Tag Archives: Trump

A senior Emirati official said on Tuesday the United Arab Emirates would soon send a delegation to Iran as part of efforts to improve ties with rival Tehran. “I hope that it is the sooner the better and all our friends are aware of it,” Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to …

Britain and Israel will “work night and day” in preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power, the foreign ministers of the two countries wrote in a joint article. “The clock is ticking, which heightens the need for close cooperation with our partners and friends to thwart Tehran’s ambitions,” the UK’s …

Russia on Friday chided the United States for threatening a diplomatic escalation with Iran at the U.N. nuclear watchdog next month unless it improves cooperation with the agency, saying it risked harming wider talks on the Iran nuclear deal. The United States threatened on Thursday to confront Iran at the …

The U.N. envoy to Afghanistan on Wednesday delivered a bleak assessment of the situation following the Taliban takeover, saying that an affiliate of the Islamic State group has grown and now appears present in nearly all 34 provinces. U.N. Special Representative Deborah Lyons told the U.N. Security Council that the …

A top delegation from the United Arab Emirates will visit Tehran soon as the Gulf state works to de-escalate tensions with Iran, senior Iranian and Gulf officials told Reuters on Wednesday. A Gulf official said a high-level delegation is expected to visit Teheran soon but they declined to confirm whether …

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping talked about how they might harmonize their positions ahead of the Nov. 29 resumption of indirect U.S.-Iranian talks on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, a top U.S. official said on Tuesday. Officials from Iran and the six nations that struck …

The United Arab Emirates is taking steps to de-escalate tensions with Iran as part of a policy choice towards diplomacy and away from confrontation, a UAE senior official said on Monday. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said the Gulf state remains deeply concerned about Iran’s behaviour in …

The top U.S. Air Force general in the Mideast said Saturday that American airmen would continue to be stationed in the region even as military planners consider competition with China and Russia as Washington’s next major challenge. Speaking to journalists ahead of the Dubai Airshow, Lt. Gen. Gregory Guillot acknowledged …

Democratic U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar filed legislation on Friday seeking to block the sale of $650 million air-to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia, the first major arms sale to the kingdom during President Joe Biden’s administration. Omar said she filed the measure, known as a joint resolution of disapproval, because of …

Britain’s Prince Harry said he warned the chief executive of Twitter ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots that the social media site was being used to stage political unrest in the US capital. Harry made the comments Tuesday while he was taking part in an online panel on misinformation …

The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol issued a new batch of subpoenas on Tuesday for 10 additional allies of former President Trump, including his former senior adviser Stephen Miller, body man Nicholas Luna and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. The subpoenas show that the committee is delving deeper into …

The Israeli army chief warned Tuesday that the military was ramping up its preparations for a possible attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the army “is accelerating operational planning and preparedness to deal with Iran and the …

The Palestinians on Sunday slammed Israel for rejecting the promised reopening of the US Consulate in Jerusalem, a move that would restore Washington’s main diplomatic mission for the Palestinians in the contested city. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said late Saturday there was no room in Jerusalem for another American …

Israel stepped up its public opposition on Saturday to a plan by President Joe Biden’s administration to reopen a U.S. consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem, suggesting such a mission should be in the occupied West Bank. Under former President Donald Trump, Washington delighted Israelis and outraged Palestinians by closing the …

The U.S. State Department approved its first major arms sale to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under U.S. President Joe Biden with the sale of 280 air-to-air missiles valued at up to $650 million, the Pentagon said on Thursday. While Saudi Arabia is an important partner in the Middle East, …

At least 19 people were killed and 50 others wounded in an attack on a military hospital in Kabul on Tuesday, the latest assault to rock Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power. The attack got under way when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near the entrance of the sprawling …

U.S. President Joe Biden told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan his request for F-16 fighter jets had to go through a process in the United States, while Erdogan said his counterpart was “positive” toward the jet sale. Ties between Ankara and Washington have been strained over a host of issues in …

The United States was “absolutely in lock step” with Britain, Germany and France on getting Iran back into a nuclear deal, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday, but he added it was unclear if Tehran was willing to rejoin the talks in a “meaningful way.” Blinken’s remarks in …

Israel’s deputy foreign minister said on Sunday that the Biden administration may shelve its plan to reopen a U.S diplomatic mission for Palestinians in Jerusalem after Israel voiced opposition to such a move. The Jerusalem consulate was subsumed into the U.S. Embassy that was moved to the contested city from …

U.S. envoy for Iran Robert Malley will on Friday meet diplomats from three European powers over the Iranian nuclear crisis as Vienna-based talks to salvage a 2015 deal remain suspended. The agreement between Iran and world powers to find a long-term solution to the now two-decade-old crisis over its controversial …

The United States said Thursday that a base in Syria used by the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group was attacked with drones and artillery. No US personnel were injured in the attack Wednesday at the Al-Tanf base, said Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for CENTCOM. “We can confirm …

A U.S. outpost in southern Syria was attacked on Wednesday, but there were no reports of any American casualties from the blast, U.S. officials told Reuters. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said it was too early to say who was responsible for the attack. One of the …

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with US Special Envoy for Iran Affairs Robert Malley on Thursday.They discussed ways to strengthen Saudi-US cooperation on the Iranian nuclear issue, and relevant international negotiations, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement. Iran’s violations of international conventions and treaties related …

Iran is not ready to return to talks with world powers over its nuclear programme yet and its new negotiating team wants to first meet with the EU in Brussels in the next few weeks, a senior EU official said on Friday. EU political director Enrique Mora, the chief coordinator …

 Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Friday that Iran was accelerating its nuclear activities and putting the region in “a very dangerous place” amid efforts to bring Tehran back into a 2015 nuclear deal. The prince gave a wide ranging news conference in Washington on regional …

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday the Biden administration intends to press ahead with its plan to reopen the Jerusalem consulate that traditionally engaged with Palestinians, despite Israeli opposition to such a move. Blinken reiterated a pledge he originally made months ago on re-establishing the consulate, which …

Israel will remain opposed to Washington’s plan to reopen a U.S. consulate in Jerusalem that has traditionally been a base for diplomatic outreach to the Palestinians, even if political conditions change, an Israeli cabinet minister said on Tuesday. The consulate was subsumed into the U.S. Embassy that was moved to …

The United States said on Sunday the first face-to-face meeting between senior U.S. and Taliban officials since the hardline group retook power in Afghanistan was “candid and professional” and that the U.S. side reiterated that the Taliban would be judged on their actions, not just their words. State Department spokesman …

A main concern of Iran in any talks to rescue the 2015 nuclear deal would be around ways to verify the lifting of U.S. sanctions, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Saturday. The talks, which aim to bring Washington and Tehran back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear pact …

A suicide bomb attack on a mosque in the Afghan city of Kunduz has killed at least 50 people, officials say, in the deadliest assault since US forces left. Bodies were seen scattered inside the Said Abad mosque, used by the minority Shia Muslim community. More than 100 people were …

An Israeli right-wing opposition legislator is seeking to outlaw the planned reopening of a U.S. mission in Jerusalem that has traditionally been a base for diplomatic outreach to the Palestinians. Israel’s new cross-partisan government led by nationalist Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also opposes the reinauguration of the consulate, potentially buoying …

The US is alarmed by Iran’s progress toward obtaining an atomic weapon and hopes to resume talks soon to curb Tehran’s nuclear program, a top official in Washington said on Tuesday. Iran’s nuclear activity was also at the center of talks in Washington between US and Israeli national security teams. Israeli …

Top US officials will tell their Israeli counterparts on Tuesday that the Biden administration remains committed to diplomacy with Iran, but if necessary would be prepared to pursue “other avenues” to ensure Tehran does not acquire a nuclear weapon, a senior US official said. A visit to Washington by Israel’s …

Iran’s foreign minister said on Saturday that US officials tried to discuss restarting nuclear talks last month, but he insisted Washington must first release $10 billion of Tehran’s frozen funds as a sign of good will. Iran has rejected direct talks with the United States, and indirect talks on reviving …

The UN agency helping Palestinian refugees is facing an “existential” budget crisis and appealing for urgent funding of $120 million to keep essential education, health care and other services running, the agency’s chief said. “We keep struggling, running after cash,” Philippe Lazzarini said. “The financial situation is a real existential …

Economic and strategic competition between the US and China is putting immense pressure on the Arab Gulf states, a top Emirati official told delegates on the second day of the 14th World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi. Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s presidential diplomatic adviser and former ​minister of state for …

A new report has linked a UK Royal Air Force base with high-profile US drone strikes, including the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January last year. The report’s release has put pressure on ministers to explain whether Yorkshire’s Menwith Hill base has been directly involved in the carrying …

The presidents of Russia and Turkey on Wednesday began talks on curbing renewed violence in northwest Syria and on possibly expanding Moscow’s sales of military defence systems to Ankara despite U.S. objections. The talks are taking place in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi and the Kremlin said that …

Iran on Tuesday rejected a U.S. call to grant U.N. inspectors access to a nuclear site, saying Washington was not qualified to demand inspections without condemning a sabotage attack on the facility, Iranian state media reported. “Countries that did not condemn terrorist acts against Iran’s nuclear site are not qualified …

Venezuela has agreed to a key contract to swap its heavy oil for Iranian condensate that it can use to improve the quality of its tar-like crude, with the first cargoes due this week, five people close to the deal said. As the South American country seeks to boost its …

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan met on Friday with the US Special Envoy for Iran Affairs Robert Malley, state news agency SPA reported. The two officials met on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly in New York. During the meeting, they discussed enhancing joint …

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell met Iran’s new Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Tuesday in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, the EU said in a statement on Wednesday. The meeting was scheduled in the absence of a ministerial meeting of the parties to the 2015 …

Iran wants a resumption of nuclear talks with world powers to lead to the removal of U.S. sanctions, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi told the annual U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday in a pre-recorded address. “The Islamic Republic considers the useful talks whose ultimate outcome is the lifting of all oppressive …

India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar held talks with his Saudi counterpart on Sunday that included measures to bolster bilateral and trade ties, cope with COVID-19 challenges, and a “very useful” exchange on political developments in Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al-Saud arrived …