Baghdad government has received the first batch of Russian-made Sukhoi fighter planes to use them against the militants from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Iraqi army sources said on Saturday that the fighter jets are expected to be stationed at an airbase in the country’s south. The development follows earlier…

An Iranian military commander has censured the death penalty for prominent Saudi Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, saying his execution will cost Riyadh dearly. Iran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said on Thursday that it was worrisome that Saudi authorities issued death sentence for the renowned Shia scholar. The Iranian commander…

Iran has expressed misgivings over the expansion of terrorism in the Middle East region, saying this scourge is being used as a means to overcome the nations’ votes. “Causing insecurity, disrupting democratic trends, overcoming ballot boxes, imposing weapons and terror rather than [promoting] democratic trends, all of these suggest that terrorism is being used today…

June 20 is World Refugee Day and this year a report was issued revealing that the number of displaced persons has reached a post-World War II high. Over 51 million people have been forced out of their homes as a direct result of war and instability. The leading conflicts responsible for this burgeoning problem are…

The European Union (EU) member states have agreed to ban imports from Crimea as part of the bloc’s policy of non-recognition of the territory’s move to join Russia. The EU Council of Ministers said in a press release on Monday that “as of June 25, goods originating in Crimea and Sevastopol may no longer be imported into…

A former Pentagon official says the future of NATO is questionable because the member states do “not have the resources” to maintain a strong alliance. “It is a really serious question on what the future of NATO is going to be. And I think that because the Europeans are not putting the resources that they…

Anti-war activists in a number of US cities have staged protests to express their opposition to any possible US military intervention in Iraq. Over the recent days, militants from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have been wreaking havoc in Iraq and committing atrocities against people. ISIL militants overran large swathes…