Middle Orient

At a summit of Arab leaders this week, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia said the U.S. is illegally occupying Iraq. What are the political implications for such a statement from a key ally in the region?

Five suicide bombers struck Shi’ite marketplaces in northeast Baghdad and a town north of the capital at nightfall, killing at least 122 people and wounding more than 150 in one of Iraq’s deadliest days in years.

Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh issued a vague warning on Friday that Hamas would reassess its options if economic sanctions are not lifted on the Palestinian unity government within two to three months.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas a “terrorist” and accused him of personally transferring over $1 million to militants to carry out attacks against Israel.

Tehran’s Interim Friday Prayers Leader Ahmad Khatami called on the UN Security Council, European Union and other international bodies not to interfere with the current problem between Tehran and London, saying that Britain has trespassed Iran’s borders and the issue must be solved by the two countries themselves.

Following increased tensions between Tehran and London over the detention of 15 British marines who entered Iranian waters illegally and likely gatherings by protestors in front of the embassy compound, the police increased security measures and arrangements around the embassy here in Tehran on Friday.

I do apologize to the Iranian people for entering Iranian waters illegally and without any permission, Thomas Summers, one of the 15 British marines who were arrested after trespassing Iran’s territorial waters said here on Friday.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a phone conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, stressed that Britain should apologize to Iran for having trespassed the territorial waters of Iran.

As sectarian violence in Iraq continues to flare up despite a massive Bush-ordered military escalation, The Independent is reporting that British government officials have described as “sound” the methods used to estimate that more than 600,000 Iraqis have been killed since the invasion.

President Bush sought to shore up the GOP minority in Congress for a showdown with Democrats over Iraq, surrounding himself with Republican allies at the White House on Thursday to bolster his veto threat on anti-war legislation.