Middle East

Iran nuclear talks: US says it is ready to make ‘difficult decisions’

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – A deal to restore the pact limiting Iran’s nuclear program is not imminent, but Washington is prepared to take “difficult decisions” to make it happen, State Department Spokesman Ned Price said Monday. Price told journalists he could not discuss the specifics of the final remaining issues in the 11 month-old negotiations over restoring the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which aims at preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear […]

British-Iranians reunited with family in UK after Tehran release

by Charles ONIANS Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Two British-Iranians imprisoned for years in Iran were reunited with their families in the early hours of Thursday, tears of joy and long hugs marking the culmination of years of campaigning and earlier false hopes. Their release on Wednesday came as the British government confirmed it had paid a longstanding debt over a cancelled defence contract, and as major powers inch closer to renewing the […]

US, Iran ‘close to deal’ on reviving nuclear pact: State Dept

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – The United States and Iran are near to reaching an agreement over reviving the 2015 deal on limiting Tehran’s nuclear program, the State Department said Wednesday. “We are close to a possible deal, but we’re not there yet,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price. “We do think the remaining issues can be bridged.” Speaking to reporters, Price declined to confirm Tehran’s claim that there were just two final issues […]

British PM to meet Saudi, UAE leaders as war roils oil prices

ABU DHABI, United Emirates (AFP) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was to lobby Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to pump more oil to calm turbulent markets as he meets the Gulf states’ leadership on Wednesday. Johnson arrived in Abu Dhabi for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and was due to fly to Riyadh later as the West seeks to end its dependency on Russian oil following the invasion of Ukraine. […]

Hamas faces risk, opportunity from warming Israel-Turkey ties

by Adel Zaanoun Agence France-Presse GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) – A diplomatic thaw between Israel and Turkey has created challenges for Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which counts on Ankara’s support, but could also offer it a more “trustworthy” middleman to deal with the Jewish state, experts say. With Turkey’s ties to Israel effectively broken for more than a decade, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has fostered a close relationship with Hamas, which took power in […]

Israel troops kill two Palestinians in West Bank clashes

NABLUS, Palestinian Territories (AFP) – Israeli troops killed two Palestinians in separate shootings in the occupied West Bank Tuesday, the latest in a flurry of deadly clashes as a US envoy tours the region seeking to ease tensions. A 16-year-old died in an exchange of fire with troops carrying out an arrest raid outside the northern city of Nablus, the Palestinian health ministry and Israeli security forces said. Separately, a Palestinian in his twenties was […]

Ballistic missiles fired at Iraq’s Arbil ‘from east’

A dozen ballistic missiles targeted Iraq’s northern city of Arbil, including US facilities, causing damage but no major casualties early on Sunday, security forces in the autonomous Kurdistan region said. Local authorities said the missiles came from beyond the eastern border, suggesting that the source of the fire was Iran — a country that wields considerable political and economic influence over its neighbour. “Twelve ballistic missiles” on Sunday targeted the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, Arbil, […]

UN Security Council to meet Friday on biological weapons at Moscow’s request

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – The UN Security Council will hold an urgent meeting Friday at the request of Russia over the alleged development of biological weapons in Ukraine. Russia on Thursday accused the United States of funding research into the development of biological weapons in Ukraine, which has faced an assault by tens of thousands of Russian troops since February 24. Both Washington and Kyiv have denied the existence of laboratories intended to […]

Joe Biden’s perilous oil diplomacy

by Francesco FONTEMAGGI Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – How far should Joe Biden go to limit soaring US gas prices? The US president has launched an oil diplomacy gambit to compensate for banning Russian petroleum, but he risks accusations of propping up authoritarian leaders and undermining his own battle for democracy. Amid the war unleashed by Russia in Ukraine, a recent American mission to energy-rich Caracas was intended to be discreet. And […]

Russia recruiting Syrians to fight in Ukraine, Pentagon says

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – Russia is recruiting Syrians and other foreign fighters as it ramps up its assault on Ukraine, the Pentagon said Monday. Moscow entered the Syrian civil war in 2015 on the side of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and the country has been mired in a conflict marked by urban combat for more than a decade. Now, US Department of Defense officials said, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was “on a recruiting […]

Israel PM meets Putin on Ukraine in ‘risky’ diplomatic gamble

by Ben Simon Israel’s premier stepped into the role of mediator Saturday as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine intensified, holding a three-hour meeting at the Kremlin with Vladimir Putin before calling Ukraine’s president and flying to Berlin. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s sit-down with Putin was the first by a foreign leader since the day Russian forces invaded Ukraine last week, and came after Kyiv had asked Israel to launch a dialogue with Moscow. Bennett has so […]

Ukraine’s Zelensky says held phone call with Biden

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he spoke by phone with his US counterpart Joe Biden on Sunday to discuss financial support and sanctions against Russia as his country faces an intensifying onslaught. “As part of the constant dialogue, I had another conversation with @POTUS,” Zelensky tweeted. “The agenda included the issues of security, financial support for Ukraine and the continuation of sanctions against Russia.” Hours earlier, the Ukrainian leader had addressed US lawmakers by […]