On Monday, February 15, Iran announced it will block the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) access to its nuclear sites unless all U.S. sanctions were lifted, The Hill reports. Iran gave the United States one week to reverse all 1,600 sanctions before granting the IAEA continued inspection rights.
Read More
In 2020, 26 journalists were imprisoned by the Egyptian government, the Committee to Protect Journalists reports. This past November, a prominent women’s rights activist was executed in broad-daylight in Benghazi, Libya, one of many targeted that year, Human Rights Watch adds. Just this month, a protestor was killed after Tunisian police, who were cracking down on protesters demanding social justice, fired tear gas.
Read More
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s longest serving prime minister, has been charged with three counts of corruption. According to BBC News, Netanyahu is accused of fraud and a breach of trust. His opponents allege that he accepted expensive gifts, such as cigars and wines, from billionaire businessmen.
Read More
Before the United States presidential election, then-candidate Joe Biden promised not only to rejoin the Iran Nuclear Deal but also to “take steps to make sure US sanctions do not hinder Iran’s fight against COVID-19,” CNN reports. Withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, was one Trump administration move that further alienated the U.S. from its close allies in western Europe.
Read More
Afghanistan, a nation embroiled in war for nearly 20 years, is home to one of the worst narcotic epidemics in the world. Opium cultivation, which is turned into heroin, has become an important livelihood for thousands of people.
Read More
Since the creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, the Iran has used its power and influence in the Middle East to attack, resist, and challenge its regional adversaries. Although its armed forces are powerful and well-equipped, Iran has created a system of proxy militias and organizations throughout the region that can carry out its many objectives.
Read MoreThe Australian government released a report on November 19 documenting war crimes committed by Australian Defense Forces (ADF) in Afghanistan. The report was part of a four-year long inquiry, led by Major General Justice Paul Brereton of the Australian Army Reserve, that investigated reports of the extrajudicial killing of civilians and prisoners by Australian soldiers between 2005 to 2016.
Read More
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unprecedented move last Thursday, November 19, when he became the first high-ranking U.S. diplomat to visit Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Golan Heights.
Read More
Al-Qaeda’s second in command, Abu Muhammad al-Masri, was confirmed to have been shot and killed in Tehran, Iran, on August 7, reports The New York Times, citing U.S. intelligence officials.
Read More
On October 8, Saeb Erekat, a high-profile Palestinian diplomatic negotiator and Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee, announced that he tested positive for COVID-19. When his health worsened, Erekat was rushed to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, an Israeli hospital located in Jerusalem, reports Reuters.
Read More