Culture World Cup opens amid visa disputes for Iran, Iraq and Somalia Iran says a number of team staff were denied entry into the US, with Trump administration officials touting efforts to prevent affiliates of designated terrorist groups from entering. Iran
Bessent says Iran's frozen assets will pay for Gulf damage, Hormuz tolls US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that any damage Iran inflicts on Gulf allies will be paid for with funds extracted from Iranian accounts. Iran
Explainer US strategic oil stockpile nears four-decade low as Iran war drags on The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 349.2 million barrels amid the global energy shock caused by the war in Iran. United States
Trump vows continued ‘very hard’ strikes on Iran as negotiators leave Qatar The US president's latest threats came just hours after Qatari mediators wrapped up talks early Thursday morning in pursuit of a final draft agreement to end the war. Iran
US issues more Iran sanctions as Trump says strikes will resume By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Facebook says Iranian hackers spied on US military personnel using fake accounts The social media company said the hackers baited targets into clicking on malicious links that would infect their devices with malware. Iran
Iran presses for visa waiver from Iraq Iranian authorities continue to pressure the Iraqi government into waiving its travel visa between the two countries. Iraq
US says nuclear talks to continue, despite alleged Iran kidnapping plot State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington is "ready to go" ahead with talks, after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the task of renegotiating the deal had been handed over to the next administration. Iran
Rouhani says nuclear talks will be handed to successor Iran's president said the next administration will take up the nuclear negotiations. Iran
Who is Masih Alinejad, target of an alleged Iranian kidnapping plot? Prosecutors say the four Iranian defendants plotted to forcibly take the Brooklyn-based author and activist to Iran where her "fate would have been uncertain at best.” Iran
IRGC official urged Iraq militias to continue hitting US, report The IRGC intelligence chief's visit to Iraq last week followed one by top commander Ismail Ghaani. Iran
Zarif's final defense for Iran deal infuriates hard-liners Iran's foreign minister faced scathing attacks from hard-liners in parliament after his upbeat assessment of the status of the nuclear talks. Iran
Iran says US prisoner swap negotiations underway The Iranian comments followed US special envoy for Iran Robert Malley's pledge that the United States would not accept a partial deal that does not bring home all four detained Americans from Iran. Iran
Pompeo speaks at conference by controversial Iran opposition group Slovenia's prime minister and other former US officials also speak at virtual event held by Mujahedeen-e-Khalq. Iran
Iran hosts Afghan government, Taliban for talks Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif celebrated the looming US withdrawal from Afghanistan during the event. Iran
The Takeaway: Does Iran want to scuttle nuclear deal talks with militia attacks in Iraq? Also: Fresh reporting from Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Gaza; high oil prices may undercut GCC reforms; a cure for termites in Egypt; and more. Iraq
Militias launch spate of attacks on US positions in Iraq Iraq's Ain al-Asad air base was hit with the second rocket attack in just over 48 hours. Iraq
