Iran, Syria among top for G-8 and NATO      05/19/2012

President Barack Obama and leaders of other major industrial powers grappled Friday with options to solidify world resolve against development of an Iranian nuclear bomb and encourage a more forceful response to worsening violence in Syria....

Iraqi VP refuses to recognize Baghdad court      05/18/2012

Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi played down reports that his name and position have been removed from the official website of the Iraqi presidency...

Battle in Iraq pits oil against antiquities      05/18/2012

Babylon’s Hanging Gardens were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but heritage appears to be no match for Iraq’s booming oil industry in a dispute over a new pipeline....

Diplomat: UN experts say Iran sends arms to Syria      05/17/2012

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — An expert panel monitoring U.N. sanctions on Iran has reported that Syria continues to be the main destination of illicit Iranian weapons, a Security Council diplomat said Wednesday....

Iran urges rally against Saudi-Bahrain union      05/17/2012

AFP— Iran hardened its tone against a plan to unite Bahrain with Saudi Arabia, calling on its people to protest Friday against what it described as a US plot to annex the tiny Gulf archipelago. ...

New Palestinian government, led by Fayyad, to be sworn in Wednesday      05/16/2012

A reshuffled Palestinian cabinet in the West Bank with seven new faces is to be sworn in on Wednesday, labor minister Ahmed Majdalani told AFP....

Iran eyes new phase for Iraqi pipeline      05/16/2012

Negotiations are under way to choose contractors for the construction of a natural gas pipeline from Iran to Iraq...

Iran Khodro plans to manufacture 30,000 cars in Iraq this year      05/16/2012

Iran Khodro Co., the country’s largest carmaker, said it plans to manufacture 30,000 cars, mostly the Samand sedan, at a production site in neighboring Iraq this year....

Haunted by memories of the dead, Syrians vow to keep fighting for freedom      05/16/2012

Nonexistent until last June, the encampment of about 1,600 people now is a haven of peace compared with the terror experienced in the country just 300 yards away. Housed in neat, white tents in southern Turkey, with cooking stations in between, people here do not have to worry about being silenced, tortured, arrested or killed....

Saudi Arabia says Syria peace plan faltering, Iran should keep out of affairs with Bahrain      05/15/2012

Saudi Arabia said the confidence in international mediator Kofi Annan’s peace efforts in Syria is diminishing due to continued violence in the country and asked Iran to keep out of the kingdom’s relations with Bahrain....