Iran says 'idiotic' new US sanctions shut doors of diplomacy

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran warned Tuesday that new U.S. sanctions targeting its supreme leader and other top officials meant "closing the doors of diplomacy" between Tehran and Washington amid heightened tensions, even as President Hassan Rouhani derided the White House as being "afflicted by mental...

Pompeo says US hoping for Afghan peace pact before Sept 1

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that Washington is hopeful a peace agreement to bring an end to the 17-year war in Afghanistan can be reached before Sept. 1. Pompeo, in a brief visit to Afghanistan, spoke just days before the start of a fresh round of talks...

The Latest: France's Macron warns against rising tensions

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Latest on tensions between the U.S. and Iran and in the Persian Gulf (all times local): 9:55 p.m. France's President Emmanuel Macron has spoken by phone with his Iranian counterpart in what his office says is an effort to avoid a "dangerous escalation" of tensions in...

Kushner urges absent Palestinians to support economic plan

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, appealed Tuesday for the Palestinians to consider his ambitious but harshly criticized $50 billion economic support plan despite their outright rejection of the proposal. As Palestinians protested against the plan...

Palestinians protest Trump's Mideast peace conference

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Palestinians burned effigies of President Trump and marched a donkey pasted over with images of Gulf royals in the West Bank on Tuesday, as the U.S. prepares to open its conference in Bahrain, which focuses on the economic portion of the White House's long-awaited plan for...

Correction: Mideast-US Peace Plan story

JERUSALEM (AP) — In a story June 23 about the new U.S. peace plan for the Middle East, The Associated Press incorrectly quoted Mideast expert Aaron David Miller as saying on Twitter that "The Palestinians' economic problem isn't a lack of money; it's a lack of liberty." Miller was quoting an article...

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman says latest US sanctions on country's leaders mean 'permanent closure' of diplomacy

Iran says talks with US impossible; US says it wants talks

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Iran's U.N. ambassador warned Monday that the situation in the Persian Gulf is "very dangerous" and called talks with the U.S. impossible in the face of escalating sanctions and intimidation, while the U.S. envoy said the Trump administration's aim is to get Tehran back to...

Pompeo in Mideast talks on building a coalition against Iran

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks Monday with leaders in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates about countering the military threat from Iran by building a broad, global coalition that includes Asian and European countries. While Pompeo has seemingly...

Blurred lines: Trump's UN choice and her coal magnate spouse

WASHINGTON (AP) — The email went out from senior Environmental Protection Agency officials to Kelly Craft, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, responding to questions she had about a funding matter. But the acknowledgment email the EPA got back a few hours later wasn't from the ambassador. It was from her...