12 Most Polluted Countries 2023: Breathing Heavy. Environmental pollution is a pressing global issue that poses significant health risks and ecological challenges. Unfortunately, there are countries around the world that face particularly high levels of pollution. From air pollution to water contamination, these nations struggle to combat the detrimental effects of environmental degradation. In this...
The Dangerous Loophole in Western Sanctions on Russia. Putin’s weaponry runs on advanced electronic components obtained from a hidden international market. Through a rare, hydra-headed blend of government sanctions and the historic stampede of 1,100 multinational firms out of the country, the economic blockade of Russia has proved highly effective. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war campaign struggles onward,...
As the annual COP climate summit approaches in Dubai next month, one prominent figure conspicuously absent from past conferences may decide to attend COP28 – Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, there are good reasons why the ICC suspect feels comfortable enough to potentially skirt international justice and visit the UAE. Some context – in March,...
Russia, Iran, and the Territorial Dispute with the UAE. Under President Ebrahim Raisi, Iran has carved out an overseas agenda that is a patent departure from the country’s 1979 Revolution-era notion of “neither East nor West,” reflected in a seemingly irreversible estrangement from Europe. It had alarmed tensions with the United States, and a disproportionate...
Russia’s geopolitical balancing act between Iran and the UAE. Kremlin has to keep up excellent ties with its two main allies in order to carry on with its assault against Ukraine: Iran for drone delivery and the United Arab Emirates for evading sanctions. The three islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb are...
After Russia launched its attack on Ukraine last year, Iran was one of a few countries to support Moscow’s position and goals. The two countries also shared a battlefield in Syria for years, helping prop up Bashar al Assad’s regime, with air strikes and boots on the ground. But that close partnership is being tested,...
The United Arab Emirates has become a key trade hub for Russian gold since Western sanctions over Ukraine cut Russia’s more traditional export routes, Russian customs records show. The records, which contain details of nearly a thousand gold shipments in the year since the Ukraine war started, show the Gulf state imported 75.7 tonnes of...
Iranian media continued criticizing Russia for questioning Iran’s ownership of three small islands in the Persian Gulf contested by the United Arab Emirates. Iranian media and social media users were deeply annoyed when Russia joined the Persian Gulf Arab states earlier this week to demand a settlement to the dispute over the ownership of the islands Iran...
A US citizen established front companies in Iran, the UAE and Panama, purchased oil tankers and used false shipping documents to carry out two multi-year schemes to evade sanctions on Iranian petroleum trade, US authorities say. The US Department of Justice says Behrouz Mokhtari, a 72-year-old Virginia resident with ties to Tehran, pleaded guilty to...
Tehran summoned Russia’s ambassador on Wednesday over a Moscow-endorsed statement on three Gulf islands disputed by Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The three isles of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb are claimed by both Tehran and the UAE, but have been held by Iran since 1971 — during the time of the...