Tehran, Iran | AFP | Iran does not want “new tensions” in the Middle East, President Hassan Rouhani told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, after Israel carried out strikes against what it called Iranian targets in Syria. “Iran has always sought to reduce tensions in the region, trying to …
Read More »Russia seeks mediator role between Israel and Iran
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Following Israeli strikes on Iranian targets in Syria, Russia has positioned itself as a mediator between the Middle Eastern rivals as it has maintained good relations with both countries. “The Kremlin is sitting on two chairs,” Russian analyst Alexei Malashenko told AFP. “It is a …
Read More »Netanyahu to meet Putin in Moscow ahead of Iran deal deadline
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week, the premier’s office said, ahead of a possible US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. The Wednesday meeting will discuss “regional developments”, Netanyahu’s office said, and follows the Israeli leader’s …
Read More »‘We should never go back’, Macron, May say on chemical weapons
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday urged the world to keep up the fight against chemical weapons on the anniversary of an international convention banning their use. “On the 21st anniversary of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and following Douma and …
Read More »Macron on Iran nuclear deal: There is no ‘Plan B’
Washington, United States | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron, who is heading to Washington to urge his US counterpart to stay in the Iran nuclear deal, said in an interview broadcast Sunday that there is no “Plan B” if the accord is scrapped. “I don’t have any Plan B …
Read More »Russians prepare for World War Three
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A Russian state TV station has told people what food they should take into bomb shelters as fears grow about the start of World War Three. Kremlin-owned Rossiya-24 said that there were lots of scare stories around, but then went on to tell people …
Read More »US ‘bombed’ UN peace talks on Syria: Lavrov
Moscow, Russia | AFP | The United States and its allies “bombed” UN-backed peace talks aimed at ending the war in Syria when they ordered strikes on the country this month, Russia’s foreign minister said Friday. The US, France and Britain “on 14 April bombed not only made-up chemical sites …
Read More »Assad still has ‘limited’ chemical capability: Pentagon
Washington, United States | AFP | The Syrian regime remains able to conduct chemical attacks, though only at a limited level, the Pentagon said Thursday following last week’s international cruise missile strikes on chemical targets. General Kenneth McKenzie, director of the US military’s Joint Staff, said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime …
Read More »UN in security talks with Syria after chemical probe put on hold
Beirut, Lebanon | AFP | experts have said they were negotiating with Syrian and Russian authorities for international chemical inspectors to deploy to the site of an alleged toxic gas attack near Damascus, after a reconnaissance mission came under fire. The team from the world’s chemical arms watchdog has not yet …
Read More »May, Macron face lawmakers angry over Syria strikes
2364, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday faced anger from lawmakers for conducting air strikes with the United States in Syria in their first major military action since coming to power. May was due to address MPs after proceeding …
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