Middle East

Amir Abdollahian: Iran will not hesitate to defend its territory, security

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has said Iran will resolutely defend its territorial integrity and national security.

Raisi: lifting sanctions top priority for government

Iranian president Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi said the lifting and neutralizing of the anti-Tehran sanctions is a top priority for his administration.

Syria: Family of six seriously wounded in US strike

A Syrian man and his family members were among the civilians injured in the recent US drone attack in Idlib province. Doctors say the 10-year-old son of the six-member family may never fully recover from the wounds caused by the air raid.

Yemen: Saudi peace plan ‘immature’, includes ‘unrealistic’ demands

A high-ranking member of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council has dismissed as “immature” Saudi Arabia’s so-called peace initiative for the conflict-stricken Arab country. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi has stated that the demands put forward by Riyadh in the plan are “unrealistic”.

Explosions heard inside US military base in Syria

Multiple blasts could be heard inside the US military base in the At-Tanf area, located in Homs Province, near the Iraqi border, Syrian state TV reported on Sunday.

Kuwait prohibits entry of vessels carrying goods destined to, originated from Israel

Kuwait has banned the entry of commercial vessels carrying goods to and from the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, days after the Persian Gulf kingdom reiterated its support for Palestine and condemned a controversial visit by the Israeli president to the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil.

Israeli police kill young Palestinian in Jerusalem

A Palestinian young man was killed on Saturday evening when Israeli police officers opened fire on him at point blank range in the vicinity of the Damascus Gate plaza in occupied Jerusalem.

Report: US military base in Syria hit by rocket attack

A facility housing US troops in eastern Syria came under attack late Saturday when rockets were fired from nearby areas, state media, and a spokesman for US-backed militants said.

Explosive device defused ahead of Turkish president rally

An explosive device was found on Saturday under the private car of a police officer assigned to provide security to the Turkish president's rally in southeastern Turkey.

Iran’s top negotiator: I’m optimistic about future of talks

Iran’s top negotiator and Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri has told Al-Jazeera news channel Tehran insists that all sanctions placed on the country in violation of the nuclear deal, JCPOA, and as part of the US’s “maximum pressure campaign” must be removed immediately.

Pentagon: US strike may have killed Syrian civilians

The US military said it would open an investigation into the possibility a recent drone strike caused civilian casualties, with Pentagon officials claiming the attack had been intended to target a “senior al-Qaeda leader”.

Yemen says France complicit in war crimes

A senior Yemeni official has lambasted Paris over quote its collaboration with Saudi Arabia in the devastating war on Yemen. The comments are made as French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Persian Gulf Arab countries signing lucrative arms deals.

Saudi bombing of Yemen leaves 16 civilians dead

At least 16 people, including children, were killed in Saudi-led air raids in Yemen’s southwestern province of Ta'iz. Saudi Arabia keeps bombing the southern impoverished neighbor in defiance of international calls to end its bloody war.

Report: US officials’ phones hacked with Israeli spyware

The iPhones of at least nine US state department officials were recently hacked by a government using NSO Group spyware, according to a new report that raised serious questions about the use of Israeli surveillance tools against US government officials around the world.

Iran: Proposed drafts based on principles approved by all parties

Iran's lead negotiator to Vienna talks says the Islamic Republic’s proposed drafts on the removal of sanctions and Tehran’s nuclear activities are based on the principles approved by all parties.

UAE signs deal for 80 French Rafale fighter jets

The United Arab Emirates has agreed to buy 80 French-made Rafale jets, the biggest international order ever made for the warplanes, officials stated on Friday during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to the Persian Gulf Arab state.

7 Peshmerga, 3 civilians killed in Daesh attack in northern Iraq

Seven Peshmerga soldiers of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and three civilians were killed early Friday in an attack by Daesh terrorists in northern Iraq, according to security sources.

Vienna talks end; Negotiations to resume next week

Ali Bagheri, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister and chief nuclear negotiator, has said this round of talks aimed at removing the anti-Iran sanctions has ended in Vienna. Bagheri said the Iranian and the 4+1 group’s delegations on Friday held a session of the Joint Commission of the nuclear deal, JCPOA, in the Austrian capital.

Lebanon’s information minister quits to ease Saudi dispute

Lebanon's information minister resigned on Friday saying he was putting the nation before his personal interest as he sought to end a diplomatic spat with Saudi Arabia sparked by his comments.

NGOs to UN: Yemenis need ‘justice’ for war crimes and abuses

More than 60 international non-governmental groups on Thursday urged the United Nations to ensure war crimes and human rights abuses in Yemen's conflict are documented and investigated to ensure accountability.

Lebanon launches cash card aid despite funding shortfall

Following months of delays, and with only some of the funding secured, Lebanon on Wednesday opened registration for two cash assistance programmes to help 700,000 vulnerable families cope with the withdrawal of crucial subsidies.

Turkey’s finance minister resigns amid plunge in lira

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan appointed Nureddin Nebati as minister of treasury and finance on Thursday after the resignation of Lutfi Elvan, the last top official seen adhering to orthodox policy in a government gripped by a currency meltdown.

Deal close at hand in Vienna talks if West shows goodwill: Iran FM

Iran’s foreign minister has expressed hope the negotiating teams in the Austrian capital, Vienna, will arrive at an agreement over lifting of Iran’s sanctions if the Western parties to the talks act in good faith.

UN agency for Palestinian refugees faces funding crisis

The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees stated it was unable to pay its 28,000 employees on time this month because of a major funding crisis, warning of potential cuts in vital services to millions of people amid a global pandemic.

‘Saudis used incentives and threats to shut down UN Yemen investigation’

Saudi Arabia used “incentives and threats” as part of a lobbying campaign to shut down a United Nation (UN) investigation of human right violations committed by all sides in the Yemen conflict, sources with close knowledge of the matter disclosed.

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