Image copyright AFP Image caption Iranian forces put a Shahab-3 missile on display in Tehran during Defence Week in September Three European powers have warned the UN that Iran is developing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in violation of a Security Council resolution.A letter sent by the UK, France and Germany says Iran tested a Shahab-3 missile variant "equipped with a manoeuvrable re-entry vehicle" that could deliver a nuclear weapon.Such activity is "inconsistent" with a resolution endorsing the 2015 Iran nuclear deal,…

You might remember the uprisings in the Middle East in 2011. As dictators were toppled hundreds of thousands of protesters called for change, for freedom and a new start. Their high hopes came to very little and the region lurched back towards war and repression.But the grievances that drove the 2011 uprisings - the so-called Arab Spring - never went away. 2019 might be the year it started again. Already protests have forced the resignations of two Prime Ministers -…

The buildup of a hidden arsenal of short-range missiles is the latest sign that American efforts to deter Iran have largely failed.American officials said that Iran had capitalized on unrest in Iraq, where protesters demonstrated this week in Basra.Credit...Essam Al-Sudani/ReutersWASHINGTON — Iran has used the continuing chaos in Iraq to build up a hidden arsenal of short-range ballistic missiles in Iraq, part of a widening effort to try to intimidate the Middle East and assert its power, according to American…

In an apparent attempt to ease anger over the killing and arrest of protesters, senior leaders urged leniency and promised compensation for peaceful demonstrators who died. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, in Tehran last week. Iranian leaders have altered their stance toward the protests last month.Credit...Office of the Supreme Leader, via Getty ImagesFaced with a simmering fury in the country, Iran’s leaders on Wednesday abruptly softened their stance toward street protests that are believed to have left…

Politics|Trump Administration Moves to Upgrade Diplomatic Ties With SudanThe two nations agreed to exchange ambassadors for the first time in 23 years. But the State Department is keeping Sudan on a list of state sponsors of terrorism.Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok of Sudan in Washington on Wednesday. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said improved diplomatic ties could help Mr. Hamdok transform Sudan’s political and economic systems.Credit...Jim Watson/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesDec. 4, 2019WASHINGTON — The United States said on Wednesday that…

The buildup of a hidden arsenal of short-range missiles is the latest sign that American efforts to deter Iran have largely failed.American officials said that Iran had capitalized on unrest in Iraq, where protesters demonstrated this week in Basra.Credit...Essam Al-Sudani/ReutersWASHINGTON — Iran has used the continuing chaos in Iraq to build up a hidden arsenal of short-range ballistic missiles in Iraq, part of a widening effort to try to intimidate the Middle East and assert its power, according to American…

A meeting between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also expected to gauge American support for Israeli annexation in the Jordan Valley.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Wednesday in Lisbon.Credit...Pool photo by Patricia De Melo MoreiraDec. 4, 2019LISBON, Portugal — Protests in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to hold hastily planned talks on…

Asia Pacific|China Demands 'Fighting Spirit' From Diplomats as Trade War, Hong Kong Protests SimmerSHANGHAI — Chinese diplomats have been instructed to promote Beijing's view more aggressively as the country grapples with the trade war with the United States, anti-government protests in Hong Kong and other crises that could dent its image.The government's top diplomat, Wang Yi, prodded officials at a foreign ministry gathering last month to display stronger "fighting spirit" in the face of international challenges, three sources with knowledge…