Middle East crises loom in background as NATO leaders gather in Washington While this year's summit is expected to focus largely on the ongoing war in Ukraine, Iran's military support for Russia and Turkey's strategic balancing act with Moscow are expected to weigh on NATO leaders gathered in Washington. Washington Pulse
US, Israel hold second virtual meeting on Rafah Biden administration officials have denied offering to green-light an Israeli invasion of Rafah if Israel holds off on retaliating against Iran. Washington Pulse
One year on Sudan’s war: 14,700 killed, 8.6M displaced, 4.9M face starvation As the war in Sudan enters its second year, the humanitarian situation is worsening by the day with no prospects of an imminent end of the hostilities. North Africa Pulse
State Department staffer resigns over Biden's handling of Gaza Annelle Sheline is the second State Department official to publicly resign since Oct. 7, citing the erosion of US credibility on human rights in the Middle East as a result of the war. Washington Pulse
As Iran's election nears, cracks appear in conservative camp Despite the Principlist JAMNA coalition holding a preliminary vote to find a consensus candidate, Iranian conservatives remain divided a month before the country’s presidential elections. Iran
Is Tehran's mayor lobbying to be only conservative candidate? While Iranian conservatives claim to have forged unity, a closer look indicates the opposite as Ebrahim Raisi’s supporters believe Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is maneuvering to sideline him. Iran
Abbas ready for visit to Washington While there has not been a firm date set for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' visit to Trump's White House, Palestinian officials are busy preparing for an opportunity to restart the peace process. Palestine
Will outstanding legal case prevent Ahmadinejad’s third term? While Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s registration for the Iranian presidential election surprised many, an open legal case concerning him may prevent his running for a third term. Iran
What did Tillerson’s Russia trip achieve? US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t reach any groundbreaking pacts during Tillerson's visit to Moscow, but they agreed to keep trying. Syria
Iranian government confronts Telegram as election approaches Iranian authorities are scrambling to gain control of the messaging app Telegram ahead of the presidential elections, blocking channels by the thousands only to see new ones take their place. Iran
Is Saudi Arabia really willing to normalize ties with Iraq? Despite some progress in Saudi-Iraqi ties, further improvement is hindered by Iranian influence in Iraq and Baghdad's inability to control Shiite militias. Legacy: Gulf
Ahmadinejad is running for president in Iran ... again Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the unpredictable former Iranian president, has shocked everyone by registering to run for president against the supreme leader’s “advice" not to. Iran
Iranian conservative coalition at risk of collapse As Iran approaches its May 19 presidential vote, conservative candidates continue to show no indication of being ready to withdraw in favor of the leading contender of the camp. Iran
3 Russian theories on why the US hit Syria Russian analysts have differing theories on just how and why the United States bombed a Syrian air base. Syria
Russia 'furious' with Assad over gas attack Syria’s alleged chemical weapons attack in Idlib province has threatened to sabotage potential US-Russia rapprochement, and Russia is privately furious with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Syria
Saudis have high hopes for Trump following Syria airstrike After failing in efforts to push Obama toward further involvement against Damascus in the Syrian conflict, Saudi Arabia is hoping the airstrike launched by Trump against a Syrian air base early this morning is not a one-off. Saudi Arabia
