PARIS, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A French court on Thursday convicted an Iranian national of glorifying terrorism in social media posts. * The court sentenced Mahdieh Esfandiari, a student living in the city of Lyon, to four years in prison. Three years of the sentence were suspended.
There were scenes of "utter chaos" when thousands of women and children related to suspected Islamic State jihadists escaped a camp in Syria last month following the sudden withdrawal of Kurdish forces, witnesses have told AFP. An AFP journalist who entered the huge Al-Hol camp
WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday proposed a rule that, if finalized, would sever MBaer Merchant Bank AG's access to the U.S. financial system on the grounds the Swiss bank had supported illicit actors linked to Iran and Russia. The
By Emma Farge GENEVA, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A new decree from Afghanistan's Taliban government is set to further crush rights and freedoms in the war-torn nation, especially for women, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Thursday. The Taliban has restricted women's movements
Pope Leo XIV's newly announced visit to Algeria in April was welcomed as a dream come true by the archbishop of Algiers on Thursday. The trip will mark the first time a head of the Catholic Church has visited the North African Muslim-majority country. "This dream of a pope
CAIRO, Feb 26 (Reuters) - An Israeli airstrike killed two Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, the territory's health officials said, and the Israeli military said it killed a militant who posed a threat to its forces in the south of the enclave. Medics said an
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that India and Israel had pledged to fight terrorism "shoulder to shoulder", as he concluded a two-day visit focused on deepening strategic ties. The trip, which has drawn criticism at home, marks Modi's second visit to
The negotiations come after President Donald Trump sought to build a case for war in his State of the Union address.
By Parisa Hafezi and Laila Bassam DUBAI, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The son of an Iranian carpet merchant from Isfahan, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has compared the country's negotiating style to the bartering of the bazaar, an approach requiring "patience and great time". But time
By Amina Ismail BRUSSELS - Feb 26 (Reuters) - Almost 8,000 people died or went missing last year on perilous migration routes such as across the Mediterranean and Horn of Africa, but the real toll is likely far higher as cuts in funding have hit humanitarian access and tracking
By Francois Murphy VIENNA, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The United States hopes talks with Iran in Geneva will produce an agreement to prevent Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons, and President Donald Trump has amassed forces in the Middle East to increase pressure on the Islamic Republic
A French court was to rule Thursday in the trial of an Iranian accused of "promoting and inciting terrorism", a case linked to a possible prisoner swap with two French citizens held in Iran. Mahdieh Esfandiari, 39, was arrested in France last year over comments she is accused
A French court on Thursday sentenced Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari to one year in prison for justifying terrorism in a case linked to a possible prisoner swap with two French citizens held in Iran. Esfandiari, 39, was also handed a permanent ban from French territory,
Iran and the United States began indirect talks in Switzerland on Thursday, a last-ditch bid to avert war following the biggest American military build-up in the Middle East in decades. The Oman-mediated discussions follow repeated threats from Donald Trump to strike Iran, with
Iran and the United States held talks in Switzerland on Thursday, in a last-ditch bid to avert war under the shadow of the biggest American military build-up in the Middle East in decades. The Oman-mediated discussions follow repeated threats from Donald Trump to strike Iran,
Trump's senior advisers reportedly prefer that Israel strike in Iran before the United States. Mediator Oman said during the talks, which are said to be focused on Iran's nuclear program, that the two parties are holding talks in 'constructive spirit'
A Ramadan television drama meant to spotlight Egyptian solidarity has ignited criticism for turning lived devastation into a spectacle. As regional productions increasingly focus on Gaza, the debate on if and how to tell the story is likely to continue
GENEVA, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Iran and the U.S. hold the latest round of talks in Geneva on Thursday aimed at resolving their longstanding nuclear dispute and averting new U.S. strikes on Iran following a large-scale military buildup. The two countries renewed negotiations this
The United States and Iran are set to hold indirect talks in Switzerland on Thursday aiming to strike a deal to avert fresh conflict and bring an end to weeks of threats. The new round of negotiations in Geneva comes after the US carried out a massive military build-up in the
WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has posted on social media new Farsi-language instructions for Iranians wishing to securely contact the spy service. The CIA recruitment effort comes amid a massive buildup of U.S. military forces in the Middle
By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said Wednesday that two Muslim Democratic U.S. Representatives, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, should be "institutionalized" and sent back to "where they came from," a day after they
WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (Reuters) - The United States sees evidence that Iran is trying to rebuild its nuclear program after U.S.-led strikes against Iranian nuclear sites in June, Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday. "The principle is very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear
By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump briefly laid out a case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech to Congress, saying he would not allow what he called the world's biggest sponsor of terrorism to obtain a
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrived on Wednesday in Jordan, where they met with Syrian refugees at the Zaatari camp and Palestinian children evacuated from the Gaza Strip. King Charles III's younger son and his wife "met young refugees... and joined children in football, art
Kuwait has stripped around 50,000 people of their citizenship over alleged forgery and security concerns, with observers alleging the government is silencing critics.
Ahead of the conflict between Israel and Iran in June 2025, Saudi Arabia adopted a similar strategy, producing roughly 9.7 million barrels of oil a day.
Feb 25 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff told a private gathering on Tuesday that the administration is demanding any nuclear deal with Iran should remain in effect indefinitely, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing a U.S. official and two
US Vice President JD Vance told Iran on Wednesday to take Washington's threats of military action "seriously," a day after President Donald Trump appeared to build the case for war in his State of the Union address. As US forces mass in the Middle East, Trump claimed in his
Prime Minister Narendra Modi told lawmakers in Jerusalem on Wednesday that India stands "firmly" with Israel following Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023. Modi also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a two-day visit aimed at deepening trade and defence
German culture officials plan to summon organisers of the Berlin film festival Thursday after the event was rocked this year by controversy over the Israel-Palestinian conflict and Gaza war. Bild daily reported that Tricia Tuttle, the US director of the Berlinale, is expected
The U.S. president himself doesn't seem eager about an attack, but he'll let one loose if Tehran remains stubborn. Israel fears a partial deal that won't lift the nuclear and ballistic missile threats
A high-level presidential aide said the facility could open new avenues in defense and technology sharing between Turkey and Somalia.
Feb 25 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump still preferred a diplomatic solution with Iran and that he hoped Iranians took that seriously in their negotiations on Thursday. "The President has been as crystal clear as he could
The U.S. Ambassador to Israel's outlandish support for a Greater Israel provoked so much fear because the facts are already being established on the ground, by Israel's far-right government and the Israeli military's presence in Syria and Lebanon
Australia's order comes just a day after the US directed non-essential personnel at its embassy in Lebanon to depart.
With critical US-Iran talks scheduled for Thursday, markets continue adjusting to the risks posed by an escalation in the Middle East should diplomacy falter.
SUSIYA, West Bank Feb 25 (Reuters) - Israeli settlers set fire to vehicles and tents in the Palestinian village of Susiya on Tuesday night, residents said, in the latest incidentof settler violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Videos verified by