Middle East

Iran’s top negotiator to Vienna talks on the revival of the landmark nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers says despite intense efforts made by all involved parties to reach a conclusion in the ongoing fifth round of talks, he is not sure that this will be the …

The United Nations says Israel’s demolition campaign against Palestinian homes and structures across the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds soared dramatically in April compared to the similar month last year, marking a 90 percent increase in the number of structures targeted across the occupied territories. Israeli authorities demolished, forced …

Greece has reacted furiously to remarks by Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu describing the Muslim minority community in northern Greece as Turkish who were denied full civic rights. “We want Greece to give the same rights as we provide to the Greek Orthodox Church and Greek minority to the Turks …

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman said that negotiations in Vienna have made good and significant progress, but key issues remain. Speaking in his weekly press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh answered questions on a wide range of topics. Good progress made in Vienna talks, but key issues remain Answering a question …

The administrator of the Snuny sub-district in the north of the Sinjar district, Khadida Jougi, said on Sunday that the trafficking of the Yazidi abductees from al-Hol camp in Syria to other destinations is still ongoing. Jougi said, “trafficking networks are still in the process of smuggling the Yazidis from …

Egypt will lift restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, including easing the early closure of shops and restaurants, from Tuesday, the cabinet said. Since May 6, stores, malls, and restaurants had to close by 9 p.m. after a rise in infections. Egypt imposed strict measures at the …

Media reports say opposition leader Yair Lapid close to establishing a coalition that would end Netanyahu’s 12-year reign as prime minister. Israel was gripped by the political drama on Sunday over the possible imminent end of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s record run as the country’s leader. After four inconclusive parliamentary …

According to a Yemeni Armed Force spokesman, the country’s military has carried out a drone attack against King Khalid Air Base which houses Saudi-led coalition troops. Yemeni Air Force again targeted King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait with two Qasef-2K drones, Brigadier General Yahya Saree said early on Sunday, …

More than 80 Saudi forces were killed and wounded and dozens more were captured in a successful Yemeni army operation in Jizan, southwestern Saudi Arabia. In an interview with Almasirah News Network on Sat., a Yemeni official disclosed details of a major Yemeni army ground operation in southwestern Saudi Arabia …

Following a successful operation, the Yemeni army and popular committees have taken control of dozens of positions in southern Saudi Arabia. Yemeni sources reported on Friday night that the Yemeni army and popular committees had taken control of dozens of positions in southwestern Saudi Arabia. According to the reports, the …

Iranian-flagged MT Horse vessel which has been seized in Indonesian waters since January 24, has been released. With the full support of senior officials and consular assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ship was released on Friday after successful completion of the proceedings after 125 days of seizure, …

A container ship broke down in the Suez Canal on Friday but was refloated and repaired with no impact on traffic in the waterway, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said. The 353-meter (1,158-foot) Maersk Emerald experienced sudden engine failure near Ismailia during its passage southwards through the canal but was …

Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian during clashes in the occupied West Bank on Friday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. A few hundred Palestinians had gathered near Nablus in the northern West Bank to protest Israeli settlements. Israeli soldiers opened fire, killing one man, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. …

Palestinians, legal experts, and activists note a worrying shift in the number of children being arrested as police announce ‘Operation Law and Order’. Thirteen-year-old Mohammed Saadi was kidnapped, blindfolded, beaten, and threatened with a gun to his head by five men in his hometown of Umm al-Fahem. It was May …

Saudi Arabia has acknowledged that it has constructed a military base on an island in the Bab al-Mandab strait to fight the Sana’a-based government. In a Thursday statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, an official said all equipment currently present on Yemen’s volcanic Mayyun Island is under the control …

President Tayyip Erdogan inaugurated an imposing new mosque in Istanbul on Friday, fulfilling a decades-old goal and stamping a religious identity on the landmark Taksim Square in the heart of Turkey’s largest city. The Taksim mosque and its 30-metre high dome loom symbolically over a monument to the foundation of …

President Bashar Assad has been reelected to a fourth term with over 95% of the votes cast, defeating two challengers – including a former senior official of a rebel coalition, Syrian authorities have announced. Turnout in Wednesday’s election was 78%, with Assad winning over 13 million votes, according to Hammouda …

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says her country will be careful in how it decides to lift sanctions from Iran if current talks in Austria on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, better known as JCPOA, bear fruit. Yellen made the remarks on Thursday while answering questions about Iran and …

The United Nations Human Rights Council agreed on Thursday to launch an international investigation into crimes committed during the 11-day conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza. By a vote of 24 states in favour, 9 against, with 14 abstentions, the 47-member forum adopted a resolution brought by the …

An Iranian official has rejected speculation that the results of the country’s upcoming presidential election could influence the negotiations in Vienna on a potential revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, saying it is in fact the United States’ actions, not the vote, that determine the course of the talks. “The …