Tag Archives: Middle East

Iran sees no prospect of negotiations with the United States, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal with Tehran on its nuclear program was possible. Washington withdrew last year from a 2015 international nuclear deal with Tehran and is ratcheting …

The US State Department has ordered the departure of non-emergency government employees from Iraq, following Washington’s repeated expressions of concern about so-called threats. The State Department ordered the pullout of the employees from both the US Embassy in Baghdad and its consulate in Erbil, the embassy said in a statement …

Authorities in Oman have reportedly uncovered a network of spies working for the United Arab Emirates, as the two Arabic Gulf Arab states are involved in a Cold War-like conflict amid an ongoing Riyadh-led diplomatic and trade boycott against Doha. Lebanese Arabic-language daily newspaper al-Akhbar, citing informed sources who requested …

Iran will continue to export oil despite U.S. pressure aimed at reducing the country’s crude shipments to zero, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday. “America’s decision that Iran’s oil exports must reach zero is a wrong and mistaken decision, and we won’t let this decision be executed and operational,” …

The UAE has issued a birth certificate for a child born to a Muslim mother and a Hindu father, despite its laws against interfaith marriage. Under the country’s legislation, a Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim man. Kiran Babu and Sanam Saboo Siddique married in 2016 in south India, before …

Reports say at least 17 Syrian government forces have been killed in attacks by foreign-backed terrorists in northern Aleppo province. The attacks were launched shortly after midnight on Saturday by two al-Qaeda-linked terror groups, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Hurras al-Deen, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. Thirty …

Four attackers have been killed in an assault on a police station in Saudi Arabia’s central province of Riyadh. The London-based Arabic-language daily newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported that the assailants targeted state security forces in the town of Zulfi, located about 260 kilometers (160 miles) north of the capital Riyadh, …

Speaker of the House of Representatives Mohammad Halboussi stressed the need for continued efforts of the International Coalition and NATO mission to support the Iraqi government to continue its war against terrorism and eliminate it, and provide the necessary intelligence and technical support for Iraqi forces. During his meeting with …

Heathrow airport has announced increased passenger numbers for the 29th month in a row – but traffic to and from Asia dropped by 2 percent, and to the Middle East by 11 percent. More than 6.5 million passengers passed through the UK’s busiest airport in March, an average of 210,000 …

This week’s execution of a Nigerian woman in Saudi Arabia over drug-related charges has drawn criticism from international human rights groups and the Nigerian government. Kudirat Adesola Afolabi, a mother of two and a widow, was found guilty of smuggling drugs into Saudi Arabia and executed Monday, Nigeria’s Ministry of …

International human rights groups have censured Saudi Arabia over its decision to put on trial women’s rights activists detained in last year’s crackdown, after holding them for nearly a year without charge. The state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Friday that the ultra-conservative kingdom’s public prosecutor was preparing the …

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Pakistan has been postponed amid widespread protests against him as well as heightened tensions in the region. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said that a two-day visit by the crown prince to Islamabad that was scheduled for Saturday had been postponed. The ministry said …

Lebanese politicians on Thursday agreed to a new government which is set to include three Hizbullah ministers, eight months after the country’s election. Hizbollah is expected to receive three portfolios including the ministry of health. The ministry has the fourth-biggest budget in the state apparatus. Jamil Jabak, a doctor, was …