After Jordan, Emirates also furious with Netanyahu Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not only managed to get into a diplomatic row with Jordan, he also succeeded in angering the Emiratis. Israel
Iran operating new advanced centrifuges, nuclear watchdog finds According to an International Atomic Energy Agency report, Iran is now using IR-4 centrifuges to enrich uranium in violation of the nuclear accord. Iran
Lawsuit filed to close pro-Kurdish party after lawmaker stripped of parliamentary seat Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, a pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party deputy known to focus on human rights abuses, was stripped of his parliament seat and a lawsuit was filed to close the party March 17. Turkey
Netanyahu courts Arab voters as 'Abu Yair' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has adopted a new strategy for the Arab public: cynically rebranding himself as "Abu Yair." Israel
Iran shells Iraqi Kurdistan Region Iran follows Turkey in bombarding civilians in border areas of Iraq's Kurdistan Region. Iraqi-Kurdistan
How Egypt promotes its fuel price increase An Egyptian government advertising campaign paves the way for a fuel price increase for the fifth time since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took power — but is this in the citizens’ best interest? Egypt
New challenges for Moscow with arrest of 'Russian trolls' in Libya Following the arrest of two Russians by Libyan security forces, the Government of National Accord is trying to sway Moscow away from Khalifa Hifter. Syria
Trump’s pick for top general plays down Iran war talk A day after Iranian boats reportedly attempted to seize a British tanker in the Gulf, President Donald Trump’s pick to become the military’s top officer downplayed the potential for conflict with Tehran. Congress
What Israel’s coalition will look like after September elections The Sept. 17 elections offer a very unclear picture so far, with a multitude of possible scenarios for the composition of the next government and no clear win for either camp. Israel
Rouhani out of time, support for revised nuclear deal US sanctions and Europe's failure to come up with a satisfactory substitute for the nuclear deal are weakening the moderates in Iran's government while inflaming the hawks. United States
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood: change toward democracy? In an unprecedented step, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood issued a statement saying it no longer seeks to be in power and wants to join hands with Egypt’s different political forces. Egypt
Syrian refugees becoming scapegoats for Turkey’s troubles Turkey’s economic downturn and the lack of long-term residence options are putting pressure on the nation’s 3.6 million Syrian refugees. Syria
IRGC denies it tried to capture British tanker The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has denied they attempted to seize a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf. United States
Ankara goes on risky quest to cut interest rates Bent on lowering interest rates, Turkey’s president took the extreme step of ousting the central bank governor, but his insistence on rate cuts is fraught with risks that could fan fresh economic turmoil. Turkey
Egypt plans single cash transfer system for combating poverty Egypt plans to launch a new social protection system to help the poor, which would include merging a social security safety-net plan with the program known as Takaful and Karama. Egypt
Can West Bank break free economically from Israel? The Palestinian government has decided to kick-start its economic disengagement plan from Israel in the city of Hebron. Palestine
