The speaker of parliament on Monday described Lebanon as a sinking ship at risk going under completely, underlining the depth of crisis in a country hamstrung by political deadlock and facing the worst economic strains since the 1975-90 civil war. Banks, which have been seeking to...

Iran has breached another limit of its nuclear deal with major powers by accumulating more than 130 tonnes of heavy water, a moderator used in a type of reactor Iran is developing, a report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Monday. "On 16 November 2019, Iran informed the Agency that its...

Reports Monday on a trove of leaked Iranian intelligence documents drove home the depth of its influence in Iraq, where anti-government protesters have accused Tehran of meddling and overreach. The New York Times and online publication The Intercept reported that the hundreds of documents...

Demonstrations against Lebanon’s ruling elite have plunged the country into political turmoil at a time of acute economic crisis, driven by deepening anger at sectarian politicians who have dominated the government since the 1975-90 civil war. One of the most severe periods of turmoil since...

Protesters have once again blocked the entrance to Iraq's Umm Qasr commodities port near Basra, preventing employees and tankers from entering and bringing operations down by 50%, two port sources told Reuters on Monday. If the blockage goes on until the afternoon, operations will come to a...

Iran condemned the United States' support for "rioters" in a statement issued late Sunday, after two days of violent protests in the Islamic republic against a petrol price hike. The foreign ministry said that it was reacting to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's "expression of support......

Iran’s supreme leader on Sunday cautiously backed the government’s decision to raise gasoline prices by 50% after days of widespread protests, calling those who attacked public property during demonstrations “thugs” and signaling that a potential crackdown loomed. The government shut...

 Iraqi protesters regained control of a third bridge Sunday leading to Baghdad's Green Zone, taking further ground in the biggest wave of anti-government demonstrations in decades. Security forces used tear gas and stun bombs to prevent protesters from getting right across Ahrar Bridge...

"The eyes of truth will never be blinded," protesters' placards read, as Palestinian journalists wore eye patches Sunday to decry the wounding of a colleague in the occupied West Bank. Muath Amarneh has been in an Israeli hospital since he was hit in the eye Friday during clashes between...

Lebanon slipped deeper into political crisis on Sunday after the withdrawal of a top candidate for prime minister narrowed the chances of creating a government needed to enact urgent reforms. Mohammad Safadi, a former finance minister, withdrew his candidacy late on Saturday, saying it was...

Authorities have restricted internet access in Iran, the semi-official ISNA news agency said on Sunday, after nearly two days of nationwide protests triggered by a petrol price hike. "Access to the internet has been limited as of last night and for the next 24 hours," an informed source at...

Iraqis flooded the streets of the capital and southern cities on Sunday in a general strike that bolstered the weeks-long movement demanding a government overhaul. Sit-ins have become the go-to tactic for the rallies that erupted in early October in rage over corruption, a lack of jobs and...

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday voiced support for a decision to impose petrol price hikes and rationing that sparked protests across the Islamic republic. "I am not an expert and there are different opinions but I had said that if the heads of the three branches make...

The situation in Lebanon is becoming more complicated, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri was cited as saying by newspaper al-Joumhouria on Saturday, comments that suggested a deal needed to form a new government had yet to be finalised. Lebanon appeared to move toward consensus on a...

Iraq closed two border crossings with Iran to travellers amid protests in the Islamic Republic, the Iraqi Border Ports Commission said on Saturday.    In a statement, the commission said the Shalamcheh and al-Shib crossings are still open to the movement of goods and...

One person was killed in the Iranian city of Sirjan during protests that erupted after President Hassan Rouhani’s government imposed gasoline rationing and price hikes of at least 50 percent, Iranian ISNA news agency reported on Saturday. The government announced on Friday that the price of...

Palestinian militants fired two rockets deep into southern Israel from Gaza on Saturday, and the Israeli military responded with a number of air strikes on militant targets, shaking an already tenuous truce. Sirens sounded in the middle of the night in Beersheba, the largest city in...

Anti-government demonstrators spread to a second bridge in the Iraqi capital Saturday after security forces retreated from a key area where they had clashed with protesters, AFP correspondents said. Protesters have occupied Baghdad's Tahrir (Liberation) Square for more than three weeks,...

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday advocated for the establishment of an independent election government in preparation for early elections.  “Main task of the independent government is to carry the country into early elections,” al-Abadi said in a statement....

Turkey removed four more mayors from their posts on Saturday as part of a widening government crackdown against the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), and replaced them with state appointees. President Tayyip Erdogan and his government accuse the HDP of having links to the...