Author: Steven Sahiounie

By: Ron Paul President Trump’s decision earlier this month to assassinate Iran’s top military general on Iraqi soil – over the objection of the Iraqi government – has damaged the US relationship with its “ally” Iraq and set the region on the brink of war. Iran’s measured response – a few missiles fired on an Iraqi base after advance warning was given – is the only reason the US is not mired in another Middle East war. Trump said his decision to assassinate Gen. Qassim Soleimani was intended to prevent a war, not start a war. But no one in…

Iran will firmly respond to anyone acting to damage the 2015 nuclear deal, but welcomes “good faith” measures to save it, the foreign ministry said as three EU signatories triggered a non-compliance investigation against Tehran. “It is necessary to explain that the action taken by the three European countries is a passive and weak position,” Abbas Mousavi, spokesman for the foreign ministry, warned in a statement. He spoke shortly after Germany, France and the UK initiated a special dispute resolution procedure under the 2015 deal citing Iran’s alleged non-compliance with the pact. Now, the Islamic Republic will provide a “serious and firm” response…

The T4 airbase located in the east of Syrian Homs province, also known as the Tiyas Military Airbase, is reportedly used by Iranian forces. According to media reports, Syrian air defence systems responded Tuesday to an airstrike of unknown origin. The SANA news agency said that air defences late on Tuesday thwarted an attack targeting the T4 military base. According to Syrian state-run media, drones and missiles hit the military airport, and several projectiles were downed. Syrian army said that Israel was behind the attack, according to SANA. Local netizens claim that unidentified jets struck several facilities at the military airport. Unconfirmed…

The US Department of Defense is considering taking a step back from its counterterrorism operations in Africa in the near future as the US military begins to shift its focus to the Pacific region, according to the nation’s top general. Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley informed reporters on Monday that the topic of scaling back the US’ presence in Africa “to increase readiness of the force in the continental US” or the Pacific has been discussed at the Pentagon. Since taking office last year, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has been vocal about the US…

A US-led military coalition said to be backing the Iraqi government in its fight against Daesh terrorists has been training Iraqi army forces for several months at a military base located in Taji. The attack on the Iraqi base comes amid escalating tensions in the region due to the ongoing standoff between the United States and Iran. According to multiple reports citing Iraqi military sources, several rockets hit the Taji military base, north of Baghdad, on Tuesday. A source in the Iraqi security forces confirmed that at least five Soviet-made Katyusha-type projectiles hit the military installation. Alsumaria News, citing a…

Steven Sahiounie, political commentator Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation” on Sunday that he didn’t see any specific evidence that Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was planning an imminent attack, which had been widely used by Trump as the justification of his assassination along with Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.  “What the president said was he believed that it probably and could’ve been attacks against additional embassies,” he said. While Trump was apparently making Ouiji-board foreign policy decisions, Esper was worried about the US troops now in Iraq, and with more on their way,…

protests have taken place in Iran over the crashed Ukrainian Airlines flight 752, after authorities admitted it was shot down as a result of “human error.” The protests were widely supported by specifically the US and UK. As there were reports that the British Ambassador to Iran Rob Macaire was arrested in Tehran for taking part in the protests. In a tweet Tasnim news said he had been detained “for organizing suspicious movements and protests in front of Amir Kabir University but released after hours”. The tweet added he would be “summoned by the foreign ministry tomorrow morning [January 12]”.…

Oil prices turned negative for the year after dropping on Monday as traders and investors focused on the possibility of oversupply in crude amid dissipating tensions that initially threatened tanker movements in the Middle East. Brent, the global benchmark for crude, was down 65 cents, or 1 per cent, at $64.33 per barrel by 11:37 a.m. EST (15:37 GMT), continuing its slide from the middle of last week when the United States and Iran moved away from an outright war after Tehran fired missiles at US airbases in Iraq. West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US crude benchmark, was down 74…

Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj and Khalifa Haftar, who leads the forces in eastern Libya, sat down in Moscow to discuss the North African country’s crisis under the auspices of Russian and Turkish authorities. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that he remains upbeat about the high-level talks on Libya that are currently under way in Moscow. “I think that the negotiations will wrap up tonight; they continue on a positive note as I was informed. I hope that an agreement [on a peaceful settlement in Libya] will be signed soon”, Erdogan told reporters in Ankara on Monday. He also voiced…

The United States will work with Iraqi leaders to possibly reduce the Pentagon’s military footprint in the country while preserving American interests, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested on Monday. “How ultimately our force posture will [look like will] be resolved inside Iraq. We will work along duly elected leaders in Iraq to get to the right place”, Pompeo offered during remarks at Stanford University. “I think we can achieve both of these goals – reduce our footprint, reduce our risk while still achieving the American objectives in the region, including in Iraq”. The Iraqi Council of Representatives expelled…