Middle East

U.S., Iran Signal Readiness for Talks as Mediators Move to Arrange Ankara Meeting

This is Beirut 12:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

The United States and Iran have signaled openness to renewed negotiations aimed at easing escalating tensions, according to officials cited in multiple reports, as regional mediators work to organize a potential meeting in Ankara and Washington maintains a heightened military posture in the Middle East. A senior US official told Axios that ...

Iraq Opens Probe Into ISIS Detainees Transferred From Syria

This is Beirut 12:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iraq’s judiciary announced on Monday that it has begun investigations into more than 1,300 suspected members of the Islamic State (ISIS) group who were recently transferred from Syria as part of a U.S.-led operation. In a statement, the judiciary’s media office said investigative proceedings had started against 1,387 members of the “Daesh ...

Iran Summons EU Ambassadors After IRGC Terrorist Designation

This is Beirut 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute

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Iran announced on Monday that it had summoned European ambassadors based in Tehran in response to the European Union’s decision to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said that on Sunday and Monday, representatives of all EU member states with embassies in ...

Gaza's Rafah Crossing Makes Limited Reopening After Two-Year War

This is Beirut 11:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Gaza's key Rafah border crossing was reopened to Palestinians on Monday, an Israeli security official said, but Egyptian state-linked media said only 50 people would be allowed to cross in each direction in the early days. The resumption of operations comes after Israeli forces seized control of the gateway to Egypt in May 2024 during the war ...

Syria Says Hezbollah Weapons Used in Damascus Airport Attacks

This is Beirut 11:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Syrian authorities said on Sunday they had detained a group responsible for a series of rocket attacks targeting the Mezzeh military airport in the capital, adding that investigators traced the weapons used in the strikes to Hezbollah. In a statement, the Syrian Interior Ministry said security units arrested all members of the group after weeks ...

Trump Says Hopes for Iran Deal After Khamenei Warns of Regional War

This is Beirut 01/02 20:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he was hopeful of agreeing to a deal with Iran after the country's supreme leader warned that any US attack on the Islamic republic would trigger a regional war. Following the Iranian authorities' deadly response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, Trump has threatened military action and ...

AnalysisA Month of Crisis in Syria and Its Regional Ramifications

Seth J. Frantzman 01/02 19:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

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Syria has experienced another dramatic transformation. After a month of clashes that began in Aleppo and spread to eastern Syria, Damascus announced on January 30 that it had reached an agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for a ceasefire and its military integration. The Syrian transitional government now controls most of the ...

Iran's Khamenei Warns of 'Regional War' if U.S. Attacks

This is Beirut 01/02 12:35 - Reading : less than a minute

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Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned on Sunday of a "regional war" if the United States attacked following heavy military deployments by Washington in the Gulf. "The Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war," Khamenei was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency. Khamenei also ...

Explosion Reported at Building in Iran Gulf City, Cause Unknown: State Media

This is Beirut 31/01 15:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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An explosion took place on Saturday at a building in the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf Coast, state media reported, though the cause of the blast was as yet unknown. State television said the explosion occurred at an eight-story building, "destroying two floors, several vehicles, and shops" in the area of Moallem Boulevard in the ...

Iran Army Chief Warns U.S., Israel Against Attack, Says Forces on High Alert

This is Beirut 31/01 13:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Iranian army chief Amir Hatami on Saturday warned the United States and Israel against an attack, saying his country's forces were on high alert following Washington's heavy military deployments in the Gulf. He also insisted the Islamic republic's nuclear expertise could not be eliminated, after Trump said he expected Tehran to seek a deal to ...

U.S. Approves Major Arms Deals to Israel, Saudi

This is Beirut 31/01 09:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The United States on Friday approved multibillion-dollar weapons sales to both Israel and Saudi Arabia, at a point of high tensions with Iran. The State Department said it green-lighted a $3.8 billion sale of 30 Apache attack helicopters to Israel, which has agreed to a fragile ceasefire in Gaza. "The United States is committed to the security ...

Trump Expects Iran to Seek Deal to Avoid U.S. Strikes

This is Beirut 31/01 09:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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President Donald Trump predicted on Friday that Iran would seek to negotiate a deal rather than face American military action, despite Tehran warning that its arsenal of missiles would never be up for discussion. "I can say this, they do want to make a deal," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Asked if he had given Iran a deadline to enter ...