Middle East

World News

Can The Iran Nuclear Deal Survive Its 2nd Anniversary?

6:19am January 16, 2017

by Peter Kenyon

Analysts are looking back on the Iran nuclear deal. It was a year ago that sanctions were lifted, prisoners exchanged and the inspections of Iran's nuclear program came under full operation.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry attends the peace conference in Paris on Sunday. Foreign ministers and representatives from about 70 countries are seeking to revive the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Paris Summit Urges Two-State Solution To Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

7:42pm January 15, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

The conference, attended by 70 diplomats including Secretary of State John Kerry, nevertheless did not include leaders from the two sides the diplomats mean to reconcile: Israel and Palestinians.

Men push a cart at a makeshift river crossing next to a bridge destroyed by Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, on Thursday. The Iraqi forces have reclaimed much of eastern Mosul, but the Islamic State still controls much of the western side of the ci

World News

Iraqi Troops Edge Deeper Into Mosul — With Caution

12:57pm January 15, 2017

by Jane Arraf

After four months of fighting, Iraqi forces have reached the Tigris River that divides Mosul. But it's been slow going and there's plenty of fighting ahead in the densely packed city in northern Iraq.

Khoshaba Jaber, an Assyrian living in West London, plays a tambura, a traditional instrument known as the "mother of strings," after singing an epic poem he learned in his boyhood village in northern Iraq.

In England, An Effort To Preserve Ancient, Epic Assyrian Poetry

4:41pm January 13, 2017

by Alice Fordham

Driven to save his culture, an ethnic Assyrian living in Britain is recording ancient tales of adventure sung by modern-day bards. The songs echo stories from ancient Greece to the Bible.

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A Turkish paramilitary police officer carries the body of 3-year-old Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi, found washed ashore near the Turkish resort of Bodrum in September 2015.

Study: What Was The Impact Of The Iconic Photo Of The Syrian Boy?

4:35pm January 13, 2017

by Diane Cole

Researchers from the University of Oregon wanted to know if the emotional response to the image translated into greater charitable support for Syrian refugees.

How A Grieving Father Created The Model For Anti-Terror Lawsuits

2:42pm January 13, 2017

by Noel King

After Steve Flatow's daughter was killed in a terrorist attack, he wanted justice. He embarked on a legal quest to get the right to sue a country: Iran.

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Close Call: U.S., Russian Planes Nearly Collide Over Syria

6:26pm January 11, 2017

NPR'S Kelly McEvers speaks to Wall Street Journal Pentagon reporter Michael Phillips about how American and Russian jets have nearly collided over Syria.

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Afghan security personnel arrive at the site of two bombs on Tuesday near the Afghan parliament in Kabul.

World News

Twin Blasts Kill Dozens In Kabul, Afghanistan

4:48pm January 10, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

The explosions near the parliament building in Kabul killed at least 30 people and injured at least 70. Bombings in two other provinces Tuesday also caused multiple casualties.

World News

Dozens Killed In Bombing Near Afghan Parliament

4:36pm January 10, 2017

by Nishant Dahiya

At least 30 people are dead and another 70 injured in a bombing near the Afghan Parliament in Kabul on Tuesday.

Mourners attend the funeral of former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Tuesday. Rafsanjani, who was 82, was a key figure in the foundation of the Islamic Republic in 1979, and served as president from 1989 to 1997.

World News

Death Of A Former Iranian President May Shape The Race For The Next One

12:18pm January 10, 2017

by Peter Kenyon

Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's death leaves the moderate wing in Iran without one of its strongest voices. His death comes just months before an election that will test President Hassan Rouhani.