Archive for July 14th, 2015

14/07/2015

Iran Talks Spur Lucrative US Defense Contracts in Middle East

Human Wrongs Watch

By Dmitry Babich*

13 July 2015 (RT)* The P5+1 has yet to clinch a deal with Iran on its nuclear program, but US arms suppliers are already using the talks as an excuse for massive rearmament of some of the most belligerent states in the Middle East. 

**Clockwise from top: Delta Force of Task Force 20 alongside troops of 3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, at Uday Hussain and Qusay Hussein's hideout.; Iraqi insurgents in northern Iraq; an Iraqi insurgent firing a MANPADS; the toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue in Firdos Square. | Author: Futuretrillionaire | Wikimedia Commons

**Clockwise from top: Delta Force of Task Force 20 alongside troops of 3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, at Uday Hussain and Qusay Hussein’s hideout.; Iraqi insurgents in northern Iraq; an Iraqi insurgent firing a MANPADS; the toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue in Firdos Square. | Author: Futuretrillionaire | Wikimedia Commons

Saudi Arabia, which, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, spent $80 billion on weapons last year (more than the nuclear powers France or Britain), will most likely get 10 Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters from the United Technologies Corp. (USA).

read more »

14/07/2015

Iran’s Nuclear Deal: What It Means for the Region

As Iran negotiates a historic deal that could see a thaw in relations with the West, experts discuss the implications for key Middle Eastern states.

**Map of the main sites of Iran's nuclear program | 21 June 2012 | Author: Yagasi, translation of the original work by Sémhur | Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. | Wikimedia Commons

**Map of the main sites of Iran’s nuclear program | 21 June 2012 | Author: Yagasi, translation of the original work by Sémhur | Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. | Wikimedia Commons

13 July 2015 – How might a US-Iran nuclear deal transform the balance of power in the Middle East? We asked eight anlaysts how a deal to rein in Iran’s nuclear programme could impact the region’s complex internal politics:

SAUDI ARABIA

Undoubtedly Iran’s biggest foe in the region, Saudi Arabia has led the Gulf States in expressing concern about an impending deal. With fears remaining that a deal will not specify a short enough breakout time (the period required to produce material for one nuclear weapon),

read more »