Category: Middle East

US Denies Iran’s Claims of Prisoner, Cash Swap; UK Downplays

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—The United States on Sunday immediately denied a report by Iranian state-run television that deals had been reached for the Islamic Republic to release U.S. and British prisoners in exchange for Tehran receiving billions of dollars. Even after an initial American denial, an anchorwoman on Iranian state TV still repeated the announcement….


Dozens Crushed to Death in Crowd at Israeli Religious Festival

MOUNT MERON, Israel—Dozens of people were crushed to death in a crowd at a religious bonfire festival in Israel on Friday, medics said, in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a “heavy disaster.” The crush occurred as tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews thronged to the Galilee tomb of 2nd-century sage Rabbi Shimon Bar…


Crush at Israeli Religious Festival Kills At Least 44

MOUNT MERON, Israel—At least 44 people were crushed to death at an over-crowded religious bonfire festival in Israel on Friday, medics said, in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a “heavy disaster”. The crush occurred as tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews thronged to the Galilee tomb of 2nd-century sage Rabbi Shim Bar Yochai…


Full Lockdown Takes Effect in Turkey, People Leave Cities

ANKARA, Turkey—People in Turkey stocked up on groceries, filled markets and left cities for their hometowns or the southern coast Thursday before the country entered its strictest lockdown of the pandemic. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan imposed a “full lockdown” that took effect at 1600 GMT (12 p.m. EDT) and will last until May 17 amid…


Reviving Obama’s Iran Nuclear Deal Means War, Not Peace

Commentary April 27 was an explosive Tuesday for the Middle East, explosive diplomatically in Vienna and Washington, but literally explosive in one incident: the drone boat attack on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea oil port of Yanbu. In Vienna, Austria, talks involving Iran, Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia resumed, with the United States participating “indirectly.”…


Trump Administration Safeguarded America Better Than Most: Kash Patel

Kash Patel, a former senior official in the Trump administration and key figure in uncovering the facts behind the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation of Trump’s 2016 campaign, said that he hopes the administration’s legacy of protecting America will not be forgotten. In an interview with The Epoch Times’ “American Thought Leaders” program, Patel noted that he…


Israeli Military Says It Downed Hezbollah Drone on Lebanon Border

JERUSALEM—Israeli forces brought down a drone belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah group that crossed into northern Israel from Lebanon on Tuesday, the Israeli military said. In a statement, the military said that earlier in the day troops had located another Hezbollah drone that also had been downed along the border with Lebanon several weeks ago….


US Navy Fires Warning Shots on 3 Iranian Vessels After Close Encounter

The U.S. Navy on Tuesday fired warning shots toward three patrol boats with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) in the north Persian Gulf after a close encounter with American vessels. The United States military said in a statement that the three IRGCN speed boats moved within 68 yards of the U.S. Coast Guard…


Iran Nuclear Talks Resume in Vienna Amid New Complications

BERLIN—World powers were set to resume high-level talks in Vienna on Tuesday focused on bringing the United States back into the nuclear deal with Iran, in their first session since comments surfaced from the Iranian foreign minister alleging that Russia once tried to scupper the pact. The Russian Foreign Ministry has thus far refused to…


John Kerry Denies Allegations That He Tipped Off Iran About Israeli Attacks

U.S. Special Climate Envoy John Kerry on Monday denied allegations stemming from leaked audio that suggested he disclosed the number of Israeli attacks on Iranian targets to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. “I can tell you that this story and these allegations are unequivocally false. This never happened—either when I was Secretary of State or…