Two thoughts came to my mind after listening to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, then US President Barack Obama and the following day Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani speak on the Iran nuclear deal. The first thought was that all agreed that what was decided in Lausanne was an “achievem
Sana’a, Associated Press—The United States is speeding up weapons deliveries to the Saudi-led coalition launching airstrikes against rebels in Yemen, as the first boat carrying medical aid to the country since the start of the air campaign arrived Wednesday at the southern port city of A
Moscow, Reuters—Greece has not asked Russia for money to help cope with its debt and financial problems and wants to resolve them within the European Union, a Greek government official said on Wednesday. “We have not asked for financial aid,” the official said before talks in Moscow betw
Thanks to one of those ironies that adds spice to history, the latest round of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 powers, led by the United States, took place at the Hotel Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne, Switzerland. This is the same palace where the victorious powers of the First World War fin
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi-led coalition forces targeting the Iran-backed Shi’ite Houthi movement in Yemen, aided by volunteer forces allied to the country’s internationally recognized President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, have successfully forced the withdrawal of Houthi fighters from southern areas
What invaluable gifts US President Barack Obama has bestowed on Iran! Has the “axis of evil” collapsed to the extent that the president of the world’s most powerful country is courting one of its key members? Not only did Obama crown his two terms in office with a “historic” vague deal with Iran, bu
United Nations, AP—The UN Security Council called Monday for life-saving assistance and safe evacuation for up to 18,000 Palestinians facing escalating fighting in a refugee camp in the Syrian capital and what the UN official in charge described as “a completely catastrophic” humanitaria
Beijing, AP—Six people were hospitalized and hundreds of firefighters deployed to fight a hydrocarbon fire following an explosion at a plant in southern China that produces the toxic chemical paraxylene, officials said Tuesday. Authorities said there were no leaks from the plant’s three tanks
I aim to focus here on the impact of the Iran nuclear deal on two of the region’s polar opposites: Iran and Saudi Arabia. Before US President Barack Obama launched negotiations with the Iranian regime, the relationship was easy to define. Saudi Arabia was in the same camp as the US with regard to ec
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Militias belonging to the Iran-backed Shi’ite Houthi movement are deliberately setting up military command centers in civilian areas, Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday. Speaking to reporters at the Riyadh Airbase, Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Ahmed Asiri
So Russia is concerned about the humanitarian situation in Yemen! Do not ask how and why this has suddenly happened. Russia seems to have a twinge of guilt perhaps and wants to atone for its previous mistakes against the Syrian people, hundreds of thousands of whom it has helped kill, also displacin
Nairobi, Reuters—The Kenyan air force has destroyed two Al-Shabaab camps in Somalia, it said on Monday, in the first major military response since the extremist group massacred students at a Kenyan university last week. Al-Shabaab denied the camps were hit, saying the air force bombs fell on farmlan
In my Op-ed yesterday about the framework nuclear deal between the West and Iran, I wrote an analysis of this topic’s previous chapter and sought to understand why Iran accepted the agreement—and at what price. But what is much more important than dwelling on the past is to look at the “new Ir
Dammam, Asharq Al-Awsat—Humanitarian efforts by Saudi Arabia and its allies in the military operation against the Houthi movement in Yemen have been ongoing since the first day of the conflict, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday. Military and strategic expert Dr. Anwar Al-Ishqi said the Kingdo
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Forces taking part in the Saudi-led coalition targeting the Houthis in Yemen have formed a humanitarian and emergency committee to help evacuate civilians located in conflict zones around the country, the Saudi Defense Ministry announced on Saturday. Saudi Defense Ministry sp
Vatican City, AP—In an Easter peace wish, Pope Francis on Sunday praised the framework nuclear agreement with Iran as an opportunity to make the world safer, while expressing deep worry about bloodshed in Libya, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa. Cautious hope ran through Francis&#
Operation Decisive Storm, which is being backed by most countries across the world, is not a battle against the Shi’ites. Although this is certainly how the Houthis want to portray things, along with all other parties in their orbit, from Iraq’s Popular Mobilization forces and Hassan Nasrallah’s Hez
The nuclear deal is now a reality and one that should be dealt with as a fait accompli. Even before getting into the details of the nuclear deal between Iran and the United States, we should be aware that significant historical change is looming on the horizon. The question remains: what direction w
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s legitimate President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and his Gulf backers have received information that ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is allied to the Houthi uprising, has fled the war-torn country. In comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, Yemen Foreign Minister Riyadh Ya
Beirut and Jerusalem, Reuters—Iran’s president said on Friday that a framework for a nuclear deal was just the first step toward building a new relationship with the world, after Iranians greeted the announcement of the accord with celebrations in the streets. US President Barack Obama also ha
