Middle Orient

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt stole the diplomatic limelight for its efforts to end recent fighting in Gaza, but its failure to achieve a negotiated truce leaves a question mark over Cairo’s future as a preferred Arab mediator. U.S.-ally Egypt, an Arab regional heavyweight with a peace deal with Israel, has …

TEHRAN (FNA)- US forces continue to protect members of the anti-Iran terrorist group, the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) when they are out of their headquarters, an Iraqi provincial official said Wednesday. “MKO members rarely go out of the (Ashraf) camp and American Forces protect them when they are out,” Diyala …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran believes that the presidency term of Mahmoud Abbas in the Palestinian self-rule government is over and that new parliamentary elections should be held in Palestine, said Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki here on Wednesday. “We think Mahmoud Abbas’ term in the self-rule government is over and new …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iraqi National Security Adviser Muwafaq Al-Rubaie said here in Tehran on Wednesday that the anti-Iran terrorist group, the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) will be expelled soon from Iraq. The Iraqi official made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki here in Tehran today. Rubaie …

TEHRAN (FNA)- The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon described Israeli attacks on UN building and schools during war in Gaza outrageous. “It is an outrageous and totally unacceptable attack on the United Nations,” Ban said about the destruction of UN-run buildings and schools in Gaza during Israel’s 22-day war …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Czech charge d’affaire in Tehran Jan Kouril, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, to criticize EU’s double-standard policy towards human rights violations in Gaza. The Ministry also criticized European Union’s fecklessness that has encouraged Israel to continue brutalities against Palestinian …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran shut its natural gas pipeline to Turkey on Tuesday for maintenance work following a technical hitch. Mahmoud Loqmani, a supervisor at one of the gas dispatching centers in Iran, said Turkey’s state gas company BOTAS was informed of the stop in gas flow. Turkish media outlets also …

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel said it completed a troop pullout from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Wednesday, starting its relationship with U.S. President Barack Obama by quitting Palestinian land devastated by its 22-day offensive. “As of this morning, the last of the Israel Defense Forces soldiers have left the Gaza …

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israelis and Palestinians could all be twice as rich as they are today if conflict had not continued throughout the peace process of the past two decades, an international think tank said on Wednesday. The Strategic Foresight Group, an India-based body that says it has advised governments, …

SALATIN, Gaza Strip (Reuters) – Palestinian families returned to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday but many found there was nothing recognizable left standing. Women and children gazed around in dismay as they came in sight of Salatin, trundling slowly along on overloaded donkey carts or packed …