Toplines Iranian officials are rejecting US offers to engage in negotiations over Iran’s ballistic missile program amid increasing US threats. Iranian Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani told al Jazeera on February 13 that Iran’s missile capability is a “firmly established” element of Iran’s defense doctrine and part of its deterrence …

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil recently declared that “Now is the time for a two-speed Europe. Germany, together with France and other partners, will therefore now take the lead in making Europe stronger and more independent. As the six biggest economies in Europe, we can now be the driving force.” …

The United States has evacuated its forces from the al-Tanf garrison in southeastern Syria, relocating personnel to neighboring Jordan as part of a broader military drawdown from Syrian territory, according to two security sources cited by Reuters on Wednesday. Strategically located at the tri-border junction of Syria, Jordan, and Iraq, …