Blinken: Iran Funds ‘Extremist Groups.’ But Biden Wants to Return to Nuclear Deal Anyway By Patrick Goodenough | May 24, 2021 | 4:33am EDT
Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. (Photo by khamenei.ir/AFP via Getty Images)
(CNSNews.com) – Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday acknowledged that Iran funds terrorist proxies across the Middle East, but confirmed that the Biden administration is looking to lift sanctions against the regime in Tehran anyway.
In doing so, he echoed the arguments put forward by the Obama administration to the effect that Iran would be even more dangerous without a nuclear deal – thereby justifying an agreement that freed up billions of dollars for the terror-sponsoring regime.
Pragmatism on the rise in Iran: Why the EU should look to Mohsen Rezaee
Supporters of Iranian presidential candidate, conservative former chief of the Revolutionary Guards Mohsen Rezai, hold posters bearing his portrait during a campaign rally on June 10, 2013 in downtown Tehran, Iran [Majid Saeedi/Getty Images] May 12, 2021 at 12:19 pm
The eyes and ears of much of the world have shifted to Iran s tumultuous political climate, as the country s 18 June presidential elections loom ever closer. While many in the West perceive Iranian politics as a monolith of extremism and militant leaning Islam, the truth is in fact much more complicated.
By Hollie McKay | May 3, 2021 | 6:02pm EDT
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images)
(CNSNews.com) – In a dramatic twist in diplomacy, Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has announced that Riyadh is seeking a “good and special relationship” with the kingdom’s longtime nemesis, Iran. Privately, the two adversaries are reported to be in behind-closed-door talks, a noted departure from the prince’s stance in an interview four years ago, when he asked, “How do you have a dialogue with a regime built on an extremist ideology?”
The Sunni and Shi’a countries have long been at odds, both seeking to leaders in the Islamic world. But after Iranians attacked the Saudi Embassy in Tehran in 2016, tensions rose to new heights, with proxy conflicts and tit-for-tat infrastructure attacks putting not just the region but also much of the world on edge.
Analysts Ponder Significance of Saudi Arabia Seeking a 'Good and Special Relationship' With Iran cnsnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cnsnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Hollie McKay | May 3, 2021 | 6:02pm EDT
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images)
(CNSNews.com) – In a dramatic twist in diplomacy, Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has announced that Riyadh is seeking a “good and special relationship” with the kingdom’s longtime nemesis, Iran. Privately, the two adversaries are reported to be in behind-closed-door talks, a noted departure from the prince’s stance in an interview four years ago, when he asked, “How do you have a dialogue with a regime built on an extremist ideology?”
The Sunni and Shi’a countries have long been at odds, both seeking to leaders in the Islamic world. But after Iranians attacked the Saudi Embassy in Tehran in 2016, tensions rose to new heights, with proxy conflicts and tit-for-tat infrastructure attacks putting not just the region but also much of the world on edge.