Reformists officially take over Iran’s capital city After 14 years, Reformists have taken over Iran’s capital city, increasing the cooperation between the incumbent moderate government and the Tehran municipality. Iran
KRG doubles down on independence vote after Baghdad meeting A visit by a Kurdish delegation to Baghdad amid strong regional and international objections to a Kurdish independence referendum failed to convince the Iraqi government of the merits of the vote. Iraq
Netanyahu raising alarm on Iran, again Israel has told US and Russian officials that Iran’s long-term strategies and its missile capabilities endanger the region. Saudi Arabia
Iran, Turkey move to re-establish role as regional backbone Despite their major differences over key regional crises in past years, shared threats and shared objectives are once again pushing Iran and Turkey together. Turkey
Israel's culture minister pressures theater over Palestinian poet An event hosted by the Arab-Hebrew Theater in Jaffa supporting Israeli-Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour generated a harsh reaction by Israel's Culture Minister Miri Regev, who threatened to cut state funding to the theater. Israel
Palestinian graduate's thorny business blossoms Haneen Ghanem's cactus-collecting hobby has flowered into the creation of a cactus nursery on a rooftop in the Jenin refugee camp. Palestine
Quitting the propaganda machine Al-Monitor contributor Shahira Amin reflects on her time as an Egyptian state TV anchor as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi consolidates control of the media. Egypt
Turkish dam project would wipe out ancient town A Turkish government dam project is threatening to flood a 12,000-year-old ancient settlement, bringing Turkey to the verge of losing traces of at least 10 civilizations. Turkey
Erdogan takes Turkey-Germany feud to next level Already-strained Turkish-German ties take a turn for the worse as Erdogan calls on Turks in Germany not to vote for mainstream German political parties, including Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party. Originals
Ankara makes overtures to Idlib militants The English-language edition of Yeni Safak has reported that Turkey asked the group to dissolve itself and for the militants, who seized Idlib province last month after routing Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham rebels, to relinquish the critical Bab al-Hawa border crossing linking Idlib to Turkey’s Hatay province. Syria
Iranian Reformist MPs under fire for confirming conservative ministers The Reformist Omid faction in the Iranian parliament is under fire for having voted to confirm controversial conservative ministers. Iran
Tensions flare between US, Shiite factions in Iraq The recent escalation by Iran-affiliated Iraqi Shiite militias against US forces on the Iraqi-Syrian border may offer an early indication of the coming confrontation between the two sides after the Islamic State is eliminated from Iraq. Iraq
Jordan’s Islamists win big in local polls amid voter apathy An Islamic-led coalition, which had boycotted the previous two elections, scored major gains in Jordan’s recent local elections amid low voter turnout. Jordan
Hamas mulls proposal for ‘chaos’ in Gaza In a bid to force change in the long-suffering Gaza Strip, Hamas’ military wing is proposing that it and other Palestinian military factions take control of Gaza security. Palestine
Turkish foundation helps Syrians recover from devastation of war The Turkiye Diyanet Foundation is restoring mosques in the Syrian province of Aleppo, recruiting preachers and teachers and providing hundreds of job opportunities. Syria
