Category: 2. Middle East

The US said Friday it is keeping a close watch on Syrian interim authorities and shared steps it expects from the new leadership, including action against terrorism and improved governance, Anadolu reports.

“The United States continues to closely monitor the actions of the Syrian interim authorities,” US Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Dorothy Shea said at a UN Security Council meeting on Syria, adding that Washington remains hopeful about the interim Cabinet…

A Palestinian teen was killed Friday by the Israeli army during a raid in the northern occupied West Bank, Anadolu reports.

The head of the municipal council of Salem village, Adli Shtayyeh, told Anadolu that Abdul Khaleq Jbour, 17, was killed in the village in eastern Nablus.

He said Jbour sustained a critical chest wound from live fire and later died from his injuries at the hospital.

The official noted that Israeli forces raided the village, triggering clashes…

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Friday said that the time to dissolve the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group has “long come,” as he held talks with OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu in Baku, Anadolu Agency reports.

“The head of state stated that the time has long come to abolish the OSCE Minsk Group, which had completely failed in resolving the former Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, and all institutions…

The United States and Iran were to hold a fresh round of technical and high-level nuclear negotiations in Oman on Saturday, after both sides reported progress in previous meetings.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, leading Tehran’s delegation, arrived in Muscat on Friday ahead of the mediated talks, with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff expected to head the American side.

Araghchi expressed “cautious optimism” about the process this week, saying that “if the sole demand by the US is…

The United States and Iran reported progress in their latest round of nuclear talks on Saturday and agreed to meet again next week as they pursue a deal that could help ease soaring Middle East tensions.

A US official called the talks “positive and productive”, and Iran’s top diplomat said the two sides will study how to narrow their differences on a range of subjects before next week’s fourth round.

The highest-level contact in years between the long-time foes is targeting a new deal that…

The United States and Iran went into detail about a potential nuclear deal Saturday at their third consecutive round of talks, hoping to strike an accord that would ease regional tensions.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi again led the talks, which this time included a technical-level meeting between experts from both sides.

The discussions via mediators in Muscat, the Omani capital, lasted more than seven hours, according to Iranian officials and…

The United States and Iran were expected to start haggling over details of a potential nuclear deal in Oman on Saturday as they entered their third round of talks in as many weeks.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are again leading the discussions, which this time included a technical-level meeting between experts from both sides.

The talks are aimed at striking a new deal that would stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons — an objective Tehran…

US President Donald Trump said Friday that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week that he has to be “good” to the “suffering” residents of the besieged Gaza Strip, Anadolu news agency reported.

Asked if he raised the issue of humanitarian aid deliveries, which Israel has blocked for over seven weeks, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he told Netanyahu during a Tuesday phone call that “you’ve got to be good…

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and army chief Eyal Zamir on Friday met with the commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), Michael Kurilla.

Katz said on his X account that the meeting with Kurilla focused on “several security and regional issues.”

He hailed the US commander for what he described as his “significant contribution” to Israel’s security and for strengthening the “strategic alliance” between Israel and the US.

The statement,…