Iraq’s Interim Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi said on Monday that the presence of US forces was decided by the Iraqi government and their withdrawal will be decided by the same body. The Prime Minister’s press office said in a statement on Facebook that Abdul Mahdi said in a meeting …
Read More »Iraqi Votes to Oust US Military; Trump Threatens Sanctions
Global tensions are mounting following the United States’ assassination of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike at the Baghdad International Airport Friday morning. Up to a million mourners poured into the streets of Iran and Iraq for the funeral procession of the longtime leader of the Islamic Revolutionary …
Read More »Crude oil prices top $70 per barrel as Middle East tensions escalate
Crude oil futures topped $70 per barrel in early trading Monday amid rising tensions in Iraq and Iran following the killing of a top Iranian military commander in Baghdad. Benchmark Brent crude futures reached $70.72 early in Monday’s session, up 1.28 percent, before falling back below the $70 mark to …
Read More »British PM, Iraqi PM agree on need to de-escalate regional tensions: UK statement
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed with Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on the need to de-escalate tensions in the region when they spoke by phone on Monday, according to a UK statement. Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Iraq on …
Read More »Iraq: US troop’s expel mechanism kicks off
A spokesman for the Iraqi Armed Forces announced on Sunday that an operational mechanism to expel US troops from Iraq’s territory kicked off. Iraqi media quoted Abdul Kareem Khalaf as saying the necessary mechanism had begun for driving out all foreign forces, including US troops from Iraq’s territory. Some media …
Read More »‘Big loss’ if Iran’s nuclear deal scrapped & regarding Iraq, US threats are ‘not helpful’ – German FM
The nuclear deal signed between major world powers and Iran after years of tough talks could be on the brink of collapse after Tehran announced it will throw out all constraints on uranium enrichment, the German FM warned. The first week of the year saw more bad news coming in, …
Read More »Trump doubles down on rhetoric to strike Iran cultural sites
US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his threat to strike Iranian cultural heritage sites, asserting to a group of reporters that the United States has the right to bomb such targets. Talking to reporters on Sunday in the White House, Trump dismissed criticism from human rights organizations pointing …
Read More »Rouhani to Salih: Blood of commanders will strengthen Iran-Iraq bonds
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has made it clear in a phone call with his Iraqi counterpart, Barham Salih, that the two neighbors will remain close allies even as they mourn high-profile commanders recently assassinated by the United States. On Friday, the US military, under a direct order from President Donald …
Read More »Katyusha Rockets lands close to US Embassy in Baghdad, no known casualties – reports
An explosion has rocked Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, where the US Embassy is located. Some reports indicate that a rocket was fired, targeting the area. An unguided (‘Katyusha’) rocket landed inside the Green Zone, Reuters said, citing police sources. There have been no reported casualties so far. Some accounts …
Read More »VIDEO: US strike that killed General Soleimani in Baghdad.
A security camera video, purporting to show the US airstrike that killed Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani and several leaders of the Iraqi PMF outside the Baghdad airport, has surfaced online. The 11-second clip, first posted by the Iraqi TV station Ahad, shows an explosion ripping through the parking lot …
Read More »35 ‘vital US & Israeli targets’ within Iran’s reach for potential revenge for General Soleimani’s death – IRGC
Iran reserves the right to avenge the US’ killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, with dozens of potential targets already on the list, a senior commander within the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says. “Vital American targets in the region have been identified by Iran a long time ago,” …
Read More »NATO suspends training activities in Iraq
NATO has suspended a training mission in Iraq following the killing of the deputy head of Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi (PMF), Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and the IRGC Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, and others by a U.S. airstrike at Baghdad airport, an alliance spokesman said on Saturday. “The safety of our …
Read More »Iraq Restricts US Military Operations – Military Spokesman
Baghdad has limited the actions of the US military in Iraq, military spokesman Abdel Karim Khalaf said on Saturday, following a drone attack that claimed the lives of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of an Iraqi PMF. “After the recent events that have taken place, …
Read More »Salih to Macron: Iraq is keen on peace-building in the region
Iraqi President Barham Salih affirmed, in a telephone conversation with his French counterpart, that Iraq is keen on peace-building in the region. The President received a phone call from his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron where they exchanged views on the rapid developments in the country and the region, according to …
Read More »Bodies of Martyr Soleimani, others killed in US airstrike arrive in Karbala.
The bodies of deputy head of Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and the IRGC Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, and others killed in a US airstrike arrived in the holy city of Karbala on Saturday afternoon. According to the media reports, the bodies are planned to be transported to …
Read More »Pictures: Huge crowds of Iraqi mourners join PMF martyrs funeral procession
Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis chanting “Death to America” have joined the funeral procession for Iraqi anti-terror forces chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. The US assassination of the two commanders at Baghdad airport in the early hours of Friday has triggered a wave of …
Read More »France, Germany, China Foreign Ministers stress protecting the sovereignty of Iraq
Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, and China stressed on Saturday the importance of protecting the sovereignty and stability of Iraq. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian discussed the situations in the Middle East with his German counterparts Haikou Maas and Chinese Wang Yi. Le Drian stated that Paris and Beijing …
Read More »Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani condemns US assassination of ‘heroes of anti-Daesh fight’
Iraq’s top Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has strongly condemned the US assassination of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and his comrades, calling them the “heroes of the fight against Daesh” terrorist group. In a message delivered by his representative during a sermon in the holy city of Karbala on …
Read More »Replacement named for Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei appointed Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani as the successor of Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani as the Commander of the IRGC Quds Forces., to replace him as head of the country’s Quds Forces. The new commander used to act as the chief deputy for Lieutenant …
Read More »Who was General Qassem Soleimani?
Major General Qassem Soleimani, whose assassination by the US was confirmed earlier on Friday, had played a major role in defending Iran against its enemies and assisting regional countries to fight foreign occupation and terrorism. Soleimani, born in 1957, started his military career by joining the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps …
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