Congress sides with Cyprus against Turkey as eastern Mediterranean heats up

Congress just passed two bills siding with Cyprus in its territorial and natural gas dispute with Turkey.

Turkey

Russia exits nuclear conversion project, but stands by Iran

Russia has halted its conversion operations at Iran's Fordow nuclear facility, but this doesn't signal a crack in Moscow-Tehran relations.

Russia

Intel: Pentagon renews calls for US allies to join Syria fight

Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters traveling in Europe on Monday that the United States needs to continue to grow the 81-nation counter-Islamic State coalition in Syria to ensure the defeat of the militant group.

Syria

Rouhani heads to Japan as Abe seeks US-Iran deal

Iran's president has embarked on a trip that will take him to Japan, a host that has been scrambling to mediate some Tehran-Washington rapprochement at a critical time for the Iranian economy.

United States

Intel: Trump administration distances itself from Congress’ recognition of Armenian genocide

The State Department is distancing itself from Congress’ vote to recognize the Ottoman Empire’s massacre of more than a million, mostly Christian Armenians as a genocide.

Turkey

Targeting of US bases in Iraq a harsh Iranian message to Washington

The rise of attacks against US military bases in Iraq in conjunction with the ongoing protests may be a warning message from Iran to Washington.

Iraq

Congress on verge of passing long-stalled Assad sanctions package

Congress is on the brink of sanctioning Syria’s Bashar al-Assad government after three years of struggling to get the legislation approved.

Syria

Intel: Why US is likely to raise concerns about China’s investment in Oman

A Chinese state-owned company has inked a deal to take over nearly half of Oman’s power transmission firm, which is valued at $2 billion.

Oman

Intel: How Iranian influence operations are receiving new scrutiny in Washington

The Senate is poised to follow the House lead in passing legislation to create a center to monitor Iranian, Russian, Chinese and North Korean efforts to sway US public opinion.

Congress

Will Libya become Turkey’s next Syria?

The recently signed Turkey-Libya military cooperation deal and maritime delimitation agreement threatened to raise tensions not only in Libya but throughout the Eastern Mediterranean with Turkey asserting the right to intervene militarily in Libya if requested and to drill for oil and gas.

Turkey

Is proposed site in Gaza really a hospital, or spy station?

Some Palestinian authorities have pledged to obstruct plans to build what they fear could be a US-Israeli military intelligence camp, while Hamas says the facility will be a field hospital in the Gaza Strip.

Palestine

Intel: Pentagon worried Turkey ‘spinning out’ of NATO orbit

Defense Secretary Mark Esper told an audience at a New York think tank he was worried that Turkey is “spinning out” of the NATO orbit.

Turkey