Middle East & North Africa

BEIRUT, March 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that the U.S. will continue to use all peaceful means to deter Hezbollah and Iran's influence in the region, local TV Channel OTV reported.

"Hezbollah is stockpiling its rockets in Lebanon to use them against Israel. It is working under the authority of Iran, while Iran believes that Lebanon's stability threatens its dominance in the region," Pompeo said during a joint press conference with Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.

UNITED NATIONS, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A Syrian envoy said Friday that the Syrian Golan will always remain an Arab Syrian territory, reacting to U.S. President Donald Trump's surprise tweet that the United States would recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

22 Mar 2019; DW: Russia, Iran and Syria on Friday criticized President Donald Trump's announcement that the United States intends to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied-Golan Heights.

The move comes as Israel has been pushing the Trump administration for recognition and some members of the Republican Party are backing the idea.

Russia, Syrian and Iranian positions

MOSCOW, March 22. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump’s statement concerning the Golan Heights is irresponsible, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said, as cited by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

"Syria strongly condemns the US president’s irresponsible statements about the occupied Golan Heights. These statements confirm the United States’ blind commitment to Israel and support of its aggressive ways," the Syrian Foreign Ministry said.

TEHRAN, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Thursday that his country will defeat the United States in the latter's anti-Iran "economic war."

"The enemy has waged economic war on us. We must defeat the enemy in this war," said Khamenei in Iran's northeastern city of Mashhad.

He made the remarks, broadcast live on the state IRIB TV, on the first day of the Iranian New Year.

"We must establish economic deterrence so that it (the United States) cannot use economic loopholes to harm the country," he added.

BAGHDAD, March 21 (Xinhua) -- A ferryboat sank in Tigris River in Iraq's northern city of Mosul on Thursday, leaving at least 93 dead and sparking anger among Iraqis.

The incident took place in the afternoon when a ferryboat carrying dozens of people capsized because of high water levels while crossing from the bank of the river to a small tourist island called Um al Rabeein in northern Mosul, some 400 km north of the capital Baghdad.

TEHRAN, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday called for economic initiatives and boost of production to offset U.S. sanction pressures.

He hailed what he called the nation's "fortitude and prudence" against conspiracies.

Khamenei made the remarks, broadcast live on the state TV, on the occasion of the Iranian New Year, Nowruz, which began on Thursday.

JERUSALEM, March 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attended a summit with Israeli, Greek, and Cypriot heads of states in Jerusalem on Wednesday, discussing a natural gas pipeline.

The meeting was attended by Pompeo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

"The leaders discussed regional issues and deepening the cooperation between the countries," according to a statement released by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

According to a REUTERS report; a company in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has fired an employee after he allegedly celebrated the terrorist act resulting mass killing of worshipers in two New Zealand mosques last week.

A Transguard employee made inflammatory comments on his personal Facebook account celebrating the deplorable attack in Christchurch", security company Transguard said in a statement on Tuesday.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s many woes briefly went up in smoke as Iranians observed a nearly 4,000-year-old Persian tradition known as the Festival of Fire.

The celebration is held on the last Tuesday night before Nowruz, or the Iranian New Year, which will be celebrated Thursday. The annual ritual dates back to at least 1700 B.C. and is linked to the Zoroastrian religion.