Israel has pitched the controversial US Middle East peace plan as an offer for a future, "pragmatic" Palestinian leader, saying it was always going to be rejected by president Mahmud Abbas. But Israeli officials may be disappointed if they think an Abbas successor will look more favourably...

Lebanon will ask the International Monetary Fund for technical assistance to draw up a stabilization plan in the face of a financial and economic crisis, including how to restructure its public debt, a government source told Reuters on Wednesday. “There has been contact with the IMF but...

Iran's government on Wednesday rejected US allegations that the Islamic republic's satellite programme has a military dimension, days after the failed launch of its latest satellite. "The subject of satellite launch vehicles and satellites is a civilian matter," Defence Minister Amir Hatami...

The United States will grant Iraq a brief 45-day extension to a waiver allowing Baghdad to continue importing Iranian gas despite American sanctions, an Iraqi official told AFP on Wednesday. The US slapped tough sanctions on the Iranian energy sector in late 2018 and initially granted Iraq...