Middle East & North Africa

TEHRAN, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of negotiations with the United States over the existing mutual thorny issues.

"We will not negotiate with the United States as it will be fruitless and a loss," Khamenei was quoted as saying by official IRNA news agency.

The Iranian leader said that negotiations are the "U.S. tactic to complement its pressures policy on Iran."

Iran possesses the "necessary tools" to confront U.S. pressures, he added.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s parliament voted to dissolve itself early Thursday, sending the country to an unprecedented second snap election this year as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition before a midnight deadline.

The dramatic vote, less than two months after parliamentary elections, marked a setback for Netanyahu and sent the longtime leader’s future into turmoil.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump’s national security adviser warned Iran on Wednesday that any attacks in the Persian Gulf will draw a “very strong response” from the U.S., taking a hard-line approach with Tehran after his boss only two days earlier said America wasn’t “looking to hurt Iran at all.”

John Bolton’s comments are the latest amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran that have been playing out in the Middle East.

Three Moroccan associations today called for a sit-in in front of parliament on Friday to protest efforts to pass the US’ “deal of the century” on the settlement of the Palestinian issue.

In a joint statement, the National Action Group for Palestine, the Moroccan Association for the Support of the Palestinian Struggle and the Moroccan Commission for the Support of the Nation’s Issues said that the stand will be organised under the slogan “the option of resistance and confrontation of normalisation”.

29 May 2019; MEMO: Egyptian authorities decided Tuesday to launch a new investigation and re-arrest an Al Jazeera journalist who was ordered released by a court last week after two-and-a-half years in detention, reports Anadolu Agency.

Mahmoud Hussein release was initiated Saturday and he was brought to Giza Police Station for release from Tora Prison, his family said in a statement.

Tehran, May 28, IRNA – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Tuesday that Iran is indifferent to US rhetoric, monitoring US change of stance.

Addressing his first press conference, Abbas Mousavi said that US needs to give up rhetoric and alter its approach and behavior.

Asked about the statement made by US president Donald Trump in Tokyo indicating shift in the US stance, he said that Tehran will decide based on what is observed in the region.

Tehran, May 28, IRNA --Indian New govt plans to hold talks with Iran at the earliest to discuss ways to resume oil imports and is even looking to pay in Indian currency, "ThePrint" reported on Tuesday.

Weeks after India stopped oil imports from Iran, the Modi government is keen to resume supply from Iran and is looking at ways to make payments in Indian rupee to get around US sanctions, two government sources told ThePrint.

29 May 2019; AFP: US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Tuesday in Rabat as part of a fresh push on a long-promised but yet-to-be-delivered peace plan for the region.

The trip -- which will also include stops in Amman and Jerusalem -- comes amid a flurry of other administration moves to shore up alliances with Arab allies against Iran and the deployment of warships and bombers to the region.

CAIRO, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Egypt has secured the transfer of Hisham al-Ashmawi, one of Egypt's most wanted terrorists, from Libya where he was detained by the Libyan National Army (LNA), to Egyptian intelligence agency, local media reported Wednesday.

The Egyptian state TV showed footage of masked Egyptian army personnel leading al-Ashmawi, who was captured in eastern Libyan city of Derna last year, to an Egyptian plane.

Another wanted terrorist was also handed over by the LNA to the Egyptian authorities, the TV reported.

DOHA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Tuesday met with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who is currently on a visit to Doha, according to Qatari Foreign Ministry press release.

The two officials discussed bilateral relations, means to boost them and a number of regional issues of common concern.

The two sides reviewed the situation in the region and expressed concern about the escalation and problems in the region.