The Middle-East Observer
Iran – West tensions
Understanding Iran’s diplomatic strategy
In this article, Gareth Porter analyses Iran’s strategy for negotiations with the United States, for the past ten years. He explains how uranium enrichment and the subsequent development of nuclear capabilities act as the main bargaining chip in Iran’s negotiation strategy with the United States. He also gives us the aims of the Iranian strategy and what their demands to … Continue reading
Debate: Is Netanyahu misleading Israelis over Iran?
Is there a rift between the Prime Minster and the security establishment, and how might it affect his chances of re-election? Guests: Naftali Bennett, a former chief of staff to Binyamin Netanyahu; Daniel Ben Simon, a member of the Knesset for Labor; Rami Khouri, the director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International … Continue reading
Tiny Gulf islands rekindle big Arab-Iran dispute
Tiny Gulf islands rekindle big Arab-Iran dispute
Analysis: Israeli-Iranian war now out of shadows
Israeli intelligence believes that the terrorist attacks in the past two days were orchestrated by the Iran-Hezbollah axis and targeted foreign Israeli diplomatic missions. The attacks seem rushed due to their consistently poor execution, but the message of the bombings is clear. Iran is determined to attack Israel by any means and hopes to eventually … Continue reading
Israel accuses Iran, Hezbollah after bombers attack embassies in India, Georgia
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hezbollah attempted to target Israeli embassies in India and Georgia today. The bomb in Tbilisi, Georgia was defused before it was able to cause harm but in New Delhi, Israel’s defense attaché’s wife was wounded following the placement of explosives under the car by motorcyclists. Though the attack was poorly executed, … Continue reading
Report: Mossad is using Azerbaijan to spy on Iran
The Israeli spy agency Mossad has been capitalizing on the porous border between Azerbaijan and Iran as a means of executing its spy operations in Iran. Reports of the mistreatment of the large Azeri population in Iran, the fact that many Azeris consider northern Iran to really be Southern Azerbaijan and growing Iran-Armenia relations – … Continue reading
Iran to announce ‘major nuclear progress’
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran said that it will soon announce “very important and very major nuclear achievements”. He spoke on a rally in Tehran, that marked the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Ahmadinejad said furthermore that Iran would never give up its nuclear program, of which it still says that it will only … Continue reading
Israel’s Mossad trained assassins of Iran nuclear scientists, report says
NBC News on Thursday cited U.S. officials who stated that Israel’s Mossad is training Iranian dissident activists to assassinate Iranian nuclear scientists. They have also been recruiting members of a Pakistani terror group to carry out attacks against the Iranian regime. And a link between Israel and the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) has also been confirmed. … Continue reading
Opinion: We Need to Talk to Iran, But How?
It is time for the United States to try something different when it comes to Iran; thirty-two years of sanctions and nonexistent diplomatic relations between the two countries have made the current situation dangerous. The risk of miscalculation is not to be underestimated. The situation could get out of hand very quickly if both parties do not renew talks on … Continue reading
Israel’s Vice PM: Fall of Assad could weaken Mideast ‘axis of evil’
Israeli Vice Prime Minister and Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya’alon said on Sunday that Israel has not been, and will not be interfering in the current Syrian crisis. He furthermore said that he did not expect a Muslim Brotherhood regime to take over in Syria, but that it would rather be a relatively moderate Sunni … Continue reading
Debate: Will Israel attack Iran?
Has the countdown to attack Iran begun already? Would Israel go it alone? And what would the regional implications be? Guests: Yaakov Katz, a defence analyst and author, and Mohammad Marandi, a professor of political science at the University of Tehran. Al Jazeera, Qatar
No trouble in region: Turkey to Israel, Iran
Turkish officials are cautioning against the use of military force, wherever it originates, in the ongoing standoff between Iran and the West. Ankara’s worries that the conflict over Iran’s nuclear program becomes an armed one are rooted in a desire to stabilize the region. In recent weeks, the conflict has escalated, with stronger sanctions placed … Continue reading
Iran ‘trying to attack Israeli targets in retaliation for scientists’ deaths’
In the past year, three attempted attacks from Iran on Israeli targets (in Turkey, Azerbaijan and Thailand) have been thwarted, according to Yoram Cohen, the head of the Israeli security agency (Shin Bet). Cohen said that Iran’s attempted attacks on Israelis come as a reprisal for the four Iranian nuclear scientists that have been assassinated in the … Continue reading
Interview: David Harris, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee
David Harris, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee, discusses the Syrian conflict, the Iranian nuclear programme and the possibility of a “pre-emptive” Israeli attack on Iran, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. France 24, France
Analysis: Media frenzy on Iran contradicts reality
Yaakov Katz, author of this article, discusses the role western and Israeli media play in the confrontation between Israel, the West and Iran. Using for example comments by US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta that were aired weeks ago, US media are printing reports and articles on Iran at a fast pace, though the situation … Continue reading
Interview: Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar
As Iran braces itself to face the effect of fresh Western-imposed sanctions, Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar discusses how the current standstill is influencing affairs inside the country. Russia Today, Russia
Opinion: ‘It May Be Too Late to Attack Iran after the Summer’
According to the author of this article, Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu, sources quoted in American media on Tuesday have said that a military option against Iran will not be at issue anymore after the summer. Taking steps against Iran that exceed the current sanctions seem to “become urgent as Iran drifts into an immunity zone” said Israeli … Continue reading
Analysis: Will Saudi Arabia Send the Troops?
Following a Saudi pledge to increase oil production to supply states banning Iranian oil, tensions between the two countries have peeked. Iran repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, where 40% of the world oil transit, threats which “could be interpreted by Saudi Arabia as an act of war,” Ali Al-Tawati, a Saudi military affairs analyst said. … Continue reading
Report: Attempt on life of Israeli envoy to Azerbaijan thwarted
Azerbaijani media has reported that three locals who were arrested last week had been paid and were under the instruction of Iranian intelligence to kill the Israeli Ambassador, as well as a teacher and a rabbi from the Chabad school. The foiled attack may have been an act of revenge by Iran, who has been … Continue reading
EU calls Iran’s bluff on military threats and sets oil embargo for July
Foreign minister from European Union member states have agreed to set an embargo on Iranian oil starting in six months time. To force the Iranian regime to stop its alleged nuclear weapons program, the EU will stop importing oil and petroleum products from the Islamic Republic starting July 1. The time lag is meant to … Continue reading
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