in Iraq
Iraq
Rights Group: Europeans Should Press Iran to End Media Muzzling
An international media rights group says European powers seeking to preserve the Iran nuclear deal should use their talks with Tehran to press for an end to its harassment of journalists.
In a report published Thursday, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said the current international focus on Iran's economic ties with Europe "could represent an opening to engage on press freedom."
European diplomats have held talks with Iranian officials in recent weeks...
Categories: Iraq
Lebanese PM Hariri Named to Form New Government
Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri has been named to form a new government following consultations by President Michel Aoun with top members of parliament at the presidential palace in Baabda.
Hariri said Thursday that he would try to form the government quickly after listening to the demands of various political factions. He told journalists the main tasks of the new government would be to tackle corruption, economic reform and the Syrian refugee crisis.
Hariri, whose...
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Pompeo: US Not Pushing for Regime Change in Iran
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the Trump administration is not pushing for a regime change in Iran, but to achieve global consensus on how to get Tehran to "behave like a normal nation."
Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday the administration is "well along" with plans to impose previous and new sanctions against Iran with a goal "to deny Iran the wealth to do bad stuff."
Wednesday, the top U.S. diplomat told the House...
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UN Atomic Agency: Iran Complying With 2015 Nuclear Pact
The International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday Iran is complying with restrictions on its nuclear program in accord with the 2015 international agreement. The inspectors' assessment is the first since U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the pact.
The United Nations atomic watchdog said Tehran is staying within limits on the level to which it can enrich uranium, the size of its stock of enriched uranium and other strictures. But it chided Iran for limiting...
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UN: Attacks on Healthcare Facilities in Libya Likely War Crimes
The United Nations — in a joint report by the UN Human Rights Office and the U.N. Support Mission in Libya — condemns widespread, indiscriminate attacks by all armed groups in Libya against healthcare facilities and personnel, saying they could constitute war crimes.
The U.N. agencies have recorded 36 attacks on medical facilities, personnel or patients between May 2017 and May 2018. But, U.N. human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani notes monitors are severely restricted in their...
Categories: Iraq
Once a Foe, US Now Hopes Iraqi Firebrand Shi’ite Cleric Becomes a Friend
The prospect of firebrand Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr wielding the greatest influence of any Iraqi leader over the formation of a government in Baghdad would have prompted panic in Washington years ago.
In the wake of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and ouster of Saddam Hussein, al-Sadr’s Mahdi army butchered Sunni Muslims in Baghdad and resisted Coalition forces. In inflammatory sermons, Al-Sadr urged his followers to attack American soldiers and to throw out “foreign occupiers.”
But...
Categories: Iraq
Syrian Monitor: Dozen Die in Airstrike Likely Led by US
A Syria war-monitoring group says at least 12 pro-government fighters were killed in airstrikes the previous night in the country’s east.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says none of the fatalities were Syrian nationals but foreign fighters.
Syria’s government forces have relied on support from the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group and also regional militias organized by Iran to wage war on rebels and Islamic State militants.
In Damascus, government media...
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VOA Interview: Former Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf
VOA Contributor Greta Van Susteren interviews former Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who said Pakistan has been a “most loyal ally” of the United States, but the US “ditches” Pakistan when it’s politically convenient and favors Pakistan’s enemy, India.
Categories: Iraq
Iran’s Striking Truckers Jolt Government into Addressing Grievances
A newly launched strike by Iranian truckers in seven of Iran’s provinces appears to have alarmed the government, jolting officials into trying to persuade the drivers to return to work.
The Iranian state-run news agency Tasnim quoted a transport official on Wednesday as saying it is “reasonable” for truck drivers to demand greater fees for transporting cargo to compensate for their rising costs. The official, Dariush Amani of Iran’s Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization, said...
Categories: Iraq
At least Four Killed, 15 Wounded in Baghdad Bomb Blast
At least four people were killed and 15 wounded in a suicide attack in Iraq's capital Baghdad on Thursday, a military spokesman told Reuters.
The attack took place in the predominantly Shi'ite Shula district, in northwest Baghdad.
According to a statement from Iraq's National Security media center, the attacker detonated an explosive vest after he was besieged by security forces at the entrance to the Saqlawiyah park, resulting in the death and injury of "a number...
Categories: Iraq
Joan Wile, a Grandmother Against the War in Iraq, Dies at 86
She and other contemporaries held weekly curbside protests in New York for nearly nine years and was arrested twice when they took on Times Square military recruiters.
Categories: Iraq
UN Envoy: Gaza Strip on 'Verge of Collapse'
The United Nations envoy for the Middle East peace process warned Wednesday that the Gaza Strip “is on the verge of collapse” and urged the international community to prevent conflict from erupting there again.
“We must act urgently to avoid another war, to alleviate the suffering of people and to empower the Palestinian government to take up its responsibilities in Gaza,” Nickolay Mladenov told a U.N. Security Council meeting on the subject.
Violence has spiraled in the...
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Macron Heads to Russia to Save Iran Nuclear Deal
French President Emmanuel Macron heads to St. Petersburg Thursday for talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, whose support is key on matters ranging from salvaging the Iran nuclear deal to securing steady European gas supplies.
Business also is high on the agenda of Macron's two-day visit, which coincides with a key economic forum in St. Petersburg.
Some observers say Macron's trip comes within a broader context of thawing European relations with Russia, as seen in...
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Egypt Detains Activist Blogger Amid New Wave of Arrests
An Egyptian activist and blogger known for documenting police abuse was detained on Wednesday, security officials said, the latest in a new wave of arrests following elections earlier this year.
Wael Abbas was taken from his home in a Cairo suburb on accusations that include disseminating false news and joining an outlawed group, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.
The Arabic Network for Human Rights said...
Categories: Iraq
Syrian Official Rejects US Demand for Iranian Withdrawal
Syria on Wednesday dismissed American calls for the withdrawal of Iranian troops and Lebanese Hezbollah militants from the war-torn country.
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad told Russia's Sputnik news agency that "this topic is not even on the agenda of discussion, since it concerns the sovereignty of Syria."
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a list of demands this week for a new nuclear deal with Iran, including the pullout of its forces from Syria,...
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Israel Court Freezes Deportation Order Against Rights Worker
Human Rights Watch says an Israeli court has frozen an expulsion order against its local director, allowing him to remain in the country while he fights the planned deportation.
Israel this month ordered Omar Shakir to leave the country, claiming he supports boycotts of Israel. The group says that neither it nor Shakir, a U.S. citizen, support boycotts and accuses the government of trying to stifle criticism of its human rights record.
Shakir had been given until midnight...
Categories: Iraq
France: New US Sanctions on Iran Could Destabilize Region
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Wednesday if the United States imposed new tough sanctions on Iran, it risks further destabilizing the Middle East.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened earlier this week to apply "unprecedented financial pressure" on Iran if it does not change its behavior, as he laid out a 12-point list of demands for a new nuclear deal.
Le Drian told France Inter radio that levying new sanctions will not foster dialogue, but would...
Categories: Iraq
Iraq's Election Creates New Uncertainties for US
As the winning Iraqi political blocs enter a period of intense negotiations to form a new government following a general election, the United States faces new challenges to protect the gains made against Islamic State and prevent Iran from boosting its clout via Shiite militias in the new Iraqi government, experts warn.
Iraq held elections to pick a new parliament and government on May 12 for the first time since the emergence of IS in the country in 2014.
Results were announced last...
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Pompeo: US Working to Bring Home US Detainees from Iran
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed Tuesday to bring home American detainees in Iran, saying “the entire United States government” is working “diligently” and is utilizing “every avenue” and “mechanism.”
“I mentioned a handful of names yesterday. There are more around the world I didn’t identify in yesterday’s remarks," said the chief American diplomat during his first appearance at the State Department briefing.
In his first major foreign policy address on...
Categories: Iraq
UAE Denies Trying to Meddle in 2016 US Election
The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday that it did not try to influence the 2016 presidential election in Donald Trump's favor.
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted the denial following U.S. news reports that Donald Trump Jr. met with Saudi and UAE envoys in 2016.
"Attention needs to be paid to facts over innuendo and speculation. The UAE made no effort to influence the 2016 U.S. election," Gargash wrote. "Like other governments...
Categories: Iraq
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