US Secretary of State

Iran Dismisses US Criticism of Missile Programme as 'Nonsense'

Iran on Wednesday dismissed as "nonsense" US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's criticism this week of the Islamic republic's missile program as an "unacceptable risk". "He was speaking nonsense," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told journalists, adding the United States was "not supposed to comment on the defensive capabilities of a ...

Israel Launches Ground Assault on Gaza City

Israel launched its long-anticipated ground assault on Gaza City at dawn Tuesday, a day after winning backing from its top ally, the United States, despite mounting international alarm. A United Nations probe charged Israel with committing "genocide" in the Palestinian territory and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior ...

U.S. and Qatar Close to Strengthening Defense Ties Following Israeli Strike

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington and Doha are close to finalizing an enhanced defense cooperation agreement, following last week’s Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar. Qatari officials confirmed that Emir Sheikh Tamim met with Rubio, with spokesman Majed Al Ansari stating the attack “sped up the need for a ...

Rubio Promises 'Unwavering Support' for Israel in Gaza Goals

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that Washington was steadfast in its support for its ally Israel's pursuit of the Gaza war and called for the eradication of Hamas. "The people of Gaza deserve a better future, but that better future cannot begin until Hamas is eliminated," Rubio told reporters at a joint press ...

Arab, Muslim Leaders Hold Emergency talks After Israel's Qatar Attack

Leaders from Arab and Muslim countries will gather for an emergency summit in Doha on Monday, a week after Israel's unprecedented strike on Hamas in Qatar prompted widespread anger. The President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, arrived at Hamad International Airport in Doha to lead the Lebanese delegation at the summit. Foreign ...

Rubio to Discuss Qatar Aftermath, Gaza with Netanyahu

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to examine the aftermath of an Israeli strike in Qatar opposed by Washington and its effects on efforts for a Gaza truce. Rubio scheduled the solidarity visit a week before a French-led summit at the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state, a ...

Trump Issues Rare Rebuke to Netanyahu Over Qatar Strikes

US President Donald Trump gave Benjamin Netanyahu a rare slap on the wrist Tuesday over Israel's strikes against Hamas in Qatar, as he insisted he played no role in the attack by one close US ally against another. Trump said he was not notified in advance of the Israeli attack on the Gulf state, a crucial broker in the negotiations between Israel ...

Trump Administration Moves to Phase Out UNIFIL

The future of U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon has become a point of tension between the United States and its European allies, raising implications for regional security. UNIFIL’s mandate, which expires at the end of August, requires renewal by the U.N. Security Council. According to an ABC News article published on August 17, Secretary of State ...

Iraq Divided Over Future of Pro-Iran Armed Alliance

A bill in Iraq that would further formalise the role -- and perhaps, the autonomy -- of a powerful coalition of pro-Iran former paramilitaries has sparked a heated debate, fanned in part by US pressure. Few details of the bill that could decide the future of the Hashed al-Shaabi alliance have been made public. Formed in 2014 when Iraqis were ...

Syria: Balancing State Authority and Plural Sensitivities

In the wake of the Soviet Union’s collapse in the early 1990s, French author and political analyst Alain Minc published a book with a strikingly evocative title that captured the spirit of the moment: The Revenge of Nations. He argued that decades of highly centralized communist rule had failed to erase the national sentiments of populations ...

US Asked France to Speak to Iran Before Israel Truce

France conveyed to Iran the terms of a US-proposed ceasefire with Israel at the request of Washington in the hours leading up to the truce, a French diplomatic source said Wednesday. On Monday night, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot to "inform him of the US wish for a ceasefire provided there ...