Iran

The Kurdish people in the Middle East have become viewed as an “enemy” by Turkey, as Erdogan’s regime have vowed to wipe out the minority group who are largely seen as allies by the rest of the Western world.  The Kurds are one of the largest and most diverse nomadic tribes in the Middle East, originally from Iran, who now live without a state of their own. RT.com reports: All four Middle-Eastern countries hosting large Kurdish population have a history of violence connected with Kurdish nationalism, but the extent varies greatly.

Wikileaks have released an email from US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton detailing ways Israel could marginalize Iran by overthrowing Assad in Syria.  In the email, dated 11/30/2015, Hillary Clinton outlines to an undisclosed recipient how to deal with the “growing threat” of Iran’s nuclear program: “The best way to help Israel deal with Iran’s growing nuclear capability is to help the people of Syria overthrow the regime of Bashar Assad.” Full email transcript: UNCLASSIFIED U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2014-20439 Doc No.

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari has announced that Iran is going to send a fleet of warships to the Atlantic Ocean in the coming weeks.  Sayyari said that after the Iranian new year (March 20) the Iranian Navy plan to have a presence in the Atlantic Ocean. Farsnews.com reports: He made the remarks on the sidelines of a ceremony to open an exhibition of Navy achievements in the Southern city of Khorramshahr city on Thursday. Sayyari told the Islamic republic news agency that presence in free seas indicates the Iranian Navy’s capabilities in establishment of security.

One of the most farcical instances of report-it-then-promptly-deny-it headline hockey since last summer’s Greek bailout drama has been the incessant barrage of “news” surrounding the oft-celebrated oil output freeze deal struck last month by the Saudis, Qatar, Venezuela, and Russia.

Today Janet Yellen and the FOMC will go back to square one and try to reset global expectations unleashed by the ill-fated December rate "policy mistake" hike, when at 2pm the Fed will announce assessment of the economy (even if not rate hike is expected today) followed by Yellen press conference half an hour later.