Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday offered to help fighters from the Middle East, “who want to support” the rebel regions of Donbas to come to Ukraine. Putin explained his decision at a meeting of the Russian Security Council in Moscow. He added, Ukraine’s Western sponsors and its government “do not hide hiring mercenaries, they [&hel...
A dozen ballistic missiles targeted Iraq’s northern city of Arbil, including the U.S. consulate on Sunday. The attack caused damage but no major casualties, Kurdish security forces said. Kurdish authorities said the missiles came from beyond the eastern border, suggesting the source was Iran. Iran wields considerable political and economic inf...
TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Iran strongly condemned Saudi Arabia’s mass execution of convicted criminals over the weekend, saying the move violates “basic principles of human rights and international law.” Saudi Arabia announced the execution of 81 people — the largest mass execution in the country’s history — accusing th...
PARIS (AA) – France has warned Iran that its “irresponsible and dangerous” attack in Iraq can hurt the prospects of returning to the nuclear deal. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said the attack, claimed by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), “threatens the stability of Iraq and the region.” Earlier, Iran’s Islamic...
TEHRAN (AA) – Iran on Sunday claimed an overnight attack on what it said were Israeli facilities in Erbil in northern Iraq with precision-guided missiles. In a statement on Sunday, the public relations wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for Saturday’s strike in the Kurdish Regional Governmen...
RABAT, Morocco – Israel has appointed Dorit Avidani to the position of Consul and Head of Administration at the Israeli Liaison Office in Morocco. The news came after the deputy head of the Israeli mission in Rabat, Eyal David, congratulated Avidani for the post. David hailed Avidani’s 30 years of experience in the Israeli Ministry […]...
RIYADH (AA) – Saudi Arabia on Saturday executed 81 people convicted and sentenced on different charges, including terrorism and espionage. In a statement, the Saudi Interior Ministry said the convicts, most of them Saudi nationals, included those who held “deviant beliefs,” those who targeted places of worship and government buildings, a...
GENEVA (AA) – A new round of talks involving the Constitutional Committee seeking an end to the war in Syria will resume in Geneva from March 21. The office of the special UN envoy on Syria said on Friday that the seventh round of the Constitutional Committee Small Body will be held behind closed doors […]
BRUSSELS (AA) – EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Friday that the Iran nuclear deal talks need to be suspended due to “external factors”. “A pause in Vienna talks is needed, due to external factors,” Borrell wrote on Twitter. He, however, said the “final text is essentially ready and on the table.” As […]
BAGHDAD (AA) – Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr held talks with top Iraqi officials on ways to form a government and end a crippling political crisis in the country. He held phone calls with Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, Nouri al-Maliki, leader of the State of Law Coalition,...
