U.S. forces probably will not be a visible presence on Iraq’s streets five years from now, but the United States will remain a force in the country for years to come, Iraq’s ambassador to the U.S. predicted.

  OPEC exporters agreed Tuesday to pump an extra 500,000 barrels of oil a day to cool near-record crude prices in an apparent victory for Saudi Arabia over its reluctant partners.  The cartel is to open the taps from the beginning of November to ensure adequate supplies to the market …

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will attend an international conference of Iraq’s neighbors and others in Istanbul at the end of October. The meeting being organized by Turkish and Iraqi officials will be a follow-up to a similar ministerial-level meeting held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in May. VOA’s David Gollust …

Russian President Vladimir Putin is to visit Iran on October 16 to attend the summit of the Caspian Sea littoral states, Iran‘s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said here on Tuesday evening.

President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is at the forefront of Islamic Revolution and is guarding its values stronger, more determined and more cohesive than ever.

Syria complained to the United Nations about “aggression and violation of sovereignty” after Israeli warplanes reportedly conducted an airstrike in the country’s north, the country’s ambassador to the U.N. said Tuesday.

TEHRAN – The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps is an example of Iran’s power and glory, Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel said here on Monday.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad strongly condemned recent terrorist attacks in Algeria on Tuesday, saying that murdering defenseless people is “unacceptable.”

Iraq’s leaders today agreed on the agenda for a key political summit called by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in a bid to salvage Iraq’s unity government. Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, a Sunni Arab, said agreement came on the second day of preparatory talks involving some of the country’s most senior …

Afghanistan celebrated its independence from British rule yesterday with a military parade and a colorful display of the country’s national dresses, RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan reported.