Saudi official gives new version of Khashoggi killing: Report

A senior Saudi Arabian government official has laid out a new version of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, that in key respects contradicts previous explanations.

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

Murder most foul: Saudis admit Khashoggi was killed

The outpouring of anger and outrage over Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance and subsequent killing inside Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Turkey is unprecedented. The 60-year-old journalist, who had been critical of Saudi crown prince Mohammad Bin Salman, walked inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 afternoon to complete paperwork ahead of his marriage. He never came out.

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

Top Afghan commander’s killing raises questions

The formidable, flamboyant, maverick police chief of southern Afghan province of Kandahar General Abdul Raziq Achakzai was gunned down in a shootout inside the provincial governor’s office on Thursday, along with the governor and intelligence chief. The ‘insider attack’, which wiped out the provincial leadership, was carried out by the governor’s bodyguard and claimed by the Taliban, which shows Taliban infiltration of police and army in the war-ravaged country.

Despite fears of violence, Afghan parliamentary polls sees high turnout

TEHRAN- Despite the threats of terrorist groups to disrupt the election, Afghans came out in large numbers on Saturday to cast their votes in the historic parliamentary election. 

Saudi Arabia admits Khashoggi killed but claims he died in 'fistfight' 

Turkish official says investigators will know fate of journalist’s body ‘before long’

Turkish investigators are likely to find out what happened to the body of Jamal Khashoggi before long, a senior official said on Saturday, after Saudi Arabia admitted for the first time that the journalist had been killed in its Istanbul consulate.

By Saeed Sobhani

What Is Europe's Strategy on the JCPOA?

TEHRAN - The disputes over the "future of the nuclear deal" are still ongoing. The analysis of this conflict is not so easy, considering the remarkable relations between Washington and Europe. In other words, Western officials look at the nuclear deal not as an "independent legal variable", but as a "dependent political variable".

By Abdulhamid Bayati

U.S. air force; competing with rivals or creating a new weapons market

TEHRAN – U.S. President Donald Trump has once again stressed the need for formation of U.S. space force, reasoning that Russia and China are pioneers in the area. 

By Javad Heirannia

 For Why Trump is Attacking Iran as he Defends MBS: Askari

TEHRAN – Professor Hossein Askari, an expert on Saudi Arabia who also teaches international business at the George Washington University, believes that Trump has to invent something for defending MBS and King Salman to his evangelical base and the millions of other Americans who get their news from Fox.

By Javad Heirannia

U.S. has buried its moral compass in the Trump-Kushner-MBS disaster: Askari

TEHRAN – Professor Hossein Askari, an expert on Saudi Arabia who also teaches international business at the George Washington University, believes that Jamal Khashoggi was tortured and murdered.

By Ramin Hossein Abadian

New Iraqi cabinet ahead

TEHRAN - Adel Abdul Mahdi, the new prime minister of Iraq, is required by the Iraq’s constitution to submit his cabinet appointees for parliamentary approval within 30 days of his election, which occurred on October 2, or else another person will be appointed for that task. But nothing has been done yet.

By Hanif Ghaffari

Nikki Haley left the UN

TEHRAN - Nikki Haley has resigned as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and will leave her post in January. Since Trump’s first weeks in office, the White House has been plagued with high-profile departures of people who are fired or resign, often after being stung by scandal or caught up in some controversy: National Security Adviser Mike Flynn, FBI Director James Comey and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to name a few.

MBS’s rampaging anger will not silence questions about Jamal Khashoggi

Inside his royal palace in Riyadh, Mohammed bin Salman is said to have alternated between dark brooding and rampaging anger in the days after the death of Jamal Khashoggi, as Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, or MBS, as he is widely known, looked for someone to blame for what Turkish officials have said was the journalist’s grisly murder.

By Hanif Ghaffari

Merkel's projection regarding nationalist movements in Europe 

 TEHRAN - In recent years, we have repeatedly spoken about the blows that hit the United Europe hard, and resulted in constant and overwhelming crises in this block. The European authorities now refer to "returning to nationalism" as a potential danger (and in some cases, the actual danger!) In this block, and warn against it without mentioning the origin of this danger.

By Javad Heirannia

Mohammad bin Salman resembles Trump: Adib-Moghaddam

TEHRAN - Professor Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, Chair of the Centre for Iranian Studies at the London Middle East Institute believes that I never saw Mohammad bin Salman as a prudent leader. His approach to politics is ad hoc, coarse and lacks diplomatic skill.

By Mohammad Ghaderi - Twitter: @ghaderi62 - Email: m.ghaderi62@gmail.com

Wait and contemplate for a second

TEHRAN – Like it or not, the story of liberal democracy in the West has often been unjust and inhumane. You haven’t made a mistake if you call it “no human rights.”

By Mohammad Ghaderi - Twitter: @ghaderi62 - Email: m.ghaderi62@gmail.com

Terror business in Macron’s style; Riyadh pretending to fight terrorism

TEHRAN - In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24 and RFI, French President Emmanuel Macron said: “It is incorrect to state that Saudi Arabia is important economically to France in any area. With Saudi Arabia and the UAE, we have a cooperative relationship based on the whole truth and clarity, but it’s a strategic tie. The fight against terrorism goes hand in hand with these two countries.”.

UN: Yemen on brink of 'world's worst famine in 100 years’

The United Nations has warned Yemen could be facing the worst famine in 100 years if airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition are not halted, the Guardian reported on Monday.

By Susantono Bambang

How to finance Asia’s infrastructure gap

Asia’s countries famously need to invest trillions of dollars a year to provide infrastructure required to keep traffic flowing, ports trading, and factories humming. Yet most countries in the region consistently fall short.

By Fatemeh Mohammadipour

Deployment of S 300 in Syria is Russia's least costly measure against Israel: ex-U.S. ambassador

TEHRAN - Russians make the least costly reprisal against Israel with deployment of S 300 system in Syria.

By Mohammad Ghaderi - Twitter: @ghaderi62 - Email: m.ghaderi62@gmail.com

Trump; the Symbol of America's Isolation in the World

TEHRAN - The president of the United States, who came to power in 2016 with the slogan of "Reviving Washington's Power", has become the messenger of failure and defeat of his country in the West Asian region and in the international system. The U.S. numerous military and political defeats in countries such as Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon were so outstanding that there's no way Trump can brag about his achievements in the region.