Crossword Puzzle

CLUES

Across

1. Iranian ally

5. Iran deal acronym

9. U.N. Messenger of Peace appointee in 1998

10. Democratic congresswoman opposing the Jamaat -e-Islami in Bangladesh, Tulsi

11. Brutal dictator in Iraq, eventually defeated and deposed

12. They are often about peace in the Middle East

14. Frees from

16. "It's cold!" expression

19. Qur'anic concept meaning judgement or rule

21. Ancient Egyptian boy king

22. El ___

25. Nation that supported the nascent Jewish state in 1947-8

27. Huge metropolis, targeted by terrorists in 2008

29. Term usually used interchangeably with Israelites

31. Commodity at the center of much Middle East conflict

33. President of the European Parliament, Antonio

35. Forces who are tasked with combating terrorists

36. Seldom-seen thing

37. Makes a smooth transition

Down

1. "The ___ are going out" - pivotal Winston Churchill speech prior to World War II

2. Tower described in Genesis

3. Comes closer

4. Lowest point

5. Islamic holy war

6. What historians attempt to explain

7. The kings of Qatar and Kuwait, for example (alternate spelling)

8. Finance

13. Hawaiian wood

15. Popular

17. It can mean hello or goodbye

18. European city subject to a terrorist attack in late 2018

20. Complexion, in politics

21. Lacking necessary force and effectiveness

23. Weapon used by the Saracens

24. There's a strategic one between the Kirkuk fields and the Persian Gulf

26. Account to cover health costs, in the US

28. British PM who acted to stop the genocide of the Kurds by Saddam Hussein

30. Articulates

32. Exists

34. Medium for cyberattacks, the ___