Mena Today

Nouri al-Maliki said Monday he has no intention of withdrawing his bid for Iraq’s premiership, despite reported US warnings that support for Baghdad could be suspended if he returns to office.

U.S. forces began pulling out of their largest base in northeastern Syria on Monday, three Syrian military and security sources said, part of a wider departure as the U.S.-allied government in Damascus consolidates control.

Iraq's foreign minister said on Monday Turkey had agreed to take back Turkish citizens from among thousands of Islamic State detainees transferred to Iraq from Syria when camps and prisons there were shut in recent weeks.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun during a working visit to Washington.

Rob Jetten became the youngest prime minister in Dutch history on Monday when his minority government was formally confirmed in power by King Willem-Alexander.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday called for a diplomatic solution regarding Iran, arguing that the country is currently in a position of significant weakness as it faces mounting pressure from the United States.

Iran and the U.S. will hold a third round of nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva, Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on Sunday, amid growing concerns about the risk of military conflict between the longtime adversaries.

Iran agreed a secret 500 million euro ($589 million) arms deal with Russia to acquire thousands of advanced shoulder-fired missiles, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel is working to build a new network of regional alliances to counter what he described as both the “weakened Iranian Shiite axis” and an “emerging radical Sunni axis,” according to Israeli media reports.

Escalating tensions in the Middle East are emerging as a major force in global financial markets, and UBS believes the situation could drive gold prices significantly higher. 

Comments by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggesting that Israel had a biblical right to much of the Middle East drew condemnation over the weekend from countries across the region, who called his remarks "dangerous and inflammatory".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will pay an official visit to Israel on Wednesday.