Trump’s envoy reveals plan to unite Gaza and West Bank
The White House’s peace plan entails intentions to unify the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Jason Greenblatt, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, told Ynet on Tuesday.
oil
Italy scares markets and Europe, again, with new calls to leave the euro
The Italian government is creating further turmoil in financial markets on Tuesday morning, after new comments that Rome would be better outside of the euro zone.
Turkey’s Erdogan says court will decide fate of detained U.S. pastor
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said a Turkish court, not politicians, will decide the fate of an American pastor whose detention on terrorism charges has roiled relations between Ankara and Washington.
EU, Iran set financial “vehicle” to ease trade between them
Five world powers and Iran agreed late Monday to establish a financial facility in the European Union to facilitate payments for Iranian imports and exports including oil, a key move sought by Tehran following the U.S. pullout from the 2015 nuclear deal and its re-imposition of sanctions.
GOP Senator May Block Kavanaugh Confirmation After Woman Claims Sexual Attack
President Donald Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court was thrust into turmoil Sunday after the woman accusing him of high school-era sexual misconduct told her story publicly for the first time. Democrats immediately called for a delay in a key committee vote set for this later week and a Republican on the closely divided panel said he’s ‘not comfortable’ voting on the nomination without first hearing from the accuser.
Strengthening Hurricane Florence Takes Aim at US Southeast
A rapidly strengthening Hurricane Florence churned across the Atlantic on Sunday toward a possible direct hit on the U.S. Southeast late this week, triggering warnings to people up and down the coast to get their emergency kits ready, map out escape routes and fill sandbags.
Political rows, worsening security greet Mattis in Afghanistan
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Kabul on Friday to meet the new commander of NATO troops in Afghanistan and discuss progress on talks with the Taliban, despite deteriorating security and turmoil within the Afghan government.
U.S. sanctions ‘will cripple the economy’ of Iran, say economists
The slated US sanctions targeting Iran’s energy and financial sectors in early November will pulverize the Islamic Republic’s struggling economy, according to a new analysis released last week by economists.
Iran to open lawsuit against Washington’s sanctions at UN’s top court
Iran will argue Monday against renewed sanctions imposed by the United States, as a bitter legal battle between Tehran and Washington opens before the UN’s top court.
China Shifts to Iranian Tankers to Keep Oil Flowing Amid US Sanctions
Chinese buyers of Iranian oil are starting to shift their cargoes to vessels owned by National Iranian Tanker Co (NITC) for nearly all of their imports to keep supply flowing amid the re-imposition of economic sanctions by the United States.
Two Iranian-Americans Charged With Spying on Jewish, Israeli Facilities
Two Iranian-Americans have been charged by the Trump administration with spying on Jewish and Israeli-associated facilities in California on behalf of the hardline Iranian regime, the Department of Justice announced late Monday.
‘ISIS 2.0’: Semi-independent terror cells, loyal only to radical ideology, plot strikes around world
Osama Bin Laden has been dead for years and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s ‘caliphate’ in the Middle East has crumbled, but the global jihadist threat continues to boil as extremists retreat underground to plot terror strikes around the world.
Trump to Sanction Iranian Ship Identified in Facilitating Terror Strikes
The Trump administration will take action against an Iranian ship that has been stationed at a key choke point in the Red Sea for months and is believed to be providing significant military aid to terrorist forces in Yemen, according to U.S. officials and military experts familiar with the situation.
UN says an estimated 2.3 million people have fled Venezuela
An estimated 2.3 million Venezuelans had fled the crisis-wracked country as of June, mainly to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil, the United Nations said Tuesday.
Iran test-fires ballistic missile for first time in 2018, officials say
For the first time in more than a year, Iran test-fired a ballistic missile in a brazen display of defiance months after President Trump pulled the United States out of a landmark nuclear deal and days before his administration slapped new sanctions on the Islamic Republic, three U.S. officials with knowledge of the launch tell Fox News.
Has Europe become an Iranian tool to circumvent U.S. sanctions?
On Monday, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, in conjunction with the top diplomats of Britain, France and, for that matter, Germany, released a joint statement expressing ‘deep regret’ over the re-imposition of American sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
Once-eased US economic sanctions against Iran back in effect
The first set of U.S. sanctions against Iran that had been eased under the landmark nuclear accord went back into effect early Tuesday under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, targeting financial transactions that involve U.S. dollars, Iran’s automotive sector, the purchase of commercial planes and metals including gold.
Iran gearing up for major drill threatening to shut Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard forces are gearing up to stage a major exercise in the Persian Gulf, perhaps within the next 48 hours that could be aimed at demonstrating their ability to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, according to a CNN report citing two US officials ‘directly familiar with the latest US assessment of IRGC troop movements.’
U.S. Issues New Warning to Europe: End Business With Iran or Face Harsh Sanctions
Congress and the Trump administration are issuing a stern warning to European partners: End all business ties with the Iranian regime or face harsh new sanctions in the coming months, a move that could impact international financial markets and U.S. banks tied to foreign monetary institutions, according to multiple senior U.S. officials who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon about diplomatic efforts to pressure Europe on Iran.
Iran planning Gulf ‘swarm’ drill involving 100 gun boats within days, US officials say
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard is expected to put 100 gun boats in the Persian Gulf sometime in the next 48 hours to practice ‘swarm’ tactics simulating actions which could potentially shut down the Strait of Hormuz, where roughly 10 percent of the world’s oil passes through each year, two U.S. officials said Wednesday.