News Articles

M.A. Dworkin Glasgow, Scotland - An international team of researchers and academics, from the University of Glasgow (UofG), led by U of G’s Professor Garrick Allen, have successfully recovered 42 “lost” pages of one of the world’s most important early New Testament manuscripts, the 6th-century Codex H (a New Testament manuscript of St. Paul’s Letters). The remarkable feat was performed by a partnership with the Early Manuscripts Electronic Library (EMEL) applying adva

M.A. Dworkin Middle East - Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz “completely open” for commercial shipping for the duration of a 10-day Lebanon-Israel ceasefire, easing global energy supply fears. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that vessels must use a coordinated route, often near the Iranian coast as announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. President Trump welcomed the move but said the U.S. naval blockade would rema

M.A. Dworkin Beirut, Lebanon - Israel’s military launched its most powerful attacks on Lebanon, hours after a ceasefire was declared between the U.S. and Iran, killing hundreds of people across the capital of Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley. According to reports coming in from various social media sources and Lebanon’s civil defense service, the most recent air strikes killed more than 250 in Lebanon where there have already been more than 1,500 ca

M.A. Dworkin Middle East - If you know anything at all about President Donald J. Trump’s manner of negotiating, anything from real estate, to plumbing fixtures, to peace in the Middle East, you realize that he has a specific formula by which he attacks the person on the other side of the negotiating table. He hits them with a high opening offer, sometimes in an outlandish fashion, carrying with him some sort of leverage, and then listens to their counter offer, before he look

M.A. Dworkin The Middle East - The exiled Crown Prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, told the Conservative Action Conference (CPAC) in Houston, that “freedom in Iran is within reach.” The son of Iran’s last Shah made the comment during his speech to a crowd of conservatives in Grapetree, Texas. “A free Iran is not a fantasy, Pahlavi said. “A free Iran is within reach right now, but as we all know, freedom never comes free.” Pahlavi encouraged the U.S. to “stay th

M.A. Dworkin The Middle East - Although the U.S. has established complete superiority in the skies over Iran, and has destroyed Iran’s naval capacity along with its air defenses, what is left of the crippled Iranian regime has been able to cause extensive damage to a number of U.S. bases stationed in the countries surrounding Iran. The NY Times has confirmed that several military bases in the Middle East have been severely damaged in Iran’s retaliatory efforts in resp

M.A. Dworkin The Middle East - After 25 days of continual bombings, missile and drone attacks, over a thousand dead on the streets of Iran, over 80,000 structures destroyed or damaged, and hatreds that run decades deep on both sides spilling over and reaching into the gates of hell, there appears to be some movement for an end to hostilities on the part of the Iranian regime and the Trump Administration. An Iranian source has informed a reputable news agency that there

M.A. Dworkin Middle East - President Donald Trump’s Administration has rejected efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the war that is entering its third week as Iran has demanded an end to US-Israeli strikes before ceasefire talks can begin. The lack of interest for ending the conflict suggests both sides are digging in for an extended battle, even as civilian casualties in Iran mount up and the closure of the Strait of Hormu

John F. McKeon The Strait of Hormuz is the most vital artery in the global energy market, serving as the sole maritime passageway for over a fifth of the world’s daily oil consumption. Nestled between Oman and Iran, this narrow choke point connects the petroleum-rich Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea and the open oceans, making it a permanent focal point of international geopolitics. Even a temporary disruption in its shipping lanes triggers a catastrophic spike in energy

M.A. Dworkin Middle East - A senior Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned U.S. President Trump: “The Ashura-loving nation of Iran does not fear your paper threat. Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Watch out for yourself - lest you be eliminated!” Mr. Larijani was responding to Trump saying he would hammer Iran if it blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy point in

M.A. Dworkin Middle East - Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is pushing back on international mediation efforts, claiming that some countries have begun mediation efforts to end the war with the United States and Israel, but said any talks should address those who started the war. He said that any countries looking to broker a ceasefire should direct their pressure at the U.S. and Israel not Iran. “Some countries have begun mediation efforts,” said Mr. Pezeshkian. “Let

M.A. Dworkin Middle East - Israeli military officials claim that Iran has fired ballistic missiles carrying cluster munitions toward Israeli territory, marking the first reported use of such weapons in the current war. Cluster weapons are among the most controversial forms of modern bombs. Their defining characteristic is the ability to disperse dozens of smaller explosives over a wide area. Israeli defense officials claim some Iranian cluster missile warheads can rele