Articles
Europe: countries redeploy troops
Despite a call by the Iraqi parliament for the withdrawal of its forces, the USA stated it has no plans to do so, even though a draft letter signalling a pull-out was sent to Iraq’s prime…
Ukraine jet crashes, killing 176
On 8 December, a Ukrainian jet bound for Kiev crashed soon after taking off from Tehran. The majority of passengers were from Iran and Canada. Ukraine initially blamed engine failure, but later retracted the statement. President…
Iraq: Iran / US hostility
Many believe the US killing of Qasem Soleimani (plus four senior commanders and an Iraqi militia leader) risks causing Iraq instability. The USA believed the men were organising radical tactics against it, describing the action as…
Iran: proxy forces proliferate
Qasem Soleimani was named head of Iran's elite paramilitary Quds Force in the late 1990s. He then became widely known for expanding his country's regional influence by bolstering Shiite proxy forces around the region to counter…
