US officials have tried to minimize Beijing's role in the region, saying it is far from supplanting the United States: much of the Middle East still sits under the Pentagon's security umbrella.

Several more people were swept away by the rushing water, which turned streets into muddy rivers in areas hit by last month’s 7.8-magnitude quake, officials said.

Overall, more than 82,000 people were granted amnesty in an announcement marking the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution

Riyadh cut ties after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in 2016 following the Saudi execution of revered Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr -- just one in a series of flashpoints between the two longstanding rivals.

Shipments to the UAE have been steadily growing, data shows

The deadliest disaster in Turkey's modern history devastated cities and towns and killed tens of thousands of people a month ago, mostly in a conservative stronghold that has heavily backed Erdogan and the AKP for two decades.

'Rafael Grossi is a worthy gentleman who said something unworthy,' says Benjamin Netanyahu

The Saudi foreign ministry expressed its "complete rejection of such racist and irresponsible statements, which reflect the massive violence and extremism the Israeli occupation entity is exercising against the brotherly Palestinians."

The earthquake that struck on February 6 hit Turkey and Syria, devastating scores of cities and killing more than 50,000 people in both countries.

Many Iranian schoolgirls have been poisoned and are presenting to hospitals with mild to severe symptoms. There is speculation about the cause of these incidents that have been taking place all over Iran for the last few months.

A United Nations resolution bans arms transfers to Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Tehran long has denied arming the rebels, despite physical evidence, numerous seizures and experts tying the weapons back to Iran.

"Discussions are still ongoing" to determine the origin of these particles, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a confidential report seen by AFP.