nuclear deal

Deadly attacks surge as Iran's foreign minister visits Syria

The attacks killed at least 36 people and wounding dozens.

Stepped-up rebel shelling and government airstrikes came just a few hours before Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Damascus, where he discussed a four-point proposal Iran wants to offer to the United Nations as a way out of Syria's grinding conflict.

Qatar's FM urges 'serious dialogue' with Iran

Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press that also touched on the controversy surrounding Qatar's hosting of the 2022 World Cup and allegations of Doha's links to Islamic militant groups.

Al-Attiyah spoke from a skyscraper office overlooking the rapidly developing Qatari capital, Doha, a day after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council in Qatar. 

Gulf Arabs welcome Iran nuke deal but seek further assurance

Speaking for the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, Qatar's foreign minister said Monday that the bloc had been pleased by a presentation of the agreement from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. 

On that basis, he said the council welcomed the deal.

Kerry had come to Doha seeking to ease concerns about the regional implications of the deal. 

Kerry in Qatar to ease Arab concerns about Iran nuke deal

Kerry arrived in the Qatari capital on Sunday after visiting Egypt, where he also spoke in favor of the agreement reached with Iran last month in Vienna. 

The Sunni-ruled Gulf Arab states fear Shiite Iran's increasing assertiveness in the region. In Cairo, Kerry acknowledged Iran's negative role but said it would be easier to deal with if Tehran cannot develop a nuclear weapon.

Kerry pushes back against critics of Iran deal

"Let me underscore, the alternative to the deal we've reached isn't what we're seeing ads for on TV," he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the first public hearing on the controversial deal to lift economic and other sanctions in exchange for concessions of the Islamic state's nuclear program. 

He was referring commercials aired by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee urging lawmakers to reject the deal.

Carter: Saudis welcoming Iran deal with reservations

Carter met with the king as well as his defense minister, Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, Wednesday in the Red Sea city of Jedda.

Carter told reporters afterward that the king expressed reservations about how well Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal can be verified. And he expressed concern about the mechanism for reinstating international economic sanctions in the event that Iran is found to have violated the deal.

Carter, Netanyahu call it a day after discussing Iran deal

They called it a bad deal. He called it a good deal. And they all just called it a day.

Carter on Tuesday did avoid a public tongue-lashing by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader has called the Iran deal a monumental mistake and asserted that it severely weakens Israel's security, strengthens Iran and contradicts President Barack Obama's stated goal of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

UN endorses Iran nuclear deal with 6 world powers

But the measure also provides a mechanism for U.N. sanctions to "snap back" in place if Iran fails to meet its obligations.

The resolution had been agreed to by the five veto-wielding council members, who along with Germany negotiated the nuclear deal with Iran. It was co-sponsored by all 15 members of the Security Council.

High-stakes lobbying on Iran deal; pressure for Congress

On the other side, liberal groups ramped up the pressure, warning of political consequences for Democrats who undermine the agreement and casting opposition as a vote for war.

The lobbying fight is on over the pact that the U.S. and other world powers just signed with Iran.

US vows to defend Arab allies as it seeks Iran deal support

After his first Cabinet-level meeting with a Mideast partner since Tuesday's accord, Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. and its Arab partners in the Persian Gulf were "committed to working together to push back against any extremist enterprises, including the activities of Iran in the region." But his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, stopped short of endorsing the nuclear accord and said his country still has questions.