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RFL/RE – Iranian President Hassan Rohani has criticized major dam projects by Turkey on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Rohani is demanding that Turkey halt construction of both dams, saying that they were “dangerous” for the entire Middle East. Rohani made the comments during a conference on sandstorms in Tehran on July 3. He did not name Turkey but said that …

VOA — The United Nations said Thursday that Tehran is in compliance with its obligations under an international nuclear deal, but U.S. envoy Nikki Haley disputed that. “Today’s meeting of the Security Council on the implementation of resolution 2231 is taking place against a backdrop of steady implementation, cooperation and progress,” U.N. political chief Jeffrey Feltman said in his semi-annual briefing …

RFL/RE – The U.S administration has set new rules for visa applicants from six mainly Muslim countries and all refugees, requiring them to have a “close” relative in the United States or a “formal” relationship to a U.S. organization. The guidelines are due to come into effect at 8 p.m. Washington time on June 29. They were issued after the …

RFL/RE – The United Nations envoy for Syria says violence is down in the war-torn country despite repeated clashes recently between U.S., Syrian, and Iranian-backed forces there. “Violence is clearly down…and many towns have returned to some degree of normalcy,” but in some areas fighting has continued and intensified, Staffan de Mistura told reporters in New York on June 27. Mistura …

RFL/RE – U.S. attorneys offered closing arguments on June 26 in a case where the government is attempting to seize a Manhattan office tower from an Iranian charitable foundation because it allegedly violated U.S. sanctions. After a monthlong trial, the government argued that the Alavi Foundation, the building’s majority owner, knew its minority partner, Assa Corp, was a front for …

RFL/RE – The U.S. State Department said on June 26 that it will start carrying out President Donald Trump’s temporary ban on travelers from six predominantly Muslim countries 72 hours after it was partly reinstated by the Supreme Court. That means the measure will go into effect the morning of June 29. Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the U.S. government …

Al-monitor – Ali Hashem writes, “The war for the Syrian Desert is in fact a war for the heart of the Middle East. The Iranian-led coalition in Syria is racing against the US-backed forces there, as both seek to defeat the Islamic State (IS), the group that has shaped the face of the region for the last four years. It is a war in …

RFL/RE – U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says Qatar is reviewing demands by neighboring nations to end a diplomatic dispute that erupted earlier this month. “Qatar has begun its careful review and consideration of a series of requests presented by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and U.A.E,” Tillerson said in a statement issued on June 25. The United Arab Emirates, …

Al-Arabia – The director of the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency has said that Iran is the world’s largest supporter of terrorism, and that there is cause to worry as its “influence has expanded considerably in recent years”. CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s came during an appearance on MSNBC in which he also at US national security is being threatened by …

RFL/RE – Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities to take part in state-sponsored anti-Israeli rallies marking the annual Quds Day, state media report. Some protesters set Israeli and U.S. flags on fire, reports said on June 23, while others chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” The demonstrators also …