Author: Steven Sahiounie

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on 7 December that Iran and the United States were conducting an exchange of US-held Iranian scientist Massoud Soleimani and Chinese-American Xiyue Wang detained in Iran. Tehran is ready for a prisoner exchange, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on 9 December, adding that “the ball is in the US’ court”. ​Government spokesman Ali Rabiei said at a briefing earlier in the day that Iran is ready to exchange more prisoners with the United States following the successful swap last week, with the goal of eventually exchanging all prisoners in the countries…

The factions in the Iraqi parliament agreed on Monday on the candidacy of the future prime minister, lawmaker Nahida Diani stated. “Political factions have chosen several candidates for the post of prime minister. I have information that an agreement has been reached on the candidacy of the head of government, but so far the name of the candidate has not been revealed”, Diani said. Although the name of the person has not been revealed, it is known that he was not part of previous governments. It is expected that his candidacy will satisfy the “street” amid mass anti-government protests nationwide.…

Nearly 175 Saudi Arabian military aviation students have been grounded in the aftermath of a deadly shooting by a Saudi Air Force lieutenant at a US Navy base in Florida last week. US officials told Reuters on Tuesday that the move was part of a “safety stand-down.” “A safety stand-down and operational pause commenced Monday for Saudi Arabian aviation students,” said Lieutenant Andriana Genualdi, a Navy spokeswoman Other US officials appeared to similarly sugarcoat the grounding that included three different military facilities: Naval Air Station Pensacola, Naval Air Station Whiting Field and Naval Air Station Mayport. There are reportedly about…

Lebanese Caretaker Labor Minister Camille Abousleiman says dozens of companies in the cash-strapped Arab country are set to resort to mass dismissals very soon as they are wrangling with their own debt problems in the wake of the acute financial and economic crisis that Lebanon is going through. “Over the past month, more than 70 institutions and companies submitted requests to the ministry for the layoff of over 1500 workers, citing the current exceptional crisis prevailing in the country. Moreover, to hundreds of workers filing complaints of arbitrary dismissal, reduction in their wages and termination of employment contracts by their…

By Stephen Lendman On Monday, a surprising Washington Post report headlined: “The Afghanistan Papers — A secret history of the war. At War With the Truth,” saying: “US officials constantly said they were making progress. They were not, and they knew it.” More on this below. *** In its 19th year, endless unwinnable US war in Afghanistan is all about wanting the country used as a land-based aircraft carrier against Russia, China and Iran. Potentially worth trillions of dollars, it’s about plundering Afghan mineral riches, including its barite, chromite, coal, cobalt, copper, gold, iron ore, lead, enormous amounts of highly-valued lithium and other…

By Stephen Lendman Israel is nuclear-armed and dangerous, developing these weapons since the mid-1950s, its well-known open secret the official narrative conceals. Its ruling authorities refused to sign the NPT or abide by its provisions. Nor do they permit IAEA inspections of their nuclear facilities. According to the Federation of American Scientists and other experts, its nuke warheads can be launched by air, ground, sea, or sub-surface — able to strike targets in the Middle East and elsewhere. It’s believed the Jewish state also has 100 or more laser-guided mini-nuke bunker-buster bombs — able to penetrate and destroy underground targets. According…

By Pepe Escobar On November 15, a wave of protests engulfed over 100 Iranian cities as the government resorted to an extremely unpopular measure: a fuel tax hike of as much as 300%, without a semblance of a PR campaign to explain the reasons. Iranians, after all, have reflexively condemned subsidy removals for years now – especially related to cheap gasoline. If you are unemployed or underemployed in Iran, especially in big cities and towns, Plan A is always to pursue a second career as a taxi driver. Protests started as overwhelmingly peaceful. But in some cases, especially in Tehran, Shiraz,…

By Elijah J. Magnier For several weeks now, much of the Lebanese population has turned on the country’s traditional political leaders and wrought havoc on the corrupt domestic political system. Those who have ruled the country for decades have offered little in the way of reforms, have paid little attention to the infrastructure, and done little or nothing to provide job opportunities outside the circle of their clients. The protestors were also driven into the street by the US measures strangling the Lebanese economy and preventing most of the 7-8 million expatriates from transferring financial support (around $8 billion per year)…

Greece is expelling the Libyan ambassador to the country, angered at an accord between Libya and Turkey, signed on November 27, which maps out a sea boundary between the two countries, close to Crete. Mohamed Younis AB Menfi has 72 hours to leave the country, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias told reporters on Friday. The Turkey-Libyan accord was a “blatant violation of international law,” Dendias said. Ankara is backing Libya’s internationally recognized government. The agreement on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea between Turkey and the Tripoli-based government could complicate disputes over energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Turkish drilling has…

An Air Force base in the US state of Florida was evacuated on Friday over an alleged bomb threat. Security forces have responded to the scene, Patrick Air Force Base and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station said. According to the US military, the bomb threat was reported for Patrick Air Force Base. The whole area was evacuated. Local authorities have laucnhed an investigation into the incident. There have been no further details reported.