BAGHDAD — At this year's Baghdad International Fair, Iranian businessmen displayed thick, colorful Persian rugs to impressed onlookers while others showcased the latest in Iranian manufacturing in power generators and industrial tools. For Iranian companies, the annual Baghdad International Fair is a major event, as exporters in carpets, foodstuffs and...
Iran President Warns of ‘War Situation’ as Sanctions Resume
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran greeted the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions on Monday with air defense drills and a statement from President Hassan Rouhani that the nation faces a "war situation," raising Mideast tensions as America's maximalist approach to the Islamic Republic takes hold. The sanctions end all economic benefits America...
US Reimposes All Iran Sanctions Lifted Under Nuclear Deal
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Friday announced the reimposition of all U.S. sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal. The sanctions will take effect Monday and cover Iran's shipping, financial and energy sectors. It's the second batch of penalties that the administration has reimposed...
After Gaza Strikes, Israel Threatens Iranian Forces in Syria
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian militants ceased rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel and relative calm prevailed Saturday afternoon after a night-long exchange of fire that prompted Israeli threats against Iranian forces in Syria. The Islamic Jihad group, a militant faction operating in the Hamas-ruled Gaza but that has...
How Assad and Hezbollah Beat the West in Syria
Syrian President Bashar Assad’s downfall seemed all but guaranteed at many points during the eight years since the Arab Spring began to topple Middle Eastern dictators, Haaretz reported. Yet Assad has now outlasted fellow despots like Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, and also Western leaders like President Barack...
UN Court Orders US to Lift Some Iran Sanctions
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The United Nations' highest court on Wednesday ordered the United States to lift sanctions on Iran that affect imports of humanitarian goods and products and services linked to civil aviation safety. The ruling by the International Court of Justice is legally binding, but it remains to...
Republicans Join Democrats in Wanting US Out of Yemen
The push to end American support of the civil war in Yemen is gaining bipartisan traction in Congress. The legislation introduced Sept. 26 includes three Republican co-sponsors: Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Walter Jones of North Carolina, and Raul Labrador of Idaho. “Congress never authorized military action in Yemen as our...
Iran Official Calls Netanyahu's Atomic Claims 'Obscene Charge'
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's foreign minister denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's allegations against Tehran at the U.N. General Assembly as an "obscene charge," the state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday. The response came after Netanyahu on Thursday claimed at the General Assembly that Iran has a "secret atomic warehouse"...
Israel Accuses Iran of Harboring 'Secret Atomic Warehouse'
UNITED NATIONS — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran on Thursday of keeping a "secret atomic warehouse" just outside its capital, despite the 2015 deal with world powers that was meant to keep it from obtaining nuclear weapons. Holding up a poster-board map of an area near Tehran before...
Trump Backs Two-State Solution for Israel and Palestine
UNITED NATIONS — For the first time since taking office, President Donald Trump endorsed a two-state solution as the best way to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, as he met Wednesday at the U.N. with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump told reporters that he believes that...