Author: Steven Sahiounie

US President Donald Trump had reportedly authorized the American military to assassinate Iran’s top general Qasem Soleimani seven months ago, contradicting Trump’s previous statements that he ordered the killing because the general posed an imminent threat. Trump’s authorization in June came with the condition that he would have final approval on any specific operation to kill Soleimani, NBC News reported Monday, citing five current and former senior administration officials. The officials told NBC News that former US National Security Adviser John Bolton had urged Trump to sign off on an operation to kill Soleimani after Iran shot down a US drone that…

By Elijah J. Magnier Well-informed and established sources at Iraqi Prime minister Adel Abdel Mahdi’s office in Baghdad believe “the US is unwilling to listen to reason, to the Iraqi government or the parliament. It has the intention of bringing war upon itself and transforming Iraq into a battlefield, by refusing to respect the law and withdraw its forces. The US will be faced with strong and legitimate popular armed resistance, even if some Iraqis (in Kurdistan) will break the law and will accept the US presence in their region, though without a heavy price.” Caretaker Iraqi Prime Minister Adil…

Iran’s precision missile strikes at US military bases in Iraq sent the message that all American targets in West Asia are within the range of Iranian missiles, says the secretary general of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah also lauded the Islamic Republic over firing the salvo of ballistic missiles in retaliation for the January 3 assassination by US terrorists of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), in an airstrike near the Baghdad International Airport. “This attack was also a message to the Zionist entity… Let stupid…

The protests in Iran that followed Tehran’s admission of its role in the downing of the Ukrainian passenger jet were met with an outpouring of support from Washington. But is it about Iranians, or regime change? US officials and establishment figures certainly spared no effort as they went out of their way to show how much they supposedly admire the ‘courage’ of Iranians who took to the streets to vent their anger at the fact that a Ukrainian passenger jet, with many Iranians on board, was mistakenly shot down by Iran’s military – something Tehran admitted of its own volition…

By:Brett Wilkins An unconfirmed number of Afghan civilians – reportedly more than 60 – were killed along with the regional leader of a splinter Taliban faction and dozens of militants in a US drone attack in Herat province on Wednesday. Local government officials and members of the Herat provincial council told Tolo News, Afghanistan’s leading 24/7 television news channel, that “at least 60 civilians, including women and children” died in US drone strikes in Shindand, a town in southern Herat. The outlet reported that four armed drones attacked several homes, targeting Mullah Mohammad Nangyalai, the regional leader of an insurgent faction…

Saudi Aramco announced on Sunday it has used its “greenshoe option” to sell an additional 450 million shares, raising its initial public offering (IPO) to a record size of  $29.4 billion. Saudi Arabia-owned Aramco initially raised a then-record $25.6 billion in its IPO in December by selling 3 billion shares at 32 riyals ($8.53), yet indicated that this is not the final number and it might sell additional shares through the over-allotment of shares. The company said it had used the “greenshoe option” or over-allotment, an option which allows companies to issue more shares in an IPO when there is…

Nearly 60 people, including 48 police officers, were injured in clashes between security forces and students outside the University of Wasit in Iraq’s eastern Wasit province, media reported on Sunday, citing a security source. “Forty-eight police officers were injured. Eleven demonstrators were also wounded,” the source told Alsumaria broadcaster. The anti-government protests in Iraq began in October with demonstrators demanding economic reforms and calling on the government to step down amid a poor economic situation in the country. Hundreds of people died and thousands of others sustained injuries as the protests were suppressed by the authorities and turned violent. The…

This comes following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart in Istanbul on 8 January when they urged both sides in the conflict in Libya to start observing a ceasefire from midnight on 12 January. Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) has shot down a Turkish drone that was carrying mortar rounds in violation of the latest ceasefire between the LNA and the Government of National Accord (GNA), the LNA’s Al-Karama Operations Room said Sunday. “An enemy Turkish drone that was carrying mortar rounds was shot down. This [the flight] was a violation of…

The Balad military base was a target of last week’s rocket attacks carried out in retaliation for the death of Iranian Quds chief Qasem Soleimani. The attack resulted in no casualties or damage. Seven mortar bombs have hit the Iraqi Balad Air Base in the north of the country, Reuters quoted military sources as saying. According to sources, four Iraqi soldiers were injured in the incident. However, AFP cited security forces as saying that the base was hit by just four rockets. The military installation is an Iraqi Air Force Base situated some 64 kilometres north of the capital Baghdad. The…

Earlier, the two opposing governments in Libya struck a ceasefire deal that began at midnight local time on January 12. The head of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Marshal Khalifa Haftar, has arrived in Moscow, where he could hold talks with Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA) of Libya Fayez Sarraj, a Libyan informed source said. According to the source, Sarraj will arrive in Moscow on Monday. “Khalifa Haftar has already arrived in Moscow. Sarraj will arrive there on Monday. They are expected to have negotiations in Moscow,” the source added. Earlier, the head of the Russian…