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The Amargi

@theamargi

News, Analysis, Opinions on the Middle East

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Latest posts by The Amargi @theamargi

CIA Leaks and Kurdish Targets with Professor Shahrzad Mojab
CIA Leaks and Kurdish Targets with Professor Shahrzad Mojab In this episode of The Amargi Mosaic, host Elif Sarican speaks with Professor Shahrzad Mojab about Iran's crisis and the weaponisation of liberation narratives. They examine the recent "leak" that…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQgz...

11.03.2026 16:00 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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What do Kurdish movements actually want for Iran’s future, and can bombing bring liberation?

Host Elif Sarican speaks with Professor Shahrzad Mojab about Iran’s crisis, the weaponisation of liberation narratives, and the story claiming the CIA is arming Iranian Kurdish forces. link in comments👇

11.03.2026 16:00 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 1
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Iranian nationalism and food prices rising in Iran, local sources say Local sources tell The Amargi that among nationalists and hardliners, increasing levels of nationalism are leading to more sympathy for the Islamic Regime, which uses the argument of “Iranian…

Local sources in Iran tell The Amargi that war is driving up food prices, deepening fear, and fuelling more nationalist sentiment. In Kurdish areas, people fear both economic collapse and what could follow politically once the fighting ends. ✍️ Gordyaen Benyamin
www.theamargi.com/posts/irania...

11.03.2026 15:51 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Recusal denied in İmamoğlu trial The first hearing in the high-profile corruption trial against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and over 400 others began on March 9 in a tense atmosphere at a courtroom inside the Silivri Prison…

Ekrem İmamoğlu’s corruption trial opened with immediate clashes over the judges, courtroom procedure, and judicial independence. After defence lawyers sought the full panel’s recusal, the court refused. ✍️ Serap Güneş
www.theamargi.com/posts/recusa...

11.03.2026 13:43 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Why Russia Offers Iran Only Rhetoric in Its Hour of Need Russia’s response to the fall of one of its key allies has thus far been muted: condemnation as an “unprovoked act of armed aggression,” condolences from President Vladimir Putin, calling former…

Russia condemned the attack on Iran, but offered little beyond rhetoric. In this opinion piece, Gerald Mako argues that Moscow’s restraint exposes the limits of authoritarian alliances, in which shared interests matter but mutual sacrifice does not.
www.theamargi.com/posts/why-ru...

11.03.2026 11:03 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Islamist attacks on Rojava forge Kurdish-European solidarity Rojava’s women-led grassroots democracy in northern Syria, under threat from recent attacks, continues to inspire the Kurdish diaspora and Europeans seeking a hopeful alternative to rising far-right…

Rojava still resonates far beyond northern Syria. For many Kurds in Europe and their allies, its women-led, grassroots model remains a political alternative to authoritarianism, war, and the rise of the far right.✍️ Rosa-Jiyan T
www.theamargi.com/posts/islami...

10.03.2026 20:38 👍 6 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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Damascus takeover shatters Arab-Kurd coexistence in Raqqa Raqqa, once celebrated for its Arab–Kurdish “brotherhood of peoples,” fell to Damascus forces in January 2026, leaving civilians displaced, homes looted, and survivors grappling with the collapse of…

Raqqa’s fall was not only a military defeat. In William Duppel Alonso’s account, it shattered a fragile Arab-Kurd coexistence built after ISIS, leaving behind displacement, killings, and the collapse of trust in a shared political future.
www.theamargi.com/posts/blood-...

10.03.2026 20:10 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Oil Prices Swing Wildly as U.S.-Israel War on Iran Exposes Strategic Rifts Global oil prices are swinging sharply as the U.S.–Israel war on Iran disrupts energy markets and exposes widening strategic divisions among major powers over security, supply routes, and regional…

Oil surged to $119, then dropped back within hours as the U.S.-Israel war on Iran rattled global markets. The volatility reflects fears over the Strait of Hormuz, as well as growing tension between Washington and Jerusalem over how far the war should go.
www.theamargi.com/posts/oil-pr...

10.03.2026 19:10 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Criticism mounts over Turkish government’s response to Iran war The Turkish government is facing growing criticism from opposition parties and its own Islamist base over its stance on the US-Israeli war against Iran. Despite Ankara repeatedly stating that it has…

Turkey says it has not allowed its bases or airspace to be used in attacks on Iran. But criticism is growing from both the opposition and Islamist circles, who say Ankara’s response has been too cautious and too unclear as the war escalates. ✍️ Serap Güneş
www.theamargi.com/posts/critic...

10.03.2026 18:06 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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State violence targets children in Turkey, rights advocates warn Rights advocates warn that children in Turkey are increasingly facing detention, prosecution, and police violence, raising serious concerns about the treatment of minors in the country’s justice…

In İzmir, a 16-year-old was arrested for a hair braiding video tied to Rojava, lawyers say strip searches occurred in custody. Advocates argue it reflects wider patterns of state violence affecting children, from detention to child labour.✍️ Şilan Bingöl
www.theamargi.com/posts/state-...

10.03.2026 17:34 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Women’s Rights at Stake in Syria’s Integration Agreement On Jan. 29, the Syrian Transitional Government and SDF signed an integration deal — but women’s groups warn it fails to protect hard-won rights and institutions built since the 2012 Rojava Revolution.

An integration deal between the Syrian Transitional Government and the SDF may decide the future of the YPJ, women’s councils, and legal protections built in northeastern Syria since 2012. Women’s groups say key guarantees remain absent. ✍️ Isabel Krokat
www.theamargi.com/posts/womens...

10.03.2026 16:01 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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[SCOOP] Tehran offers Kurds concessions, Kurdish leaders have not answered Sources speaking to The Amargi said Iranian Kurdish parties have been in contact with the U.S. about possible cooperation, even as Washington’s plans remain unclear. Iran, the sources said, is also…

Sources told The Amargi that Tehran is trying to keep Iranian Kurdish parties out of the war, while some Kurdish groups remain in contact with the US about possible cooperation. ✍️ Ammar Goli
www.theamargi.com/posts/scoop-...

10.03.2026 15:10 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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How War Reshaped Ramadan in Gaza Ramadan in Gaza is unfolding under the shadow of war, as displacement, airstrikes, and shortages reshape how Palestinians observe the holy month.

In Gaza, Ramadan unfolds under a fragile ceasefire, mass displacement, and severe food insecurity. For many families, iftar now means tents, aid kitchens, and grief, as the war continues to shape daily life. ✍️ Sarah Emad al-Zaq
www.theamargi.com/posts/how-wa...

09.03.2026 18:52 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Erdogan’s rival Imamoglu faces 142 charges Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a leading rival to President Erdoğan, faces 142 charges in a sweeping legal case that critics say reflects growing political pressure on Turkey’s opposition.

Ekrem İmamoğlu, Erdoğan’s main rival for 2028, is facing 142 charges as his corruption trial opens in Istanbul. Critics say the case is part of a broader effort to sideline Turkey’s opposition ahead of the next presidential race. ✍️ Serap Güneş
www.theamargi.com/posts/erdoga...

09.03.2026 17:34 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Forgotten History: Kurdistan’s Brief Freedom (1979) and the Year Khomeini Ended It (1980) For a brief moment after Iran’s 1979 revolution, Kurdish towns in Iran ran themselves through local councils until Khomeini crushed that experiment in 1980, making Kurdistan the Islamic Republic’s…

For a brief moment after 1979, Kurdish towns in Iran governed themselves through local councils. Rojin Mukriyan revisits how Khomeini’s state crushed that experiment in 1980, making Kurdistan one of the Islamic Republic’s first battlefields.
www.theamargi.com/posts/forgot...

09.03.2026 16:02 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Democracy will not come to Iran with a Prince 28 February 2026 marked the end of the period of ‘strategic ambiguity.’ Iran was attacked. The world once again showcased its reflexes by reducing a political rupture to a military narrative of…

A prince is not a transition plan. Dilek Çelebi argues that post-crisis Iran will be shaped by whoever can control security, institutions, and legitimacy, not by exile symbolism or royal nostalgia.
www.theamargi.com/posts/democr...

09.03.2026 15:52 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 1
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Mojtaba Khamenei named as Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has been appointed Iran’s new Supreme Leader, succeeding his father amid war and regional tensions, marking the first father-to-son transfer of power in the Islamic Republic.

Iran has entered its first leadership change since 1989. On 8 March 2026, the Assembly of Experts named Mojtaba Khamenei as Supreme Leader, a decision that raises fresh questions about legitimacy, succession, & hereditary rule in the Islamic Republic. ✍️ Kawe Fatehi
www.theamargi.com/posts/mojtab...

09.03.2026 13:28 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Iraqi Kurdistan Region Hit by 196 Drone and Missile Attacks Since War Began, monitor says The Kurdistan Region of Iraq has come under 196 Iranian and pro-Iranian Iraqi militia drone and missile attacks since the current war began, according to a local monitoring group, as a fresh wave of…

Iraqi Kurdistan has been hit by 196 drone and missile attacks since 28 February, according to a local monitor. Renwar Najm reports on the latest strikes in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah, and how the region is being drawn deeper into a war it says it does not want.
www.theamargi.com/posts/iraqi-...

08.03.2026 20:38 👍 5 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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On International Women’s Day, Women in Turkey Resist Femicide and Violence On the evening of 2 March, Fatmanur Çelik and her 8-year-old daughter Hifa İkra were found dead under suspicious circumstances in Istanbul. Fatmanur had wanted to file a complaint against the man who…

She said if something happened to her, it would not be suicide. On International Women’s Day, this story examines how the deaths of Fatmanur Çelik and her daughter Hifa exposed femicide, impunity, and state failure in Turkey. ✍️ Şilan Bingöl
www.theamargi.com/posts/on-int...

08.03.2026 19:08 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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For Iran’s Kurds, to Cooperate With the U.S., or Not – That Is the Question The Kurds face a dangerous dilemma: both cooperating with the United States and refusing to cooperate may carry existential risks.

For Iran’s Kurds, the question is not simply whether to cooperate with Washington. Sara Kermanian argues that both alignment and refusal may carry existential risks unless any deal includes real guarantees for Kurdish self-defence and rights.
www.theamargi.com/posts/for-ir...

08.03.2026 17:34 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Endgame in Iran: Trump’s Kurdish Outreach and Israel’s Pahlavi Bet | Interview with Michael Rubin As Iran’s retaliation against Israel and U.S. bases intensified over the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Trump made a round of phone calls to Kurdish leaders across the…

Trump’s outreach to Kurdish leaders has revived an old question: when Washington asks for Kurdish help, what guarantees follow?

Michael Rubin tells Kamal Chomani that Iran’s war endgame is still unclear, and Kurdish actors may again be asked to carry the risk.
www.theamargi.com/posts/endgam...

08.03.2026 16:00 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

- and using shell companies to block payment over a failed spyware-related deal.

08.03.2026 14:44 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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SCOOP: Surveillance Technology Contractor Sues Masrour Barzani, Seeks $460 Million in New York A New York-based surveillance technology contractor has filed a federal lawsuit seeking more than $400 million from Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, his brother, intelligence figure…

#SCOOP: A New York-based surveillance technology contractor has filed a federal lawsuit seeking more than $400 million from KRG PM Masrour Barzani, his brother, Waysi Barzani, and others, accusing them of fraud, contract interference, extortion, -
www.theamargi.com/posts/scoop-...

08.03.2026 14:44 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Iraqi Kurds at a Historical Crossroads Over the past three decades, the Iraqi Kurds have faced numerous hardships and political challenges: a four-year civil war in the 1990s, the Second Gulf War, the war against the Islamic State, and…

raqi Kurdistan is at a historical crossroads. Renwar Najm reports on growing pressure on the Kurdistan Region to choose between Washington and Tehran, a dilemma that could threaten its autonomy, infrastructure, and fragile stability for years.
www.theamargi.com/posts/iraqi-...

08.03.2026 14:08 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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From Torture Center to Memorial, Amna Suraka Chronicles Saddam’s Brutality in Slemani “Several gunmen entered the prison and warned us to stay away from the door. We thought they would execute us because some other prisoners had already learned the day they would be executed. But they…

Amna Suraka once symbolised Saddam Hussein’s repression in Slemani. Thirty-five years after the 1991 uprising, the former prison stands as a memorial to torture, political violence, and the survivors who carried its history beyond its walls.✍️ Diary Marif
www.theamargi.com/posts/from-t...

06.03.2026 18:43 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Despite Latest Unification Decree, Peshmerga Remains Deeply Partisan Following years of intense domestic and international pressure, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), Masrour Barzani, signed a landmark decree on 26 February 2026, officially…

Kurdistan’s Unit 70 and Unit 80 are now under the Peshmerga Ministry, yet critics say the forces remain politically divided, with separate command zones and partisan loyalties ✍️ Farman Rashad
www.theamargi.com/posts/despit...

06.03.2026 18:24 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Sexually Abused Children Face Deportation After Swiss Court Ruling A Swiss court has rejected the asylum application of a 41-year-old Turkish woman, identified as O.A., and her three children, despite confirming years of severe domestic violence by her former…

A Swiss court rejected the asylum claim of a Turkish woman and her three children despite confirming severe domestic violence and documented abuse, including sexual abuse of the son. The family now faces deportation to Turkey as appeals continue. ✍️ Serap Gunes
www.theamargi.com/posts/sexual...

05.03.2026 20:24 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 1
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Germany Backs U.S.–Israeli Strikes on Iran, Despite Staying Out of the War BERLIN – Even though it has so far avoided providing direct military support for the US–Israeli war against Iran, Germany has explicitly shown strong political alignment with Washington and Tel Aviv.…

Germany is not joining the war militarily, but Chancellor Merz backed the U.S. and Israel politically, arguing “legal assessments have relatively little impact” and saying this is “not the moment to lecture our partners and allies” on legality.
www.theamargi.com/posts/german...

05.03.2026 19:24 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Israel as Proxy, Not Puppet Master: How US Imperial Logic Drives the Alliance – Not the Lobby This article is co-authored by Inderjeet Parmar and Bamo Nouri The joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026 – dubbed Operation Epic Fury by the United States and Operation Roaring Lion…

This column argues Israel is a proxy within U.S. imperial strategy, not the puppet master of U.S. foreign policy. Lobby power matters, but Washington’s priorities, primacy, energy routes, and Iran containment drive the alignment. ✍️ Inderjeet Parmar & Bamo Nouri
www.theamargi.com/posts/israel...

05.03.2026 18:48 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 1
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Istanbul Funeral Sees Women Bear Coffins in Outrage Over Child Abuse Case ISTANBUL– Hundreds of mourners gathered in Istanbul on March 4 for the funerals of Fatma Nur Celik, 30, and her eight-year-old daughter Hifa Ikra Senguler, whose bodies were discovered the previous…

In Istanbul, women carried the coffins of a mother and daughter in a defiant protest against sexual abuse and institutional silence. Suspicion grows after warnings of foul play were ignored. ✍️ Serap Gunes
www.theamargi.com/posts/istanb...

05.03.2026 17:34 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0