Biden, Iraqi PM to Discuss Partnership as Middle East Tensions Brew

US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, April 15, 2024. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, April 15, 2024. (Reuters)
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Biden, Iraqi PM to Discuss Partnership as Middle East Tensions Brew

US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, April 15, 2024. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, April 15, 2024. (Reuters)

US President Joe Biden on Monday reiterated Washington's commitment to Israeli security ahead of a meeting with Iraq's prime minister.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, speaking alongside Biden, said their views may be divergent about what is happening in the region.

The US-Iraqi relationship is at important juncture, Sudani said, adding that he would discuss moving from a military relationship to a full partnership.



Syria’s New Foreign Minister Tells Iran Not to Spread Chaos in Syria

A Syrian boy walks past a defaced portrait of the toppled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the town of Yafour near Damascus on December 23, 2024. (AFP)
A Syrian boy walks past a defaced portrait of the toppled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the town of Yafour near Damascus on December 23, 2024. (AFP)
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Syria’s New Foreign Minister Tells Iran Not to Spread Chaos in Syria

A Syrian boy walks past a defaced portrait of the toppled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the town of Yafour near Damascus on December 23, 2024. (AFP)
A Syrian boy walks past a defaced portrait of the toppled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the town of Yafour near Damascus on December 23, 2024. (AFP)

Syria's newly appointed foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, told Iran on Tuesday not to spread chaos in Syria but to respect the Syrian people's will and the country's sovereignty.

In a post on X, Shibani said: "Iran must respect the will of the Syrian people and the country's sovereignty and security. We warn them from spreading chaos in Syria and we hold them accountable for the repercussions of the latest remarks."

He did not specify the remarks he was referring to.

In a televised speech on Sunday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Syrian youth to "stand with firm determination against those who have orchestrated and brought about this insecurity".

"We predict that a strong and honorable group will also emerge in Syria because today Syrian youth have nothing to lose. Their schools, universities, homes, and streets are unsafe," Khamenei said.

He added: "Therefore, they must stand firmly with determination against the planners and executors of insecurity and prevail over them."

Syrian opposition fighters ousted President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 after a 13-year civil war.

Iran spent billions of dollars propping up Assad during the war and deployed its Revolutionary Guards to Syria to keep its ally in power.

Assad's overthrow is widely seen as a major blow to the Iran-led "Axis of Resistance" political and military alliance that opposes Israeli and US influence in the Middle East.