Journalist @dnevnik based in Bulgaria, covering Balkans/MENA/Eastern Europe/etc. Older account @angel_a_petrov was hacked. Languages, sci-fi, African blues.
Bulgaria
Joined March 2026
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Attention! Someone has taken over my previous X/Twitter account. DO NOT click links in messages from @angel_a_petrov. I may delete the old one even if I manage to get it back, we'll see (I go in touch with X).
As Trump would put it, thank you for your attention to this matter!
Angel Petrov retweeted
𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 PM Netanyahu, inciter-in-chief, revives the poison of 1995: a government backed by elected Arab members of the Knesset is illegitimate. Then the target was #YitzhakRabin. Now #Eisenkot. Rabin was murdered. Netanyahu knows where this can lead. He’s doing it anyway
Angel Petrov retweeted
Here are #my 6️⃣ #takes on the 2026 #enlargement package:
1️⃣ The big news is 🇲🇪: the promise the new Commission made in early 2025, and the goal Podgorica set back in 2024, to be ready in all 33 chapters by the end of this year, is now met or all but met.
The lesson is simple: when a candidate government sets a goal, when the Commission backs it with resources, and when no member state capitals push back, reforms are possible. We saw the same dynamic with 🇭🇷, and before that with a dozen other countries. We could see it with the remaining candidates too.
2️⃣ The roadmap is no guarantee of 🇲🇪's full membership: the Commission cannot give that. It does not depend on Podgorica alone, but on the 27 and the conditions inside them. Brussels can offer proposals and tools to make the decision easier, from safeguard mechanisms to longer transition periods, but the decision itself stays with the member states.
3️⃣ The good news is 🇲🇩 and 🇦🇱: 🇲🇩 has tripled its preparedness level since 2022 and now sits well ahead of 🇧🇦, with which it then shared the unenviable position of least prepared candidate.
🇦🇱 is for the first time the second most prepared country, behind 🇲🇪 and ahead of 🇷🇸 and 🇲🇰, a sign of Tirana's commitment and of the Commission's support.
4️⃣ The surprise is 🇺🇦: despite a very difficult context, it has made some progress.
5️⃣ 🇧🇦 stands still, 🇷🇸 at a crossroads: 🇧🇦 remains the least prepared candidate. 🇷🇸, now behind 🇦🇱, has a chance to shed its image as the region's most difficult candidate. In both, it is for the new governments to decide whether and how far to re-engage, but how far that takes them will depend on the 🇪🇺.
6️⃣ The Brussels risky calculation: despite calls by member states for gradual integration, the Commission only went as far as to introduce some order to its unchanged, modest, and politically, economically and legally weak offer. The bet is that good news for 🇲🇪 will motivate the rest, including 🇷🇸 and 🇧🇦. For that to happen, everyone has to believe the 🇪🇺 is serious: that the process with 🇲🇪 can be completed, despite the open question with 🇭🇷 and the chance that elections in some member states result with enlargement-hostile governments and parliaments; and that the 🇪🇺 will then let other candidates move forward, first 🇦🇱 and 🇲🇩, but also 🇺🇦. For now that belief does not exist, neither among the candidates nor in key 🇪🇺 capitals.
Angel Petrov retweeted
The Russian Embassy in Tehran confirms that President Putin received Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei at the Kremlin on November 5.
- The Embassy also confirms that Rezaei delivered a personal message from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to Putin.
- The contents of Khamenei’s message have not been disclosed.
#Iran
Angel Petrov retweeted
NEW — Syria is aiding Riyadh with military advice and training as Saudi Arabia comes under attack by Yemen's Houthis, and has sent a limited number of military personnel to the kingdom, two Syrian military sources and a senior US official said.
- A senior Saudi official told Reuters that ongoing expertise sharing with Syria was "mainly to restructure the Syrian forces ... but that doesn't mean also our Syrian partners don't help us in their combat experience regarding fighting militias".
- Joint training exercises were under way and more were planned in both security and defence, the Saudi official added in response to a request for comment.
- A senior Syrian diplomat said "any suggestion of military deployments at this stage is premature", and that Syria's focus remained on internal security, protecting its borders and reconstruction.
- The diplomat said a Syrian-Saudi defense cooperation deal signed on Wednesday "specifically includes advisory support, training and exchange of expertise".
Read my latest: reuters.com/world/middle-eas…
Angel Petrov retweeted
The sharpest line in this week's European Commission report on 🇧🇦 did not come from the report. It came from enlargement commissioner Marta #Kos in the European Parliament, asked what comes next for the country.
Her answer: no 🇪🇺 methodology or financial instrument has worked in 🇧🇦, and the Commission now has to sit down and rethink its approach.
That is worth dwelling on. At the highest political level, Brussels is admitting that its approach to 🇧🇦 has failed. And part of that responsibility lies with the 🇪🇺 itself, not necessarily with the European Commission.
My two cents: the decision to open 🇪🇺 accession talks with 🇧🇦 in March 2024 came with no follow-up that would include heavy lifting from Brussels and the key 🇪🇺 capitals. Instead, the 🇪🇺 became a spectator of developments driven by local actors who sought and found support in Putin's 🇷🇺, Vučić's 🇷🇸, Orbán's 🇭🇺 and eventually Netanyahu's 🇮🇱 and Trump's 🇺🇸. Actors who saw Brussels and the 🇪🇺 at best as a competitor, at worst an adversary. Things played out on their own.
In parallel, majorities in 🇧🇦, in which those same local actors held decisive votes, were expected to commit to the Growth Plan process and to agree on the conditions needed to open accession talks.
The surprise for me, looking back, is not that this approach failed. The surprise is how much still worked, including agreement on the detailed Reform Agenda for the Growth Plan and on the steps needed to join SEPA.
For @klixba, on the Commission's 🇧🇦 report, the lessons to be learnt, and the road forward for those still hoping for 🇧🇦's rapprochement with the 🇪🇺.
🔗 klix.ba/vijesti/bih/adi-ceri…
Angel Petrov retweeted
Court blocks Trump’s triumphal arch as tables turn after midterm rout eualive.net/court-blocks-tru… A federal judge halted construction of his proposed 250-foot monument near Arlington National Cemetery
Angel Petrov retweeted
Btw you know who really didn’t like AIPAC and thought it hates Israeli interests?
Yitzhak Rabin
Angel Petrov retweeted
Liberman put out a statement confirming that he’s going to compromise to allow for a coalition with the Haredi parties and allow their exemption from mandatory conscription to continue
Someone was always going to have to break a promise (or two, or three) in order for there to be a coalition, but an Eisenkot-led government that relies on the Haredi parties will mean the parties will constantly be stepping on landmines as far as its voters are concerned: Not only the draft, but on many other religion and state issues. Plus, United Torah Judaism always demands leadership of the Knesset Finance Committee, which would mean continuing welfare to Haredim, funds to schools that don't teach math, science or English, etc.
Angel Petrov retweeted
It’s surreal how Qeshm island is simultaneously full of domestic hipster tourists getting high and raving while the IRGC keeps shooting down US drones over their heads. The duality of Iran is a beautiful thing.
Angel Petrov retweeted
Trump: "Now we will make a decision [on Iran]. Do we want to go further…and certify it...so that it will never happen again. I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You will know soon enough"
Angel Petrov retweeted
An ex-CIA officer with experience "leading intelligence operations across Europe" who has "advised senior CIA leadership" is on the supervisory board of the Vista Rica investment fund, a fund with extensive ownership and investor ties to Aleksandar Vučić and the inner circle of his Serbian Progressive Party
vistarica.rs/en/about-us/
Angel Petrov retweeted
NEW: There's plenty of glee in Tehran, but also great caution.
Senior Iranian political source tells @amwajmedia that Trump “is a wounded wild animal right now.” Noting readiness for renewed war, he added, “Our guard is not down.”
"Middle East leaders will have to learn to manage two Washingtons: one led by a president who wants to shape the Middle East in his own image, and another where a political force is gaining strength and wants to limit his room to maneuver."
Analysis • Strike or deal? What the midterms mean for Iran and Trump's next move | Zvi Bar'el haaretz.com/middle-east-news…
"A third senior official described the dilemma in Washington: "Right now, the equation for Republicans is simple: They lost because of the war, and the war happened because of Bibi. The question is how that will affect Trump. It's hard to know. He's angry and frustrated, and he changes his position every two hours. Nobody understands what he'll ultimately do.""
#Israel #Iran – at Bulgaria
‘Impossible to predict Trump’: IDF prepares for renewed war with Iran
Israeli officials say Trump's next move after the Republican midterm defeat is impossible to predict, even as the IDF prepares for renewed fighting with Iran; Va...
ynetnews.com/article/bkvwybq…
""The results of the consultations appear clear," Herzog said, but added that his legal responsibility is to determine who is actually capable of forming a government. He said that question remains uncertain..." – at Bulgaria
Eisenkot secures 67 endorsements after his Yashar party backs him for PM haaretz.com/israel-news/elec…
Angel Petrov retweeted
U.A.E. Sent ‘Desert Wolves’ to Help Sudanese Militia Accused of Genocide.
‘Lana Nusseibeh has led the effort to deny her country’s role in Sudan. Now it’s complicating her bid to become secretary general of the United Nations.’
By @declanwalsh
nytimes.com/2026/11/05/world…
Angel Petrov retweeted
Having admitted the Iran war cost him the elections, President @realDonaldTrump may now be more, not less, likely to restart it, with the usual Israeli encouragement, to deflect attention from the fiasco.
Sounds even more plausible after JD Vance said Republicans lost "because of the war"
#Iran – at Bulgaria
The Midterms May Signal the End of the War with Iran, Even if Another Round of Escalation Comes First
The midterm elections may ultimately be remembered as the turning point that brought the war with Iran to an end. That does not mean another round of escalation is off the table. Trump may still decide to launch a major strike to demonstrate strength, pressure Tehran into concessions, and claim victory before ending the campaign.
But the political reality in Washington has changed. The connection between the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, rising global oil prices, and higher gasoline prices for American consumers is difficult to ignore. What began as a military confrontation thousands of miles from American shores has become a domestic economic and political problem. Americans are paying more at the pump, and the administration is paying a political price.
This is precisely what Tehran hoped to achieve. By disrupting energy flows through Hormuz, Iran sought to demonstrate that Washington cannot wage war in the Persian Gulf without consequences for the American economy and, ultimately, the president's political standing. The midterm results suggest that this strategy has had an impact.
Trump now faces another problem. He certainly does not want to be remembered as the president whose war with Iran contributed to a major Republican electoral defeat. With Democrats gaining power in Congress and growing concerns within his own party, the political space for continuing an open-ended confrontation is narrowing. At some point, the cost of sustaining the conflict may become greater than the political benefits of continuing it.
Of course, this is Trump, and predicting his next move is never straightforward. He may respond to political pressure by escalating rather than compromising, particularly if he believes another powerful strike could allow him to declare victory on his own terms.
Nevertheless,it seems that the elections mark the beginning of the end of the current campaign against Iran, even if another military confrontation takes place before it concludes.
The longer-term implications may be even more significant. The war has exposed the vulnerability of American presidents to disruptions in Gulf energy supplies. Future administrations will have to consider how quickly a military confrontation in the Middle East can translate into higher gasoline prices, domestic political pressure, and electoral consequences.
This experience could fundamentally change Washington's calculations regarding military intervention in the region. And Tehran, having witnessed the political impact of its ability to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz, is unlikely to forget the lesson either.
#Iran
#iran
Angel Petrov retweeted
The Midterms May Signal the End of the War with Iran, Even if Another Round of Escalation Comes First
The midterm elections may ultimately be remembered as the turning point that brought the war with Iran to an end. That does not mean another round of escalation is off the table. Trump may still decide to launch a major strike to demonstrate strength, pressure Tehran into concessions, and claim victory before ending the campaign.
But the political reality in Washington has changed. The connection between the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, rising global oil prices, and higher gasoline prices for American consumers is difficult to ignore. What began as a military confrontation thousands of miles from American shores has become a domestic economic and political problem. Americans are paying more at the pump, and the administration is paying a political price.
This is precisely what Tehran hoped to achieve. By disrupting energy flows through Hormuz, Iran sought to demonstrate that Washington cannot wage war in the Persian Gulf without consequences for the American economy and, ultimately, the president's political standing. The midterm results suggest that this strategy has had an impact.
Trump now faces another problem. He certainly does not want to be remembered as the president whose war with Iran contributed to a major Republican electoral defeat. With Democrats gaining power in Congress and growing concerns within his own party, the political space for continuing an open-ended confrontation is narrowing. At some point, the cost of sustaining the conflict may become greater than the political benefits of continuing it.
Of course, this is Trump, and predicting his next move is never straightforward. He may respond to political pressure by escalating rather than compromising, particularly if he believes another powerful strike could allow him to declare victory on his own terms.
Nevertheless,it seems that the elections mark the beginning of the end of the current campaign against Iran, even if another military confrontation takes place before it concludes.
The longer-term implications may be even more significant. The war has exposed the vulnerability of American presidents to disruptions in Gulf energy supplies. Future administrations will have to consider how quickly a military confrontation in the Middle East can translate into higher gasoline prices, domestic political pressure, and electoral consequences.
This experience could fundamentally change Washington's calculations regarding military intervention in the region. And Tehran, having witnessed the political impact of its ability to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz, is unlikely to forget the lesson either.
#Iran
#iran
Republicans are losing this election because of Trump-Netanyahu’s war on #Iran.
Tehran’s strategy has been to make American consumers feel the economic fallout and turn this into an electoral liability for Republicans.
Democrats may not win a veto-proof majority in Congress to force an end to the war, but Tehran isn’t counting on them.
Iran’s long-term goal is to send a warning to future U.S. presidents: attacking Iran carries a heavy domestic political cost.