Category: Middle East

Taliban Agrees With China, Pakistan to Bring Belt and Road Initiative to Afghanistan

The Taliban has agreed to extend China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects to Afghanistan and pledged to deepen trilateral cooperation with China and Pakistan to achieve “win-win results.” Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang held talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Pakistan’s Islamabad on…


12 Killed in Multi-Vehicle Crash in Turkey’s Hatay Province

ISTANBUL—A multi-vehicle crash in southern Turkey’s Hatay province killed at least 12 people and injured 31 others, including three seriously, officials said. A truck crossed into opposite lanes after the driver lost control late Saturday, colliding with nine cars and two minibuses, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Many of the vehicles were parked by…


Iran Hangs Swedish–Iranian Convicted Over Attack That Killed 25 People

DUBAI—Iran on Saturday executed a Swedish–Iranian dissident convicted of leading an Arab separatist group accused of attacks including one on a military parade in 2018 that killed 25 people, the Iranian judiciary said. The Swedish foreign ministry said it had summoned Iran’s deputy ambassador to protest the execution of Habib Farajollah Chaab, which it confirmed…


National Security Adviser Calls for Resumption of Iran Talks After Report of Country’s Nuclear Advancement

National security adviser Jake Sullivan called on May 4 for the resumption of negotiations with Iran in response to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s warning that Iran has enough material to build five nuclear bombs. “While one Iranian arm spreads weapons and [terrorist] proxies, the other continues its program to obtain nuclear military capabilities. And…


After Report That Iran Can Build 5 Nuclear Bombs, Top Biden Advisor Calls for Resumption of Talks With Regime

National security adviser Jake Sullivan called on May 4 for the resumption of negotiations with Iran in response to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s warning that Iran has enough material to build five nuclear bombs. “While one Iranian arm spreads weapons and [terrorist] proxies, the other continues its program to obtain nuclear military capabilities. And…


After Report That Iran Can Build 5 Nuclear Bombs, Top Biden Adviser Calls for Resumption of Talks With Regime

National security adviser Jake Sullivan called on May 4 for the resumption of negotiations with Iran in response to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s warning that Iran has enough material to build five nuclear bombs. “While one Iranian arm spreads weapons and [terrorist] proxies, the other continues its program to obtain nuclear military capabilities. And…


Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Seizes Tanker in Strait of Hormuz

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seized a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, the second such capture by Tehran in under a week amid heightened tensions over its nuclear program. The taking of the oil tanker Niovi renewed concerns about Iran threatening maritime traffic in the strait, the…


Leaders of Syria, Iran Meet in Damascus, Reaffirm ‘Strategic’ Ties

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Damascus on May 3, where he signed a “strategic cooperation” agreement with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad. Raisi’s two-day visit to Damascus is the first trip to Syria by an Iranian head of state since 2011, when protests against Assad and his government rapidly escalated into full-blown civil conflict….


Blinken Fails for Second Time to Comply With Congressional Subpoena to Produce Cable From Afghan Withdrawal

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has failed again to comply with a congressional subpoena, which required the State Department to hand over by May 1 a dissent cable from the time of the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, The Epoch Times has learned. This is the second time the State Department has failed to comply…


Blinken Fails Again to Comply With Congressional Subpoena to Produce Cable From Afghan Withdrawal

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has failed again to comply with a congressional subpoena, which required the State Department to hand over by May 1 a dissent cable from the time of the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, The Epoch Times has learned. This is the second time the State Department has failed to comply…