USA

Iraq PM Vows Monopoly on Arms as Parliament Approves Government

Iraqi lawmakers approved a new government on Thursday led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who vowed to ensure a state monopoly on weapons amid growing US pressure to dismantle Tehran-backed groups. Iraq has long walked a tightrope between the competing influences of its allies, neighboring Iran and the United States. Iraq's parliament voted ...

Iran Says Has 'Right to Respond' After Kuwait Arrests Four Citizens

Iran's foreign minister said Wednesday that Tehran had the right to respond after he accused Kuwait of attacking an Iranian boat and arresting four of its citizens in the Gulf, calling for their release. "In a clear attempt to sow discord, Kuwait has unlawfully attacked an Iranian boat and detained 4 of our citizens in the Persian Gulf. This ...

UAE 'Denies Reports' of Secret Netanyahu Visit

The United Arab Emirates said Thursday it "denies reports" that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the country, after Netanyahu's office said he had met with the UAE president during the war with Iran. Netanyahu's office said Wednesday he had "paid a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates" ...

U.S. Expands Pressure on Iran as Warplanes Patrol Over Hormuz

The United States military announced Wednesday that it has intensified enforcement of its naval blockade on Iran, saying American forces have redirected dozens of commercial vessels and continue military patrols near the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said 67 commercial ships attempting to enter or leave ...

Iran Says U.S. Must Accept its Peace Plan or Face 'Failure'

Iran's chief negotiator said Tuesday that Washington must accept Tehran's latest peace plan or face failure, after U.S. President Donald Trump warned the truce in the Middle East war was on the brink of collapse. The war, which erupted more than two months ago with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, has spread throughout the Middle East and ...

Israel Sent Iron Dome Batteries, Personnel to UAE: U.S. Ambassador to Israel

Israel sent Iron Dome air defense batteries and personnel to operate them in the United Arab Emirates during the war with Iran, the U.S. ambassador to Israel said on Tuesday. "Can I say a word of appreciation, deep appreciation and admiration, for the United Arab Emirates?" Mike Huckabee said during a conference at Tel Aviv University. "They ...

Oil Prices Jump, Stocks Retreat on U.S.-Iran Deadlock

Oil prices rallied and stock markets fell Tuesday as investors braced for further volatility after talks appeared to stall on ending the war in the Middle East and reopening the Strait of Hormuz to tanker and cargo ship traffic. Iran's chief negotiator said Tuesday that Washington must accept Tehran's latest peace plan or face failure after U.S. ...

Hezbollah Secretary General Calls for Indirect Negotiations and Rejects Disarmament

In a written statement released Tuesday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejected calls for the group’s disarmament and urged a return to indirect negotiations with Israel in place of the ongoing direct Lebanese-Israeli talks. “We will not leave the battlefield, and we will turn it into hell for Israel,” Qassem declared. ...

U.S. Deploys Nuclear Submarine as Trump Considers Return to Iran Escalation

The U.S. Navy confirmed Tuesday that an Ohio-class nuclear submarine had reached a British naval port near the entrance of the Mediterranean, in a rare public disclosure involving one of Washington’s most sensitive strategic military assets. The U.S. Sixth Fleet said the deployment demonstrates America’s “capability, ...

Iran Hangs Man for Armed Rebellion Amid Wave of Executions

Iran on Tuesday executed a man convicted of armed rebellion, the judiciary said, the latest in a wave of hangings since war broke out with Israel and the United States. "The death sentence for Abdoljalil Shahbakhsh, son of Jalal, a trained member of the Ansar al-Furqan terrorist group, was carried out this morning," the judiciary's Mizan Online ...