Middle East

U.S. and Iran Conclude Geneva Nuclear Talks, Set Vienna Meeting for Monday

This is Beirut 26/02 23:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States Iran Abbas Araghchi Steve Witkoff Nuclear Talks Geneva

U.S. and Iranian officials concluded Thursday’s round of nuclear talks in Geneva, agreeing to continue negotiations next Monday in Vienna at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that today’s dialogue made “good progress” on approaching a deal addressing Iran’s ...

U.S. Senator Blumenthal: ‘There Ought to be the Lebanese and the Israelis Working Together Against Hezbollah’

This is Beirut 26/02 22:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Richard Blumenthal John Cornyn United States Hezbollah Lebanon Iran

This is Beirut spoke with U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and John Cornyn on Thursday about Hezbollah and Iran, both urging stronger action in the region. Blumenthal commented that “I think we need more aggressive action against Hezbollah, which seems to be regaining strength in Lebanon, and the United States needs to work more closely ...

Lebanon Signals Interest in Joining IMEC Trade Corridor

This is Beirut 26/02 19:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon IMEC Emmanuel Macron Joseph Aoun Nawaf Salam Saudi Arabia

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has communicated to French President Emmanuel Macron expressing Lebanon’s interest in joining the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). As a signatory to the IMEC agreement, Lebanon is asking France to petition Lebanon’s integration into the corridor. “Lebanon is ready to engage ...

Israeli Airstrikes Hit Hezbollah Targets in Bekaa Valley

This is Beirut 26/02 17:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Lebanon Hezbollah IDF

Israel carried out airstrikes on sites linked to Hezbollah in the Bekaa Valley near Baalbek on Thursday, according to the IDF’s spokesperson for Arabic media Ella Wayewa. “The IDF is currently attacking terrorist infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist group's Radwan Force unit in the Baalbek area of ...

Direct U.S.-Iran Talks Mark Key Moment in Geneva Nuclear Negotiations

This is Beirut 26/02 15:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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President Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have held more than three hours of negotiagtions with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Thursday to try and reach a breakthrough towards a nuclear deal. Al-Busaidi and the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Raphael Grossi, both participated in the ...

After Assad, Hezbollah Shrinks from Army to Shadow Cells

This is Beirut 26/02 15:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Syria Lebanon Iran SyriaPostAssad

Hezbollah’s footprint in Syria has undergone a significant transformation in the post-Assad landscape, shrinking from what once resembled a parallel army into what officials describe as smaller, covert cells operating with limited and deniable capabilities, according to a report published by the Jerusalem Post. For years, Hezbollah operated ...

Detainee Swap in Sweida Following Deadly Clashes

This is Beirut 26/02 13:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus United States Syria Druze Sweida ICRC Red Cross SOHR Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

Syria's government and Druze factions conducted an exchange of 86 detainees held since the two sides fought a deadly battle last year, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday. Druze factions battled Bedouin fighters in the southern Syrian province of Sweida last July, in some of the worst internecine violence the country ...

Iran University Suspends Three Students for Burning Flag

This is Beirut 26/02 13:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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A major Iranian university has suspended three students for burning the national flag during recent anti-government protests, local media reported Thursday. Student demonstrations erupted on Saturday at several major universities in the capital, Tehran, with campuses in other cities joining in the days that followed. Pro- and anti-government ...

USS Gerald Ford Leaves Crete as Iran Talks Begin: AFP

This is Beirut 26/02 12:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, sent to the Mediterranean this week in a military build-up to put pressure on Iran, left a naval base in Crete Thursday, an AFP photographer said. Its departure came as a new round of indirect talks between the United States and Iran on the latter's nuclear program, mediated by Oman's ...

Iran Could Offer Billion-Dollar Energy Deal Ahead of Nuclear Talks - Report

This is Beirut 26/02 10:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Iran is reportedly preparing a major economic offer aimed at persuading the United States to pursue a diplomatic agreement instead of a military strike. The proposal, according to the Financial Times, could include significant investment opportunities in Iran’s oil, gas, and mineral sectors. The source said the plan appears tailored to ...

Report: Hezbollah Reassures State of Conditional Neutrality

This is Beirut 26/02 10:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanon Iran NuclearTalks USA Trump GenevaTalks

As Washington and Tehran resume high-stakes negotiations in Geneva on Thursday, described by diplomats as a “last opportunity” to prevent escalation, Lebanon finds itself once again navigating the fault lines of a potential regional confrontation. According to senior Lebanese political sources cited by Nidaa Al-Watan, Hezbollah has conveyed ...

U.S., Iran Prepare For Geneva Talks as Trump Signals Flexibility on Enrichment

This is Beirut 26/02 00:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United States Iran Nuclear Talks Donald Trump Abbas Araghchi

U.S. and Iranian officials prepare for the next set of talks set to occur in Geneva on Thursday as the two parties seek to move closer to an arrangement on the nuclear issue. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Geneva on Wednesday and presented a nuclear agreement proposal to the Omani Foreign Minister. The Iranian goal is to get ...