The scoop: In a breakthrough, Iran and South Korea on Monday agreed to allow Tehran to make use of some of its assets that are frozen in South Korean banks due to US sanctions. A senior Iranian...

The latest sign of Saudi Arabia’s strengthening relationships with China and Russia came late last month when Riyadh obtained dialogue partner status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)....

The Yazidi religion is an ancient faith whose adherents hail from the Sinjar region of northern Iraq. It was on Mount Sinjar in Aug. 2014 that the Yazidis faced a genocidal onslaught by the Islamic...

The story: Abbas Araqchi, Iran's top negotiator in the ongoing talks with world powers on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal currently underway in Vienna, says that Tehran and Washington have...

Moderate ex-president Hassan Rouhani is gearing for a seat in the council tasked with selecting Iran’s next supreme leader, Amwaj.media has learned. The two-time president (2013-21) was last elected...

The scoop: A senior Iranian official speaking to Amwaj.media on condition of anonymity confirmed late Sunday that Iran “has received messages” from the administration of US President Joe Biden. The...

The story: The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) is in the midst of a water crisis, with Kurdish media filled with reports of the impact on farmers and crops. The authorities are meanwhile speaking out...

The story: The self-immolation of an Iranian Kurdish asylum seeker in front of a United Nations office in Iraqi Kurdistan has sparked heated debate. In addition to raising questions about the...

The restoration of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia has injected a sense of “controlled calm” in some regional settings where the two powers have clashed in the past. Pointing to the lowering of...

Since the flow of crude oil from Iraq’s northern border was temporarily suspended on Mar. 25, the focus of mainstream media has been on the clash between Baghdad and Erbil over managing oil product...

Iran is in the grip of an inflationary shock. In the Iranian month which ended on June 21, monthly inflation stood at 12.2%—the highest such figure ever recorded. Experts had predicted that the...

Since Nov. 2023, the Ansarullah movement has shifted its focus from the Yemeni civil war and the sluggish peace talks with Saudi Arabia to conducting naval operations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of...

Iran’s nuclear negotiators have been granted permission to enter direct talks with the United States, multiple informed sources in Tehran have told Amwaj.media. The apparent U-turn by Supreme Leader...

The story: Shiite armed groups in Iraq are threatening to target American assets in the region if the US intervenes in the Hamas-Israel war—or if Tel Aviv “expands the battleground.” This comes amid...

In a rare visit, a Hamas delegation arrived in Baghdad on Oct. 27 at the invitation of Iraqi Shiite armed groups. The five-member group was headed by senior Hamas figure Osama Hamdan, who was notably...

When Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015, the administration of President Hassan Rouhani was pursuing a policy of restoring and expanding trade and investment relations...

The story: Iran has named Hassan Kazemi-Qomi as its new top envoy to Afghanistan, reportedly replacing Ambassador Bahador Aminian. Said to be a veteran of the Quds Force—the expeditionary wing of the...

Yemen’s Ansarullah movement, better known as the Houthis, has launched drone and missile attacks on vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea since November, demonstrating its ability to disrupt the...

Activists in Iraq have launched a campaign demanding an end to a practice whereby some schools enforce the wearing of the Islamic hijab, a headscarf, on girls. Campaigners are working both online and...

After their fourth contact in less than three weeks, the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to meet “in the coming days.” After ambiguity over the location of the gathering,...

The story: Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (1989-97), has set a record for an Iranian figure on the Clubhouse app. Long known as an outspoken person,...

Israel has since Nov. 2023 been publicly floating various options to deal with Hamas leaders in Gaza, including the possibility of a ceasefire in exchange for their expulsion and the freeing of...

One year into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow’s relations with Tehran have entered a new phase, marked primarily by closer diplomatic and military cooperation—and also agreements to boost...

Amid growing regional tensions, Iraq has sought to strengthen relations with Saudi Arabia and advance its nascent economic ties with the Kingdom. The bilateral relationship was fraught for decades,...

Just a little more than a year ago, Iran and Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic relations in an agreement signed in China. The accord—which followed two years of talks hosted by Iraq and Oman—entails...

The story: The Hamas movement’s Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel has sparked diverse reactions from Gulf Arab states. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which normalized relations with...

Iraq has suffered from a lack of electricity generation capacity following the US-led invasion of 2003 as well as the rise and fall of the Islamic State group (IS) over 2014-17. Successive governme...

The recent protests in Iran over water shortages have unleashed plenty of commentary on the root causes of the current situation as well as recommendations for how the country’s water sector should...

Iraqi Shiite cleric and politician Muqtada Al-Sadr’s sudden demand that his supporters must end clashes with Shiite rivals and vacate Baghdad’s Green Zone followed a phone call from Beirut, Amwaj.m...

The story: New footage of Iran’s Apr. 14 attack on Israel circulated by state-affiliated Iranian media has offered clues about the missiles that were deployed. Some outlets claim that the much-touted...

Iran’s foreign minister has left the United States after unsuccessfully seeking to visit Washington DC over the weekend, Amwaj.media has learned. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had spent most of last week...

The story: Leaked excerpts of a wide-ranging exchange between a prominent journalist and Iran’s foreign minister are making waves on Iranian social media. The three-hour audio clip covers a wide...

Iran has responded to an invitation by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for President Ebrahim Raisi to visit Saudi Arabia, and will offer to reciprocally host the monarch. Foreign Minister Hossein...

It was amid escalating tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan that Iran’s new Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Moscow to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov earlier this...

The scoop: The ongoing engagement between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Iraq follows a series of secret meetings held earlier this year which brought together several other regional actors, Amwaj.media...

Amid expectations of retaliation for Israel’s suspected killing of senior Iranian military figures in Syria, Tehran’s top diplomat is set to travel to New York next week, Amwaj.media has learned....

Already faced with chronic issues such as persistently high unemployment and a lack of access to basic services, Iraqis are now hit by skyrocketing prices for food staples. Observers blame the jump...

In a major escalation, a suspected Israeli airstrike has claimed the life of Iran’s most influential military commander in Syria. The assassination—a significant hit to the Islamic Republic’s...

The Wagner Group, a Russian private military company (PMC), made headlines around the world in June when it rebelled against Moscow. Led by company chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, the short-lived revolt saw...

The transfer of Iranian assets in South Korea to Qatar is proceeding ahead of schedule, Amwaj.media has learned, with “most” of the 6B USD worth of KRW already moved. Speaking on condition of...

Iran was not involved in the planning or execution of the Hamas movement’s attack on Israel, informed sources have told Amwaj.media. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior Arab security source...

The story: The announcement of an agreement to restore relations with Saudi Arabia indicates a major shift within the Iranian political establishment. Having staunchly criticized the Saudi royal...

Iraq will participate in a major regional conference in Saudi Arabia starting on July 15 along with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, Egypt, and Jordan. US President Joe Biden is also...

The story: President Hassan Rouhani has hinted that Iran is ready for a sequenced return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal signed with world powers. He has suggested that steps could be taken...

Iraq is home to a diverse fabric of ethnic and religious communities, but one of its oldest minority groups is now under threat. There are fears that the Sabean-Mandaeans, who have lived in Mesopot...

Former Iraqi prime minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi’s (2020-22) recent trip to Iran came as a surprise to many Iraqis and Iranians. The Feb. 21 visit particularly raised eyebrows as Kadhimi was welcomed...

Terrorist bombings and sectarian violence usually grab the headlines in Iraq. But the country is also experiencing deadly conflicts among its tribes—a very different type of violence. This deeply...

Stagflation—inflation coupled with stagnation— has defined the Iranian economy since the implementation of US extraterritorial sanctions on the country in 2011. The inflationary environment has...

The trend toward Arab normalization with Israel appears to have lost momentum since the end of the presidency of Donald Trump (2017-21), who promoted such initiatives. No country has joined the...

The conservative notion that women don’t belong in the workplace runs deep in Iraq. Combined with a variety of other factors, the result is that only 12% of Iraqi women are employed. This is a...

The story: Iran’s foreign ministry plans to launch an online portal that allows dual nationals to check whether they can freely enter and leave the country. Those who are cleared will have the...

The story: The war of words between Tehran and Baku has escalated into a large-scale military drill by the Iranian military near the border with Azerbaijan. Amid heightened tensions—and without...

The story: 21 months after pledging his “final retirement” from Iraqi politics, Muqtada Al-Sadr is rebranding the Sadrist Movement as the National Shiite Movement. The sudden move is prompting...

In a rare exchange of fire, Iran and Pakistan have launched attacks on each other’s soil. Islamabad on Jan. 18 hit “hideouts” allegedly associated with Pakistani Baluch separatist groups inside Iran,...

The story: As the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan nears completion, Iranian media and officials blame the US for Kabul's fall. At the same time, neither media nor politicians appear critical of the...

Empty streets are a rare sight in Tehran, a sprawling and congested metropolis that is home to over 15M people—except for during Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. But despite the empty streets amid the...

On Mar. 7, the day before International Women’s Day, Erbil woke to news of a heinous killing of a woman in her early twenties known as Maria. It was later revealed that she had been fatally shot by...

The story: The erection of a fence along a section of the border with Iran has ignited protests in Iraqi Kurdistan. Demonstrators in the Halabja district have taken to the streets, saying that the...

It was amid escalating tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan that Iran’s new Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Moscow to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov earlier this...

Hossein Taeb, the head of the Intelligence Organization of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC-IO), visited Baghdad last week without any prior or subsequent announcement, except for what...

The story: New Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is already stirring controversy. While finding praise among conservatives at home, he is also criticized by many in Iran and beyond...

An audio file has emerged of senior Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Baqeri-Kani being quoted by an Iranian journalist as having outlined the key steps and modalities to be adopted by Tehran and...

An important letter was delivered to Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein last week. In a Jan. 24 meeting, US Ambassador Alina Romanowski carried a message from the Joe Biden administration seemingly...

Iran and Saudi Arabia’s recent normalization efforts and the potential resulting regional de-escalation could benefit Russia and its interests. The rapprochement framework signed by Riyadh and...

The story: Iran's Roads and Urban Development Minister Rostam Qasemi is under fire following the leaking of images of him with an unveiled woman in Malaysia on social media. The controversy has been...

Israel’s suspected bombing of what Iran describes as its diplomatic premises in Damascus, killing Mohammad Reza Zahedi—the top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander in the Levant—is a...

Despite efforts to improve relations, tensions persist between Turkey and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the second largest party in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. In February, Turkish President...

To understand the shifts in the Emirati-Iranian relationship, and how they fit into the greater changes in the region and the world, Amwaj.media sat down with prominent Emirati academic Dr. Abdulkh...

After the unprecedented Iranian drone and missile strikes on Israel, in apparent retaliation for the Apr. 1 bombing of Iran’s embassy complex in Syria, there are two key questions to consider: what...

The story: A senior Swiss diplomat in Tehran has reportedly fallen to her death in unclear circumstances. The Swiss foreign ministry has confirmed the incident, with its head Federal Councillor...

The European Policy Center (EPC), a top think-tank in Brussels, on March 15 hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to discuss the revival of the Iran nuclear deal and the role the...

The clerics of Iran’s traditional Islamic base in Qom are increasingly becoming politically neutral, and in some cases are even criticizing officials’ behavior. However, the relative silence of most...

Iraq will participate in a major regional conference in Saudi Arabia starting on July 15 along with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, Egypt, and Jordan. US President Joe Biden is also...

The story: For the first time in years, a senior Hezbollah official has publicly visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE). On the surface, the rare trip is focused on the release of Lebanese detainees....

The story: As US President Joe Biden is engaged in his first regional tour since taking office, Iran says an emerging American-backed Arab-Israeli military alliance will only fuel tension in the...

Speaking on the sidelines of the recent Arab League summit in Algeria, Iraq’s new President Abdul Latif Rashid stated that the "Iraqi mediation" between Iran and Saudi Arabia since last year is...

As the Gaza war continues without Israel achieving its declared aims—namely to “destroy” Hamas and rescue hostages taken during the Palestinian surprise attack on Oct.7, 2023—leaders in Tel Aviv are...

The story: Recent comments by Iran's defense minister have fueled speculation that a deal with Russia to purchase advanced fighter jets has fallen through. While a defense ministry spokesman has...

“Negotiating, talking, and engaging the enemy at some points do not mean surrendering to them,” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently declared. His important remarks come amid the...

The filtering of a popular messaging app in Iraq is threatening to unleash a confrontation between Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’ Al-Sudani and Shiite armed groups. Outlets which feel targeted see the...

Hezbollah is not just the most powerful actor in Lebanon. It also has a revolutionary vision for West Asia. This vision, and the Iran-backed Shiite movement’s reported roles in Iraq, Syria, and...

The story: The victory of hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi in the June 18 Iranian presidential race has prompted vastly disparate reactions from conservatives and Reformists. Hardliners have celebrated...

Almost three months after Operation ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’, there is no evidence that demonstrates direct Iranian involvement in the Palestinian surprise attack on Israel last autumn. But Hamas’s proven...

There is a new status quo in Iraq. Or at the very least, this is what one can almost touch in the air in Baghdad these days. To the outside observer, Covid-19 itself does not appear to be the most...

Following last year’s anti-establishment protests and ongoing pressure on the livelihoods of ordinary Iranians, the Islamic Republic is maneuvering to rally its supporters in the face of mounting...

Since the flow of crude oil from Iraq’s northern border was temporarily suspended on Mar. 25, the focus of mainstream media has been on the clash between Baghdad and Erbil over managing oil product...

Iraqi Shiite cleric and politician Muqtada Al-Sadr’s sudden demand that his supporters must end clashes with Shiite rivals and vacate Baghdad’s Green Zone followed a phone call from Beirut, Amwaj.m...

The story: An Iranian media report on the alleged formation of “Shiite Mobilization Units” in Afghanistan to counter recent Taliban advances has been faced with a backlash. The claimed establishment...

Iraq’s Sunni Arabs were previously hegemonic and in power. However, following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, Sunnis were fragmented and marginalized. The community and its politics were also in...

The story: Moderate former president Hassan Rouhani (2013-21) has registered to defend his seat in the elections for Iran’s Assembly of Experts next year. The 88-member clerical body is tasked with...

The story: Iraq’s government has banned the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) ahead of an expected visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan next month. This comes as Turkey is expected to launch...

While Saudi Arabia and Turkey diverge on various regional matters, Palestine remains a focal point in both their political agendas. For years, rivalry for leadership in championing the Palestinian...