Category: 2. Middle East

DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran is ready to resume nuclear talks with the United States as long as some principles are respected, deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Thursday, a day before a meeting with European powers in Istanbul.

The Iranian diplomat said talks could resume as long as Tehran’s rights under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty are recognised, Washington builds trust with Tehran and guarantees that negotiations will not lead to renewed military action against Iran.

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Former Egyptian MP Dr Mohamed El-Beltagy has confirmed that he is still on hunger strike in protest against his prison conditions.

In a leaked message from Badr 3 Prison, shared by his wife, Sanaa Abdel-Gawad, El-Beltagy said he remains confined to a closed cell and is only allowed out for hospital visits or in extreme cases.

The former MP, affiliated with the banned Muslim Brotherhood, said: “Death is easier than my current situation.”

He added that he…

Hezbollah’s Media Relations has categorically denied media reports; circulated by the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath TV channels, claiming the party is ready to confront the Lebanese state.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Hezbollah affirmed that this news and information are completely false and comprise mere fabrications concocted by these TV channels that had aired them, to serve suspicious agendas seeking to create confusion and destabilize…

Egypt’s Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday the release of 1,056 prisoners under a presidential pardon.

In an official statement, the ministry said the step was carried out in line with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s decision to pardon those who met the required conditions for early release, on the occasion of the anniversary of the 23 July 1952 Revolution, which ended the monarchy in Egypt.

The ministry added that review committees had examined the…

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA/CAIRO (Reuters) -The Bakrons and al-Bareems, two families from opposite ends of Gaza, have criss-crossed the rubble-strewn territory many times during 21 months of war, in search of food and shelter from Israeli attacks.

They’ve sought refuge in the homes of friends and relatives, in school classrooms and in tents, moving frequently as the Israeli military has ordered civilians from one zone to another.

The Bareems, from southern Gaza, have a disabled child who they…

In 21 months of war in Gaza, the destruction and damage of 70 percent of buildings has buried the Palestinian territory under millions of tonnes of debris and plunged it into darkness, according to data from the UN and NASA analysed by AFP.

The Israeli army has relentlessly pounded the densely populated territory of 365 square kilometres (141 square miles) in retaliation for Hamas’s 2023 attack, which sparked the war and resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, most of them…

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has underscored the urgent need to commence the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip as soon as a ceasefire agreement is reached between Israel and the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas.

This statement was made during a phone call on Wednesday with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. 

El-Sisi reiterated Egypt’s steadfast opposition to the displacement of Palestinians from their homeland and affirmed support for…

The Israeli Knesset (parliament) voted Wednesday for a non-binding motion for the agenda to annex the occupied West Bank including the Jordan Valley.

The motion was backed by 71 members of the 120-seat assembly against 13 votes, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported.

According to the newspaper, the proposal is not legally or legislatively binding but rather “a declaration by the Knesset.”

The Kahol Lavan and Yesh Atid parties abstained from voting.

The draft…

ATHENS (Reuters) -Greece will deploy a salvage vessel in the Red Sea to assist in maritime accidents and protect seafarers and global shipping, the shipping minister said on Thursday, following attacks on two Greek vessels by Yemen’s Houthi militants this month.

Two Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated cargo ships, Magic Seas and Eternity C, sank off Yemen after repeated attacks by the Iran-aligned militant group.

The strikes on the two vessels marked a resumption of attacks on shipping by the…