Scott RitterIran says it needs its ballistic missile force to deter US and Israeli aggression, an argument rejected by consecutive American presidents. But the US silence over Saudi Arabia’s effort to build its own missiles is deafening. ››read more

EscobarRussia and China's announcement of an independent financial trading platform will free nations under US sanctions from western intrusion into their commercial activities ››read more

We demand:

- The unconditional return of the United States to the JCPOA as signed in 2015.
- Removal of all sanctions.
- Stopping the threats of war.
- Bringing pressure by the international community upon Israel to join the NPT and for its nuclear arsenal disarmament. ››read more

pompeo-trumpLong-running CIA programs and authorities — focused on countering Iran’s nuclear program, sowing dissent within the regime and delegitimizing it in the eyes of the Iranian public, and combating Iranian influence abroad, among other things — continued under the Trump administration, according to former agency and national security officials.

On counterproliferation-related activities, “they let us run wild, because they just didn’t want to get involved in the disruption part,” said the former senior agency official. In fact, argue some former CIA officials, during the Trump administration, the agency’s Iran center was so focused on covert action that it hurt the agency’s ability to develop Iranian source networks.

In 2018, the Trump administration also approved a new presidential finding permitting the CIA to conduct much more aggressive covert action in cyberspace. The agency subsequently conducted covert hack-and-dump operations against Iran and Russia and cyberattacks on Iranian infrastructure, former officials told Yahoo News. The secret authorization also freed up the agency to conduct these operations with less White House oversight. ››read more

Iran’s vice president has given an unusual explanation for worsening climate change, blaming economic sanctions against the Tehran regime, as he spoke to the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow.

Speaking on Tuesday at the COP26 summit in the UK, Iran’s Vice President and Head of the Department of Environment Ali Salajegheh claimed that worsening global warming was due to “economic terrorism.”

Adopting a familiar narrative, the Iranian vice president firmly put the blame on the western nations, led by the US, who have imposed crippling sanctions on Tehran following former president Donald Trump’s move to unilaterally leave the 2015 pact which put limits on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“An emerging threat to sustainable development is the emergence of economic terrorism. Unjustifiable and unfair economic coercive measures that have been imposed upon my country have targeted the wellbeing and health of our citizens,” Salajegheh stated. ››read more

The Biden administration is not willing to return to the original nuclear deal with Iran. It wants a much different deal that it can then use to further pressure Iran into more, unrelated concessions. That strategy will fail. ››read more

The strategic balance has shifted dramatically in two years, as the US-led policy of punishing sanctions has failed to keep Tehran in check ››read more

Lebanon, suffering under a collapsed economy, deteriorated to the brink of civil war yesterday, as gunmen ambushed a group of protesters in Beirut, leading to at least six deaths with over 30 seriously wounded.

To top it off, the trauma inflicted in Lebanon’s capital was instantly weaponised against Hezbollah in the Western media, who are refusing to point out the key party involved in the attacks.

During what was supposed to be a peaceful protest by supporters of the Amal and Hezbollah movements, snipers suddenly began firing from rooftops in Beirut’s Tayouneh area, according to eyewitness reports. The protesters were demanding the dismissal of the lead investigator, Judge Tarek Bitar, in last year’s Beirut Port explosion, which Hezbollah accused of being politically biased. ››read more

The best the US administration could do for itself, and the rest of the world, is to take a sabbatical for a decade from policing the planet ››read more

A transformed Taliban has adjusted to the new central Asian realpolitik and is busy forming economic and security links with Russia, China and Iran. The West has been outplayed. ››read more

John PilgerMore than a generation ago, Afghanistan won its freedom, which the U.S., Britain and their “allies” destroyed. ››read more

To count the cost of the West's intervention in Afghanistan in US and UK military lives alone is the ultimate proof that we are a civilization in decay ››read more

Scott RitterIsrael has started talking tough about going to war with Iran. Then Hezbollah sent a reality check. 2006 will forever haunt Israel as it confronts the fact that, when push comes to shove, it's not as capable as it claims to be.

Israel has been waging a covert war against Iranian shipping for months now, conducting more than a dozen attacks on Iranian vessels over the course of the past few years. The attacks appear to be targeted against vessels delivering oil to Syria in violation of US and international sanctions. During this time, there have been similarly mysterious attacks against Israeli-owned shipping. While Iran has officially denied any role in such attacks, it is believed that they are part of a program of retaliation against Israel for its attacks on Iranian shipping. ››read more

Finally, a journalist-driven publication covering West Asia that represents the tens of millions of regional voices not heard in the world’s English-language media.

That’s not our only differentiator. We are also not owned by any of our donors, and so they have no say over what we write or don’t write.

We chose the name The Cradle as a reminder that the cradle of civilization was borne of this region, when men and women decided to settle in a single (no doubt, gorgeous) spot and grow their food. West Asia is the start of history in so many ways, but today the region has lost its roots largely because non-sovereign states act as pawns in the geopolitical calculations of The Other. ››read more

Israel's Dimona nuclear facilityMore Americans incorrectly believe Iran possesses nuclear weapons than know that Israel has them. ››read more

The country’s economy is cratering, there are shortages of fuel and medicines, and people are going hungry on the streets. Yet what does the West worry most about? Hezbollah helping the starving get food.

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab has warned the international community that the country could collapse in days, as even Israel offers aid fearing the expansion of Lebanese Hezbollah’s power in the country. ››read more

The US seizure of Iranian-linked websites sends a clear message to the rest of the world – Washington will harass and silence media who dare to challenge the approved narrative.

This week, the United States launched one of the most outrageous attacks on the press and foreign media in recent times.

On June 23, the US government seized the websites of several broadcasters and news outlets, including Iran’s Al Alam, Iraq’s Alforat, and Yemen’s Al Masirah, just to name a few. ››read more

An Iranian nuclear facility photographed by UN inspectorsWe, the undersigned, strongly condemn the sabotage in the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant in Iran on 11 April 2021, as a form of nuclear terror. This attack has been almost universally attributed to Israel, including by the Israeli media, and confirmed by US and Israeli intelligence officials. Such attacks carry a serious risk of high level radioactive leakage which could potentially endanger the lives of thousands of innocent human beings and irreparably contaminate the environment causing long-term genetic malformations and disease, with far-reaching destructive consequences into the future. ››read more

Israel's Dimona nuclear facilityThe attack on Natanz nuclear enrichment plant in Iran, on April 11, targeting underground centrifuges operating under (IAEA) safeguards, was an act of nuclear terror with the potential to kill and harm many thousands of human beings and irreparably contaminate the environment.

Although Israel has not confirmed or denied responsibility, the media have almost universally attributed the attack to Israel, citing senior American and Israeli intelligence officials confirming Israel’s involvement. ››read more

To realize shared priorities and fulfill the Persian Gulf’s potential as a global cornerstone for energy and trade, hardline Gulf states must acquiesce to waning U.S. hegemony and pursue reconciliation with Iran. ››read more