Middle East

Trump's counter to Democratic convention? Swing state trips

Trump rules out US troop withdrawal from Iraq, threatens ‘very big’ sanctions

10:49 pm January 6, 2020

Washington: President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to impose “very big” sanctions on Iraq after its Parliament called on the US military to leave the country for assassinating top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in a drone attack in Baghdad. The Iraqi Parliament on Sunday voted to expel the US troops from its territory which have […]

Merkel to meet Putin in Moscow for talks on Mideast crises

9:24 pm January 6, 2020

Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Moscow on Saturday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid growing tensions in the Middle East and elsewhere, officials said Monday. Merkel and Putin will discuss “current international questions,” said Steffen Seibert, the chancellor’s spokesman. Those will include Syria, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Ukraine and bilateral ties. […]

Weeping, Iran supreme leader prays over general slain by US

8:51 pm January 6, 2020

Tehran: Weeping amid wails from a sea of mourners, Iran’s supreme leader on Monday prayed over the remains of a top Iranian general killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, an attack that’s drastically raised tensions between Tehran and Washington. The procession for Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani drew a crowd of mourners and […]

Rupee slips 13 paise to 71.93 against US dollar on higher crude prices

7:12 pm January 6, 2020

Mumbai: The rupee plunged 13 paise to settle at 71.93 against the US currency on Monday, weighed down by the spike in global crude oil prices as escalating US-Iran tensions fanned fresh fears of conflict in the Middle East. Forex traders said growing geopolitical tensions could continue to keep the domestic unit under pressure. At […]

Huge crowds in Iran mourn general killed by US drone

6:29 pm January 6, 2020

Tehran: A sea of black-clad Iranians on Monday mourned the top commander killed in last week’s US drone strike that inflamed tensions across the Middle East, as NATO was set to discuss the spiralling crisis. Iranians clutching “Down with USA” signs and portraits of their hero Qasem Soleimani massed as supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei […]