Darius Shahtahmasebi

Darius Shahtahmasebi is a New Zealand-based legal and political analyst who focuses on US foreign policy in the Middle East, Asia and Pacific region. He is fully qualified as a lawyer in two international jurisdictions.

Has Saudi Arabia Shot Itself in the Foot With Its Oil Price War?

The impact of coronavirus has destroyed the demand for oil and neither Saudi Arabia, Russia or the United States will escape the resulting price war unscathed. 

Saudi Oil War Feature photo

Faced with an escalating crisis brought on by the global outbreak of COVID-19, Saudi Arabia made a conscious decision to increase oil production in order to avert a potential oil-price collapse. The move sent an already faltering global economy into a tailspin.   The trouble began at the beginning of March, after Russia rejected an ultimatum

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The UK Hasn’t Bombed Iraq or Syria Since Last September. What Gives?

Amid COVID-19, Brexit, and an ongoing economic crisis, the UK appears to be winding down its deadly Middle East bombing campaign. So where to next for the RAF?

UK Bombing Feature photo

The UK’s involvement in the U.S.-led air war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria has slowly and quietly wound down over the last few months. Official figures show that the UK hasn’t dropped a single bomb as part of this campaign since September last year. However, where those bombs have caused significant civilian harm is still uncertain, even after

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2021 Pentagon Budget Request Hints at Russia and China as the New Focus of US Empire

As the disastrous US wars in the Middle East begin to wind down, the Pentagon is shifting its strategy, budget and arsenal to focus on a confrontation with Russia and China, writes Darius Shahtahmasebi.

2021 Pentagon Budget Request Hints at Russia and China as the New Focus of US Empire

The Pentagon recently announced it fiscal year 2021 budget request. At $705 billion, it indicates a shifting focus from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a greater emphasis on the types of weapons that could be used to confront nuclear giants like Russia and China. To use the Pentagon’s exact wording, the U.S. is seeking to procure “more

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New Zealand’s Hidden Role at the Biggest US Bombing Base in the Middle East

A recent issue of Air Force News revealed that a senior NZDF officer served a six-month posting at the Qatar base, placing New Zealanders at the heart of the main targeting and bombing center in that region, writes Darius Shahtahmasebi

US bombing base

Last month the coalition government declared the end of New Zealand Defence Force deployments in Iraq. The announcement was silent, however, about the future of another deployment of New Zealand personnel, to a U.S. military base in the Middle East that has attracted controversy thanks to its role at the center of a large proportion of U.S. bombing

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An Israel-Iran War is Unlikely to Happen Any Time Soon

In September of last year, Israel held its largest military drill in 20 years, which was specifically designed to simulate a war, not with Iran or Syria, but with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A U.N. peacekeeper observes construction workers building a wall along the Israeli border with Lebanon, in the costal town of Naqoura, south Lebanon, Feb. 8, 2018. (AP/Hussein Malla)

Writing in the Asia Times earlier this month, David P. Goldman lamented that an Israel-Iran war is unlikely to take place any time soon. His observation appears surprising considering the mainstream media has been hyping up the idea of such a war over the past few months. Nevertheless, he is correct. Short of something catastrophic that

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America Just Sent a Destructive Message to North Korea By Nuking the Iran Deal

Trump may believe he is sending a strong message to North Korea that he will not hesitate to reimpose sanctions and walk away from a deal if he has to, but the reality is that he has actually sent a very destructive message to both North Korea and Iran that the U.S. can’t be trusted.

A frontal view of four B-61 nuclear free-fall bombs on a bomb cart. (DoD photo)

United States President Donald Trump’s recent decision to completely pull the plug on the 2015 Iranian nuclear accord, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), will likely have a major effect on the upcoming summit between North Korea and the United States. Even as the president was making his announcement, newly appointed

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Actually, Iran is Complying With the Nuclear Agreement but the U.S. Isn’t

The prevailing truth appears to be that Iran is in full compliance with the JCPOA. And Trump and Netanyahu are well aware of it.

Targeting Iran by Carlos Latuff for MintPress News

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his most grandiose anti-Iranian performance to date, revealing what he believed was direct proof that Iran “lied” about its nuclear program. This isn’t the first time Netanyahu has overhyped the threat of Iran’s non-existent nuclear weapons program. He has been crying wolf over Iran since as

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