Author: Steven Sahiounie

The US Treasury Department has placed sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, after threatening to do so for several months. Zarif is a vocal and public critic of American policy towards Iran. The Treasury Department announced the sanctions on Wednesday, after declining to blacklist the outspoken diplomat earlier this month. The move comes at a critical time for US-Iran relations, with Washington currently putting together a multinational maritime mission to protect shipping traffic in the Persian Gulf and combat “Iranian aggression.” “Javad Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran’s Supreme Leader, and is the regime’s  primary spokesperson around the…

Syrian Arab Army units managed to restore two strategic posts in the northern Hama countryside after fierce battles with the terrorists killing over 50 of them. Tal Meleh hill and the town of Jibeen are now clean from terror, once again, from terrorists loyal to Receb Tayeb Erdogan, the Turkish pariah, and Caliph wannabe. The terrorists killed rank under Nusra Front aka HTS (Al-Qaeda Levant), and so-called National Liberation Front, both radical terrorist groups and both are commanded by NATO member state Turkey. The terrorists carried out a counter-attack in order to retrieve the two posts and collect the bodies…

Steven Sahiounie, Middle East observer The right of resistance to occupation, by the Palestinian people, is grounded in international law. Freedom-loving people of the world must remember the words of Nelson Mandela: “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.” Child prisoners “Israeli” prisons hold about 5,700 Palestinians, including a large number of children. In 2018 over 800 Palestinian children were arrested. Those children are denied the right to telephone their parents by Israeli Supreme court ruling and are denied the right to education. The “Israeli” Army routinely raids homes and neighborhoods in the vicinity of illegal Jewish settlements. ‘B’Tselem’, a human…

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron discussed efforts to achieve a political solution to the crisis in Syria during a telephone conversation on Thursday.

Steven Sahiounie, Middle East observer Syrian refugees in Turkey are facing an uncertain future. Turkey did not grant them citizenship, or permanent residency; but, instead a ‘temporary guest’ status, which can be revoked at any time. For many, that time has come, and hundreds have been forcibly deported without warning. Like the house guest who as worn out his welcome, they are facing a free bus ride to Idlib. In 2011 they were the face of the Syrian chapter of the Arab Spring. Turkey had the tents set up on the border to house the refugees from the outset, sparking accusations of a conspiracy with…

Credit score agency Equifax has agreed to pay up to $700m (£561m) as part of a settlement with a US regulator following a data breach in 2017. The Federal Trade Commission had alleged the Atlanta-based firm failed to take reasonable steps to secure its network. The records of at least 147 million people were exposed in the incident. At least $300m will go towards paying for identity theft services and other related expenses run up by the victims. This sum will expand to a maximum of $425m, if required to cover the consumers’ losses. The rest of the money will be…

Top White HouseOpens a New Window. economic adviser Larry Kudlow and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are meeting with a host of CEOsOpens a New Window. from the world’s biggest techOpens a New Window. companies on Monday. Executives from GoogleOpens a New Window., Intel and Micron were among those invited. Trump administration officials tell FOX Business the main purpose of the meeting is to discuss general economic issues. The ongoing concerns surrounding Huawei Technologies are expected to be a part of the discussion. The administration has listed the Chinese company as a threat U.S. national security, amid the ongoing trade conflict with Beijing. The Washington Post reportedOpens a…

Prices of many of the 25 tech companies listed on the STAR Market more than doubled, with one company, Anji Microelectronics Technology, logging a 400 percent advance. Regulators have approved 25 companies in information technology and other fields for the STAR Market. The market, modeled on the U.S.-based NASDAQ, reflects the ruling Communist Party’s desire to channel private capital into its development plans. It gives small Chinese investors a chance to buy into tech industries that until now have turned to Wall Street to sell shares. Trading kicked off with fanfare early Monday with the city’s Communist Party secretary, Li…

Turkey is ready to take counter-measures, if the United States imposes sanctions over the delivery of Russian-made S-400 air defense missile systems, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a live broadcast of the TGRT television channel on Monday. “If the United States takes measures against us, we will respond with counter-measures. Of course, we would like our relations to continue as two NATO partners. But if they display a hostile attitude towards us, we will take counter-measures,” the Turkish foreign minister is quoted as saying by TASS. According to Cavusoglu, S-400s are more advanced air defense systems compared to…

At least seven teenagers were killed when a landmine set by terrorists exploded in the town of Deblan in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor governorate, the country’s SANA news agency reported. According to SANA, the incident occurred during agricultural works. It is yet unkown whether anyone else was injured in the blast, TASS reports. Militants of the Islamic State terrorist group (outlawed in Russia), who occupied eastern Syria, left numerous bombs and landmines in rural areas during their retreat. According to SANA, this was done in a bid to disrupt peaceful life in agricultural regions. In a similar incident on June 22,…