Reporting about the situation in Afghanistan has revealed that US diplomats are unprepared to begin peace negotiations. Afghanistan’s leaders are being torn apart by ethnic and political rivalries.

Only the US administration is uncomfortable with the existence of an independent state in the Middle East that prefers to stand on its own two legs, rather than be propped up by American crutches.

On May 17, the US House of Representatives voted to impose sanctions on «anyone involved with the humanitarian and security crisis in Syria». This is exactly how The Hill described the resolution by US legislators that names the «people who have financial relationships with the Syrian government or businesses controlled by the administration» as the targets of the planned American sanctions…

Donald Trump’s victory in the US election and the coming changes in the country’s foreign policy are still a headline story for the global media. Although there have been only cautious hints about the possibility of normalizing US-Russian relations, opponents of such a policy are already speaking up…

Iran is accustomed to eking out an existence under the paralyzing pressure of economic sanctions. Despite many years of discrimination against the Iranian economy by the US and its allies, Iran is nevertheless today one of the most developed countries in Muslim world. Early in 2016 the process of lifting the sanctions against Iran began, but as it turned out, working in the new environment was no easier than it had been with all the restrictions in place. Now the situation is complicated not only by external pressures, but also by internal obstacles…

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has claimed that the efforts of the US-led international coalition stationed in his country have been in vain. Fourteen years of military intervention by America and its allies have brought Afghanistan nothing but harm. The territory controlled by the government is shrinking. Kabul now controls less than 65% of the nation. The government is almost completely absent from northern districts such as Musa Qala, Sangin, and Kajaki, which border the countries of the CIS. «Something is wrong», says Karzai…

Hassan Rouhani’s first presidential administration has entered its final phase. One year from now, in June 2017, Iran will once again choose a chief executive. It is very likely that President Rouhani will hold on to his post for another four years. During his presidency the Islamic Republic has been able to refocus its approach to development, overcoming many years of difficulty caused by confrontations with the United States and the West in general…

When Russia began its air campaign in Syria on 30 September 2015, the West did not believe it would be successful. Damascus had the support of just Russia and Iran, since America prevented Iraq from joining the alliance. Back then, the US president openly mocked the paucity of such a coalition and a second Afghanistan was predicted for the Kremlin…

On March 10, leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei met the newly elected Assembly of Experts. He said the United States harbors plans to change the state structure of Iran, but an attempt to stage a coup d’état is doomed to fail…

On February 11, demonstrations were held in Iran to mark the anniversary of the 1979 revolution. Revolution Day in Iran is the annual culmination of the ten-day Fajr (Dawn) celebration, which begins on Feb. 1 – the day in 1979 when the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, returned from exile to Tehran. On that day millions of Iranians took to the streets…