Mattis steps up as US commander of Iraq and Afghan wars
General James Mattis was named on Thursday as the new head of US Central Command (Centcom) which has overall responsibility for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mattis will take over from General David Petraeus once his appointment is ratified by the Senate. In Afghanistan Nato admitted on Friday to killing six Afghan soldiers in a “friendly fire” incident.
Netanyahu says will meet Egypt’s Mubarak on Tuesday
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, back in Israel from talks in Washington on restarting direct peace negotiations with the Palestinians, said Sunday he would meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak this week.
Protests Simmer Among Iran’s Powerful Merchants
9 Jul 2010 (AP) – DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Tehran’s powerful merchants don’t need street protests to make their anger known — the sound of shops being locked up and metal grates clanging shut during a wave of anti-tax strikes this week was enough to unsettle Iranian authorities.
Smugglers in Iraq Blunt Sanctions Against Iran
By SAM DAGHER
Published: July 8, 2010
PENJWIN, Iraq — Even as the United States imposes new sanctions on Iran, one of the biggest gaps in the American strategy is on full display here in Iraq, where hundreds of millions of dollars in crude oil and refined products are smuggled over the scenic mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan every year
Damascus Teams up with Turkey to Fight Kurdish Aspirations
8 Jul 2010 (LA Times) – With economic and political ties cemented over the last 12 months, the Syria-Turkey alliance has now appeared to move on to the realm of security. Reports from Turkish state media say Syria has arrested around 400 Kurds with links to the Kurdistan Workers Party, known by the acronym PKK, a move by Damascus seen as ending a once troubled security relationship.
Iran’s Mousavi Blames Sanctions on Ahmadinejad
8 Jul 2010 – Iranian opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi harshly criticized Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday for failing to prevent the imposition of the latest round of United Nations sanctions on the country.
Iran Must Halt Woman’s Death by Stoning
Washington (CNN) — It is clearly stated in Article 5 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights that, “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” 
Turkish-Iran Relations: Old Rivals or New Best Friends?
Iran’s state religion is Shiite Islam and most of its people are ethnically Persian, but minorities of various ethnic, religious, and linguistic backgrounds number in the millions, including ethnic Kurds, Baluchis, and 
Chatter Rises On Iran Strike
7 July 2010 – The first really clear indication that serious planning was underway to strike at Iran’s rogue nuclear weapons site came a month ago when British news outlets reported that Saudi Arabia had given Israel permission to cross its airspace en route to Iranian targets.
EU Imposes Flight Ban on Iran Air Over Safety
6 Jul 2010 (BBC) Most of Iran Air’s jets will be banned from flying to the EU because of safety concerns, the European Commission says. 
