US Senate bill targets Iran Revolutionary Guard

Intent on weakening Iran economically, the Senate on Monday approved tough new penalties on the Tehran regime to thwart its nuclear ambitions.

By voice vote, the Senate backed the measure ahead of talks between (more…)

Russia: Iran, Syria a chess game ‘not American football’

Leaders from the Group of Eight nations sought to smooth over disagreements about how to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions and stem violence in Syria, as Russia warned Western powers that they should approach Middle East disputes with more delicacy. (more…)

Aoun sues Geagea, others

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun filed a lawsuit against Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea over his recent statements on the political assassinations in Lebanon since 2005, FPM press office revealed on Saturday in a statement (more…)

US ready to strike Iran if talks fail: Envoy

The US has plans in place to attack Iran if necessary to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, Washington’s envoy to Israel said, days ahead of a crucial round of nuclear talks with Tehran. Dan Shapiro’s message resonated Thursday far beyond the closed forum in which it was made:
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Russian PM: Action on Syria, Iran may go nuclear

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned on Thursday that military action against sovereign states could lead to a regional nuclear war, starkly voicing Moscow’s opposition to Western intervention ahead of a G8 summit at which Syria and Iran will be (more…)

Largest protest in Syria’s Aleppo since uprising started

Protesters took the streets on Friday for the biggest demonstration in Syria’s Aleppo since the start of the uprising in March 2011. (more…)

Iranians protest against Saudi-Bahrain union plan

Thousands of Iranians rallied on Friday against plans for union between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, state television showed, and an influential cleric denounced the idea as an “ill-fated plot” that will never be tolerated by Muslims.

Tension between Iran and U.S.-allied Gulf Arab states has run high in recent months with Arab leaders accusing Tehran of fomenting Shi’ite Muslim unrest in Bahrain (more…)

Is the Syrian regime or al-Qaeda behind the bombings ?

Suicide bombings and sophisticated attacks on key Syrian government sites have stirred fear among some Middle East analysts that Islamic extremist groups are trying to infiltrate the 14-month-old rebellion against Syrian President Bashar Assad. (more…)

Putin Holds Key to Ending Syrian Bloodshed

When NATO leaders meeting in Chicago this weekend take up the continued bloodshed in Syria, their best course of action is to have a long, hard talk with Russia about what it would take to turn the United Nation’s undermanned monitors into a robust, well equipped peace-keeping force. (more…)

US leadership needed to turn the tide against Bashar al-Assad

By Joseph I. Lieberman
More than nine months after President Obama declared that Bashar al-Assad must go, it is clear that neither diplomacy nor sanctions alone will dislodge the Syrian dictator