Iran nuclear deal comes into force as US sanctions loom
Iran 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.
New sanctions against Iran would sabotage deal: Gates
Proposals by US lawmakers to impose new sanctions against Iran would be a mistake that would sabotage a possible diplomatic deal with Tehran: Gates
Putin plots Syria strategy with Iran's Zarif
Russia 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.
Iran's Zarif to visit Syria ahead of peace talks
Iranian 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.
Kazakh-Iran economic and trade cooperation to ease tension in the region
Iranian Deputy Minister Valiola Afkhami visited Astana to meet with his Kazakhstani counterpart at the 3rd sitting of the Kazakh-Iranian Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation.
First chemical arms material shipped out of Syria
The first shipment of chemical weapons materials left Latakia port Tuesday under a deal to rid Syria of its chemical arsenal.
Commercial catching of sturgeons at Caspian banned
A moratorium on commercial fishing of sturgeons at the Caspian Sea came into force on January 1, 2014.
Iran exiles say camp struck by rockets near Baghdad airport
Rockets struck near Baghdad airport on Thursday in what an exiled Iran opposition group said was an attack on their camp that left three dead and around 50 wounded.
Man who oversaw Saddam hanging recalls dictator's end
Mowaffak 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.
Iran quits nuclear talks protesting US blacklist move
Iran 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.
US to maintain 35,000 troops in Gulf region: Hagel
The 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.
More than 1 million tons of grain shipped by Kazakhstan Temir Zholy
In November Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, Kazakhstan national railway company, has transported more than 1 million tons of newly harvested grain
White House steps up bid to thwart new Iran sanctions
The 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.
OPEC to sit tight over oil output on supply strains
OPEC 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.
UN women's rights resolution passed despite backlash
A 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.
Syria regime, opponents dig in ahead of talks
Damascus 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.
Middle East unrest fuels Sunni-Shiite rift
Relations 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.
Iran deal stirs history for Obama, suspicion for foes
For 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.
World powers, Iran clinch 'historic' nuclear deal
World 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.
