Author: An Nasifar

The Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah threatened on Saturday night to spark an “unprecedented escalation” if US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Baghdad during his meetings in the Middle East. While the schedule for Blinken’s visit to the region does not list Baghdad as one of the locations he’s set to visit, the Shafaq news site reported that Blinken would visit the city on Sunday to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. The report that Blinken will visit Baghdad has not been confirmed by US or Iraqi officials. Abu Ali al-Askari, a senior…

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched in central London on Saturday calling for an immediate ceasefire in the deadly war between Israel and Hamas. It was the third consecutive weekend that the British capital had seen a large rally in support of Palestinians since the attack by Hamas on Israel earlier this month. Israel unleashed a bombing campaign after Hamas gunmen stormed across the Gaza border on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and seizing more than 220 hostages, according to Israeli officials. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Israeli strikes had killed 7,703 people, mainly civilians, with more…

On August 17, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met the Supreme Assembly of Commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)— the Islamic Republic’s top military force. Khamenei dismissed what he called efforts to tarnish the IRGC’s reputation through “false news, rumors and all kinds of tricks and ploys”: “After about four decades, we have a huge and fully equipped defense and military center, we have the largest anti-terrorist organization in the world. Today, the IRGC is the largest anti-terrorist organization in the world.” That is false. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the United States have designated the IRGC…

One summer night a decade ago, the al-Shami family was woken up by a roaring sound or rockets, but it wasn’t followed by the usual explosions. Instead, the family members started having difficulty breathing. Ghiad al-Shami, 26, remembers how everyone tried to run to the rooftop of their apartment building in eastern Ghouta, a Damascus suburb that at the time was held by opposition fighters trying to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad. Al-Shami’s mother, three sisters and two brothers died that night — victims of the Aug. 21, 2013, sarin gas attack that killed hundreds and left thousands of others…

The director of General Electric (GE) in Iraq, Rasheed Al-Janabi, stated on Wednesday that the company pays great attention to enhancing electricity production in Iraq and reducing the gap between supply and demand, particularly during peak seasons, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported. Al-Janabi explained that the recent visit of the CEO of General Electric (GE) Gas Power, Eric Gray, to Baghdad and his meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, are part of the continuous coordination with the Iraqi government and other concerned parties, including the Ministry of Electricity. The Iraqi official clarified that the meeting between…

Dozens of people protested in front of the Central Bank of Iraq in Baghdad and bank owners called for official action to stem a sharp increase in the dollar exchange rate Wednesday, after the United States blacklisted 14 Iraqi banks. Over the past two days, the market rate of the dollar jumped from 1,470 dinar per dollar to 1,570 dinar per dollar. The jump came after the U.S. listed 14 private Iraqi banks among banks that are banned from dealing with U.S. dollars due to suspicions of money laundering and funneling funds to Iran. The ban was imposed by the…

The United Nations agency responsible for overseeing humanitarian aid has described conditions placed by the Syrian government on aid deliveries from Turkey to northwest Syria as “unacceptable.” The future delivery of aid across Syria’s northern border was thrown into question Tuesday after the U.N. Security Council was unable to agree on either of two competing proposals to extend the mandate for bringing aid from Turkey by way of the Bab al Hawa border crossing. Two days later, Syria’s ambassador to the U.N. said Damascus would give voluntary permission for the U.N. to use the crossing for six months, on condition…

BAGHDAD – Protesters set fire to Sweden’s embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad early Thursday, an AFP journalist said, ahead of a planned burning of a Quran in Sweden. Swedish authorities approved an assembly to be held later Thursday outside the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm, where organizers plan to burn a copy of the Quran as well as an Iraqi flag. Iraqis have been angered by events in Sweden, and Thursday’s protest in Baghdad was organized by supporters of the turbulent religious leader Moqtada Sadr. Iraqi riot police fired water cannon to disperse demonstrators away from the embassy while security…

BAGHDAD – Demonstrators marched in the Iraqi and Iranian capitals Friday to denounce Sweden’s permission for protests that desecrate the Quran, as Stockholm withdrew staff from its Baghdad embassy. Hundreds of people gathered in Baghdad’s Sadr City after Friday prayers, chanting “Yes, yes to Islam, yes, yes to the Quran,” an AFP correspondent said. In Tehran, protesters waving Iranian flags and carrying copies of Islam’s holy book chanted “Down with the United States, Britain, Israel and Sweden” as some burned the Swedish flag. Iran said late Friday it will not allow a new Swedish ambassador into the country. The rallies…

Colombo (25/7 – 30.77) In his book “Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday Massacre: Lessons for the International Community,” terrorism expert Dr. Rohan Gunaratna emphasizes the importance of de-radicalizing Islamic ideology to effectively combat Islamic terrorism. He identifies Wahhabism or Salafism as the root of Islamic terrorism, rapidly spreading worldwide through modern communication tools. Gunaratna warns that merely arresting perpetrators after attacks is insufficient; the focus should be on preventing radicalization in the first place. The Easter Sunday bombings in April 2019, which claimed over 200 lives, were fuelled by extremist ideologies inspired by events in the Middle East and Islamic extremists…