Tag Archives: Middle East

WASHINGTON: U.S. allies around the world are calling the killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi a major blow, but say ISIS is still a terrorist threat. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that al-Baghdadi’s death is “just a stage.” “With our partners in the international coalition, the fight continues ...

TOKYO: Japan plans to send its military to help protect waterways in the Middle East but will not join a US-led maritime coalition in the region, Kyodo news agency reported Wednesday. The move comes after attacks on tankers in the Gulf, as well as on Saudi Arabian oil installations. Washington, ...

MELBOURNE: Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the move this morning, saying it was in support of US-led efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open for shipping. Mr Morrison said recent disruption to shipping in the region was a threat to Australia’s national interests. Australia has been considering joining the ...

DUBAI: Iran called on Britain on Friday to immediately release an oil tanker that British Royal Marines seized last week on suspicion it was breaking European sanctions by taking oil to Syria, a foreign ministry spokesman told state news agency IRNA. “This is a dangerous game and has consequences … ...

US Acting Secretary of Defence Patrick Shanahan said in a statement that the Pentagon has authorized the deployment of an additional 1,000 troops for defensive purposes “to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East “. According to Shanahan, “the recent Iranian attacks validate the reliable, credible intelligence ...

TEHRAN: The purpose of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to Iran is twofold: to deliver a message aimed at easing US-Iran tensions, and also to ensure stability in Japan’s crude oil imports. Abe hopes his close relationship with US President Donald Trump and Japan’s diplomatic ties crafted with nations in ...

WASHINGTON: The United States said it was deploying 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East to counter “credible threats” from Iran in a move denounced by Tehran on Saturday as “a threat to international peace”. “Increased US presence in our region is very dangerous and a threat to international peace ...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has said it is ready to mediate between Washington and Tehran as Iran’s foreign minister arrived for talks in Islamabad amid growing tensions in the Middle East. Islamabad is worried about the situation in the region as the US builds up its military presence in the Persian Gulf, ...

WASHINGTON has assured Afghanistan it would prolong the sanctions waiver, allowing Iraq to purchase Iranian energy, a source, close to Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd Mahdi, told Sputnik. “There is currently no official information [on the issue] but we have the United States’ assurance that Iraq will be excluded [from the ...

TEHRAN: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that all officials in Iran have reached a consensus to withstand the US and its policy of sanctions, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported. “If we walked away from the JCPOA with the US provocative acts, then, in addition to the US, the UN and world would ...