in Iraq
Voice of America
US: Stopping Iran’s Resupply of Houthis ‘Most Important’ to Secure Red Sea
Pentagon — As attacks by Iran-backed Houthis continue in the Red Sea, the commander in charge of U.S. military operations in the Middle East says the U.S. needs to stop Iran from providing the militants with weapons.
"The most important thing is to deny their ability to resupply from Iran. The Houthis are not building. They're putting it all together and assembling, but they don't create inertial navigation systems. They don't create medium-range ballistic missile...
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Protests Grow Against Powerful Jihadist Group in Syria Enclave
washington — Protests have continued in a northwestern Syrian enclave, a sign seen by analysts as a rare sign of defiance of a powerful jihadist group.
For several days, hundreds of people have protested in Idlib province where Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is considered the most powerful group.
HTS, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, controls most of Idlib and small parts of neighboring provinces. The enclave is one of the few areas outside the control of Syrian government forces.
A local...
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US Threatens Action Against Iran at Nuclear Agency Over 'Stonewalling'
VIENNA — The United States on Thursday threatened future action against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency if Tehran keeps "stonewalling" the U.N. nuclear watchdog by denying it the cooperation and answers it seeks on issues that include long-unexplained uranium traces.
At a quarterly meeting of the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors, Washington again told Iran to cooperate with IAEA inspectors who for years have been seeking explanations from Tehran on the origin of...
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Iran’s Claimed 41% Election Turnout ‘Golden’ for Authoritarian Uncompetitive Votes
WASHINGTON — Iran’s claimed 41% turnout for its March 1 elections, while a record low, is typical of figures used by authoritarian regimes to legitimize uncompetitive votes, the head of a European nonprofit group that researches the Iranian public’s attitudes told VOA this week.
In a televised Monday press briefing, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said 25 million of 61 million eligible voters cast ballots in the elections for the parliament and the Assembly of Experts, which chooses Iran’s...
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Biden Ordering US Military to Build Port in Gaza to Facilitate Aid
Washington — President Joe Biden will use his State of the Union address late Thursday to announce that he has directed the U.S. military to build a port in Gaza to facilitate delivery of critically needed aid for Palestinians displaced and suffering amid Israeli’s military campaign against Hamas.
The main feature of this port is a temporary pier which will provide capacity for hundreds of additional truckloads of assistance each day, with initial shipments coming via Cyprus with support of...
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Explainer: What Is Ramadan?
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US Muslims to Begin Ramadan Observance as War Rages in Gaza
WASHINGTON — The Islamic month of Ramadan is being observed this year as the Israel-Hamas war surges in Gaza, where the United Nations is warning of a growing humanitarian crisis.
Imam Talib Shareef of Masjid Muhammad, the Nation’s Mosque, in Washington said there will be differences in how Muslims observe this year because of the conflict.
Other than organizing prayers for the community, the mosque is "more engaged in service and feeding; we actually feed at the masjid and [also at]...
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3 Killed, 4 Hurt in Houthi Strike on Commercial Ship
pentagon — An anti-ship ballistic missile launched Wednesday from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen killed three crew members on a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
It was the first fatal strike by Iran-backed Houthi militants since the onslaught on international shipping lanes began in mid-November. It was the fifth such missile fired by the Houthis in two days, CENTCOM said.
The Houthi missile hit the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk...
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Iran Subjects Women to 'Draconian' Hijab Surveillance, Rights Group Says
Paris — Iranian authorities are subjecting women to widespread surveillance to enforce the obligatory headscarf, even inside cars, and then imposing punishments including the confiscation of vehicles, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
The Islamic republic's leadership was shaken in 2022 by mass protests that saw women denounce the dress code but has made clear it has no plan to abandon the obligatory hijab imposed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Amnesty said in a report,...
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In Photos: Economic, Regional Instability Pose Challenges for Egypt’s Tourism Industry
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US Urges Iran to Dilute All Its Near-Weapons-Grade Uranium
vienna — The United States on Wednesday called on Iran to dilute all of the uranium it has enriched to up to 60% purity, close to the weapons-grade level of roughly 90%, in a statement denouncing many of Tehran's recent nuclear moves.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a confidential report to member states last week that Iran's stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% had fallen slightly in the past quarter as it had diluted, or "downblended," more of its most...
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US Targets Houthi Revenue With New Sanctions
WASHINGTON — The United States on Wednesday issued sanctions targeting two companies and two vessels that the Treasury Department said had facilitated commodities shipments on behalf of a network of an Iranian-backed Houthi financial facilitator.
The action targets two Hong Kong- and Marshall Islands-based ship owners and two vessels for their role in shipping commodities on behalf of Sa'id al-Jamal, the Treasury Department said in a statement.
The revenue from the commodity sales...
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IS Militants Kill at Least 18 in Attack on Villagers Collecting Truffles in Eastern Syria
BEIRUT — Islamic State militants attacked villagers collecting truffles in eastern Syria on Wednesday, killing at least 18 people and leaving dozens injured and missing, opposition activists and pro-government media said.
It was one of the deadliest attacks by the Islamic State group in the area in more than a year, they said. The attack occurred in a desert area near the town of Kobajeb, in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour that borders Iraq.
Despite the militant group's defeat...
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Violence Concerns Rise at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa during Ramadan
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins next week, is a time of fasting and prayer for Muslims. This year, it is being held in the shadow of the war in Gaza, and emotions on all sides are running high, especially at East Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest site. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem.
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US Destroyer Shoots Down Missile, Drones Launched by Houthis
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A U.S. destroyer shot down drones and a missile launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels toward it in the Red Sea, officials said early Wednesday, as the Indian navy released images of it fighting a fire aboard a container ship earlier targeted by the Houthis.
The assault Tuesday apparently targeted the USS Carney, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that has been involved in the American campaign against the rebels who have launched attacks over Israel's war...
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Why is China Not Protecting Red Sea Shipping?
Another commercial ship was hit by a Houthi missile in the Gulf of Aden on Monday, causing damage. As Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen continue attacks on international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, a coalition of about two dozen countries, including the United States and United Kingdom, has been working to secure the waters. But noticeably absent from the coalition is China, even though about 40% of trade between Europe and Asia goes through the area. VOA’s...
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UN: Death Stalks Children in Gaza as Famine Looms, Life-saving Aid Denied
Geneva — More than a dozen children in Gaza have starved to death, and many more are at risk as malnutrition soars, infectious diseases spread, and urgently needed life-saving humanitarian aid is blocked from entering the Palestinian enclave, U.N. aid agencies warn.
“As of 3 March, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reports that 15 children have died of malnutrition and dehydration at Kamal Adwan Hospital, the only pediatric hospital in northern Gaza, and expressed fear for the lives of six...
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Biden: Gaza Cease-Fire Up to Hamas
Categories: Iraq
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