E.U. leaders formally banned imports of oil from Iran, and other economic sanctions, in response to its continued nuclear programme. The decision to continue with sanctions was ratified by all 27 member states. The embargo aims to take an estimated daily 2.6 million barrels of Iranian oil off the international market, with all existing contacts to be phased out by July 1. E.U. Foreign Policy Chief, Catherine Ashton, said in response to the recent embargo "I ...

On Thursday, the Middle East Institute in concert with Freedom House hosted a discussion panel on the implications of the Arab Spring for US policy and interests in the Middle East region. The discussion panel was also charged with introducing a planned and authored by numerous scholars in cooperation with MEI entitled, The Arab Spring: Implications for US Policy and Interests. Discussants on the panel were scholars who participated in ...

Josh Rogin of Foreign Policy writes that Congress is starting to warm to the idea of confirming the U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford to Damascus despite the fact that some on Capitol Hill are still against the confirmation of having a U.S. ambassador to Syria.  Some on Capitol Hill are reluctant to confirm Ford since many other countries are withdrawing their envoys as a means to protest against President Bashar ...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's troops surrounded the Damascus suburb of Harasta in an effort to maintain the ongoing crackdown on urban centers that have been the cite for daily protests.   According to residents, Harasta's entrances have been sealed off and troops are wearing "combat fatigues, helmets, ammunition belts and carrying assault rifles."  In addition, the water, electricity and telephone lines have been cut.  Since Monday, at least 20 people have ...

On June 13, Deborah A. McCarthy, the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs, spoke about the United States' commitment to engaging with partners and allies in the Middle East. According to McCarthy, the U.S. has taken numerous steps to help the region, including providing financial support to stabilize Egypt and Tunisia's economies.  In addition, the U.S. is also working with parliament to create enterprise ...

Toby C. Jones argues in the Atlantic that the U.S. should disband the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. The rationale for having a strong military presence in the Gulf dates back thirty years and has become outdated, he argues. With the Iraq war winding down, surplus oil flow and U.S. regional allies capable of maintaining domestic security, the basis of America's Gulf strategy is dissipating. Moreover, Jones argues, continued American presence is ...

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to the United Arab Emirates soon to meet with members of the Libyan Contact Group. Assistant Secretary of State Jeff Feltman is currently in Abu Dhabi in preparation for the Contact Group meeting. Meanwhile the Senate Foreign Relations Committee postponed a planned session to discuss and possibly vote on another resolution about U.S. military involvement in Libya. NATO secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen called on alliance members ...

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appointed a new caretaker Oil Minister after being threatened with judicial action over his self-appointment. However, his appointment of Mohammad Aliabadi, the current head of the Physical Education Organisation and the Olympic Committee, is also seen as a close ally of President Ahmadinejad and has little apparent experience in the energy industry. Hamid-Reza Katouzian, the head of parliament's energy committee described the appointment as "the worst choice for the oil and ...

Writing in the New York Times, Pierre Razoux calls the Gulf  Cooperation Council's  decision last month to extend membership to Jordan and Morocco an effort to defend the Arab region's eight remaining monarchies from falling.  This effort signifies the council's fear of uprisings occurring in countries like Saudi Arabia where corruption, repression and socio-economic problems affect the youth and lead to protests. In addition, the Saudi government continues to support Syria's ...

Nawaf Obaid, senior fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, says that reports of the downfall of the Saudi monarchy as "inevitable" are grossly exaggerated.  The speculation that mass uprising will reach Saudi Arabia is based entirely on casual perusal of Facebook pages calling for protests, he says : "17,000 Facebook fans or 'protesters' do not necessarily translate into 17,000 Saudi rioters The kingdom has long ...

Speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Senator John Kerry (D-MA)  stated that the U.S. policy toward the Middle East needs a "readjustment to reflect the new realities of the region Too often over the past decade we have seen regimes in the region chiefly as bulwarks in the fight against terrorism, while looking away from abuses we find unconscionable."  He also noted that democracy and human rights concerns have been ...