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Some Nations Offer Ground Troops to Fight Islamic State: Kerry
September 15, 2014
WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he was "extremely encouraged" by pledges of military assistance against Islamic State militants by countries inside ...
Kerry in Cairo for Talks to Build Up Anti-IS Coalition
September 14, 2014
CAIRO - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Saturday for a visit in a bid to build up a coalition to counter and defeat the Islamic State ...
Ukraine Crisis Provoked By West to Resuscitate NATO: Putin
September 11, 2014
MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday blamed Western countries for provoking the Ukraine crisis, which is used to resuscitate ...
CO2 Pollution Levels At Annual Record High: UN
September 10, 2014
GENEVA - Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere reached a record high in 2013 as increasing levels of man-made pollution transform the planet, the U.N. weather agency said ...
Fighting ISIL Needs International Cooperation: Zarif
September 08, 2014
TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif underlined that combating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group requires international cooperation, but not through occupation and military means.
"An international movement is needed to fight the ISIL and all countries should join hands to resolve the problem of terrorism; yet there is no need to occupation and military hardware to fight the ISIL," Zarif told reporters in a joint press conference with his Danish counterpart Martin Lidegaard in Mashhad, Northeastern Iran, on Sunday.
The Iranian foreign minister said extremism and radicalism are major world and regional issues today, as the ISIL and other terrorist groups intend to crush democracy and security in the region.
Zarif referred to his discussions with his Danish counterpart, and said that he and Lidegaard hold different viewpoints over Syria.
He underlined the rule of democracy in Iran, reminding that "73 percent of the Iranian people took part in (last year's) presidential election".
The Iranian foreign minister also pointed to Iran's nuclear program, and said, "We are trying to resolve the nuclear issue through dialogue and achieving this goal depends on the political will of the other side."
Zarif noted that the entire world is witnessing today that Iran is doing its best to resolve the nuclear issue, and said, "We are still looking for achieving a comprehensive solution through holding dialogue."
He reiterated that Iran is ready for any explicit and open dialogue with the other side, and said, "We hope that the other side will also show the same respect for us as this is a reciprocal issue."
Also speaking in the same press conference, the Danish foreign minister said that his country pursues the EU policy on Iran's nuclear issue, "but we are optimistic about the (nuclear) talks as these negotiations can be useful for the economy of entire Europe".
Meantime, Lidegaard pointed to the ISIL's crimes in Iraq and Syria, and stressed that the terrorists in Iraq should be confronted through an international coalition.
The top Danish diplomat arrived in Tehran on Sunday to discuss regional developments and expansion of ties with senior Iranian officials.
Lidegaard is the first Danish foreign minister who has traveled to Iran since 2005.
Several European countries have sought seriously to expand ties with Iran after Tehran and the six major world powers cut an interim deal over the country's nuclear program in Geneva on November 24, 2013.
Earlier today, Iraqi President Fuad Masum said Iraq needs qualified international aid, not the presence of foreign military to combat the ISIL terrorists.
"Iraq does not require the presence of international anti-terrorist forces, Iraq needs international assistance: experience, knowledge, weapons," Alsumaria TV quoted the Iraqi leader as saying.
However, Masum stressed that Iraq "is aware that it should not simply expel extremists from its territory, but to completely destroy them, so as not to export terrorism to the neighboring countries in the region". (FNA)
...Iran Denies Cooperation with US on Iraq
September 07, 2014
TEHRAN - The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Friday strongly rejected a BBC report alleging that the country's senior commanders have been meeting their US counterparts to coordinate ...
U.S. Says Forms ‘Core Coalition’ to Counter Iraq Militants
September 06, 2014
NEWPORT Wales - The United States said it had created a “core coalition” on Friday to battle Islamic State militants in Iraq, calling for broad support from allies and ...
Obama Says will ‘Degrade and Destroy’ Islamic State
September 04,2014
TALLINN - The United States plans to fight Islamic State until it is no longer a force in the Middle East and will seek justice for the killing ...
Lavrov Urges U.S. to Moderate “Party of War” in Kiev
September 03, 2014
MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that it is necessary to moderate the "party of war" in Kiev and "in reality only the U.S. can ...
Arming Kurds in Germany’s Interest: Merkel
September 02, 2014
BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told German lawmakers that arming Kurdish fighters battling Islamic extremists in Iraq wasn't an easy decision but is in her ...
Pakistani PM Summons Joint Session of Parliament on Tuesday
September 01, 2014
ISLAMABAD - A high level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday has decided to summon a joint session of the parliament on Tuesday 2nd September to discuss prevailing ...
EU Leaders to Threaten Extra Russia Sanctions, Agree New Team
August 31, 2014
BRUSSELS - European Union leaders are likely to threaten Russia with new sanctions over Ukraine on Saturday but, fearful of a new Cold War and self-inflicted harm on their own ...
Lavrov Denies Russian Troops' Invasion into Ukraine
August 30, 2014
MOSCOW - Reports on Russian troops invading Ukraine's eastern regions are false, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said ...
Russia Denies Secret Negotiation with U.S. Over Ukraine
August 28, 2014
MOSCOW - Moscow and Washington did not hold any closed-door negotiations over Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry said ...
Iran Endeavoring to Hammer Out Unity Between Baghdad, Erbil: FM
August 27, 2014
TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif underlined Tehran's support for the new Iraqi Prime Minister and government, and said Iran is striving hard to bring the central ...
French Govt. Resigns, PM to Form New Cabinet
August 26, 2014
PARIS - French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Monday submitted the resignation of his government to President Francois Hollande, a day after Economy Minister Arnaud ...
China Keen on Making Good Relations with Neighbors
August 25, 2014
BEIJING - The just-concluded visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Mongolia which shares a 4,710-km-long land border line with China highlighted China's keenness to make good ...
Merkel Says Tightening Ukraine-Russian Border is Key to Peace Deal
August 24, 2014
KIEV - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday the standoff over Ukraine could be solved but only if control was tightened over the Ukraine-Russia border across which, the West ...
Syria Death Toll Tops 190,000, Rights Envoy Raps World Powers: UN
August 23, 2014
GENEVA - More than 191,000 people were killed in the first three years of Syria's civil war, a U.N. report said on Friday, and the world body's human rights envoy rebuked leading powers ...
EU to Luanch Two More Satellites to Improve Navigation System
August 21, 2014
BRUSSELS - The European Union (EU) will send two more satellites into space, bringing the total number of satellites in orbit to six, the EU said in a statement on ...
U.N. Nuclear Chief Holds Top Level Nuclear Talks in Iran
August 18, 2014
DUBAI - U.N. nuclear agency chief Yukiya Amano began talks in Tehran on Sunday with President Hassan Rouhani and other senior officials to push for progress in a long-running investigation into Iran ...
Turkey Ruling Party Favours Davutoglu As New PM: Report
August 17, 2014
ISTANBUL - Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has strongly backed the naming of Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as the new premier and party leader to replace ...
U.N. Nuclear Chief Amano to Visit Iran on Sunday
August 16, 2014
VIENNA - U.N. nuclear agency chief Yukiya Amano will visit Iran on Sunday in an effort to advance cooperation in the agency’s long-running dispute with Iran over its nuclear activities, the ...
Iran May Not Sacrifice N. Rights: Zarif
August 14, 2014
TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif underlined Tehran's seriousness in the talks with the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany), and ...
US Sends 130 More Military Advisors to Iraq: Hagel
August 14, 2014
KABUL - The United States has sent 130 more military advisors to northern Iraq to assess the scope of the humanitarian crisis there, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said ...
Removing Sanctions against Iran to Consolidate Regional Stability: Rouhani
August 13, 2014
TEHRAN - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the US-led sanctions have harmed both the eastern and western states and their removal will help strengthen security and stability in the ...
Iraq President Names New PM But Maliki Hangs Tough
August 12, 2014
BAGHDAD - Iraq's president named a new prime minister to replace Nuri al-Maliki on Monday, urging him to form a broad government that can stem communal bloodshed, but it was unclear ...
Ukraine Says Stops Russian Troops Invading, Moscow Calls Statement ‘Fairy Tale’
August 10, 2014
KIEV - Ukraine said on Saturday it had headed off an attempt by Russia to send troops into Ukraine under the guise of peacekeepers with the aim of provoking a large-scale military conflict ...
Geneva Talks with Iran “Constructive”: US
August 09, 2014
TEHRAN- Iranian and American officials held constructive talks in Geneva on Thursday evening, a senior US official announced. "It was, I would say, a constructive discussion," US ...
Maliki Orders Air Force to Help Kurds Against The Islamic State
August 05, 2014
BAGHDAD - Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered his air force for the first time to back Kurdish forces against Islamic State fighters after the Takfiri militants made another dramatic push through ...
Gaza Death Toll Rises to 1,766 Killed and 9,500 Wounded
August 04, 2014
GAZA - The Israeli large-scale offensive which has been going on since July 8 on the Gaza Strip has already killed 1,766 and wounded 9,500 others, the health ministry in Gaza said Sunday. "During ...
Hamas Agrees to 24-Hour Holiday Truce in Gaza War
August 02, 2014
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Hamas on Sunday agreed to observe a 24-hour truce in Gaza after initially rejecting a similar Israeli offer, as fighting resumed and the two sides wrangled over the terms ...
International players urge extension of Gaza ceasefire
July 27, 2013
PARIS - U.S., European and regional powers seeking to mediate an end to the conflict in Gaza called on Israel and Hamas on Saturday to extend their 12-hour ceasefire in a bid to win time ...
Al-Sistani Sends Subtle Message to Maliki - Step Aside
July 26, 2014
BAGHDAD - Iraq’s Most senior cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on Friday urged political leaders to refrain from clinging to their posts - an apparent reference to Prime Minister ...
Putin Warns of Attempts to Destabilize Russia
July 23, 2014
MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that his country currently does not see any military threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity, but that the country ...