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VOA —Iranian American activists who staged a rare sit-in outside the State Department to oppose potential U.S. monetary incentives to Iran to slow the progress of the Iranian nuclear program say they are optimistic about a dialogue they started with the Biden administration. In a statement sent to VOA on Friday, the nonpartisan and nonprofit National Solidarity Group for Iran …

VOA – Iranian haj pilgrims traveled to evening prayers in Mecca’s Grand Mosque in a brand new bus this week, as reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran led to improved services for the annual pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest sites. Sayid Mahdi, who will be in charge of around 2,800 Iranian pilgrims that will perform haj next week, said Saudi Arabia …

Al-Monitor — The Senate’s Armed Services Committee advanced its version of next year’s defense spending bill on Friday with measures that lawmakers hope will continue building cooperation between Middle Eastern states to counter threats by Iran. The Senate’s version builds on the current National Defense Authorization Act in calling on the Biden administration to improve maritime security and naval interdictions in the Persian Gulf …

aawsat – In light of the increasing momentum to revive negotiations between Western capitals and Tehran over the Iranian nuclear program, 26 Democratic and Republican senators have intensified pressure on President Joe Biden’s administration to prevent it from hastily concluding an agreement they fear could be “bad.” This comes simultaneously with reports of the European-Iranian talks entering a phase of …

schengenvisainfo – Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib were questioned by lawmakers earlier this week following the Iran visa scandal. Belgium granted visas for delegations from Iranian and Russian cities to attend a mayors’ convention that was held this week, raising concerns and pushing the authorities to investigate the case, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports. According to …