US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was criticised over the US$25 billion war with Iran, but said the comments were "reckless, feckless and defeatist."
(Corrects paragraph 6 to add dropped words about Iran war) May 2 (Reuters) - Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was in an Iranian hospital after a "catastrophic deterioration of her health," including a "cardiac crisis", a foundation run by her family said. The secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awarded Mohammadi the 2023 prize, expressed concern on Thursday that the condition of the Iranian human rights activist was worsening after she had suffered a heart attack in prison
Organisers of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on Thursday said Israel's army had "kidnapped" 211 activists including a Paris city councillor in a raid in international waters off Greece. Helene Coron, a spokeswoman for the Global Sumud France, told an online news conference that the operation had taken place near the island of Crete, at an "unprecedented" distance from Israel. Yasmine Scola, an activist on board the flotilla, said her colleagues had been "kidnapped" by Israel. Israel's foreign ministry had earlier put the number of those detained at 175
A joint FBI, NSA, and CISA advisory warns that Iranian hackers have "escalated" their tactics in response to the ongoing U.S.-Israel war with Iran
The president's announcement underscores escalating tensions between the 2 nations, whose ties have been strained by Israel's ongoing relationship with Russia
MOSCOW, April 29 (Reuters) - Russia plans to stay in OPEC+ despite a decision by the United Arab Emirates to leave, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, voicing hopes the alliance of oil producers would continue to operate amid turmoil in the global energy market. The UAE said on Tuesday it would quit the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, dealing a blow to the group as an energy crisis triggered by the Iran war has exposed rifts among Gulf nations. The UAE was the fourth-largest producer in OPEC+, while Russia is second, behind Saudi Arabia
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun held a phone call with Donald Trump on Thursday during which he thanked the US leader for his "efforts" to secure a ceasefire with Israel, the presidency in Beirut said. The call comes after Aoun rejected a US request for a "direct call" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to an official Lebanese source, and a day after Trump announced an expected call between the two countries' "leaders". FRANCE 24's Cyril Payen reports from Beirut, Lebanon
April 27 (Reuters) - Iraq's alliance of Shi'ite political blocs, the Coordination Framework, on Monday named Ali al-Zaidi as its nominee for the post of prime minister, said a coalition statement. Iraq's President Nizar Amedi invited Zaidi on Monday evening, the nominee of the largest parliamentary bloc known as the Coordination Framework, an alliance of Iran-aligned factions, to form a government, Shi'ite lawmakers told Reuters
By Joshua McElwee VATICAN CITY, April 4 (Reuters) - Pope Leo led the world's Catholics into Easter at a Saturday night vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and urged people not to feel numbed by the scope of the conflicts raging across the world but to work for peace. Leo, who has emerged as an outspoken critic of the Iran war, said that mistrust and fear have been allowed to "sever the bonds between us through war, injustice and the isolation of peoples and nations."
US president suggests attacking Iran was his own decision as war struggles to garner public support amid energy crisis
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has decided to shelve, for now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a pardon in his graft trial, preferring to press the parties to reach an agreement that would terminate the case consensually, his office announced
WASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) - The Lebanese government made it clear during U.S.-brokered talks with Israel that they no longer want to be "occupied" by Hezbollah and that there were conversations about long-term vision for clearly delineated border, Israel's ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter told reporters on Tuesday. (Reporting by Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk and Ryan Patrick Jones, Editing by Bhargav Acharya)