Two U.S. women with Islamic State ties and six children were repatriated from northeast Syria, Kurdish-led authorities told Reuters on Wednesday, saying their return came at the request of the U.S. government. The eight Americans are among thousands of wives and children of foreign jihadists detained by U.S.-backed forces who defeated the last Islamic State foothold in eastern Syria in March. The Kurdish-led forces are holding the women and children in already overflowing camps, on top of hundreds of foreign fighters in prisons. Kurdish leaders say they cannot hold the foreigners forever and warn that the prisoners pose a threat in northeast Syria. But few countries want to take back their citizens, who may be hard to prosecute, and the prospect has sparked fierce debate in their home countries where there is little public sympathy for the families of jihadists. Abdulkarim Omar, co-chair of foreign relations in the Kurdish-led region, said foreign governments now appeared more willing to repatriate citizens but "only humanitarian causes". He told Reuters he expected more foreign women and children to be sent home from Syria in the near future. Omar said the eight Americans were due to arrive in the United States on Wednesday. The Kurdish-led administration, which controls swathes of north and east Syria, said it had helped repatriate them based on their "free and voluntary desire to return to their country."

Sudan s ruling military council said on Tuesday it would cancel all agreements with the main opposition coalition and called for elections within nine months following Monday s violent events. Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said that the coalition was equally responsible for the delay in coming to an agreement. Burhan said that elections would be held within nine months. A doctors committee close to the protest movement in Sudan reported that 35 people had been killed and more than 100 injured during violence as security forces evacuated a sit-in camp outside the Ministry of Defence in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday morning. Sudan s public prosecutor has set up a committee to investigate violence at the main protest site outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Khartoum, state news agency SUNA said on late Monday. The representatives of the protest movement, the Alliance of Freedom and Change (AFC), and the TMC had been negotiating over the issue of civilian-military representation in power during the interim phase following the army s ouster of president Omar Al-Bashir amid mass protests against his 30-year-old rule. The Transitional Military Council (TMC) had offered to let protesters form a government but insisted on maintaining overall authority during an interim period. Demonstrators want civilians to run the transitional period and lead Sudan s 40 million people to democracy. When talks between a coalition of protesters and opposition parties have ground to a halt amid deep differences over who will lead a transition to democracy that both sides had agreed will last for three years, protests increased. Thousands of young men and women have been taking turns to camp outside the Ministry of Defence, a focal point of anti-government protests that started in December. In a televised address in the early hours of Tuesday morning, TMC leader Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said that the opposition coalition was equally responsible for the delay in coming to a final agreement. The TMC had decided to cancel all agreements with the protest groups and call for elections within nine months, which he said will be organized under regional and international supervision. “Gaining legitimacy and a mandate does not come but through the ballot box,” Burhan said. He also announced that a government would immediately be formed to run the country until elections are held. Sudan’s opposition rejected the military authorities decision, a prominent opposition figure said. “We reject all that was stated in (Transitional Military Council Head Abdel Fattah) al-Burhan’s statement,” said Madani Abbas Madani, a leading figure in the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces opposition alliance. Madani said an open-ended civil disobedience campaign would continue to force the military council from power. On Monday, The doctors committee reported a "large number of critical casualties and urged the Sudanese people to aid the injured, also called for "urgent support" from the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organisations. The military council’s spokesman, Lieutenant General Shams El Din Kabbashi, said the raid targeted criminals and that the protesters were safe. “The protest camp has not been dispersed,” Kabbashi said. “The security forces were trying to disperse unruly (elements) in the Colombia area, near the protest site, and some of these elements fled to the protest site and caused this chaos.” The council was still committed to a political settlement and was ready to resume talks on a civilian transition soon, Kabbashi added. Burhan said he regretted the violence that accompanied what he described as “an operation to clean the Nile Street” and said that the violence will be investigated. The United States, Britain, African Union, United Nations and the European Union expressed deep concern about the situation and called for restraint and the end of violence. * The Story was edited by Ahram Online

US President Donald Trump waded once again Sunday into Britain s Brexit debate on the eve of a state visit to London, urging Theresa May s successor to leave the EU with no deal. Whoever takes over as Britain s next prime minister should not be afraid to "walk away" from negotiations with Brussels and should refuse to pay the agreed divorce bill, he told the Sunday Times newspaper. The intervention comes after Trump used another newspaper interview to declare that former foreign minister Boris Johnson would be an "excellent" replacement for May. Britain is rolling out the red carpet for the president this week, starting with a private lunch with Queen Elizabeth II and a state banquet at Buckingham Palace on Monday. But large protests are also planned over what London Mayor Sadiq Khan described as Trump s "divisive behaviour", while opposition politicians are boycotting the banquet. I wouldn t pay Trump embarrassed May with outspoken remarks on Brexit during his visit to Britain last year. On Sunday he again urged the next government to follow his own negotiating rule book. "If they don t get what they want, I would walk away... If you don t get the deal you want, if you don t get a fair deal, then you walk away," he said. May has already agreed to pay £39 billion (45 billion euros, $50 billion) to cover Britain s liabilities as it moves to sever four decades of EU membership. But Trump said: "If I were them I wouldn t pay $50 billion. That is me. I would not pay, that is a tremendous number." May agreed a divorce agreement with Brussels last November, but British MPs have rejected it three times and she has had to delay Brexit twice. She has now been forced out and her Conservative party is beginning the process of finding a new leader, with 13 candidates already declared. Johnson, one of the frontrunners, is among several to say Britain should leave the EU on October 31 with or without a deal. They are under pressure from the Brexit party, the latest political vehicle of anti-EU populist leader Nigel Farage, which came top in European Parliament elections last month. Trump said he believed Farage should play a role in negotiating Brexit with the European Union, saying he had a "lot to offer". Conservatives divided Three years after Britons voted by 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the EU in 2016, the government and lawmakers are still wrangling over the issue. Brexit day was originally set for March 29. But May delayed it twice to avoid a damaging "no deal" exit, under which Britain would separate from its closest trading partner with no new arrangements in place. Her own Conservative MPs had blocked the deal because they feared it would leave Britain too closely tied to the EU. Many candidates to replace her want to renegotiate the text on EU withdrawal, although the EU has explicitly ruled that out. If they cannot, several say Britain must leave anyway. However, one frontrunner, Environment Secretary Michael Gove, was reported Sunday to be ready to delay Brexit again to avoid a "no deal" scenario. Meanwhile voters across the country are divided. Although Farage won the most votes in European elections, the Liberal Democrats, who want a new referendum to reverse Brexit, came second. Trade talks Britain s future trading relationship with the United States will be crucial to its post-Brexit success and likely discussed during Trump s talks with May at Downing Street this week. But some here fear Britain would be steamrolled by the far bigger US into accepting an unbalanced accord, especially given Trump s "America First" stance in shaking up trade ties with Mexico, Canada, Japan and China. US Ambassador to Britain Woody Johnson told BBC television that Washington was already preparing the way for a trade deal and it would be done "as expeditiously as any agreement we ve ever had". He said he would expect Britain to be open to US agricultural products, and when asked about access of US firms to Britain s cherished state-run health service, said "all things that are traded would be on the table".

Israeli strikes targeting Syria on Sunday left 10 people dead, including three Syrian soldiers and seven foreign fighters, a war monitor said. They were killed in missile strikes close the capital Damascus where Syrian troops, Iranian forces and Hezbollah fighters are stationed, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It did not specify the nationalities of the foreign fighters killed.

World attention has turned to Mecca amidst the flurry of last-minute preparations for three emergency summits called for by Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud two weeks ago against the backdrop of escalating tensions between Iran, on the one hand, and the US and allies in the Gulf (Saudi Arabia and the UAE) on the other. The simultaneous convention of three such high-profile summits — at the Gulf, Arab and Islamic levels — is unprecedented. But so, too, perhaps is the magnitude of the complexity and urgency of the regional issues and interplays that the participants will address, not least of which are the recent terrorist attacks on oil tankers and oil pumping stations, which relates to the various dimensions of the Yemeni conflict; the fragile security in the Gulf and Arab region, which connects with divisions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the boycott of Qatar; and the Middle East conflict and the approaching launch of the so-called “Deal of the Century” in Manama. The place, timing and number of these summits are significant in their own right. The choice of Mecca, the Islamic Holy City, adds an important religious dimension, one that lends an element of sacredness to conflict resolution efforts and to commitments to the obligations undertaken in connection with any agreements or resolutions. The first manifestation of this dimension is the “Mecca Document” on the fight against terrorism that emerged from the four-day Muslim League Conference that convened in Mecca Monday under the banner “Values of Moderation in the Quran and Sunnah.” The timing coincides with the ratcheting up of tensions in the Gulf, as mentioned, but also with the intensification of mediating efforts on the part of other countries. As for the number of summits, it speaks of Saudi Arabia’s determination to rally as comprehensive a consensus behind it as possible among all entities and institutions that express Gulf, Arab and Islamic positions. Observers have noted that the invitation that King Salman issued to participants explicitly focused on the threats to Saudi Arabia and the UAE from the Houthi militias in Yemen, which Riyadh blames for the attacks against two Saudi oil tankers near the UAE’s Fujeira port and the drone strikes against an Aramco pipeline and the Najran military base. Riyadh wants to martial a sweeping Arab and Islamic condemnation against Iran for its behaviour in the region and, above all, for propelling its proxies into attacking Saudi Arabia which, together with the UAE, has been fighting the Houthis in Yemen since March 2015. While a significant body of opinion appears in favour of a condemnation of Iran as the power responsible for the behaviour of its proxies, as statements by Saudi and Emirati officials have indicated, there appears to be a process of revision in progress concerning the conflict in Yemen. According to Arab affairs expert Mohamed Megahed Al-Zayat, “there is a growing trend that submits that Iran is not responsible for the actions of the Houthis in Yemen and that the Houthi attacks against the Gulf countries (Saudi Arabia and the UAE) were carried out in the context of the current war in Yemen, independently of the escalation between the two sides (the Gulf countries and Iran).” The GCC Summit is scheduled to meet first. Qatar’s addition to the guest list has riveted attention to this summit and stirred speculation as whether this signals a possible reconciliation after two years of boycott. The GCC has not held a full senior level meeting since the boycott was declared against Doha by the Saudi-led quartet (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain). Bahrain and the UAE, as GCC members who will also be present at that summit, have not voiced an official position on the invitation that has been extended to Doha. Nor has Cairo, as the fourth member of the quartet. Presumably, the level of Qatar’s participation in the Mecca summits will reflect developments related to the prospects of a reconciliation. For example, in the 29th Arab League Summit in Dhahran, in April 2018, Qatar attended at the level of its ambassador to the Arab League while in the 30th Arab Summit in Tunisia two months ago (31 March 2019), Qatari President Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani attended the opening session, but left that session abruptly and rushed home. The invitation perplexed official circles in Qatar, which the Arab quartet accuses of supporting terrorism in the region. Abdullah Al-Athba, a prominent Qatari journalist who is close to ruling circles in Doha, commented on his Twitter account: “Riyadh sent an invitation to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, to attend the meetings it called for in Mecca, despite the fact that it describes the government in Qatar as terrorist... How can it be that they are inviting a party they accuse of supporting terrorism?” Of course, Qatar’s relationship with Iran, which supported Doha during the boycott, will be another focus of the interplay in Mecca. Doha has frequently spoken out against the escalation in the confrontation with Iran and, in 2016, it was expelled from the Arab coalition against the Houthi insurgency in Yemen. Observers point to two major indicators on the question of a reconciliation with Qatar: the positions of the hardliners on Qatar, namely the UAE and Bahrain, on the one hand, and the positions of Oman and Kuwait which have drawn closer to Qatar and urged a return to Gulf unity, on the other. But not only is there a sharp division over the Qatar question, there is a similar sharp division with respect to Iran, and along the same lines: Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain are the hardliners on Iran while Oman has stepped in to act as mediator in order to contain the crisis while Kuwait, in view of its relations with Iran, has lobbied to reduce tensions in the Gulf. Iran appears to have been omitted from the guest list for the Islamic summit in Mecca which began its preparatory sessions Tuesday. The Iranian flag did not take its place among the national flags of the countries taking part in the sessions of the summit being held in the framework of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Official statements from Iran indicate that Tehran was not planning to attend anyway. Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Gholam Hossein Dehghani, in an interview with the state-owned Iran newspaper on Sunday, cautioned OIC countries against taking decisions and measures against Iran. He said that the OIC should not be “held hostage” by Saudi Arabia which, along with some like-minded governments, might try to take advantage of the Mecca summit in order to take measures against some of the OIC members, including Iran. Dehghani pointed out that Saudi Arabia’s decision to close the Islamic Republic’s permanent mission to the OIC in Riyadh in April 2017 and the simultaneous expulsion of the Iran’s envoy from Saudi Arabia were among the illogical consequences of the Saudi response to the rupture of bilateral relations between Tehran and Riyadh. If the main item on the agenda of the Arab summit, which was only posted two days in advance, is to address the threats against Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the summit is also likely to include a “workshop” on the “Deal of the Century”. Before heading off to the summit in Mecca, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that he would reiterate his opposition to the “deal” project which is soon to be announced in Bahrain. In a precedent on the Gulf’s handling of the Palestinian cause, the Gulf countries are promoting activities related to unveiling a negotiating process that the Palestinian Authority rejects. This is another item that will need to be sorted out in the Arab summit. Sobhi Asila, Palestinian-Israeli affairs expert at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, told Al-Ahram Weekly, “Abbas has climbed atop the soapbox of rejection and it will be hard for Arab parties to coax him down. The Arab summit will be an opportunity for dealing with this situation.” As for the outputs, resolutions will probably focus on the importance of the security and stability of the Gulf, condemnation of the threats against Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and the need to safeguard the security of maritime routes in the Gulf. Most likely, too, there will be some affirmation of commitment to the Palestinian cause, which is a permanent item on the agenda of all Arab summits. World attention has turned to Mecca amidst the flurry of last-minute preparations for three emergency summits called for by Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud two weeks ago against the backdrop of escalating tensions between Iran, on the one hand, and the US and allies in the Gulf (Saudi Arabia and the UAE) on the other. The simultaneous convention of three such high-profile summits — at the Gulf, Arab and Islamic levels — is unprecedented. But so, too, perhaps is the magnitude of the complexity and urgency of the regional issues and interplays that the participants will address, not least of which are the recent terrorist attacks on oil tankers and oil pumping stations, which relates to the various dimensions of the Yemeni conflict; the fragile security in the Gulf and Arab region, which connects with divisions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the boycott of Qatar; and the Middle East conflict and the approaching launch of the so-called “Deal of the Century” in Manama. The place, timing and number of these summits are significant in their own right. The choice of Mecca, the Islamic Holy City, adds an important religious dimension, one that lends an element of sacredness to conflict resolution efforts and to commitments to the obligations undertaken in connection with any agreements or resolutions. The first manifestation of this dimension is the “Mecca Document” on the fight against terrorism that emerged from the four-day Muslim League Conference that convened in Mecca Monday under the banner “Values of Moderation in the Quran and Sunnah.” The timing coincides with the ratcheting up of tensions in the Gulf, as mentioned, but also with the intensification of mediating efforts on the part of other countries. As for the number of summits, it speaks of Saudi Arabia’s determination to rally as comprehensive a consensus behind it as possible among all entities and institutions that express Gulf, Arab and Islamic positions. Observers have noted that the invitation that King Salman issued to participants explicitly focused on the threats to Saudi Arabia and the UAE from the Houthi militias in Yemen, which Riyadh blames for the attacks against two Saudi oil tankers near the UAE’s Fujeira port and the drone strikes against an Aramco pipeline and the Najran military base. Riyadh wants to martial a sweeping Arab and Islamic condemnation against Iran for its behaviour in the region and, above all, for propelling its proxies into attacking Saudi Arabia which, together with the UAE, has been fighting the Houthis in Yemen since March 2015. While a significant body of opinion appears in favour of a condemnation of Iran as the power responsible for the behaviour of its proxies, as statements by Saudi and Emirati officials have indicated, there appears to be a process of revision in progress concerning the conflict in Yemen. According to Arab affairs expert Mohamed Megahed Al-Zayat, “there is a growing trend that submits that Iran is not responsible for the actions of the Houthis in Yemen and that the Houthi attacks against the Gulf countries (Saudi Arabia and the UAE) were carried out in the context of the current war in Yemen, independently of the escalation between the two sides (the Gulf countries and Iran).” The GCC Summit is scheduled to meet first. Qatar’s addition to the guest list has riveted attention to this summit and stirred speculation as whether this signals a possible reconciliation after two years of boycott. The GCC has not held a full senior level meeting since the boycott was declared against Doha by the Saudi-led quartet (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain). Bahrain and the UAE, as GCC members who will also be present at that summit, have not voiced an official position on the invitation that has been extended to Doha. Nor has Cairo, as the fourth member of the quartet. Presumably, the level of Qatar’s participation in the Mecca summits will reflect developments related to the prospects of a reconciliation. For example, in the 29th Arab League Summit in Dhahran, in April 2018, Qatar attended at the level of its ambassador to the Arab League while in the 30th Arab Summit in Tunisia two months ago (31 March 2019), Qatari President Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani attended the opening session, but left that session abruptly and rushed home. The invitation perplexed official circles in Qatar, which the Arab quartet accuses of supporting terrorism in the region. Abdullah Al-Athba, a prominent Qatari journalist who is close to ruling circles in Doha, commented on his Twitter account: “Riyadh sent an invitation to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, to attend the meetings it called for in Mecca, despite the fact that it describes the government in Qatar as terrorist... How can it be that they are inviting a party they accuse of supporting terrorism?” Of course, Qatar’s relationship with Iran, which supported Doha during the boycott, will be another focus of the interplay in Mecca. Doha has frequently spoken out against the escalation in the confrontation with Iran and, in 2016, it was expelled from the Arab coalition against the Houthi insurgency in Yemen. Observers point to two major indicators on the question of a reconciliation with Qatar: the positions of the hardliners on Qatar, namely the UAE and Bahrain, on the one hand, and the positions of Oman and Kuwait which have drawn closer to Qatar and urged a return to Gulf unity, on the other. But not only is there a sharp division over the Qatar question, there is a similar sharp division with respect to Iran, and along the same lines: Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain are the hardliners on Iran while Oman has stepped in to act as mediator in order to contain the crisis while Kuwait, in view of its relations with Iran, has lobbied to reduce tensions in the Gulf. Iran appears to have been omitted from the guest list for the Islamic summit in Mecca which began its preparatory sessions Tuesday. The Iranian flag did not take its place among the national flags of the countries taking part in the sessions of the summit being held in the framework of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Official statements from Iran indicate that Tehran was not planning to attend anyway. Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Gholam Hossein Dehghani, in an interview with the state-owned Iran newspaper on Sunday, cautioned OIC countries against taking decisions and measures against Iran. He said that the OIC should not be “held hostage” by Saudi Arabia which, along with some like-minded governments, might try to take advantage of the Mecca summit in order to take measures against some of the OIC members, including Iran. Dehghani pointed out that Saudi Arabia’s decision to close the Islamic Republic’s permanent mission to the OIC in Riyadh in April 2017 and the simultaneous expulsion of the Iran’s envoy from Saudi Arabia were among the illogical consequences of the Saudi response to the rupture of bilateral relations between Tehran and Riyadh. If the main item on the agenda of the Arab summit, which was only posted two days in advance, is to address the threats against Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the summit is also likely to include a “workshop” on the “Deal of the Century”. Before heading off to the summit in Mecca, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that he would reiterate his opposition to the “deal” project which is soon to be announced in Bahrain. In a precedent on the Gulf’s handling of the Palestinian cause, the Gulf countries are promoting activities related to unveiling a negotiating process that the Palestinian Authority rejects. This is another item that will need to be sorted out in the Arab summit. Sobhi Asila, Palestinian-Israeli affairs expert at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, told Al-Ahram Weekly, “Abbas has climbed atop the soapbox of rejection and it will be hard for Arab parties to coax him down. The Arab summit will be an opportunity for dealing with this situation.” As for the outputs, resolutions will probably focus on the importance of the security and stability of the Gulf, condemnation of the threats against Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and the need to safeguard the security of maritime routes in the Gulf. Most likely, too, there will be some affirmation of commitment to the Palestinian cause, which is a permanent item on the agenda of all Arab summits. *A version of this article appears in print in the 30 May, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Mecca summits

Iran s foreign ministry on Tuesday insisted it did not currently see the need for mediation with the United States, as it played down the chances of a military clash with Washington. Spokesman Abbas Mousavi told a press conference that Tehran "does not feel any tension or (the possibility of) clashes" and said concerns had been "created by others". He told journalists that the Islamic republic "does not presently believe in" mediation. Iran is locked in a standoff with the United States which has beefed up its military presence in the Middle East in response to alleged threats from the Islamic republic. Washington has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers to the region in a show of force. The moves are the latest spike since US President Donald Trump withdrew from a landmark 2015 deal on Iran s nuclear programme and reimposed sanctions. Iran earlier this month rolled back parts of its commitments under the nuclear deal and gave an ultimatum to the remaining world powers involved if they did not provide sanctions relief. Mousavi warned that if sanctions relief is not offered Tehran "will with severity take the next steps", meaning it could turn its back on more substantial parts of the accord. The situation between Iran and the US has led a number of countries in the Middle East and others such as Japan and Switzerland to offer to mediate. Tehran insists that it will not hold direct talks with the US government anytime soon despite Trump saying Washington would "like to talk" if Iran was ready. Mousavi said Iran was "listening to the views of countries" who have offered to mediate but had not received or given any "special message" during a flurry of diplomatic visits in recent weeks.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday a deal with Iran on its nuclear program was possible, crediting economic sanctions for curbing activities Washington has said are behind a spate of attacks in the Middle East. “I really believe that Iran would like to make a deal, and I think that’s very smart of them, and I think that’s a possibility to happen,” Trump said during a news conference with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo. “It has a chance to be a great country with the same leadership,” Trump said. “We aren’t looking for regime change — I just want to make that clear. We are looking for no nuclear weapons.” Tensions have risen between Iran and the United States after this month’s attack on oil tankers in the Gulf region. Washington has blamed the attacks on Iran, which denies the accusations. The United States has deployed a carrier strike group and bombers to the Mideast region and an extra 1,500 troops to the Gulf, prompting fears of a conflict. Trump’s comments came after his national security adviser John Bolton said on Saturday that the United States had “deep and serious” intelligence on threats posed by Iran, without providing details. Trump, on a four-day visit to Japan, welcomed Abe’s help in dealing with Iran after broadcaster NHK said Japan’s leader is considering a trip to Tehran as early as mid-June. Iran said a visit was unlikely in the near future. “I know for a fact that the prime minister is very close with the leadership of Iran, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. During his joint news conference with Trump, Abe said Japan would do what it can on the Iran issue. “Peace and stability of the Middle East is very important for Japan and the United States and the international community as a whole,” Abe said. Trump last year withdrew the United States from a 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran, and is ratcheting up sanctions in an effort to end Iran’s international sales of crude oil and strangle its economy. Japan was a major buyer of Iranian oil for decades before the U.S. sanctions — which Trump said were taking effect. “They were fighting in many locations,” he said of Iran. “Now they are pulling back because they have serious economic problems.” Bolton, who has spearheaded an increasingly hawkish U.S. policy on Iran, described recent bomb attacks on tankers off the United Arab Emirates and a pipeline pumping station in Saudi Arabia, as well as a rocket attack in Baghdad’s Green Zone as “manifestations of concern” about Iran. Iran has distanced itself from the bombings and on Sunday, its foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said his country will defend itself against any military or economic aggression. *This story was edited by Ahram Online

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday U.S. President Donald Trump gave strong support to his intention to hold unconditional talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Abe spoke at a joint news conference after a summit with Trump in Tokyo. Trump is on a four-day state visit.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday that the U.S. decision to deploy more troops to the Middle East in response to the perceived threat from Iran was "extremely dangerous" for peace. The United States said it was sending 1,500 troops to region in what it called an effort to bolster defences against Tehran, and it accused Iran s Revolutionary Guards of direct responsibility for attacks on tankers this month.

As Democrats in the U.S. Congress debated possibly impeaching Republican President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday that he is engaged in a "cover-up." Speaking to reporters after a meeting of House Democrats on Capitol Hill, Pelosi said: "No one is above the law, including the president of the United States. And we believe that the president of the United States is engaged in a cover-up."

Sudan’s main protest group called on Tuesday for a general strike, saying two late-night negotiation sessions with the military had failed to reach a deal on how to lead the country after the overthrow of former president Omar al-Bashir. An alliance of protest and opposition organizations is demanding civilians head a new Sovereign Council meant to oversee a three-year transition toward democracy. But the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) protest group said the army was still insisting on directing the transition and keeping a military majority on the council. “Civilian power means that the structure is fully civilian with a civilian majority in all its parts,” the SPA said in a statement. It said members should mobilize for a strike, without giving a date. The impasse has hit hopes of a quick recovery from the political turmoil that ended Bashir’s three-decade rule on April 11. Britain, the United States and Norway, who are working together on Sudan, urged all parties to quickly end the uncertainty and build consensus, warning against any outcome without a civilian-led government. “This will complicate international engagement, and make it harder for our countries to work with the new authorities and support Sudan’s economic development,” they said in a statement. Bashir, the former Islamist general under whose rule Sudan was placed on a U.S. list of sponsors of terrorism, was ousted by the army after months of protests against soaring prices, cash shortages and other economic hardships. The army set up a Transitional Military Council (TMC) to rule the country and promised to hand over after elections. PROTEST PRESSURE Protesters have also been pushing for justice over the deaths of dozens of demonstrators since December and for a crackdown on corruption. Bashir and some of his aides have been arrested, though on Tuesday guards blocked the arrest of Salah Abdallah Mohamed Saleh, known as Salah Gosh, the former intelligence chief. Mohamed Ibrahim El Tayeb, a 60-year-old pharmacist in Khartoum, said people were determined to learn from Sudan’s own history, when previous uprisings were “stolen” by the military. A delay to negotiations would allow allies of the former Bashir government to regroup, so strikes and other protests were necessary, he said. “This card of civil disobedience is one of our cards to ensure our revolution reaches a successful end.” There have been sporadic work stoppages and some bankers and telecoms employees took to the streets on Tuesday in Khartoum calling for civilian rule. Many medical staff have been on strike since Dec. 19 when protests began against Bashir, who is sought by international prosecutors for alleged war crimes in the western Darfur region. The army acknowledged early on Tuesday that the make-up of the sovereign council remained the main point of contention, but did not go into details on its position. “Aware of our historical responsibility, we will work toward reaching an urgent agreement ... that meets the aspirations of the Sudanese people and the goals of the glorious December revolution,” said a statement signed by the TMC. It gave no date for when talks would resume. *This story was edited by Ahram Online.

The European Union on Monday called on Turkey to show restraint and respect the sovereign rights of Cyprus in a dispute over exploiting energy wealth off the Mediterranean island. During a visit to Cyprus, the EU s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier reiterated the bloc s backing for the EU member after it gave Turkey a stern message at a summit in Romania this month. "We express grave concern over Turkey s announced intention to carry out drilling activities within the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus," Barnier told reporters in Nicosia. "We urgently call on Turkey to show restraint, respect the sovereign rights of Cyprus... refrain from any such illegal action," he added. The senior EU official also suggested there would be consequences if Ankara persisted when saying the European Union "will respond appropriately and in full solidarity with Cyprus". Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has slammed Turkey s drilling bid inside Cyprus waters as a "new invasion" and garnered support from fellow European Union leaders. The United States, Israel and Egypt have also come out against Turkey s incursion into the island s EEZ. "Turkey s actions, which are de-stabilising in the eastern Mediterranean region, have drawn broad condemnation from the international community," Cypriot Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides said after talks with Barnier. He said Barnier was well aware of the need for the EU to "react collectively and decisively" to stop Turkey s violation of a member state s sovereign rights. Turkey says its actions abide by international law and that it s drilling inside its continental shelf, but it does not recognise Cyprus as a sovereign or EU member state. Cyprus has accelerated the development of offshore gas deposits and has signed deals with energy giants Eni, Total and ExxonMobil that have seen them carry out exploratory drilling. US energy giant ExxonMobil discovered the largest natural gas reserve off the coast of Cyprus in February. The "world-class discovery" is one of the largest finds worldwide in recent years with an estimated five to eight trillion cubic feet (141.5 to 226.5 cubic metres) of natural gas. Ankara argues that such exploration deprives the Turkish Cypriot minority of benefiting from the island s natural wealth. In February 2018, a drill ship for Italy s Eni abandoned an attempt to search for gas off Cyprus after it was blocked by Turkish warships. Turkey has occupied the northern third of Cyprus since invading in 1974 in response to a Greek military junta-engineered coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece. The breakaway northern part of the island declared independence in 1983, but it is only recognised by Ankara.

Police rolled out more barbed wire on Monday to tighten security outside Indonesia s election agency and readied armoured trucks and water cannons to quell any civil unrest when official results of a presidential poll are released this week. With the General Election Commission (KPU) set to declare its count from last month s election by Wednesday, authorities have detained dozens of militant Islamists suspected of planning attacks to create mayhem during demonstrations. The result is expected to confirm unofficial counts by private pollsters that put incumbent President Joko Widodo about 10 percentage points ahead of challenger Prabowo Subianto. Although independent observers and analysts have said the poll was free and fair, Prabowo has refused to concede defeat, with his campaign team making accusations of "massive cheating and irregularities" during the vote and vote-counting. The retired general has said the situation could trigger "people power"-style protests, while the government and police have urged protesters to keep the peace and vowed action against anyone stirring unrest. Indonesia s election supervisory panel has dismissed two official complaints of election cheating, on grounds of insufficient evidence of violations. Heavily armed security stood guard outside the election commission in central Jakarta, some accompanied by police dogs. Last week, chief security minister Wiranto ordered police and military across Indonesia to prevent people from travelling to Jakarta en masse to join protests. In East Java province, more than 1,200 Prabowo supporters were stopped from travelling to the capital. "These people were attempting to travel by bus, car and train to join the rallies on May 22," said East Java police spokesman Frans Barung Mangera. "We prevented them." Indonesia s biggest Islamic group, Nahdlatul Ulama, has also urged people to avoid rallies, saying its mosques would not accommodate protesters from outside the capital, except for prayers, media said. National police, who report directly to Widodo, have also held or interrogated at least three leading opposition figures for suspected treason. Last week, police said they had detained about 30 suspected militants with ties to Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), Indonesia s largest group linked to Islamic State, including some capable of using Wi-Fi networks to trigger blasts. In a security alert, the U.S. embassy in Jakarta advised citizens to avoid the sites of large demonstrations. The Australian embassy also warned that protests could unexpectedly turn violent. Widodo now leads with 55% of the vote, while Prabowo has 45%, according to the panel s official count of nearly 90% of votes. Once the official result is released, the losing party can lodge a legal challenge at the constitutional court. Otherwise, the commission will officially declare the winner by May 28. Prabowo has not yet confirmed if he intends to go to court, but his challenge to his 2014 defeat by Widodo was rejected.

Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden kicks off his 2020 presidential bid Saturday with a call for fairness and equality in America, urging voters to heal deep divisions and reject Donald Trump s "hard heart." "Some say Democrats don t want to hear about unity. That they are angry -- and the angrier you are, the better," Biden will say at a campaign rally in Philadelphia, according to speech excerpts. "I don t believe it," he will tell the crowd, adding that he is running for president to offer Democrats and Republicans alike a "different path" towards unity.

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said on Tuesday that two oil-pumping stations for the East-West pipeline had been hit by explosive-laden drones, calling the attack “an act of terrorism” that targeted global oil supplies. Al-Falih said that Saudi oil output and exports for crude and refined products were continuing without disruption. Houthi-run Masirah TV earlier on Tuesday cited a military official saying the Houthis had launched drone attacks on “vital Saudi installations”. A number of commercial ships and oil tankers were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf this week, with many countries condemning the incidents and expressing worries as the region’s stock markets plummeted after the attacks. Al-Falih released a statement on Monday saying that “two Saudi oil tankers were attacked near the emirate of Fujairah as they were about to cross the Arabian Gulf.” The attacks did not lead to any casualties or an oil spill but caused “significant damage to the vessels”, he said. Al-Falih added that “one of the two vessels was on its way to be loaded with Saudi crude oil from the port of Ras Tanura to be delivered to Saudi Aramco’s customers in the United States.” The attacks took place one day after the UAE announced four commercial vessels had been “sabotaged” near Fujairah 115km from Iran. A UAE Foreign Ministry statement said the four ships were “civilian commercial ship of various nationalities”. A Norwegian cargo company said one of its ships was sabotaged, adding that an unidentified body had created a hole in one of its oil tankers. The Foreign Ministry called the incidents “worrisome” and said there would be an investigation. Meanwhile, the UAE dismissed reports of bombings in Fujairah as “baseless”, adding that port operations had continued as usual. But many countries are concerned that details of the attacks have not been revealed. Spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry Abbas Mousavi said “the Sunday incidents on several vessels in the Sea of Oman were alarming and regrettable.” He “warned against plots by ill-wishers wanting to disrupt regional security” and called for “the vigilance of regional states in the face of adventurism by foreign elements”. Egypt and Jordan condemned the attacks, and a high-level official in the Pentagon said US units were aiding UAE military authorities investigating the “sabotage” incidents. Tensions heightened in the Gulf after the US sent B-52 bombers to the Middle East to counter “clear indications” of threats from Iran. In a sign of concern at the rising tensions, UK Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt warned of the risks of “a conflict happening by accident” with unintended escalation between Washington and Tehran over the unravelling Iran nuclear deal. Hunt said he would “share Britain’s concerns with Germany and France and with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo” who was in Brussels on Monday for talks on Iran. Meanwhile, Riyadh’s stock market, the largest in the region, fell by 2.7 per cent in the wake of the attacks. Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s stock exchanges dropped by 3.7 per cent and 2.5 per cent, respectively. Qatar recorded a 2.1 per cent drop, and there was a 1.25 per cent in Kuwait, a 0.16 per cent drop in Amman, and a 0.6 per cent drop in Bahrain. *A version of this article appears in print in the 16 May, 2019 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Heightened tensions in the Gulf

Iran s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that "there is not going to be any war" with the United States, his official website reported. In a speech to state officials, Khamenei said the showdown between the Islamic republic and the United States was a test of resolve rather than a military encounter.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared information on escalating threats from Iran with European allies and NATO officials during meetings in Brussels on Monday, the U.S. special representative for Iran said. “Iran is an escalating threat and this seemed like a timely visit on his way to Sochi,” Brian Hook told reporters, referring to Pompeo’s planned visit to Russia on Tuesday for meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Pompeo canceled a visit to Moscow on Monday and stopped in Brussels instead, en route to Sochi. “The secretary wanted to share some details behind what we have been saying publicly,” Hook said. “We believe that Iran should try talks instead of threats. They have chosen poorly by focusing on threats.” Hook said Pompeo, while in Brussels, also discussed reported attacks on several oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Asked if Pompeo was blaming Iran for the attacks, Hook said: “We discussed ... what seemed to be attacks on commercial vessels that were anchored off Fujairah ... we have been requested by the UAE to provide assistance in the investigation, which we are very glad to do.” Asked if he himself believed there was the possibility of an Iranian role, Hook had no comment. The UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah emirate, one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz. It did not describe the nature of the attack or say who was behind it. Saudi Arabia said Monday that two of its oil tankers were among those attacked and described it as an attempt to undermine the security of crude supplies amid tensions between the United States and Iran. The UAE on Monday identified the vessels as very large crude carrier (VLCC) tanker Amjad and crude tanker Al Marzoqah, both owned by Saudi shipping firm Bahri. The other two were UAE-flagged fuel bunker barge A. Michel and Norwegian-registered oil products tanker MT Andrew Victory

Saudi Arabia said on Monday that two Saudi oil tankers were attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, condemning it as an attempt to undermine the security of crude supplies amid heightened U.S.-Iranian tensions. The UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah emirate, one of the world s largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz, but did not say who was behind the attack or describe the nature of it. Iran, embroiled in an escalating war of words with the United States over sanctions and the U.S. military s presence in the region, moved on Monday to distance itself. The foreign ministry called the incidents "worrisome and dreadful" and asked for an investigation into the matter. A senior Iranian lawmaker said "saboteurs from a third country" could be behind it, after saying on Sunday that the incident showed that the security of Gulf states is fragile. In a sign of concern about rising tensions, Britain s Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt warned of the risks of "a conflict happening by accident" with an unintended escalation between Washington and Tehran over an unravelling nuclear deal. A fifth of global oil consumption passes through the Strait from Middle East crude producers to major markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond. Iran s Revolutionary Guards, which has been designated a terrorist organisation by the United States, threatened last month to close the chokepoint if Tehran is barred from using it. Oil prices rose on Monday, with Brent crude futures trading up 1.1% at $71.77 a barrel at 0906 GMT. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said in a statement that one of the two Saudi vessels attacked was on its way to be loaded with Saudi crude from Ras Tanura port for delivery to state-owned Saudi Aramco s customers in the United States. The attack did not lead to any casualties or an oil spill but caused significant damage to the vessels structures, he said. INTERTANKO, an association of independent tanker owners and operators, said in a note that it has seen photos showing that "at least two ships have holes in their sides due to the impact of a weapon". Trading and shipping sources identified the Saudi vessels as Bahri-owned very large crude carrier (VLCC) tanker Amjad and crude tanker Al Marzoqah. Bahri did not respond to a request for comment. The UAE foreign ministry has said there were no casualties and the Fujairah port operations were normal. An investigation had been launched in coordination with international authorities, it said, calling on global powers to prevent any parties trying to harm maritime safety and security. Saudi Arabia s foreign ministry in a separate statement voiced support for the UAE, the Middle East s trade and business hub. Gulf stock markets fell on Monday, with Dubai down 2.6% and the Saudi index down over 2%. Escalating tensions Sunni Muslim allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE have strongly backed U.S. sanctions against fellow OPEC producer and regional foe Shia Iran. After the United States ended all sanctions waivers on Iranian crude, Washington said Riyadh and Abu Dhabi would help compensate for any shortage in oil supply. Falih said the attack aimed to undermine maritime freedom and the security of oil supplies to consumers worldwide. "The international community has a joint responsibility to protect the safety of maritime navigation and the security of oil tankers, to mitigate against the adverse consequences of such incidents on energy markets and the danger they pose to the global economy," he said. Iran s foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi was cited by the semi-official ISNA news agency as saying the incident "has a negative impact on maritime transportation security" and asked regional countries to be "vigilant against destabilising plots of foreign agents". The U.S. Maritime Administration said in an advisory on Sunday the incidents off Fujairah, one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE, have not been confirmed and urged caution. Earlier this month, the Maritime Administration said U.S. commercial ships including oil tankers sailing through Middle East waterways could be targeted by Iran in one of the threats to U.S. interests posed by Tehran. Washington said it was sending a U.S. aircraft carrier and other forces to the Middle East due to what it said were Iranian threats, while Tehran has called the U.S. military presence "a target" rather than a threat. U.S. President Donald Trump s government has been ratcheting up pressure on Iran with sanctions since Washington withdrew a year ago from a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. Washington tightened sanctions on Iran this month, eliminating waivers that had allowed some countries to buy its oil, saying it wanted to cut Tehran’s crude exports to zero. Iran has said it will not let its oil exports be halted.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are likely to meet during a G20 summit in Japan at the end of June and discuss trade, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Sunday. “Let me repeat again the strong possibility that the two presidents will meet in Japan at G20,” Kudlow told Fox News Sunday, adding that there were no other fresh talks scheduled between Beijing and Washington for now. The United States escalated a tariff war with China on Friday by hiking levies on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods after Trump said Beijing “broke the deal” by reneging on earlier commitments made during months of negotiations.

The Egyptian cabinet said in a statement on Thursday that American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has passed through Egypt s Suez Canal; the White House said earlier this week that the deployment is in response to troubling “indications and warnings” from Iran. The movement of the warship was observed by US Major General Ralph Groover, Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché at the US embassy in Cairo, "who came specially to check up on the safe passage" of the US carrier, the cabinet said.

Iran announced on Wednesday it was relaxing some curbs to its nuclear program, announcing steps that stop short of violating its 2015 deal with world powers for now, but threatening more action if countries do not shield it from U.S. sanctions. Hours later, the United States said it was not finished imposing sanctions on Iran and planned more “very soon”. It warned Europe against doing business with Tehran via a system of non-dollar trade to circumvent U.S. sanctions.