Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly opposed extending waiver but was persuaded by the Treasury’s Steven Mnuchin. The United States has allowed companies from Russia, China and Europe to continue their work at Iranian nuclear facilities without being subject to American sanctions, the US State Department announced on Monday. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed […]

Foreign Minister Zarif accuses US of keeping innocent men jailed in ‘horrific facilities’ during COVID-19 outbreak. Iran’s government has urged the United States to release Iranians held in US jails on sanctions-related issues due to fears about the coronavirus outbreak. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused Washington of holding a number of Iranians in […]

Tripoli, where the internationally recognised Government of National Accord is based, said shelling is worst in weeks. Intense bombardment shook Tripoli on Wednesday as new battles erupted around the capital hours after Libya reported its first case of coronavirus and despite United Nations calls for ceasefires around the world during the epidemic. Residents of the […]

Daily wage workers and poor face hunger as authorities in Pakistan impose lockdown to check the spread of COVID-19. Islamabad, Pakistan – Shireen Khan sits by the side of the road in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, in the drizzling rain, hoping someone will drive by and offer him work. Khan, a daily wage worker, has not […]

ISTANBUL (AFP) – Turkey has charged 20 suspects including two former aides to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the 2018 murder of Riyadh critic Jamal Khashoggi, prosecutors said on Wednesday (Mar ch 25). Prosecutors accuse Saudi Arabia’s deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Assiri and the royal court’s media czar Saud al-Qahtani of leading the […]

RIYADH (AFP) – Five years after launching its much-criticised military intervention in Yemen, Saudi Arabia is stuck in a costly quagmire with no exit in sight while it grapples with multiple crises at home. Riyadh had expected a quick victory when it led a multi-billion dollar intervention in 2015 to oust Iran-backed Huthi rebels, under […]

DUBAI (REUTERS) – Emirates, one of the world’s biggest international airlines, is suspending all flights to France, Germany, Nigeria, New York and New Jersey due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to internal e-mails seen by Reuters. France, Germany and Nigeria flights would be suspended from March 23 until further notice, a company e-mail said. Flights […]

TEHERAN (AFP) – Iran said on Saturday (March 21) that 123 more people had died from coronavirus, raising the official death toll to 1,556 in the Islamic republic, one of the world’s worst affected countries. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 966 more cases had been confirmed over the past 24 hours and 20,610 people […]

DUBAI (REUTERS) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday (March 21) that social distancing measures to combat the coronavirus outbreak in the country, including travel restrictions, will apply for only two to three weeks as he expects the crisis to ease by then. Iran “has to do everything necessary to return economic production to […]

Hundreds protest outside parliament, denouncing government’s new phone surveillance measure and the Knesset shutdown. Hundreds of people defied restrictions on large gatherings in Israel to protest outside the parliament as they accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of exploiting the coronavirus crisis to solidify his power and undermine Israel’s democratic foundations. In recent days, Netanyahu […]