Middle East & North Africa

ISTANBUL (AP) — The opposition candidate for mayor of Istanbul celebrated a landmark win Sunday in a closely watched repeat election that ended weeks of political tension and broke the long hold President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party had on leading Turkey’s largest city.

“Thank you, Istanbul,” Ekrem Imamoglu, 49, said to the tens of thousands of people who gathered to mark his victory after unofficial results showed he won a clear majority of the vote.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — One person was killed and seven others were wounded in an attack by Iranian-allied Yemeni rebels on an airport in Saudi Arabia Sunday evening, the Saudi military said, as the U.S. secretary of state was on his way to the country for talks on Iran.

Regional tensions have flared in recent days. The U.S. abruptly called off military strikes against Iran in response to the shooting down of an unmanned American surveillance drone on Thursday.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — As the U.S. piles sanction after sanction on Iran, it’s the average person who feels it the most.

From a subway performer’s battered leather hat devoid of tips, to a bride-to-be’s empty purse, the lack of cash from the economic pressure facing Iran’s 80 million people can be seen everywhere.

Many blame President Donald Trump and his maximalist policy on Iran, which has seen him pull out of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and levy punishing U.S. sanctions on the country.

23 June 2019; MEMO: Saudi Arabia launched on Sunday their new special residency scheme similar to green card systems applicable in other countries, aimed at attracting wealthy and high-skilled expats, reports Reuters.

The residency scheme offers two types of residencies, a permanent one for 800,000 Saudi riyals ($213,321.96) and a one year but renewable residency for 100,000 Saudi riyals ($26,665.24).

23 June 2019; DW: Iran has executed a former defense ministry contractor convicted of spying for US's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the semi-official news agency ISNA reported on Saturday.

Jalal Hajizavar was hanged at Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj, west of Tehran, earlier this week.

23 June 2019; DW: Polling stations closed in Istanbul on Sunday evening, in an election that saw voters casting their ballots for a second time to select a new mayor for Turkey's largest city.

Election officials decided to cancel the results of the first vote in March after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) alleged that there had been cases of vote rigging and corruption.

RABAT, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The Peace and Security Council of African Union (AU) will gather in the Moroccan seaside town of Skhirat on Monday, the Moroccan Foreign Affairs Ministry announced Saturday.

This three-day gathering, held ahead of Morocco's upcoming presidency of the Council, will examine the peace-building actions in Africa, the working methods of the Council and the challenges of crisis management and conflict resolution in Africa, a ministry statement said.

TEL AVIV, June 23. /TASS/: US President Donald Trump is looking forward to meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Japan’s Osaka, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday.

"President Trump looks forward to meeting with President Putin at the upcoming G20 summit in Osaka, Japan," Bolton said.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian military commander warned on Sunday that any conflict with Iran would have uncontrollable consequences across the region and endanger the lives of U.S. forces, as tensions between Washington and Tehran have flared after the downing of an American surveillance drone. 

Maj. Gen. Gholamali Rashid made the remarks while addressing Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps during a field visit to a command center for Iranian radars and missile systems. The general oversees and coordinates joint military operations in the Iranian Armed Forces.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The Latest on tensions between the U.S. and Iran and in the Persian Gulf (all times local):

1:30 p.m.

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton says Iran should not “mistake U.S. prudence and discretion for weakness.”

Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem Sunday, Bolton says no one has granted Iran a “hunting license in the Middle East.”