ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Saudi Arabia denies any involvement as Iran's Revolutionary Guard accuses the kingdom of being behind ISIL attacks. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps has accused  Saudi Arabia  of being behind Wednesday's double attack in the capital Tehran that  left  at least 13 people dead. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ( ISIL , also known as ISIS) group claimed responsibility and released a video purporting to show gunmen inside the parliament building. The Iranian elite force vowed in a statement on Wednesday to seek revenge. "The fact that Islamic State has claimed responsibility proves that they were involved in the brutal attack," referring to Saudi Arabia. The statement also said that the "spilled blood of the innocent will not remain unavenged". Saudi Minister of  Foreign Affairs  Adel al-Jubeir, speaking in the German capital of Berlin, said he did not know who was responsible and there was no evidence Saudi nation

Foreign minister Javad Zarif rejects statement by US president that Iran fell victim 'to the evil they promote'. By Al Jazeera Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called US President Donald Trump's reaction to  deadly attacks in Tehran  "repugnant", as intelligence officials said that the five attackers were Iranians who had fought for  ISIL  in Syria and  Iraq . At least 16 people were killed on Wednesday in attacks claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group, as suicide bombers and gunmen targeted the Iranian parliament and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini - leader of the 1979 revolution - in the capital, Tehran. "Repugnant [White House] statement & Senate sanctions as Iranians counter terror backed by US clients. Iranian people reject such US claims of friendship," Zarif tweeted on Thursday. He was responding to a  statement released by Trump's press secretary's office

Comey flashed anger at Trump's characterization of him as unpopular among the rank and file of the FBI as well as the idea that the bureau was disorganized and chaotic. "Those were lies. Plain and simple," Comey said flatly. A former FBI director repeatedly calling the president a liar -- and acknowledging that his concerns about Trump's willingness to bend (or break) the truth led him to repeatedly document their interactions. Full Testimony President Trump Attorney Responds James Comey Testimony Senate Hearing Read James Comey’s Prepared Remarks for Testimony ;  The former F.B.I. director is scheduled to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday. Following are his prepared remarks to open the public hearing. COMEY: I LEAKED TOO ! FBI director drops bombshell that he 'got his version out' after he was fired in devastating testimony calling Trump a LIAR who he felt ordered him to CLEAR Flynn but NOT drop Russia probe

FILE IMAGE: Reuters During a meeting between Kurdish officials chaired by Massoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, the date of the independence referendum of the Iraqi Kurdistan was set on September 25. According to Kurdish officials, the referendum will be held in three Iraqi provinces that include parts of Kurdistan along with other “Kurdish areas” in Iraq, including Kirkuk city, the towns of Makhmour, Khanaqin and Sinjar. Hoshyar Zebari, a high-ranking official in Kurdistan, said that the vote “yes” does not necessarily mean independence. Zebari added that the aim of the referendum is to obtain a better deal to determine the fate of the Kurdish region after the elimination of ISIS in Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that the referendum at the moment is not in the interest of the Kurds nor Iraq. Abadi said last April: “The desire of our Kurdish brothers to establish their state is a right for them … and no one has the right to dissuade them from

A group of 60 fighters from Turkey-led Euphrates Shield forces defected and moved to areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Manbij and to the area controlled by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in the eastern Aleppo countryside. According to pro-government sources, one of the commanders of the Sultan Murad Division, Mohammed Kheir Shlash (Abu al-Khair) was among the defectors. It later emerged that Abu al-Khair was an agent of Syrian Air Force Intelligence and was one of the first commanders of the Sultan Murad Division supported by Turkey and the United States. Abu al-Khair established his headquarters in al-Midan and Suliman al-Halabi districts in eastern Aleppo, where he cooperated with the Tiger Forces during the “Dawn Of Victory” operation. He played a key role in the collapse of the militants’ defense lines in eastern Aleppo. After the withdrawal from Aleppo, Abu al-Khair moved to the controlled by Euphrates Shield forces and the Turkish Army and established a