Presidential Mideast Trip Seeks to Reassure Historic Allies

President Biden’s July 13-16 visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia sought to reassure key regional allies wary of the U.S. commitment to secure them against Iran and other threats.

The President did not articulate any overarching strategic vision for the region, but the meetings did address potential solutions to some regional concerns and conflicts.

Unemployment, Prejudice Await Kosovo Returnees from Syria, Iraq

Returnees to Kosovo from former Islamic State territory in Syria and Iraq face slim prospects of finding work and only limited support from the state.

Within days of returning to her native Kosovo, N was racked by fear of the challenges that awaited her and her son – fear of financial uncertainty and of how her community would greet her.

US And Israel Concede Iran Will Go Nuclear – OpEd

Iran getting the Bomb is not necessarily a bad thing, though in a perverse way.

An Israeli physicist who worked at Israel’s Dimona nuclear reactor, which produces the plutonium for the country’s nuclear warheads, published a Haaretz article declaring the the US and Israeli policy of “maximum pressure,” has utterly failed. Instead of preventing an Iranian bomb, Trump’s abandonment of the nuclear deal has permitted Iran to pursue one.

The Rise of Multimodal Transportation Among Russia, Iran and India

As the Ukraine war has entered its fifth month, and two decades after Iran, Russia and India signed the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) in 2002, Dariush Jamali, head of the Iranian-Russian Port of Solyanka in Astrakhan Oblast, announced that the first transit shipment from Russia to India had been sent through Iran by way of the INSTC (Mehr News Agency, June 11). This shipment passed on a multimodal route through Astrakhan Port, specifically the Solyanka part (Russia); Bandar Abbas and Chabahar ports (Iran); and Nhava Sheva Port (India).

Is Syrian government withdrawing from Tal Rifaat in favor of Turkey?

FSA forces are carrying out military maneuvers in preparation for the battle against Kurdish forces in Tal Rifaat, while Turkey is bringing in more reinforcements.

The Tal Rifaat Military Council affiliated with the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions has recently been carrying out military drills, using military vehicles and heavy machine guns in preparation for a Turkish military operation in the city that is controlled by Kurdish forces.

Iraqi prime minister sets objectives for regional summit

Amid longstanding political deadlock and economic and environmental challenges, Iraqi prime minister Mustafa Kadhimi is attending the GCC +3 Summit in Saudi Arabia.

Iraq announced officially today that it will participate in the GCC+3 Summit on Saturday, July 16. The summit includes the leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, as well as US President Joe Biden.

Biden, Lapid sign Jerusalem Declaration

While the document lays out a platform for continued US-Israeli cooperation, there are still signs the two are divided on diplomacy with Tehran.

The press conference that followed the signing of a joint declaration on US-Israeli strategic cooperation by President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid Thursday exposed the divide between the two leaders on the Iranian nuclear file.