Germany, France, UK pledge to continue nuclear agreement with Iran

Germany, France, and the United Kingdom on Monday said they would honor a nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers amid an ultimatum by the United States about a cancellation of the pact.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed between Iran, the US, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Russia, and France in 2015.

Iran signed the deal promising to halt its nuclear program in return for the lifting of international sanctions.

Trump to announce decision on Iran nuclear deal

US president Donald Trump will announce a decision about the future of an international nuclear agreement with Iran on Tuesday.

Here are four possible avenues Trump could take on the fate of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, under which Iran accepted restraints on its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of UN, European and US sanctions.

EU Holds Brussels Conference on Syria, 85 States and NGOs Attend

Egypt will attend a second international conference organised by the European Union and the United Nations on “supporting the future of Syria and the region,” which is scheduled to take place in Brussels from 24-25 April.

The conference aims to discuss humanitarian aid to the Syrians affected by the civil war that is now in its eighth year. It also further aims to open discussions among members of the international community over the Syrian conflict to create new pledges, as well as to support the resilience of refugee-hosting countries.

EU, UN seeks aid boost for Syria at major conference

The EU and UN on Tuesday begin a two-day conference to drum up fresh aid pledges for wartorn Syria and reinvigorate the faltering Geneva peace process as the conflict enters its eighth year.

Donor countries, aid organisations and UN agencies will gather in Brussels for the seventh annual conference on Syria’s future as international inspectors probe a suspected gas attack in the town of Douma, highlighting the brutal nature of the war.

Abadi vows to defend Iraq from cross-border attacks

Iraqi armed forces will prevent Kurdish militants based in northern Iraq from staging cross-border attacks against Turkey, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi said on Tuesday.

Abadi’s pledge, made during a phone call with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, came a day after Ankara threatened to intervene directly if the Iraqi operation against the militants based in the Sinjar region failed.

Abadi said that he has ordered the military to take full control of the country’s borders.

Iraqi PM: If Syrian Kurds change map, region will turn to bloodshed

If Syria were to collapse, the entire region would be under threat, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned on Thursday.

“We have a territory which is feeling very much threatened, controlled by the Syrian Kurds. If Syria disintegrates, God forbid, the whole area will be under threat,” Abadi said in an interview with the American weekly news magazine, Time.

Kurds in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) currently control large swaths of territory which they’ve liberated from the Islamic State (IS) over the past few years. Its troops, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spearheaded by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), are supported by the US and the Global Coalition against IS.

Mogherini, Grandi discuss Syria, Rohingya in Brussels meeting

EU High Representative Federica Mogherini met in Brussels Monday with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and discussed the situation in Syria, including Ghouta, Libya and of the Rohingya refugees.

A press release by Mogherini’s office said she discussed in the meeting the second Brussels Conference on ‘Supporting the future of Syria and the region” that the European Union and the United Nations will co-chair on 24-25 April.

Iraqi army announces fresh anti-Daesh ops in Diyala

Iraqi forces on Friday began fresh military operations aimed at finding and neutralizing Daesh terrorist cells in the eastern Diyala province, according to a local police source.

“Army forces backed by Hashd al-Shaabi fighters have launched a major security operation against Daesh remnants in Diyala’s Azim sub-district 60 kilometers north of Baqubah,” Police Captain

US reaffirms support for Iraq’s reconstruction

US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan expressed during a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Abadi support for reconstruction efforts in the country.

Sullivan was quoted by a government statement as saying the US support for Iraq would continue, particularly to rebuilding the country, boosting economy, attracting investment and creation of

Egypt, French FMs discuss Syria

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Friday had a phone conversation with French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, with whom he discussed political developments relating to Syria.

According to a Foreign Ministry statement, the two men agreed on the need to coordinate efforts between their two countries with a view to “encouraging Syria’s political process and preserving