Iran FM in Moscow as Russia moves to save nuclear deal
Iran’s foreign minister was in Moscow on Monday as Russia tries to keep the Iran nuclear deal alive in the wake of Washington’s pull-out, pushing it into rare cooperation with Europe.
Europe
Pompeo reaches out to European counterparts amid Iran tensions
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to German, French and British counterparts in recent days to discuss cooperation over Iran, a State Department spokeswoman said on Monday a week after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal.
Trump readies crackdown on foreign ‘freeloading’ in bid to lower prescription drug prices
President Trump is set to propose the most comprehensive plan to tackle prescription drug prices in history, the White House boasted Thursday, setting a high bar for an upcoming address in which Mr. Trump plans to put ‘American patients first’ by cracking down on ‘freeloading’ by foreign nations and requiring Medicare to give a leg up to seniors.
Israel, Cyprus, Greece push East Med gas pipeline to Europe
The leaders of Israel, Cyprus and Greece said Tuesday they are determined to push ahead with plans for a pipeline that would supply east Mediterranean gas to Europe as the continent seeks to diversify its supplies.
Regime change in Iran is goal of Trump’s sanctions, tough U.S. terms, analysts say
President Trump says he hopes ‘maximum pressure’ sanctions will coerce Iran into accepting a better and stronger nuclear deal, but with Tehran unlikely to accept concessions being demanded by the White House, many are beginning to suggest that the administration’s actual goal is regime change.
Iran says it may resume enrichment after Trump announces nuke deal exit
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday slammed US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the nuclear deal as an act of ‘psychological warfare,’ warning that his country could start enriching uranium more than ever in the coming weeks.
In joint front, Europe’s Merkel, Macron and May vow to uphold Iran deal
In a show of European unity against the US president, the leaders of France, Germany and the UK vowed Tuesday to uphold the Iran nuclear deal despite Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from it.
Defying world, Trump says US withdrawing from Iran nuclear deal
President Trump announced the US was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday, following through on a campaign promise and defying European allies who implored him to maintain an agreement that international agencies have said Tehran is honoring.
EU piles last-minute pressure on US over Iran nuclear deal
The EU is demanding the nuclear deal with Iran remain intact and unchanged ahead of US plans to possibly scrap the pact.
Netanyahu Says Better to Face Iran Sooner Rather Than Later
Israel will do what’s needed to block Iranian aggression, sooner rather than later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.
John Kerry under fire for reported ‘shadow diplomacy’ to save Iran deal
Former Secretary of State John Kerry is under fire over a report claiming that he has been engaged in ‘shadow diplomacy’ with officials from Iran and Europe as part of a final attempt to save the seemingly doomed 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Russia eyes closer Iran ties, more trade if Trump nixes nuclear deal
A top Russian official said bilateral relations and trade with Iran could actually be enhanced if President Trump follows through on a threat to take the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran next week.
U.S. Army Special Forces Secretly Fighting Saudi Arabia’s War in Yemen
U.S. Army Special Forces have been covertly aiding in Saudi Arabia’s war against Zaidi Shiite Muslim insurgents in neighboring Yemen, where the rebels control the capital and often fire ballistic missiles, according to a new report by The New York Times.
Iranian foreign minister: Iran will not renegotiate nuclear deal
Iran will not renegotiate a 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, Iran’s foreign minister said on Thursday, as a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Europeans to ‘fix’ the deal loomed.
EU calls Abbas Holocaust remarks ‘unacceptable’
The European Union’s foreign service condemned remarks on the Holocaust by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as ‘unacceptable,’ echoing criticism on Wednesday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
World fumes over Abbas’s antisemitism
Friends and foes alike blasted Abbas as an “antisemite” and a “Holocaust denier,” after he charged that the Nazis killed Jews in the Holocaust because they were money lenders.
WH Cites Progress in 30-Day Tariff Negotiation Extension with EU, Canada, Mexico
The White House said Tuesday that the administration is extending tariff negotiations with the European Union, Mexico, and Canada for 30 days because it has seen some progress.
Israel to send professional teams to Europe to discuss Iran intel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the Iranian situation with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, his office announced Monday night.
Trump delays metal tariffs on Canada, EU, Mexico, exempts some others
U.S. President Donald Trump has postponed the imposition of steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada, the European Union and Mexico until June 1, and has reached agreements for permanent exemptions for Argentina, Australia and Brazil, the White House said on Monday.
Turkey Calls on Europe to Criminalize “Islamophobia”
At an event held in on April 11 to unveil the 2017 European Islamophobia Report — released by the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research — Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called on EU governments to criminalize Islamophobia.