Trump reshapes US Mideast policy. Can deals work instead?
The Israeli military said Saturday it had launched "extensive strikes" as part of a fresh offensive in Gaza, after rescuers reported 100 people killed in the besieged Palestinian territory.
US warns of ‘terror threat’ as crowds throng Kabul airport
The US State Department warning is unusually specific, mentions several gates that should be vacated immediately.‘Havana’ syndrome imperils US diplomats
The mysterious affliction has brought severe headaches, nausea and possible brain damage to US diplomats has many officials convinced they are under sustained attack using electronic weapons. US embassy in Hanoi reported a possible case involving “acoustic incidents” there, forcing VP Harris to delay Vietnam trip for several hours.Biden given inconclusive report on COVID-19 origins
The US president had ordered the assessment to find out whether the virus jumped to humans via animals or escaped a research facility in Wuhan.US grants Pfizer vaccine full approval
The decision is expected to ignite a wave of new vaccine mandates in the USUS oil prices soar
At 1355 GMT a barrel of WTI, the main US contract, for October delivery was 5.0 percent higher at $65.26 dollarsBahrain allows use of airport for Afghan evacuees
Bahrain has announced that it is “allowing flights to make use of Bahrain’s transit facilities” amid the evacuations of Afghanistan.UAE agrees to temporarily host 5,000 Afghans
The move comes following a request from the United States to help out Afghan evacuees.US to help Lebanon procure electricity
Lebanon has been struggling with fuel shortages for a couple of months, which has led to protracted power outages.US’ Iran sanctions target Omani man, firms
The US Department of Treasury said the sanctions are on ‘individuals and businesses’ involved in a network that smuggled oil out of Iran.UK, US interferences threaten regional stability: Iran
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani reportedly issued this warning in a meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.Mulk JV to launch Alubond in US
The JV will launch Mulk’s Alubond brand of façade materials in the US.Saudi Arabia gets a pat on the back from US
Saudi Arabia has received warm praise about its improved rankings on a number of global lists from the US State Department. In its recently published annual Investment Climate Statements on more than 170 countries, the US State Department highlighted the achievements made by Saudi Arabia.US extends Iraq’s sanction waiver for four months
The extensions follow a visit to Washington by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi to meet US President Joe Biden.Digital payment platform Square to buy Afterpay for $29 billion
Afterpay specializes in the "buy now, pay later" model that offers users staggered payments, often without extra charge.Iran’s Raisi set to focus on economy, nuclear deal
The US sanctions choked Iran, including by seeking to stop its oil exports, and the economy contracted by more than six percent in both 2018 and 2019Two dead in attack on Israel-linked oil tanker off Oman
Analysts said the attack bore all the hallmarks of tit-for-tat exchanges in the "shadow war" between Israel and IranUS: Nuclear talks with Iran cannot go on indefinitely
Iran's president-elect has said his government will support talks that ‘guarantee national interests’ but will not allow negotiations for the sake of negotiations.Blinken arrives in Kuwait to deepen security ties
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kuwait to hold discussions to boost military cooperation, regional security and investment between the two countries.Pro-Iran groups welcome US declaration to end Iraq ops
Pro-Iran armed factions stand accused of carrying out around 50 rocket and drone attacks this year against US interests in Iraq.Rich-poor gap widening due to unequal vaccine access: IMF
Advanced nations have vaccinated nearly 40 percent of the population, compared to barely 11 percent in emerging markets and a tiny fraction in low-income countriesNATO chief calls for negotiated settlement with Taliban
Jens Stoltenberg said the situation in the country is deeply challenging amid UN's warning that more civilians could dieUS condemns Houthi missile attack on Saudi Arabia
The US has issued a swift condemnation of the latest Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia with a ballistic missile and three explosive-laden drones. It has called on Houthis to end the attacks.Biden meets Kadhemi, calls for end to Iraq combat operations
With the Iraqi PM at his side, US president said that his country is "committed to our security cooperation" and will "to continue to train, to assist, to help, to deal with ISIS as it arises".US Covid-19 performance worst: Think Tank
The US has over 34 million confirmed cases and over 600,000 deaths, the highest in the world, and the number of days with less than 5,000 daily new cases is only 62, which is the worst in the worldUS promises another $155-million humanitarian aid to Iraq
The additional funding from the State Department and the USAID is meant to help “the people of Iraq as well as Iraqi refugees in the region and generous communities hosting them.”US mulls crackdown on Chinese imports of Iranian oil
The United States is planning a crackdown on Iranian oil sales to China in violation of its sanctionsIran’s new oil terminal to bypass Gulf chokepoint
Tehran inaugurated Thursday the terminal in Jask, on the Gulf of Oman, allowing tankers to avoid the Strait of Hormuz -- a passage less than 40 kilometres wide at its narrowest pointBiden, Kadhemi meeting to focus on US troop withdrawal from Iraq
The White House talks between the two allies come just a week after a deadly attack claimed by the Islamic State group, despite Baghdad declaring the Sunni extremists defeated over three years agoTurkey rejects UN Security Council criticism over Cyprus
Western powers including the United States and France expressed outrage and the UN Security Council issued a condemnation that Ankara swiftly rebuffed.Turkey faces uproar by seeking shift on Cyprus
On a trip to the north of divided Nicosia on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said there should be "two peoples and two states with equal status." Victoria Nuland, the US under secretary of state for political affairs, voiced concern that Erdogan's remarks would have a "chilling effect" on...Journalist among 6 freed by Egypt amid criticism of rights record
US had warned Egypt that targeting rights campaigners would be a factor in arms salesAssad starts new term after re-election described ‘neither free nor fair’
The vote extending Assad's grip on power was the second since the start of a decade-long civil war that has killed more than half a million people, displaced millions and battered the country's infrastructureBiden to host Iraqi PM at White House on July 26
The meeting will "highlight the strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq," the White House said in a statementOfficial reiterates Saudi resolve to protect rights after meeting US, EU envoys
Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Commission (HRC) chief Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad in a meeting with US and EU diplomats has vowed to protect human rights in the kingdom.Turkey offers to secure Afghan airport after US, NATO forces
Ankara is seeking "financial, political and logistical support" from the US and the NATO to carry out the fraught task amidst the ongoing Taliban advances in the country.Oil prices rise amid growing demand from India, China
Brent crude oil futures were up $1.43, 1.93%, at $75.55 Prices had dropped early in the week by the collapse of output talks between the OPEC and allies including Russia, together known as OPEC+ Falling US inventories, and signs of strong Asian demand from both China and India pushed up...Cyberattack hits hundreds of US businesses
A US IT company urges customers to shut down their servers after the attack UN Security Council members recently warned against ransomware attacks A US IT company urged customers to shut down their servers Friday after cyberattackers smuggled ransomware onto its network platform Kaseya said Friday evening that it had...Baghdad: US forces shoot down armed drone near US embassy
Since the start of the year, 47 attacks have targeted US interests in the country Separately on Monday, three rockets targeted an Iraqi air base in the western desert that also housed US troops US forces shot down an armed drone above their embassy in Baghdad on Monday night, Iraqi...White House frets anxious about high oil prices
Jen Psaki says there is enough production capacity globally US crude production peaked in Jan 2020 at nearly 13m bpd The White House is worried about the impact of rising oil prices on US consumers but believes producers have ample ability to pump enough crude. “Currently we believe that there...US Secretary of State says Guantanamo prison should close
US Secretary of State says he doesn’t know when it can happen Former president Obama had failed in his bid to close the prison US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday repeated his country’s resolve to close the controversial prison at Guantanamo Bay, while acknowledging it was difficult to...US in first meeting with Israel’s new FM amid Iran moves
Lapid is flying to Rome to see Blinken The meeting comes as Biden moves ahead with fresh talks with Iran US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Israel's new top diplomat Yair Lapid on Sunday, in the United States' first face-to-face meeting with the freshly installed government that seeks a...Mosul bombing victims battle ‘opaque compensation system’
The coalition admits more than 1,000 civilians killed in seven years HRW: The compensation system is opaque even for those with expertise MOSUL: It was March 17, 2017. Troops from the US-led coalition fighting militants in Iraq were advancing on Mosul’s Old City, squeezing out the Daesh militia. But just...US, France must take final decisions on nuclear deal: Iran
The 2015 deal saw Iran accept curbs on its nuclear capabilities Trump unilaterally withdrew three years later Iran on Friday said world powers must take any final decisions to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, after France and the United States suggested that time was running out. "The opposing sides are...Qatari investor in Deutsche Bank feels European banks should merge
*Sheikh Hamad feels it is the only way to take on US and Chinese globally *He is one of the German lender’s largest shareholders Qatari investor in Deutsche Bank AG, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, has appealed to European financial services to merge in order to take...47 killed in northern Yemen as battle for Marib flares
Rebels are seeking to seize control of Marib and its surrounding oil fields Fresh fighting comes after a diplomatic push by the UN and other failed Renewed battles between government forces and Huthi rebels over the strategic city of Marib in northern Yemen have left 47 dead, including 16 pro-government...US cutting forces, missile batteries in Middle East
The move comes as President Joe Biden's administration seeks to ease tensions with Iran The US military is rapidly adjusting its global footprint as it pulls out of Afghanistan The Pentagon said Friday it was cutting the number of troops and air defense units deployed to the...Iran mired in economic pain as presidential vote nears
Iran's 83 million people are suffering as jobs are scarce, prices are rising Economic crisis brought on by crippling sanctions and worsened by the pandemic When Iranians vote for a new president next week, they will do so in the depths of an economic crisis brought on by crippling sanctions...US, UAE hold economic policy dialogue, resolve to expand engagement
The UAE maintains its position as the US' largest trading partner in the MENA region for the 12th year in a row The UAE and US partnered to form the Economic Policy Dialogue in 2012 The US and the UAE have reaffirmed their desire to expand engagement and pursue new...Middle East Policy Council invites nomination for 40 Under 40 Awards
Nominations can be submitted in eight categories — government, education, academia/think tank, non-profit, journalism, arts and culture, and business The awards will recognize professionals making an impact in US-Middle East relations The Middle East Policy Council invites nominations for its first-ever 40 Under 40 Awards to recognize professionals making an impact in...Seven things to look for from the Trump-Kim meeting in Singapore
All eyes will be on the outcomes of Tuesday’s meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un. Happening on the neutral grounds of Singapore, this will be the first-ever meeting between the US and North Korea’s top leaders in the last many decades. Trump...