On Sunday 14 March, British-Iranian dual citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was back in an Iranian court facing more charges. This time relating to a protest long ago outside the Iranian embassy and an interview with BBC Persia. Legally, the judge had…
This end of year review is part of a series from Backbench’s editorial team as they consider some of the themes that have dominated 2020. The views expressed in these reviews are those of the editors themselves and do not…
On January 3rd, President Trump sent shockwaves around the political world when American troops assassinated the Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force and a high-ranking officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the former of which has…
On September 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Erdogan met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran for a trilateral meeting on the future of the war in Syria. The three major military powers meet as the Syrian Arab…
In recent weeks, we have seen tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran skyrocket to unprecedented levels. Both countries have been hurling accusations at one another, from the Saudis “interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs” to Iran’s “act of war”. Despite all…
On 25 July, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri attended a bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss the future of Lebanon-US relations. Prior to the meeting, Hariri said that he hopes the two countries…
Iran, Turkey and Russia. Three regional superpowers, three conflicting plans for settling the six-year Syrian Civil War. Yet, on December 20, a trilateral agreement was reached; plans for ceasefires were put into action as the total number of settlements joining the…