GENEVA: War with Iran is the mother of all wars, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state TV, warning once again that shipping might not be safe in the Strait of Hormuz oil waterway. Tensions have risen between Iran and the West since last year ...
Read More »Afghan president seeks ‘clarification’ after Trump war comments
KABUL: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Tuesday the US should clarify remarks President Donald Trump made about Afghanistan, including a claim he could easily win the war but didn’t “want to kill 10 million people”. Trump had made several controversial statements a day earlier alongside Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan ...
Read More »Israel could be ‘wiped out’ in a war with Iran, Hezbollah leader warns
BEIRUT: The head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah said Friday that US ally Israel would not be “neutral” if a war broke out between the United States and Iran. And “Iran is able to bombard Israel with ferocity and force,” Hassan Nasrallah said in an interview broadcast on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television. His ...
Read More »Hunt admits Britain could follow US into war with Iran
LONDON:Although the UK officials, including Conservative party leadership contender Jeremy Hunt have proclaimed de-escalation in the region, he admitted that London would consider Washington’s request for military support amid the growing tension between Iran and the US. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is running against Boris Johnson for the Conservatives’ ...
Read More »United States orders new troops to Middle East
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 ...
Read More »Snowden slams US indictment against Assange
PARIS: The fate of journalism as we know it is now at stake, after Washington indicted Julian Assange under the Espionage Act, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden tweeted in reaction to 17 new charges against the WikiLeaks founder. “The Department of Justice just declared war – not on Wikileaks, but on ...
Read More »US stance on Iran ‘deterrence, not about war’: Pentagon
WASHINGTON: The US defense chief said President Donald Trump’s administration was seeking to deter Iran but not start a war, after he briefed members of Congress. “This is about deterrence, not about war. We are not about going to war,” Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters after exiting the closed-door ...
Read More »Trump tells aides he does not want war with Iran
WASHINGTON: President Trump has reportedly informed acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan that he does not want to see the US go to war with Iran amid rising tensions in the Middle East region. On Wednesday Trump raised the issue of war with the Islamic Republic during a briefing on the status of US forces in the ...
Read More »US calls back embassy staff in Baghdad as tensions with Iran escalate
BAGHDAD: The US ordered all non-emergency staff to leave its embassy in Baghdad and consulate in Arbil, citing intelligence on a “imminent” threat from Iraqi militias with close links to Iran. The evacuation order came 10 days after President Donald Trump ordered the movement of an aircraft carrier task force ...
Read More »US Senate passes resolution to end military support for Saudi-led war in Yemen
The US Senate voted to pass a resolution to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. The measure passed with 54 for and 46 against. The resolution, which is co-sponsored by US Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT), among others, seeks to end any and all US involvement in the ...
Read More »