Iran nuclear deal comes into force as US sanctions loomIran is due Monday to unplug key nuclear equipment for six months in return for a slight easing of crippling Western sanctions, as an interim deal between Tehran and world powers takes effect.
Putin plots Syria strategy with Iran's ZarifRussia launches a fresh round of Syrian diplomacy on Thursday when it receives the foreign minister of Iran before hosting his counterpart from Syria ahead of historic peace talks on the bloody crisis.
16 January 2014
Iran's Zarif to visit Syria ahead of peace talksIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is due to travel to Tehran ally Damascus in the next few days, media reported Sunday, amid preparations for a Syria peace conference.
Man who oversaw Saddam hanging recalls dictator's endMowaffak al-Rubaie sits in his office with a statue of Saddam Hussein behind him, the rope used to hang the dictator around its neck, recalling his final minutes.
27 December 2013
Iran quits nuclear talks protesting US blacklist moveIran has quit nuclear talks with world powers, accusing Washington on Friday of going against the spirit of a landmark agreement reached last month by expanding its sanctions blacklist.
14 December 2013
US to maintain 35,000 troops in Gulf region: HagelThe United States is committed to maintaining a 35,000-strong force in the Gulf region regardless of a nuclear deal with Iran, Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel said Saturday in Bahrain.
White House steps up bid to thwart new Iran sanctionsThe White House warned Congress Tuesday that passing new sanctions on Iran -- even with a delayed launch date -- would give Tehran an excuse to undermine an interim nuclear deal.
04 December 2013
OPEC to sit tight over oil output on supply strainsOPEC is set to stick to its oil output limit at a meeting here on Wednesday, even as Iraq and Iran eye higher crude exports amid slashed Libyan production.
04 December 2013
UN women's rights resolution passed despite backlashA UN General Assembly committee has agreed a landmark first resolution on women's rights defenders such as Malala Yousafzai, despite a hard fought campaign by an alliance including the Vatican to weaken the measure.
28 November 2013
Syria regime, opponents dig in ahead of talksDamascus vowed to keep fighting "terrorism" and the opposition insisted President Bashar al-Assad must go, as both sides dug in Tuesday after a date for long-planned peace talks was set.
27 November 2013
Middle East unrest fuels Sunni-Shiite riftRelations between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the Middle East could plunge to new lows as the violence in Syria worsens and sectarian rhetoric looms in upcoming Iraqi elections, experts say.
27 November 2013
Iran deal stirs history for Obama, suspicion for foesFor US President Barack Obama, the interim deal to cap Iran's nuclear program is a belated down payment on the transformative foreign policy he always envisioned.
25 November 2013
World powers, Iran clinch 'historic' nuclear dealWorld leaders hailed Sunday a "historic" nuclear deal with Iran as a triumph for diplomacy, but cautioned the hard work was just starting to keep Tehran from building a bomb.