Iran’s foreign minister continues to lobby for the United States to come to an agreement for the revival of the nuclear talks. In a meeting in Qatar with his counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian talked about the nuclear talks, regional issues and bilateral relations. …
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Kremlin demands rubles for gas, leaves currency loophole
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree Thursday demanding payment for natural gas in rubles but appeared to temper the order by allowing dollar and euro payments through a designated bank, the latest twist over energy supplies that Europe relies on to heat homes and generate electricity. The measure got …
Read More »West Africa and Turkey forge new security relations
Turkey is not a new actor in Africa but is an increasingly important one. Its presence in West Africa has aroused widespread attention and even concern. Talks about win-win policy and equal partnerships seem positive, especially as existing collaborations on peace and security, such as with France, haven’t produced the …
Read More »US Sanctions Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program as Nuclear Talks Continue
The United States Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on an Iran-based procurement agent, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, and his network of companies that procured ballistic missile propellant-related materials for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Research and Self Sufficiency Jihad Organization, the IRGC unit responsible for the research and development of ballistic …
Read More »US calls for ‘strong African response’ to Russian aggression
Nearly half of all African countries abstained or did not vote at all in both UN General Assembly votes seeking Russian ceasefire. The United States is hoping for “a strong African response” to Russian aggression and plans to help mitigate the economic effects of the Ukraine conflict on the continent, …
Read More »Blinken urges Algeria re-think on Russia, Western Sahara
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a three-nation tour of the Middle East and North Africa Wednesday with appeals for Algeria to limit ties with Russia and look to improve relations with neighboring Morocco. “The countries of North Africa and the Middle East have experienced themselves the consequences …
Read More »Russia Escalates Attacks on Ukraine as Peace Talks Apparently at Impasse
Russia has violated its pledge to scale back military operations on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and the northern city of Chernihiv, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday, as little progress was reported in the latest round of peace talks between the two countries. The Pentagon said Wednesday that Russia …
Read More »Biden to dispatch $500M more in direct aid to Ukraine
President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced that the U.S. will dispatch another $500 million in direct aid to Ukraine, the latest burst to Kyiv as the Russian invasion grinds on. The White House in a statement said Biden told Zelenskyy during a 55 minute call on the latest developments in …
Read More »Iraqi F-16s strike ISIS in Kirkuk
Iraqi Air Force F-16 aircraft attacked ISIS militants in Wadi al-Shay in southern Kirkuk province, the Iraqi military’s Security Media Cell announced on Tuesday. The Media Cell tweeted that the airstrike destroyed an ISIS target after the military obtained accurate intelligence about its location. “According to the available information, the …
Read More »Clashes between ISIL and Kurds kill four in Syrian camp
ISIL cell attack SDF-run Al-Hol camp, leading to the death of three civilians and one ISIL fighter. Three people, including a child, have been killed in northeastern Syria’s Al-Hol camp, caught in the fighting between Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in charge of the site and ISIL (ISIS) cells, a …
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