Iraqi leaders are examining a new draft deal under which US troops would remain in the country after the UN mandate expires later this year, officials say.

A signing ceremony has been held in Damascus establishing diplomatic relations for the first time between Syria and Lebanon.

TEHRAN (FNA)- US officials must end the practice of pointing to Iranian interference every time the Washington strategy for Iraq falters, Iranian officials said Tuesday.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran said its engineers trained in Russia are ready to begin work at the country’s first nuclear power plant.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran Tuesday shortened the length of its mandatory military service by up to two months.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran plans to gradually cut from the next Iranian year the amount of heavily-subsidized gasoline motorists can buy and completely eliminate subsidies by 2011, an Iranian official said in comments published on Tuesday.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran plans to build a Persian Pipeline for shipping its natural gas to Europe that would be independent of the EU-backed Nabucco project, a senior Iranian official said on Monday.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian officials embarked on an intense lobbying campaign to gather enough support to gain a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

TEHRAN (FNA)- The financial crisis is the result of “mistakes” by the United States and shows the limits of Washington’s power to influence world events, Iran’s parliament speaker said Tuesday.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Tehran is ready to resume talks with Washington on security problems in Iraq, a spokesman for the Iranian embassy in Baghdad said Tuesday.