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Iran, on Wednesday, condemned the fresh US sanctions, saying the penalties reflect Washington’s lack of goodwill for negotiations, Anadolu Agency reports.

The US Department of the Treasury imposed new sanctions on Tuesday against an Iranian businessman and his large shipping network for allegedly selling oil and gas to other countries.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baqaei, said the fresh sanctions undermine the US claim of willingness to negotiate…

Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, called on Hamas on Wednesday to lay down arms and hand the running of Gaza to his Palestinian Authority, part of efforts to answer international doubts over the Authority’s role at a key moment for the region, Reuters reports.

Abbas was speaking at a leadership council where he is expected this week to name a successor, amid pressure from Western and Arab powers concerned about the PA’s ability to play a viable-long term…

Jordan announced on Wednesday it was banning the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist movement, accusing it of manufacturing and stockpiling weapons and planning to destabilise the kingdom.

The move comes after authorities said they arrested 16 people, including members of the Brotherhood, over an alleged sabotage plot.

“It has been decided to ban all activities of the so-called Muslim Brotherhood and to consider any activity (carried out by it) a violation of the…