Iran will overcome U.S. sanctions by either bypassing them or through negotiations, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday, adding that Tehran will not cross its “red lines” in any talks with arch foe Washington. “The government is determined to defeat (the enemy) by bypassing...

The United Nations is “unable to independently corroborate” that missiles and drones used in attacks on Saudi oil facilities in September “are of Iranian origin,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Tuesday. The United States, European powers and Saudi Arabia...

Lebanon does not expect new aid pledges at conference which France is hosting on Wednesday to press for the quick formation of a new government that can tackle an acute financial crisis. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian urged Lebanon to create a new government swiftly or risk the...

The African Union (AU), non-aligned Movement, and the Arab League on Tuesday pledged to continue their support for the realization of Palestinian independence statehood. This comes in a meeting of hundreds of diplomats, officials and friends of Palestine gathered in the Ethiopian capital...

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian Tuesday urged the Lebanese to form a new government swiftly or risk a financial crisis worsening and threatening the country's stability. "(They should) form a government quickly because any delay will continue to worsen the situation," Le Drian...

Tears roll out from behind Ayat's oversized glasses but her hands, facing the sky, are steady. Her friends are gone, killed protesting Iraq's government, but their "revolution" continues. "Peace be upon you and on your two rivers, Iraq," sings Kazem Saher as young demonstrators mourn their...

The Israeli Jerusalem Municipality gave the green light on Tuesday for the construction of a permanent structure for the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, according to Israeli media. "The American embassy has today received a green light from the Jerusalem Municipality,” Israel’s Jerusalem Mayor...

Lebanon’s political impasse has deepened after a tentative deal on a new prime minister unraveled, leaving the country rudderless as it grapples with the worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. Six weeks since Saad al-Hariri resigned as prime minister, prompted by protests...

Iraqis turned out Monday to mourn a prominent activist gunned down the previous evening, the latest violent episode in anti-government demonstrations in which more than 450 people have died. Adding to the tension, a volley of rockets wounded six Iraqi soldiers on a military base near the...

The number of Egyptians switching to dual-fuel vehicles is accelerating as the government pushes motorists to use cheaper, cleaner and plentiful natural gas. About 300,000 vehicles, mostly taxis and minibuses, have been converted to dual-fuel systems since the 1990s — a small fraction of...

Iran's budget for next year expects oil prices at $50 a barrel, head of Planning and Budget Organization Mohammad-Baqer Nobakht said in a press conference Monday. Nobakht was quoted as saying by oil ministry's news agency SHANA that the government had prepared the budget on expectations of...

Israel edged closer to a third election within a year Monday as neither the embattled premier Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main rival appeared close to forming a government two days before a deadline. Right-winger Netanyahu and former army general Benny Gantz, who leads the centrist Blue and...

Iran said Monday it was open to more prisoner swaps with the US while stressing an exchange at the weekend was not the result of formal negotiations with its arch-foe. US President Donald Trump thanked Iran for what he called a "very fair negotiation" after an American scholar was released...

Palestinians staged a general strike in the West Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil) on Monday in protest of Israeli plans to build a new settlement in the flashpoint city.  Shops and public and private institutions shut their doors as part of the strike, according to an Anadolu Agency...

Four Katyusha rockets struck a military base next to Baghdad International Airport on Monday wounding “six fighters”, a statement from the military said. Security forces found a rocket launcher and several rockets in a search of the area, the statement said. There was no immediate claim...

President Donald Trump had rare positive words for Iran over the weekend, thanking the U.S. foe for a “very fair” negotiation to successfully pull off a prisoner swap that saw an American released from Iranian detention amid soaring tensions. The exchange, which took place in neutral...

Turkey's recent maritime agreement with Libya is neither a threat nor a breach of the rights or the law of other countries, said Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Sunday, speaking at the Land Forces Command in the capital Ankara.  Signed on Nov. 27, the pact laying out both...

A wealthy Lebanese-Swiss businessman said Sunday he had bought Adolf Hitler's top hat and other Nazi artifacts to give them to Jewish groups and prevent them falling into the hands of a resurgent far-right. Abdallah Chatila said he had felt compelled to take the objects off the market...

Lebanese businessman Samir Khatib said on Sunday there was a consensus for nominating Saad al-Hariri as prime minister again to form a new government, speaking after a meeting with Lebanon’s top Sunni Muslim religious leader. The statement spelt the end of Khatib’s candidacy for the post...

Thousands of Iraqi protesters streamed into streets and public squares in the capital and restive south on Sunday, saying they were not deterred by deadly violence meant to "scare" them. In Baghdad, crowds of anti-government demonstrators thronged Tahrir Square, the epicentre of their...