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MECRA RESEARCH BLOG
The MECRA research blog is composed of short articles and may include outside contributions. The views expressed in these blogs and articles are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis editorial stance.
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#KhameneiVirus That’s the most popular hashtag trending on twitter among Farsi social media
By MECRA STAFF Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader recently refused the US offer to help Iran fight coronavirus. Nevertheless, due...
MECRA
Mar 24, 20204 min read
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US-Iran and Iran-Israel tensions March 22 and beyond
Read our previous installment March 12-21, 2020 of the daily updates of US-Iran tensions at this link. March 22 A look at the satellite...
MECRA
Mar 23, 202017 min read
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Coronavirus in the Middle East: Daily updates part IV: From March 21
Coronavirus threatens the Middle East
MECRA
Mar 21, 20209 min read
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Mapping the US retaliation for the Camp Taji attack March 11-13
March 11 7:35pm (Baghdad time): Rockets strike Camp Taji, Iraq. 8:26pm (Baghdad time) Iraqi security forces release images of the truck...
MECRA
Mar 13, 20201 min read
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US-Iran and Iran-Israel tensions daily updates March 12 and beyond
Coronavirus threatens the Middle East
MECRA
Mar 12, 202013 min read
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An attack on US-led Coalition at Camp Taji, March 11, 2020: Escalation and questions of deterrence
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN A rocket attack on Camp Taji Iraq on march 11 has killed Americans and has led to tensions in Iraq. CENTCOM says...
MECRA
Mar 11, 20205 min read
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From March 11 coronavirus updates Middle East
View the previous live updates of the Middle East Coronavirus Daily Update (MECDU): First installment: February 15-25 Second Installment:...
MECRA
Mar 11, 202012 min read
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Shamkhani's Iraq visit: Shoring up Tehran's role
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Iran's Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani (علی شمخانی) made a high...
MECRA
Mar 10, 20205 min read
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US-Iran and Israel-Iran tensions timeline 2020 January to March
This timeline is the second part of a timeline that goes back to 2017, see the first part here. It seeks to include details about rising...
MECRA
Mar 6, 202016 min read
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Iranian officials warned their country about the coronavirus, now they're also sick
Iranian officials warned their country about coronavirus, now they’re sick By SETH J. FRANTZMAN “After lying about the plane crash for...
MECRA
Feb 27, 20202 min read
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Coronavirus Middle East LIVE-UPDATES Feb. 25
For the first installment the Middle East Coronavirus Daily Update (MECDU) of our daily updates on coronavirus in the Middle East see...
MECRA
Feb 25, 20206 min read
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Escalation: Nujaba's Kaabi and the February 16 rocket attack on US forces in Iraq
A rocket attack directed at a Coalition base near the US embassy on the night of February 15-16 raises concerns about recent threats to...
MECRA
Feb 16, 20206 min read
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Iran's responses to 'Deal of the Century'
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN During Friday prayers on January 31 Ayatollah Movahedi Kermani condemned US President Donald Trump's "Deal of the...
MECRA
Feb 1, 20208 min read
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Who is Iran's new deputy IRGC Quds Force commander: Mohammad Hejazi
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN and MECRA STAFF Iran has appointed a new deputy commander for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force in...
MECRA
Jan 21, 20204 min read
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Reactions in Iran to the death of Qasem Soleimani: The regime and the opposition
The following has been translated from Farsi from an article looking at reactions within Iran to the US airstrike on Qasem Soleimani....
MECRA
Jan 5, 20204 min read
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Analysis: Implications of the Soleimani killing
By ALEX GRINBERG The liquidation of the Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani is an achievement for the US, yet it is not a game changer....
MECRA
Jan 5, 20205 min read
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What is known about rocket attack that killed a US contractor and wounded several US forces in Iraq
On Friday a salvo of rockets struck the K-1military base northwest of Kirkuk. It is the most significant of more than a dozen similar...
MECRA
Dec 28, 20197 min read
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An interview with a member of the pro-Iran Khorasani militia, captured by protestors in Baghdad
The following interview was conducted with a member of the Khorasani militia, a pro-Iranian militia in Iraq, which forms part of the...
MECRA
Dec 27, 20193 min read
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Who is Qais al-Khazali, the Iraqi militia leader sanctioned by the US on December 6?
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Qais al-Khazali (قيس الخزعلي) was targeted by US sanctions on December 6, 2019. "The U.S. Department of the...
MECRA
Dec 7, 20197 min read
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Badr Organization, its role in the PMU: Background and sources
In the interests of creating an easily accessible list of sources related to the Badr Organization and its role in the Popular...
MECRA
Dec 4, 20192 min read
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