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Middle East
Rubio rejects Iran tolls on Hormuz as deal strains multiply
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington would not accept Iranian tolls or fees on the Strait of Hormuz, as disputes over the...
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World
Trump orders probe because gas prices not falling enough
Donald Trump said he ordered an investigation into major oil companies over high gasoline prices as the U.S. leader faces criticism o...
Iran's Mehr news agency said on Friday that a draft accord with the United States had set 60-day negotiation period to reach a deal over Tehran's nuclear program.
The agency, citing a source close to Iran's negotiating team, said it stipulates "60 days of negotiations to reach an agreement on nuclear issues and the complete lifting of U.S. primary and secondary sanctions."
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All three hospitals in the historic city of Tyre have been damaged by strikes since the start of the latest war in early March.
A strike wounded 10 staff members of the Hiram hospital in the Lebanese city of Tyre on Thursday.
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The Israeli army ordered Friday residents of Sarafand, Teffahta, and Mazraat Sinai in south Lebanon to evacuate ahead of strikes.
Strikes targeted Jebshit, Kfartebnit, Blat, al-Bayyad, Qalaway and Debbine, as Hezbollah claimed attacks overnight into Friday on Israeli troops and equipment in Yohmor-Shqif, Bint Jbeil, Naqoura, Qawzah, Rshaf, Zawtar and Tayr Harfa.
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At a cemetery in southern Lebanon, Ghada Hussein clutched images of her son, a Hezbollah fighter killed in an Israeli strike and buried in a temporary grave because the family cannot return to her border village.
In a section just above the regular cemetery in Haret Saida, dozens of graves have been dug into the gravelly earth, many lined with cement blocks and holding coffins made with construction board.
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U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a "great settlement" with Iran to end the Middle East war, saying he expected a deal to be signed in Europe in the coming days.
"We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, saying that they would "subject to finalization of documents, which should get done, over the next few days, probably have a signing, maybe in Europe."
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Iran's Fars news agency, citing an unnamed source, said on Thursday that Tehran has not yet approved a text for any deal with the United States.
"No text has been approved for an initial memorandum of understanding with the United States," said Fars, quoting what it said was an informed source close to Iran's negotiating team.
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U.S. President Donald Trump said he was calling off strikes on Iran that he had planned for Thursday, and flagged the signing of a possible deal with Tehran after top-level talks.
Trump's latest sudden reversal on the war came after what he said were the agreements of "final points" by numerous countries -- except Iran.
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U.S. forces struck and disabled a third commercial oil tanker attempting to bypass their blockade of Iranian ports this week, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Thursday, adding that it was the ninth such attack since the blockade began.
American forces "acted against Guinea-Bissau flagged M/T Jalveer as it attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman," CENTCOM said. "A U.S. aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship's engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from US forces."
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Radio France Internationale (RFI) condemned Thursday Israel's entry ban on French reporter Alice Froussard, who freelances for the station and other outlets, as "an obstacle to press freedom".
"Israeli authorities have not provided any justification to RFI for this decision," the broadcaster said in a statement.
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Saudi Arabia condemned on Thursday overnight Iranian attacks on Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, and called for renewed negotiations under Pakistani and Qatari mediation to end the Middle East war.
In a statement, the Saudi foreign ministry called for "de-escalation and restraint, urging all parties to priorities wisdom by returning to diplomatic efforts and resuming the constructive negotiations sponsored by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, along with the efforts of the State of Qatar".
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