This is Beirut - United States

US Strikes Set Back Iran Nuclear Program by Up to Two Years

This is Beirut, 02/07 23:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United States Pentagon Iran Iran Nuclear Program

US intelligence assessments indicate that strikes on Iranian nuclear sites set the country's atomic program back by up to two years, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. "We have degraded their program by one to two years at least; intelligence assessments inside the (Defense) Department assess that," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told journalists, ...

Ukraine Left Scrambling after US Says Halting Some Arms Shipments

This is Beirut, 02/07 22:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Ukraine United States Russia

Ukraine appealed to the United States for clarity on Wednesday after it was caught off guard by a White House announcement that Washington was halting some arms shipments to the war-battered country. The Ukrainian defense ministry, which is deeply dependent on US arms, said it had not been prior notified about the reduction in aid announced one ...

Trump Says Vietnam to Face 20% Tariff under 'Great' Deal

This is Beirut, 02/07 19:51 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States Donald Trump Vietnam Tariffs

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he had struck a trade deal with Vietnam under which the country would face a minimum 20 percent tariff and open its market to US products. The deal comes less than a week before Trump's self-imposed July 9 deadline for steeper tariffs on US trade partners to take effect if agreements are not ...

Iran: What Are the Chances for a Popular Uprising?

Natasha Metni Torbey, 02/07 14:35 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Iran Israel United States

The recent regional war that has shaken the Middle East has reignited a persistent question: Is Iran now on the brink of a large-scale popular uprising capable of shaking, or even overthrowing, the current regime? Could the current circumstances truly lead to a profound political transformation, or should we instead expect a tightening of ...

With Tariffs Looming, US Trade Partners Scramble for Last-Minute Deals

This is Beirut, 02/07 09:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States Tariffs

A week before US President Donald Trump reimposes steep tariffs on dozens of economies, including the EU and Japan, many are still scrambling to reach a deal that would protect them from the worst. The tariffs taking effect July 9 are part of a package Trump imposed in April, citing a lack of "reciprocity" in trading ties. He slapped a 10 ...

US Halting Some Key Military Aid Shipments to Ukraine

This is Beirut, 02/07 09:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States Ukraine Russia Military aid

The White House said Tuesday it is halting some key weapons shipments to Ukraine that were promised under the Biden administration for Kyiv's battle against the Russian invasion. Stopping the delivery of munitions and other military aid, including air defense systems, likely would be a blow to Ukraine as it contends with some of Russia's largest ...

Children Dying in South Sudan after US Aid Cuts

This is Beirut, 01/07 16:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Action Against Hunger United States USAID South Sudan

The impact of US aid cuts has already taken a toll in South Sudan and children are dying, Action Against Hunger told AFP on Tuesday. The east African nation has remained deeply poor and unstable since independence in 2011 and is massively dependent on international aid despite its oil wealth. It is among the countries facing shortfalls following ...

FM Rajji Says Syria Is Ready to Demarcate Its Borders with Lebanon

This is Beirut, 01/07 12:35 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon Syria Demarcation Border United States Rajji

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji told Sky News Arabia on Tuesday that the Syrian administration was ready to demarcate and consolidate its border with Lebanon. This comprehensive step comes in light of the United States’ decision to lift its sanctions on Syria, a move described by Rajji as “a positive step that would have ...

Most World Heritage Sites at Risk of Drought or Flooding: UN

This is Beirut, 01/07 12:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Middle East United States Water UNESCO Drought

Almost three quarters of the globe's cultural and natural heritage sites are threatened by too little or too much water, the UN's cultural agency said on Tuesday. As a result of rising temperatures, extreme weather events including hurricanes, droughts, floods and heatwaves have become more frequent and intense, scientists warn. Seventy-three ...

Disarming Hezbollah Is Here, Lebanon’s Peace with Israel Is Next

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 01/07 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Iran Lebanon Hezbollah United States

Now that the leaders of Lebanon are certain that Israel and America would not shy away from using force against Iran when need be, and now that they are sure that the bark of China and Russia in the Middle East is louder than their bite, Beirut is finally moving on Hezbollah’s arms. Lebanon’s normalization with Israel will come next. Druze ...

Tehran Downplays Quick Resumption of US-Iran Talks

This is Beirut, 01/07 05:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran United States Nuclear

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday ruled out a quick resumption of talks with the United States and said Tehran will first need assurances it will not be attacked again. Araghchi, in an interview with CBS Evening News, was asked about US President Donald Trump's remarks that nuclear negotiations with Iran could resume as early ...

Netanyahu to Visit White House on July 7

This is Beirut, 30/06 23:30 - Reading : less than a minute

Benjamin Netanyahu Donald Trump United States Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House on July 7 for talks with President Donald Trump, a US administration official told AFP Monday, as Washington presses for a ceasefire in Gaza. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier that Netanyahu had "expressed interest" in what would be his third meeting with ...

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