Americas

A new report has revealed that the wars initiated by the United States in the Middle East and North Africa following the September 11 attacks have directly or indirectly killed at least 4.5 million people and displaced millions of others worldwide.

The White House wants to make a diplomatic push for a Saudi-Israeli peace deal in the next six to seven months before the US presidential election campaign consumes President Joe Biden’s agenda, two US officials with knowledge of the issue told Axios.

US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel voiced Washington's concern over cooperation between Tehran and Moscow in a major railroad project, known as the Rasht-Astara railway.

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers have unveiled a bill intended to bar the American government from recognizing Bashar al-Assad as Syria's president and to enhance Washington's ability to impose sanctions, a warning to other countries normalizing relations with Damascus.

The Biden administration won't let authorities seize tankers carrying Iranian oil, according to a report. Several European and Asian countries imported oil from Iran in 2022 despite US sanctions that impose penalties on governments and entities involved in energy trade with Tehran.

The United States has criticized the Arab League move to restore relation with Syria, claiming that President Bashar Assad does not deserve normalization.

The US national security adviser Jake Sullivan has met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh and reviewed what the White House called “significant progress” in Yemen peace efforts, the White House has announced.

A US congresswoman has renewed a push to ensure that Washington’s aid to Israel does not contribute to abuses of Palestinians, particularly children. It comes as progressive legislators continue to call for conditions to be placed on the assistance.

The United States will recognize Israel’s right for "freedom of action" if Iran tries to obtain nuclear weapons, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has stated. Tehran denies claims that it is seeking a nuclear weapon.

US President Joe Biden is dispatching one of his top advisers to Saudi Arabia to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of the kingdom, later this week.

Washington is extensively engaged on the case of an American journalist who disappeared a decade ago in Damascus, including with Syria and other countries, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.

The United States has expressed concern over Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Syria. State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel said on Wednesday that the deepening ties between Tehran and Damascus should be a source of worry for the international community.

President Joe Biden’s global agenda faces significant challenges as major developing nations seek to evade the intensifying standoff between the United States, Russia and China and, in some cases, exploit that rivalry for their own gain, classified American intelligence assessments show.

The US has confiscated Iranian oil on a tanker at sea in recent days, three sources have confirned. It comes days later Iran seized an oil-laden tanker in retaliation, according to a maritime security firm.

The United States has imposed sanctions on Russia's domestic security service FSB and the intelligence unit of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), accusing them of "being responsible or complicit in the wrongful detention of Americans overseas".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says dozens of Russian nationals are serving prisoner sentences in the US. Lavrov avoided directly answering a question about a possible prisoner swap for Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich.

Risks of a direct military confrontation between two nuclear powers - Russia and the US - are growing constantly, Russian Foreign Ministry Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department Director Vladimir Yermakov has warned.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Moscow “will not forgive” Washington for denying US visas to Russian journalists who were supposed to accompany him on a visit to United Nations headquarters in New York.

The watchdog for US assistance to Afghanistan has warned lawmakers that American aid to the country could be flowed to the Taliban as he accused the administration of President Joe Biden of stonewalling his efforts to investigate.

The United States has imposed fresh sanctions on an Iranian individual as well as several companies over their alleged links to Tehran’s drone and defense programs.

The United Nations has officially expressed concern to the US about reports of Washington's spying on the world body's Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Washington's Ambassador to Moscow, Lynne Tracy, on Monday visited arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, the US embassy wrote on Twitter.

The United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that economic sanctions imposed on other countries like Iran and Russia threaten the dominance of the dollar in the global economic market.

A group of bipartisan US lawmakers have urged the European Union to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.

A group of US lawmakers have urged President Joe Biden to undertake a foundational “shift” in its dealings with Israel and ensure that American taxpayers’ money will not be allocated to Israeli settlements.