Hardliners have won a crushing victory in Iran’s parliamentary elections, taking every single seat in the political powerbase of Tehran and leading in regions across the country. One unofficial tally forecasts that the nationalists and religious conservatives have won 178 of the 290 seats in the chamber with the liberals’ ... Read More »
Russia opposed the UN Security Council’s declaration for a ceasefire in north-west Syria, top UN diplomats said, after a tense closed-door meeting in New York, AFP reported. “Basically, Russia said no, which is very painful,” Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, president of the United Nations Council for February, told reporters. “There ... Read More »
Briefing to members of Congress is said to have led to abrupt removal of acting director of national intelligence US intelligence officials are reported to have warned members of Congress last week that Russia was trying to interfere in the 2020 election campaign in favour of Donald Trump, in ... Read More »
Turkish prosecutors investigating the military and justice ministry on Tuesday ordered the arrest of 228 people over suspected links to the network that Ankara says was behind a 2016 coup attempt, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported. There has been a sustained crackdown on alleged followers of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah ... Read More »
The risk of a military confrontation is higher in the Strait of Hormuz than anywhere else in the Gulf region, Oman’s foreign minister said, due in part to the growing number of military vessels from different countries that are guarding it. The waterway between Iran and Oman – 33 km ... Read More »
An arms embargo aimed at curbing fighting in Libya has become meaingless because of violations and it is imperative that those who breach it are held to account, Reuters reported a senior UN official as saying on Sunday. “The arms embargo has become a joke, we all really need to ... Read More »
Iran will never hold talks with the United States under pressure, President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday, adding that Tehran’s help was essential in establishing security in the Middle East. Relations between Tehran and Washington reached crisis point in 2018 after U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned a 2015 pact between ... Read More »
French foreign minister says it will be hard for UK to strike deal by end of year given differences Britain and the European Union are going to rip each other apart in talks over a future trade deal, the French foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, has predicted, while also ... Read More »
Iran will respond forcefully to any Israeli action against its interests in the region, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, according to the Mehr news agency, Reuters reports. “The Islamic Republic of Iran will give a crushing response that will cause regret to any kind of aggression or stupid action from this regime against ... Read More »
The UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution calling for a “lasting ceasefire” in Libya, where a fragile truce has been in place since January. The text, drafted by Britain, was approved by 14 votes out of 15, with Russia abstaining. It was subject to weeks of wrangling, reflecting ... Read More »
Lebanese Ministry of Information