As the Trump White House struggles to deliver a cohesive message on its plans in Syria, the leaders of Iran, Turkey and Russia met Wednesday to talk about how they can end the war in Syria.Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani vowed to contribute to reconstruction and aid. Having their hand in that process could give those leaders significant influence over the region, but an analyst for CNN points out the conflict is probably not close to finished.SEE MORE: Last Rebel Group In Ghouta, Syria, Reportedly Agrees To Peace DealThis was the second time that these three leaders have met to talk about the conflict. But now they're talking against the backdrop of a potential U.S. pullout. The U.S. leaving would open up a power vacuum in parts of Syria, and experts say that could embolden Russia and Iran, which have both backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.A senior Trump administration official said … [Read more...] about Russia, Turkey And Iran’s Leaders Met To Talk Ending War In Syria
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Russia, Iran and Syria Say U.S. Making Things Worse For Their Own War On Terror
World Russia Iran Syria U.S. Military YPG Syrian Kurds Turkey ISIS Top Russian, Iranian and Syrian military leaders all criticized U.S. military intervention in Syria and the region as a whole during the seventh annual Moscow International Security Conference, accusing Washington of having ulterior motives as all four countries battled the remnants of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS). Russian and Iranian officials decried Wednesday what they called U.S. plans to divide the Middle East, where efforts to battle ISIS have played out on the backdrop of a seven-year civil war. Moscow and Tehran are the leading allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who the U.S. attempted to overthrow by supporting the rebels of a 2011 uprising. The U.S. now supports a mostly Kurdish group known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, which has eyed greater autonomy for the territory it controls across northern and eastern Syria. Related: Trump Wants the U.S. Out of Syria, Is It Finally Time … [Read more...] about Russia, Iran and Syria Say U.S. Making Things Worse For Their Own War On Terror
Tree for jailed West Hampstead mum Nazanin is vandalised on second anniversary of her detention in Iran
PUBLISHED: 19:09 03 April 2018 | UPDATED: 19:09 03 April 2018 Emily Banks Supporters decorate the tree for Nazanin with ribbons, flowers and jokes. Picture: Linda Grove Archant A tree decorated with yellow ribbons, flowers and jokes for jailed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been vandalised on the eve of the second anniversary of her detention in Iran. Richard Ratcliffe with supporters including his MP Tulip Siddiq. Picture: Linda Grove Her husband Richard Ratcliffe who was joined by more than a dozen supporters to decorate the tree yesterday discovered it had been sabotaged and stripped bare at around 9:30am this morning. He said: “It was a shock to discover this morning that someone had stripped our One Day Tree of all the jokes and smiles, and taken all the flowers off, it looks to me like someone has cut down what they could reach without a ladder - some ribbons remain, but no flowers, only one straggling message.” This comes on the day two years ago that … [Read more...] about Tree for jailed West Hampstead mum Nazanin is vandalised on second anniversary of her detention in Iran
Husband of journalist held in Iran describes 2 years without wife and daughter
It has been two years since British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained in Iran on suspicion of spying. Her husband Richard Ratcliffe told euronews her health is increasingly deteriorating and said the anniversary carries a renewed sense of frustration and disappointment. “Being promised you could be out, might not be out, is a real psychological game. It takes it out of you. […] Generally, she is very low. I mean, she’s getting panic attacks in her sleep, she’s struggling to sleep, she’s struggling in lots of ways. […] Whenever she’s out, there will be a long journey back to recover. I think it’ll mainly be psychological, but there are physical symptoms”, he explained. … [Read more...] about Husband of journalist held in Iran describes 2 years without wife and daughter
Eight Members of Iran’s ‘Women’s’ Soccer Team Are Men Awaiting Sex Change Surgery
Eight members of Iran’s women’s soccer team are men, a report says. However, Iranian authorities explained the problem away by insisting that all eight men are transgender and awaiting sex change surgery. Despite the government’s claims about the impending surgeries, Iran’s team was called “unethical” for being filled with stronger, faster men, according to The Telegraph.The news broke after an Iranian official, Mojtabi Sharifi, admitted that “[Eight players] have been playing with Iran’s female team without completing sex change operations.” Soccer authorities ordered all members of Iran’s team to undergo gender testing. The names of the males in the team were not identified.“Gender change operations are legal in Iran according to a fatwa – or religious ruling – pronounced by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, spiritual leader of the 1979 Islamic revolution,” the Telegraph reports. The revelation is … [Read more...] about Eight Members of Iran’s ‘Women’s’ Soccer Team Are Men Awaiting Sex Change Surgery