The Amargi
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News, Analysis, Opinions on the Middle East
Iranian Kurds were once “the forgotten Kurds.” Now they’re more visible—but are they being understood beyond moments of crisis? theamargi.com/posts/irania...
Iranian Kurds: from ‘forgotten’ to ‘periodically remembered’
If you began a PhD around 2020 (maybe earlier) or simply started researching the Kurds of Iran around that time, you probably remember how difficult it was to construct a genuinely rich literature…
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Turkey’s Kurdish peace process has shifted from language and cultural recognition to security and disarmament. What does this mean for Kurdish rights? theamargi.com/posts/langua...
Language and Turkey’s changing approach to the Kurdish question
A debate on Turkey’s changing approach to the Kurdish question, with contributors examining the role of Kurdish language.
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DNA tests revealed two Kermanshah families had unknowingly buried each other’s sons, both killed during January protests. Authorities have yet to explain the mix-up. theamargi.com/posts/dna-te...
DNA tests expose Iranian authorities misidentified bodies of two protest victims
DNA tests conducted seven months after the widespread 2025-26 protests in Kermanshah, western Iran, have revealed a case of misidentification and erroneous registration of bodies by the authorities…
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For the first time in history, Turkey can now say this of the country’s century-old Kurdish question: the resolution process is meeting the law in parliament. theamargi.com/posts/is-tur...
Is Turkey’s PKK peace process a surrender or the birth of a democratic nation?
For the first time in history, Turkey can now say this of the country’s century-old Kurdish question: the resolution process is meeting the law in parliament. Between 1985 and 2014, the state enacted…
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Kurdish families returning to Serekaniye (Ras al-Ain) were attacked Monday by masked gunmen, nearly seven years after Turkey’s 2019 operation displaced them. theamargi.com/posts/kurdis...
Kurdish families attacked during return to Serekaniye amid security tensions
Kurdish families returning to Serekaniye, also known as Ras al-Ain, were attacked on Monday by masked armed men as the first convoy of displaced residents attempted to return to the city and its…
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Damascus and Moscow agree on Syria’s two strategic coastal bases, with the STG set to assume partial control. theamargi.com/posts/russia...
Russian bases to remain in Syria
Damascus and Moscow have reached an agreement regarding two strategic military bases located on Syria’s Mediterranean coast. After 18 months of negotiations, the Syrian transitional government (STG)…
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Syria’s military reshuffle is sidelining powerful commanders, consolidating al Sharaa’s control and reshaping Turkey’s influence. theamargi.com/posts/army-r...
Army reshuffle highlights Turkey’s new Syria strategy
Syria’s army reshuffle sidelines former SNA commanders as Turkey shifts from proxy forces to direct ties with Damascus.
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Turkey’s Kurdish peace process bill cleared the Justice Committee and now heads to a final parliamentary vote on Monday, August 10. theamargi.com/posts/turkey...
Turkey’s historic Kurdish peace process bill heads to final vote
Turkey’s historic Kurdish peace process framework bill cleared the parliamentary Justice Committee on Saturday after 18 hours of debate and now awaits a final vote in the full General Assembly on…
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From Pezeshkian’s alleged resignation threats to hardline opposition, Iran’s establishment is showing signs of strain. theamargi.com/posts/is-ira...
Is Iran’s political establishment beginning to fracture?
Mohammad-Bagher Kharrazi, a cleric close to the family of Iran’s Supreme Leader and secretary-general of Hezbollah Iran, recently claimed that President Masoud Pezeshkian had resigned, or threatened…
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Back in February 2026, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet warned that Turkey could be “the new Iran.” It would seem this was not an overestimation. theamargi.com/posts/mecca-...
Mecca Agreement is more about Israel than Iran
Back in February 2026, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet warned that Turkey could be “the new Iran.” It would seem this was not an overestimation. The Turkey-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan Joint…
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For the first time, supermarkets in Yerevan are selling flowers as Armenian florists struggle to sell their traditional blooms amid falling demand. The shift reflects growing pressure on the country’s flower industry. theamargi.com/posts/after-...
After Russia curbs Armenian imports, can EU fill the gap?
Moscow imposed restrictions on a range of Armenian products that historically found a ready market in Russia. After decades of heavy reliance on Russia’s economy, a previous attempt by Georgia,…
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On July 13, Marco Rubio announced a US campaign to dismantle the ICC “brick by brick” — the court that issued arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant theamargi.com/posts/us-mov...
US moves to dismantle International Criminal Court ‘brick by brick’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a campaign to dismantle the ICC days before its chief prosecutor was removed, as experts warn the coordinated assault on the court threatens international…
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This week, state-owned Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC) announced it would begin operations at oil fields in northeastern Syria after signing a long-term cooperation agreement with the US company HKN Energy in April. theamargi.com/posts/will-t...
Will the US-Syria oil deal reshape Syria’s energy sector?
Syria’s state oil company began operations in northeastern oil fields under a 25-year deal with US firm HKN Energy, as acute fuel shortages and rising prices fuel protests across the country’s…
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A Yazidi girl abducted by ISIS was sold, taken to Turkey under a false identity, rescued by police, and later returned to the same household accused of keeping her captive. Years on, a court still cannot answer one question: what is her real name? ✍️ Hale Gönültaş www.theamargi.com/posts/a-yazi...
A Yazidi child without a name
Turkey’s first human trafficking prosecution involving a Yazidi child has exposed a system of failures: a girl bought by ISIS, smuggled to Ankara, briefly rescued, then returned to her captors while…
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As parliament considers ratifying the 2018 Caspian Convention, an old question has returned: does the deal protect Iran’s security, or lock in a regional order that leaves Tehran with less leverage, access and revenue? ✍️ Sara Kermanian www.theamargi.com/posts/the-ca...
The Caspian question returns to Iran’s political agenda
Debate over Iran’s rights in the Caspian Sea has re-emerged following President Masoud Pezeshkian’s decision to submit the 2018 Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea (Aktau Convention) to…
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Syria’s January 29 integration agreement is entering its next phase, with the dissolution of the SDF and DAANES expected within days as military and administrative integration moves forward. theamargi.com/posts/integr...
Integration next phase: where will Kurdish leaders position themselves?
Sources reveal to The Amargi new details on the future roles of Syria’s top Kurdish leaders ahead of the next phase of integration.
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Iraq has begun exporting fuel oil to Syria’s Mediterranean port of Baniyas by road after the US-Israel-Iran war and Hormuz Strait blockade, while reviving the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline www.theamargi.com/posts/will-i...
Will Iraq’s truck oil exports through Syria last?
Hundreds of tanker trucks now carry Iraqi fuel oil through Syria, opening a new export corridor that few expected just months ago.
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Is Turkey’s peace process real, or another stalled promise? Al-Monitor’s Amberin Zaman joins Elif Sarican to discuss the PKK’s dissolution, the SDF’s future, rising Israel–Turkey tensions and why Iraqi Kurdistan may be entering a more dangerous phase. youtu.be/VIgyLKxFD3o
Turkey's Peace Process and Syria's Remaking with Amberin Zaman
In this episode of The Amargi Mosaic, host Elif Sarican speaks with Amberin Zaman, chief correspondent at Al-Monitor, about Turkey's current peace process compared to previous attempts she has…
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Ahmad Vahidi has spent more than four decades at the heart of Iran’s security establishment, from leading IRGC intelligence operations abroad to becoming the Quds Force’s first commander. Now, he heads the IRGC. Ammar Goli traces his rise, networks and record. www.theamargi.com/posts/who-is...
Who is Ahmad Vahidi, the new head of the IRGC?
Who is Ahmad Vahidi? Explore the new IRGC chief’s rise from revolutionary operative to Quds Force founder and key architect of Iran’s security apparatus.
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The Amargi has obtained a draft 12-article bill outlining the legal framework for the next phase of Turkey's peace process after the PKK's verified dissolution and disarmament.
Turkey’s draft peace process bill would suspend eligible PKK-related cases and sentences after verified dissolution and disarmament, but it is not a blanket amnesty and leaves Ocalan’s status and wider Kurdish rights unresolved. Serap Güneş explains. www.theamargi.com/posts/everyt...
Everything you need to know about Turkey-PKK peace process bill
A draft 12-article framework bill obtained by The Amargi on Wednesday lays out the legal basis for the next phase of Turkey’s peace process with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), establishing a…
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Hidden among the gardens of Damascus, actor Firas Al-Helou is reviving Al Boustan Culture and Arts, restoring his long-held vision of an independent space to promote Syria’s marginalized and emerging artists theamargi.com/posts/revivi...
Reviving an independent stage for Syrian artists
Syrian actor Firas Al-Helou is reviving a vision of free artistic expression in Damascus, with his Al Bustan cultural centre and theatre nearly ready to reopen its doors.
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MHP leader Devlet Bahceli became the first to sign a new Kurdish peace process bill, renewing his call for Abdullah Ocalan to be granted a legal "right to hope." theamargi.com/posts/bahcel...
Bahceli renews call for Ocalan’s ‘right to hope’
After becoming first signatory to Turkey’s peace process bill, Bahceli also called for imprisoned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) founder Abdullah Ocalan to be granted a legal “right to hope”.
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Who holds political authority in Iran—the people or divine law? Our latest analysis explores how the 1906 Constitutional Revolution transformed the state but left the question of sovereignty unresolved. www.theamargi.com/posts/the-co...
The constitution that didn’t settle sovereignty
Iran’s 1906 Constitutional Revolution introduced representative government but never reconciled it with divine law.
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Do you want to become a journalist and publish your first article at The Amargi? Our free mentoring weekend for emerging journalists will take place in Leipzig on 12–13 September 2026.Visit amargi-ev.org/en/ to apply
In this interview for The Amargi, Holly Mason Badra discusses Sleeping in the Courtyard and amplifying Kurdish voices in the diaspora. theamargi.com/posts/holly-...
Holly Mason Badra: I want Kurds to be seen in their fullness
In this interview for The Amargi, I sat down with Kurdish-American writer, academic, and editor Holly Mason Badra to discuss her landmark anthology, Sleeping in the Courtyard: Contemporary Kurdish…
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A new Kurdish language and culture center has opened in Istanbul. Zimanxane aims to preserve and promote the Kurdish language and cultural heritage theamargi.com/posts/zimanx...
Zimanxane opens as new Kurdish language center in Istanbul
A new center dedicated to the Kurdish language and culture has opened on Istanbul’s Asian side. Zimanxane (Association for the Research and Development of Kurdish Language and Culture / Komeleya…
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Should the Kurds abandon their armed struggle in Iran? Prof. Abbas Vali answers. To watch the full interview, visit The Amargi's Youtube channel.
Trump halted plans for a major strike on Iran, claiming progress on a Strait of Hormuz deal. Tehran denied it and resumed its hardline rhetoric. theamargi.com/posts/iran-r...
Iran rejects Trump’s talks claims
After another apparent cycle of escalation, in which both sides carried out military strikes, Donald Trump suspended plans for a major attack on Iran and suggested that Washington and Tehran were…
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Why is staying alive under oppression a political act? In conversation with Mahtab Mahboub, anthropologist Professor Shahram Khosravi explains why survival is not passive. Under repression, war, poverty and exile, the act of keeping hope alive can become a form of resistance.