Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Seven months after Iraq’s parliamentary elections, a new government has not yet been formed. Prolonged government formation, which has led to a continuing political stalemate in Iraq, poses new challenges for the country, which is still in a period of security and political transition despite defeating ISIS.
Hamid Khoshayand – Expert on regional affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A Middle East expert, commenting on the recent meeting of the so-called Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS in Morocco, said: The meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS in Morocco, which was attended by representatives of 83 world countries, indicates an international will to confront Takfiri and terrorist movements; although the will has faced challenges in practice.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A former Iranian diplomat, stating that the silence of the Indian government has accused New Delhi of collaborating with Hindu extremist groups against Muslims, adding: This situation is ultimately to the detriment of the Indian government and drags the country towards radicalism and extremism.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: As the construction of a reinforced concrete wall can be considered as a necessary and indispensable measure to prevent the trafficking of terrorists along the Iraq – Syria border, even at some checkpoints of the borderlines, on the other side, new initiatives and setting up mechanisms to preserve land links as well as coordination among Syrian and Iraqi forces and also resistance groups at two sides of the borders are of strategic and vital importance.
Hamid Khoshayanad, Expert of the region’s affairs
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Biden who made effort during first few days of his presidency in February 2021 to put an end to destructive Yemen war with deleting Ansarallah from the list of so-called terrorist groups, recently and following the official request of UAE has ordered his security team to study the listing of Ansarallah once again in the U.S. Black List!
Barsam Mohammadi, Expert of regional issues
Strategic Council Online – Interview: Having stated that the recent movements in Iraq show that ISIS has a serious presence in regions among Kirkuk, Diyala and Salah-Adin provinces, a university professor said:” with mounting dissatisfactions in Iraq and the weakness of the central government in the country, the possibility to recruit forces and re-organization by ISIS as well as other terrorist groups will increase.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: An expert of Middle East affairs commented on measures taken by some Arab states of Persian Gulf towards Bashar Assad government during recent years and stated:” Since 2011 when the Syrian crisis started, countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and Bahrain tried in coordination to strengthen terrorist group-lets and thus topple Bashar Assad government”.
Strategic Council Online- Opinion: On the verge of the second anniversary of the assassination of General Soleimani, which was committed at the behest of the then President of the United States of American on Iraqi soil, the necessity to the legal prosecution of the crime that incurred a great loss upon Iran and also the regional countries of Western Asia and has become the clear example of state terrorism by a trans-region country, is obviously more than ever in the past.
Dr. Ali Karbalaei Hosseini, Researcher of International Law
Strategic Council Online- Interview: An expert of Middle East affairs commented on the action taken by British government in enlisting Palestinian Hamas group among terrorist groups and said:” The recent measure taken by British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s government in putting Hamas Movement among terrorist organizations show that British government in unison with the Zionist lobby, is following up confrontation with the world of Islam”.
Strategic Council Online-Opinion: Having considered the trend of current developments in Afghanistan, it seems that the country is witnessing an intra-Taliban bloody settlement of account from Eastern and Southern regions.
Mohsen Rouhi Sefat, former diplomat and analyst of International affairs
Strategic Council Online- Opinion: The decision made by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to unprecedented expel of 10 ambassadors (Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, New Zealand and the U.S.) from Turkey, while accusing them for supporting the release of Osman Kavala has once again disclosed the disputes between Turkey and the Western countries.
Hassan Ashrafi, Researcher on Turkey affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A university professor, saying that if the Taliban do not fulfill their commitments, they should not expect other players to cooperate in different fields, stressed: At the Moscow meeting, efforts should be made to move the negotiations in a direction where the United States and the Taliban undertake commitments that are difficult to be ignored.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on September 29 in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. Of course, the short duration of the meeting compared to the long meetings in the past has attracted the attention of analysts who have assessed the event as being related to the escalation of differences between the two sides on some issues. Erdogan and Putin have met 26 times in person since the war in November 2015, when a Russian fighter plane was shot down by Turkey. The last meeting of the leaders of the two countries was held on March 5, 2020 in Moscow.
Mahmoud Fazeli – International affairs analyst
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having stressed the necessity of continuous counselling among neighboring countries of Afghanistan to sort out the country’s crisis, a university professor said:” If the present situation continues in the country, some of the regional or trans-regional countries may compete with each other to set up groups in order to support them and take concessions from Taliban or direct Afghanistan towards an internal war.
Strategic Council Online—Opinion: Recent attacks by Daesh terrorists on the headquarters of the second brigade of Hashd Shabi forces in al-Taremiyeh north of Baghdad which martyred four Hashd Shabi commanders are suggestive of a new scenario for the return of Daesh to Iraq.
Hassan Hanizadeh-Expert of Middle East issues
Strategic Council Online: A spokesman for the Afghanistan people’s Trust Front, stating that the desire and demand of the Afghan people is to establish a republic in the country, said: Countries with an effective role in Afghanistan should force the Taliban, who know no language other than killing and destruction, to enter into meaningful negotiations with a system that represents the people of Afghanistan, and together establish a coordinated system that is acceptable to the people of that country.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: A professor of the College of Law and Political Sciences of the University of Tehran says the presence of the US in Syria has not been taken place with the request of the Syrian government and does not aim at providing aid for the people of Syria but it is a bullying presence which is in violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the international law.
Strategic Council Online – Director of the Institute of International Relations, referring to the published news about the US effort to continue its presence in Iraq’s apparently, and based on its allegations, as an advisor, said: Given that such presence is at the request of the Iraqi government, the US forces will consider greater legitimacy for themselves and will be more open to gaining more concessions and imposing their favorable conditions.
Strategic Council Online- According to the Director Yemen desk, at Mersaad think-tank, with the departure of Omani delegation to Sanaa, there was a promising perspective that war would stop, everybody was waiting for a serious incident in this respect. But with statements of political authorities of Haadi government, and also Sanaa government, it was clear that the talks would lead to nowhere.
Strategic Council Online – Contrary to the propaganda and projection of the media and political circles of Western countries and some Arab states that have sought to overthrow Bashar Assad since 2011, the Syrian presidential election and the widespread participation of Syrian citizens in it led to the re-election of Bashar Assad. He became president for another seven-year term, an important “turning point” in Syria’s socio-political developments. The victory of Bashar Assad in this election actually meant a great victory for the Syrian people and the Resistance front, and on the contrary, a disgraceful defeat for the anti-Resistance axis (consisting of governmental and non-governmental actors).
Barsam Mohammadi – international affairs analyst
