Free Republic

Iran’s foreign minister will head to Moscow late Sunday night to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the wake of U.S. strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities. The Daily Telegraph reports Abbas Araghchi confirmed Iran “reserves all options to defend its security, its interests, its people…All options are on the table” while applauding Russia as “a friend of Iran.” The report notes Araghchi said he will speak to Iran’s key ally on how to proceed. “We always consult with each other,” he added in a press conference in Istanbul. The trip comes after President Donald Trump announced Saturday evening U.S....

GENEVA (AP) – Iran´s foreign minister arrived Friday for talks with top European diplomats in Geneva about the crisis that centers on concerns about his country´s nuclear program, a week after the long-simmering dispute erupted into war between Israel and Iran. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived at a hotel in the Swiss city for a meeting with his counterparts from France, Germany and the U.K. and the European Union´s foreign policy chief. It is the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since the start of the conflict.

Washington and Tehran are expected to hold a second round of nuclear talks this Saturday, April 19, in Rome, following what Axios described as a “serious and substantive” first meeting in Oman. On April 12, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi held the highest-level US-Iran dialogue in eight years. Trump later said the talks are "going ok".

The Syrian military rushed reinforcements to the country’s northwest and launched airstrikes on a major city Sunday in an attempt to push back insurgents who seized the country’s largest city of Aleppo in a surprise offensive in recent days. The insurgency, led by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, launched their campaign on Wednesday with a two-pronged attack on Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib, before moving toward neighboring Hama province. On Sunday, government troops created a “strong defensive line” in northern Hama, according to Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, as they attempted to stall the...

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi reportedly replaced his trusted spy chief on Wednesday who has played a key role in hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas.According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Abbas Kamel was considered the second-most powerful person in Egypt for years and during his tenure, built strong relationships with officials in US and Israeli intelligence, as well as leaders of the Hamas terror group.Kamel will now serve as a special advisor to Sissi and coordinator of the security services, but the WSJ noted that it was unclear whether the reassignment was a promotion or demotion...

Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday criticized the Egyptian military’s toppling of the nation’s Islamist president, calling the move improper in its first official reaction. “We do not consider proper the intervention by military forces in politics to replace a democratically elected administration,” said ministry spokesman Abbas Araghchi, according to the official news agency IRNA. Egypt’s military ousted Mohammed Morsi Wednesday after four days of mass protests against him. …