U.S. sanctions against Iran are a “reckless addiction” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet on Sunday. “The U.S.’ approach to sanctions betrays a pathological and reckless addiction — a condition that renders no bounds or boundary to what the U.S. may or may not...

Prominent street leaders Sunday shunned an invitation by Lebanon's prime minister-designate to sit for talks over the formation of a new government, saying they are not ready to extend support. Debt-burdened Lebanon has been without a fully functioning government since former prime minister...

Rafi Tabakian’s clothing store in a Beirut suburb is usually buzzing with customers during the holiday season, but with Lebanon’s economy in ruins, shoppers are in short supply. “We’ve been in business for 30 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said, adding that sales have...

Thousands took to the streets in Iraq's capital and across the south Sunday to protest against Iran's kingmaking influence as the latest deadline for choosing a new prime minister loomed. Anti-government rallies have rocked Baghdad and the Shiite-majority south since October 1, with...

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Saturday welcomed Japan's decision not to join a U.S.-led naval mission in the Gulf, in remarks carried by state television. Friction between Tehran and Washington has increased since last year when U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of...

Lebanon's prime minister-designate launched consultations Saturday to form a desperately-needed government for a protest-hit country facing economic collapse amid political rifts over the cabinet's line-up. Debt-burdened Lebanon has been without a fully functioning government since former...

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said Friday there is reasonable basis to investigate alleged war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories. "I am satisfied that there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation into the situation in Palestine,"...

The head of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Church said Friday there will be no Christmas Eve masses in Baghdad for security reasons as nearly three months of anti-government protests continue to rock the capital. "In light of the current sensitive security situation in Baghdad, the patriarchate...

A group of independent UN rights experts strongly criticised Tehran Friday, warning thousands could still be detained after a deadly crackdown on mass protests last month and voicing alarm at reports that inmates have been tortured. The UN expert on the rights situation in Iran, along with...

Crowds continued to gather in Tahrir Square in the Iraqi capital early Friday to protest against the failure of President Barham Saleh and Parliament Speaker Mohamed al-Halbousi to appoint a new premier following Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi’s resignation.  According to the Iraqi...

Turkey’s president on Friday blasted the threat of U.S. sanctions on Turkish companies involved in a pipeline project as a “violation of our rights.” “Now they say ‘we will impose sanctions on TurkStream’,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Malaysia, where he attended this week’s Kuala...

Iran on Friday called US foreign policy "delusional" and its chief diplomat a "loudspeaker for bullying, deceit and disdain", a day after Washington announced new sanctions against Tehran. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, announcing the measures against two Iranian judges on Thursday, said...

Lebanon's new prime minister-designate,Hassan Diab, said in an interview with Deutsche Welle aired Friday that he expected full European and US support for his government. He rejected suggestions that the support his nomination received from Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which is...

Iraq's top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani called Friday for early elections to end the months of political paralysis that have gripped the protest-hit country. "The quickest and most peaceful way out of the current crisis and to avoid plunging into the unknown, chaos or internal...

President Hassan Rouhani will make the first visit to Japan by an Iranian head of state for two decades Friday, as Tokyo seeks to mediate between Tehran and Washington amid spiralling nuclear tensions. The trip comes after violent protests last month over petroleum price hikes in Iran,...

Nearly 30,000 police officers have been killed since 2003, the end of the Saddam Hussein era, Iraqi officials announced Wednesday  "The Interior Ministry can list 28,600 martyrs from 2003 until now," Zamil al-Saadi, the ministry’s director of martyrs and wounded affairs, said in a...

UN humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian Territory said Thursday that 2.4 million people are in need of assistance, but the UN is targeting just 1.5 million because of funding difficulties.   Jamie McGoldrick held a news briefing in Geneva after Palestinian Prime...

The Arab League Thursday condemned Brazil's opening of a trade office in Jerusalem and warned it against carrying out President Jair Bolsonaro's pledge to move its embassy there. The Brazilian leader has said he will follow US President Donald Trump's controversial step of moving his...

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on the Iranian judge who sentenced a recently freed American and vowed more punishment over the suppression of protests. US officials said that Abdolghassem Salavati, a Revolutionary Court judge in Tehran, has sentenced more than 100 people to...

Iraqi political leaders faced a midnight deadline Thursday to choose a new prime minister to run a country shaken by months of unprecedented street protests that have left hundreds dead. If parliament fails to propose a candidate from inter-party negotiations to replace outgoing Adel Abdel...