in Lucknow. “This is just the beginning,” Indian Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters after meeting…

By Larry Romanoff After their excessive and macabre display of delight and satisfaction, and even celebration, over the killing of Solemani, the White House was tight-lipped about Iran’s almost immediate retaliatory missile attack on two US bases in Iraq, with Donald Trump soon claiming only a bit of physical damage, announcing on Twitter a day after the attack, “No Americans were harmed in last night’s attack by the Iranian regime. We suffered no casualties.” Trump also stated there was no significant damage to the bases. CNN initially reported that there were only casualties among Iraqi personnel but then quickly dropped the story altogether, initially stating “After…

By Evangelos D. Kokkinos The Libyan issue is a matter of life and death for Erdogan – a one-way downfall for the Turkish president after the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar paralyzed the Turkish-backed Government of National Accords (GNA) based in Tripoli by driving into oil-rich areas. Developments in Libya undoubtedly undermine Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as he recently expanded his involvement in the Libyan crisis, said Bülent Alirıza, director and senior associate of the Turkey Project for International Studies and Strategic Institute. Erdoğan’s support for Fayez al-Sarraj led GNA, including the deployment of troops…

the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) advanced further along the strategic M5 highway, securing several new areas. According to pro-government sources, the army imposed control of the towns of Buwaybiyah and al-Kusaybiyah as well as the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). Earlier today, the SAA liberated the town of al-Eis and its hilltop in the southwestern Aleppo countryside. Later, the army began advancing along the M5 highway, one of the main targets of the ongoing military operation. The highway, which runs through Homs, Hama and Idlib, links the country’s capital, Damascus, with the northern city of Aleppo. Syrian and Russian…

delegatinos of Turkey and Russia held talks in Ankara discussing the escalating tension in the Syrian province of Idlib. The Turkish side was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal and representatives from Defense Ministry, General Staff and National Intelligence Organization. The Russian delegation was chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and special envoy on Syria Alexander Lavrentiev as well as representatives from military and intelligence. There little details on the results of the talks with the official statements saying that the sides have agreed that more talks are needed. “During the talks, the situation in Idlib was addressed,…

Iran’s minister of information and communication technology says the countdown has started for launching the country’s Zafar satellite, which will orbit the earth at an altitude of over 500 km. Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi took to Twitter on Sunday, saying, “Countdown starts for the launch of Zafar satellite in a few hours The minister had tweeted on February 3 that Iran would launch its Zafar observation satellite by the end of the same week (February 7). “We are not afraid of failure and do not lose hope… Zafar satellite will be launched by the end of this [Iranian] week to reach…

Iraq’s most powerful Shiite cleric has called for security forces to protect anti-government protesters. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s words came two days after at least eight protesters were killed in the holy southern city of Najaf. They died when followers of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed a protest site and fired live rounds, AP said. Sistani, a revered Shiite religious figure whose opinion holds sway over Iraqis, said security forces were “indispensable” and responsible for maintaining law and order. The comments came in his weekly Friday sermon delivered by a representative in Najaf. He directly condemned Wednesday’s attack. Security forces “must…

On Saturday, USFOR-A spokesperson Col. Sonny Leggett told reporters that “a combined US and Afghan force conducting an operation in Nangarhar Province was engaged by direct fire” a day before. Two US service members were killed and six others wounded in a firefight in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, US military officials have confirmed. “We are still collecting information and the cause or motive behind the attack is unknown at this time”, spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan Colonel Sonny Leggett stated. “Current reports indicate an individual in an Afghan uniform opened fire on the combined US and Afghan force with a machine…

The Taliban* express readiness to enter direct talks with Kabul only after signing a peace deal with the US, the possibility of a temporary truce for the period of such negotiations is being discussed, the Russian presidential envoy for Afghanistan and the head of the Foreign Ministry’s Second Asian Department said. “As Taliban representatives have stated, once the agreement is signed, they will be ready to start direct inclusive intra-Afghan negotiations with other political forces, including the government of Afghanistan”, Zamir Kabulov said. According to the diplomat, “the possibility of introducing a temporary truce between the Taliban and the government…