Donald Trump

Exclusive: Lindsey Graham Says Arab States are “Not a Very Good Ally”

Lindsey Graham U.S. Senator (R-South Carolina) and Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said that if Arab countries intervened on Iran’s behalf to block U.S. military action in Tehran, then “they are not a very good ally,” warning that such behavior would call future partnerships into question. He added that he believes “the regimes ...

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman Convince Trump to ‘Give Iran a Chance:’ Senior Saudi Official

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman led efforts to talk U.S. President Donald Trump out of an attack on Iran, fearing “grave blowbacks in the region,” a senior Saudi official told AFP on Thursday. The Gulf trio “led a long, frantic, diplomatic last-minute effort to convince President Trump to give Iran a chance to show good ...

Hamas Says Technocratic Committee Key to Consolidating Gaza Truce

A senior Hamas official on Thursday welcomed the formation of a technocratic committee to govern post-war Gaza, saying it would help consolidate the ceasefire and prevent a return to fighting. Egypt, a mediator in indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, announced the formation of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee that ...

Lebanon’s Disarmament Gamble: Fragile Gains and Uncertain Path Forward

Lebanon is preparing to confiscate Hezbollah’s weapons north of the Litani River, a step that will test whether the state has the capacity to follow through on the government’s stated commitment to disarm the group. On January 8, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) announced that it had completed the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani. ...

Trump Says Killings in Iran Subsiding

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had received assurances that the deadly crackdown on protests in Iran had come to an end. The U.S. president nevertheless maintained ambiguity over a possible American military intervention, as the international community remains on high alert in the face of a major crisis in the Middle ...

U.S. Evacuating Forces From Key Bases in Middle East

The United States is evacuating forces from several of its key military bases across the Middle East, amid preparations for a possible strike on Iran, an official American source told Reuters news agency. A number of personnel have been told to depart the United States' Al Udeid military base in Qatar "in response to the current regional ...

Trump Expected to Announce ‘Phase 2’ in Gaza Today

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected on Wednesday to announce the launch of Phase 2 of his Gaza plan, including the appointment of 15 members to a temporary Palestinian committee that will oversee the territory, according to U.S. officials cited by The Wall Street Journal. Officials told the newspaper that the conditions now allow a shift ...

U.S. Designates Muslim Brotherhood Branches in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon as 'Terror' Groups

The United States designated three Middle Eastern branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations on Tuesday, including on the group’s Egyptian, Jordanian, and Lebanese branches, alleging they pose a threat to U.S. interests. The State Department designated the Lebanese branch as a "foreign terrorist ...

U.S. Strike in Venezuela a Blow to Hezbollah’s Revival Efforts

The United States dealt Iran and its proxy Hezbollah a strategic blow over the weekend by seizing key ally, Venezuela’s strongman Nicolás Maduro. While the dominant narrative of the complex military strike has focused on its framing as a counternarcotics operation and aggressive energy politics, coverage has largely missed a critical strategic ...

Trump Announces 25% Tariff on Countries Doing Business With Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced fresh tariffs on Iran's trading partners in an apparent response to the rising number of people killed during recent protests. In a post on Truth Social, President Trump wrote that any country "doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran" will pay a 25% tariff "effective ...

Syrian Forces Push Out Kurdish Fighters as U.S. Hits ISIS

Syrian government forces have detained 300 Kurds and evacuated more than 400 Kurdish fighters after clashes in Aleppo, the interior ministry has said, as U.S. and allied forces carried out separate “large-scale” strikes against Islamic State targets. An interior ministry official told Agence France-Presse that about 360 Kurdish ...