Qatar on Monday denied reports that it had offered Iran $12 billion to secure a breakthrough agreement aimed at ending the prolonged US-Iran war and easing regional tensions. US President Donald Trump has said negotiations with Iran were ‘proceeding nicely’ but gave no indication a deal was imminent. (AFP) Majed Al Ansari, adviser to the…
By Nayera Abdallah, Elwely Elwelly and Idrees Ali DUBAI/WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s swift rejection of Iran’s response to a U.S. peace proposal sent oil prices surging higher on Monday amid concerns the 10-week-old conflict will drag on, keeping shipping through the Strait of Hormuz paralyzed. Days after the U.S. floated an…
ATHENS, April 29 (Reuters) – Greece said on Wednesday it had agreed with Qatar to bolster cooperation in areas including trade, energy and defence, extending a deal first struck in 2024. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani discussed bilateral ties and investment opportunities in Greek infrastructure, energy and…
April 28 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia will host an exceptional meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Jeddah on Tuesday, the first in-person meeting of Gulf leaders since their states became a front in the Iran war two months ago. A Gulf official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the meeting aimed to craft a…
DAKAR, April 22 (Reuters) – The Trump administration is in talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo to resettle 1,100 Afghans who have been stranded in Qatar awaiting U.S. visas, according to an advocacy organisation that works on their behalf. The discussions underscore the legal hurdles facing Afghans who fled the Taliban after U.S. immigrant…
The US is more coordinated with China than many assume, former Israeli Navy commander Maj.-Gen. (res.) Eliezer Marom told 103FM on Wednesday. “I think the fuel problem has been completely solved, because the Chinese will get supplies from the Russians,” he said, claiming that alternative energy arrangements are already reducing the impact of regional disruption…
By John Irish and Parisa Hafezi PARIS/DUBAI, April 19 (Reuters) – European allies fear an inexperienced U.S. negotiating team is pushing for a swift, headline‑grabbing framework deal with Iran that could entrench rather than resolve deeper problems, diplomats with past experience dealing with Tehran said. They worry Washington, eager to claim a diplomatic win for…
ANKARA, April 15 (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Ankara was working to extend a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, ease tensions, and ensure the continuation of talks, and added Turkey was hopeful of negotiations despite stumbling blocks. Turkey, a neighbour of Iran, has been in close touch with the…
DUBAI, April 11 (Reuters) – A senior Iranian source said on Saturday the U.S. had agreed to release Iranian frozen assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks, but a U.S. official swiftly denied FWN40U0B6 the assertion. The senior Iranian source welcomed the purported U.S. move as a sign of “seriousness” in reaching a deal…
BEIRUT, April 9 (Reuters) – Lebanon has spent the last 24 hours advocating for a temporary ceasefire to allow for broader talks with Israel, a senior Lebanese official told Reuters, saying it would be a “separate track but the same model” as a fragile truce brokered by Pakistan between the U.S. and Iran. The official…