Amid low turnout in parliamentary election, regime lashes out at Iran's enemies. "This negative propaganda about the virus began a couple of months ago and grew larger ahead of the election," Khamenei says.
First partial results from the country’s parliamentary elections indicate a strong showing by hardliners, after more than 7,000 potential candidates had been disqualified, most of them reformists and moderates.
Claims that the region is affected by anti-Semitism are "propaganda. The peoples here have always hosted – and continue to host – Jews in a warm manner," Mohammad Javad Zarif says.
"We are entering the last days for the regime to stop its hostility in Idlib. We are making our final warnings," says Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country has the second-largest army in NATO.
"The economies of the whole Arab world are not productive and depend on imported goods, Chinese goods," Hebron trades says. If the coronavirus continues to harm trade the effects will be felt across the region, he says.
"It's not very helpful at this stage as Lebanon seeks foreign aid and a bailout and the help of Gulf Arab states. This is not the message you want to send," says Mideast expert.
Nearly 900,000 Syrians, mostly women and children, have fled a Russian-backed Syrian offensive in the country's northwest. UN humanitarian chief calls on Security Council to prevent "the biggest humanitarian horror story of the 21st century." Syrian President Bashar Assad pledges to press ahead until complete victory "sooner or later."
United Arab Emirates issues license for reactor slated to provide a quarter of the country's energy needs. Abu Dhabi hails move as "new chapter" for its energy industry, stresses its nuclear ambitions are for "peaceful purposes."
Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Idlib province are scrambling to escape a widening, multi-front offensive by Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces.
Small rockets hit the Iraqi base hosting American troops and other coalition forces in Baghdad’s Green Zone early Sunday, but cause no casualties and only minor damage, according to a US military official.
