Author: Steven Sahiounie

The foreign ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey have agreed to help convene the first session of the Constitutional Committee on Syria in Geneva, a joint statement released on the official website of the Russian Foreign Ministry says. The statement stressed that Russia, Iran and Turkey reaffirmed their commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria. The ministers “agreed to help convene the first session of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva” and “emphasized that this crucial step will pave the way for a viable and lasting Syrian-led, Syrian-owned and UN-facilitated political process in line with the decisions of the…

The Unites States has imposed new sanctions on Chinese firms and individuals over violation the US illegal sanctions on Iran. The US Treasury Department announced Wednesday that five Chinese nationals and six entities, including two Cosco Shipping Corporation subsidiaries, were targeted in the new measure. “And we are telling China, and all nations: know that we will sanction every violation,” claimed hawkish Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a conference on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. “The more Iran lashes out the greater our pressure will and should be… That path forward begins now…

Saudi Arabia’s state-run oil company Aramco, the world’s largest, has asked banks for loans of up to $1 billion after attacks on its giant oil facilities earlier this month that shut down a bulk of daily production. A Tuesday report by Reuters news agency showed that Aramco had submitted request for proposals (RFPs) to banks earlier this week to receive the loans. The company has used the RFPs for securing the loans to finance an unspecified project, said the report, citing sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The sources said, however, that the RFPs did not make it clear…

The Syrian Army troops continue a mopping-up operation in southern Syria after the entire former rebel-stronghold fell to the government forces last year. According to a military source, a huge weapon cache has been recently uncovered in Syria’s Daraa which contains a drone, sophisticated communication devices, night vision devices and an Israeli-made vehicle. The cache also includes huge quantities of machineguns, Grad missiles, mortar and tanks shells, as well as ammunition of various kinds. By July 2018, the Syrian Army have gained full control over Daraa city following a series of fierce battles with rebel forces (2018 Southern Syria offensive).…

Lebanese President Michel Aoun has calls on world leaders to work on safe return of Syrian refugees, stressing that addressing the issue is “not the sole responsibility of Lebanon.” Addressing the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Aoun said the Beirut government may undertake return process in agreement with the incumbent Damascus administration, when needed, to solve this dilemma which threatens Lebanon’s our entity and existence. More than one million Syrian refugees are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Lebanon. The Beirut government estimates that the true number of…

China says President Donald Trump of the United States has made “untrue” remarks about the issue of Hong Kong and Chinese trade practices. Trump criticized Beijing for what he said was its failure to fulfill its World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. China, he said, must “protect Hong Kong’s freedom and legal system and democratic ways of life.” Speaking at a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang referred to Trump’s remarks and said, “The general debate of the UN General Assembly is an important platform for UN member…

By Andrew Korybko A manufactured scandal is rapidly growing to epic proportions in the US surrounding one of Trump’s recent conversations with new Ukrainian President Zelensky after a whistleblower alleged what the Mainstream Media is reporting to be the American leader’s supposedly unethical and possibly even illegal repeated requests that his counterpart brief him on an earlier anti-corruption investigation into a shady energy company on whose Board of Directors Democratic candidate and former Vice President Biden’s son served for half a decade until his position expired in April 2019. The narrative being pushed by his enemies is that Trump abused his…

the Washington Post notices Russia’s offer to sell its air defense systems to Saudi Arabia. It does not like that: The attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities last weekend were a disaster for both Riyadh and Washington, with weapons allegedly made in Iran circumventing expensive U.S. missile defense systems.But in Moscow, news of the attack was greeted as yet another chance to mock the United States and its allies — all while extolling the virtues of Russia’s own missile defense technology.“We still remember the fantastic U.S. missiles that failed to hit a target more than a year ago, while now the brilliant U.S. air defense systems…

Former UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said that the UK would pay its 400 billion pound (nearly $500 million) debt to Iran after formal court proceedings on the amount owed were completed, but the repayment could not be considered a bargaining chip in talks on the release of a UK-Iranian national currently detained by Tehran. “Our policy as the British government had always been absolutely clear. We are a law-abiding government, so if there is a court order that says that this money has to be paid … then we obey the law. … The court process is still continuing,…

By Elijah J. Magnier The alternately hot and cold  tension between the US and Iran is evolving on the Middle Eastern stage where Tehran is hitting its enemies (on its own and with the help of its allies) without causing the death of a single US person so far. It is targeting strategic objectives in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf in response to the US unilateral sanctions that followed US withdrawal from the nuclear deal known as JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). Iran aims to send multiple messages across borders to Saudi Arabia above all, and to the United States…