Tag Archives: Iran
The Latest: Israel announces attacks on Iran forces in Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The latest on the Syrian conflict (all times local):
Iran state TV presenter arrested by FBI and moved to Washington DC, say reports
The Latest: Son: Jailed Iran state TV anchor would help FBI
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Latest on detention of American-born news anchor for Iran's state television (all times local):
Senior US official vows to counter Iran on Lebanon visit
BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. will step up efforts to counter Iran's "dangerous activities" around the region including the financing and activities of proxy organizations such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, a senior U.S. official said Monday.
Iran summons Polish envoy in protest against upcoming summit
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Angered by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's announcement that Poland will host an international conference on Iran in mid-February, Iranian authorities on Sunday summoned Warsaw's top diplomat in the country and called off a Polish film festival.
White House sought military strike against Iran
The White House demanded that the military draft plans for strikes on Iran after attacks in Iraq last year, sparking concern at the Pentagon and State Department, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. The report said the move came after a mortar attack launched by an Iran-linked group on the Baghdad diplomatic quarters home to the US embassy in September. It added that the NSC also requested options to respond with strikes in Iraq and Syria.
White House asked for options to strike Iran: WSJ
The White House’s national security team last fall asked the Pentagon to provide it with options for striking Iran after a group of militants aligned with Tehran fired mortars into an area in Baghdad that is home to the U.S. Embassy, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. The request by the National Security Council, which is led by John Bolton, sparked deep concern among Pentagon and State Department officials, the newspaper reported, citing current and former U.S. officials.
Iran foreign minister in Baghdad for talks
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with his Iraqi counterpart in Baghdad on Sunday for wide-ranging talks, including on US sanctions against Tehran. The visit came just days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a surprise stop on his regional tour to urge Iraq to stop relying on Iran for gas and electricity imports. Washington has granted Baghdad a waiver until late March to keep buying Iranian gas and power, despite reimposing tough sanctions on Tehran in November.
U.S. withdrawal from Syria does not jeopardize efforts to counter Iran, Pompeo says
The U.S. decision to withdraw troops from Syria will not jeopardize Washington’s efforts to counter threats in the region, which come from Iran and Islamic State, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday. Pompeo was in Jordan, making his first visit to the Middle East since President Donald Trump’s abrupt announcement that he will pull the 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria, which caused alarm among U.S. allies in the region and prompted the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
Pompeo says cooperation with Israel over Syria and Iran to continue
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said as he met with Pompeo in the Brazilian capital that he planned to discuss how to intensify intelligence and operations cooperation in Syria and elsewhere to block Iranian “aggression.” In his first public comments on Trump’s decision, Pompeo said it “in no way changes anything that this administration is working on alongside Israel.” “The counter-ISIS campaign continues, our efforts to counter Iranian aggression continue and our commitment to Middle East stability and the protection of Israel continues in the same way it did before that decision was made,” he said. Trump announced last month that he planned to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, declaring that they had succeeded in their mission to defeat Islamic State and were no longer needed in the country.
