Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused shortages of food in Iraq and forced the government to pay more in gasoline subsidies, but the high price of crude oil plus sanctions on Russia has opened new opportunities for Iraq.
Dubbed “Jihadi George,” El Shafee Elsheikh has been described by former hostages as the “most brutal” member of the notorious Islamic State kidnap-and-murder cell known as the “Beatles.”
“George was the most crazy one,” Spanish journalist Javier Espinosa said of his 33-year-old former IS captor.
The Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly denounced on Monday the military escalation by the Houthi militias against civilian targets in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
It urged the US to re-designate the Houthis as a terrorist group pursuant to the UN Security Council Resolution 2624.
Drawing on the role of Turkish drones in bolstering Ukraine’s defense, Erdogan has urged NATO partners to lift restrictions on military sales to Turkey. But US sanctions remain a tough row to hoe.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to have returned buoyed from the March 24 NATO summit in Brussels, hoping that the Russian war against Ukraine will encourage Western nations to remove bans on military sales to Turkey. While European countries are likely to be more flexible, US sanctions remain a tough row to hoe.
A Turkey-Israel gas pipeline is being discussed behind the scenes as one of Europe’s alternatives to Russian energy supplies, but it will take complicated maneuvering to reach any deal, government and industry officials in both countries say.
The Biden administration has been unable to get Gulf states to increase oil production to bring down prices and some European states are seeking alternatives to Russian natural gas.
The United Arab Emirates’ energy head has endorsed an agreement between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia. Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said that the war in Ukraine should not affect the oil giants’ plans.
Iran departed from its usual patterns by openly claiming responsibility for a missile strike inside Iraq.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) asserted that the attack was in retaliation for a recent deadly strike by Israel on IRGC officers in Syria.
Iran remains committed to driving U.S. forces out of Iraq and exerting preponderant influence there.
The strike might have intended to shape the formation of a new Iraqi government and maximize Tehran’s leverage in ongoing multilateral nuclear talks.
“By every indication, the Biden Administration appears to have given away the store…. What is more, the deal appears likely to deepen Iran’s financial and security relationship with Moscow and Beijing, including through arms sales.” — Statement from 49 US Republican Senators, March 14, 2022.
Germany is considering buying gas from Qatar amid the war in Ukraine and the United States has been pushing the Gulf state to send more gas to Europe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced today that Russia will accept gas payments in rubles and not euros or dollars. Putin said the stipulation applies to an unspecified list of “unfriendly” countries, the official TASS news agency reported.
Removing the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from a U.S. terror list would be “a dangerous capitulation,” three former senior Trump administration officials, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said in a joint statement exclusively shared with Axios.