Officials from the U.S. and Israel are streaming back and forth between the two countries, as President Barack Obama solidifies his second-term team and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forms the coalition for what will be his third term. A meeting between Israeli President Shimon Peres and a bipartisan Congressional delegation...

The Gulf Cooperation Council has announced a “total rejection” of what GCC head Abdellatif Zayani is describing as another Iranian attempt at “interference in the internal affairs of Arab states.” The criticism comes in response to a proposal made by Iran’s Deputy Minister for Asian Affairs Abbas Araghchi, conveyed through Iranian media, proposing...

The latest round of talks between Iran and the UN’s nuclear watchdog have ended without progress. Officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency will now pause “to reflect” on the situation: “We will work hard now to try and resolve the remaining differences, but time is needed to reflect on...

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced plans to launch a new initiative to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power. The Secretary of State has recently emphasized that direct engagement of Assad and his regime by Syrian rebels, coupled with assurances regarding the security of the Iran-backed president and Syria’s...

President Barack Obama may speak at Bar-Ilan University during his visit next month, Hebrew-language Israeli media is reporting. The location would be significant in that the university – just outside Tel Aviv in Ramat Gan – was the venue for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s landmark 2009 address in which...

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected proposals for direct negotiations with the United States after U.S. Vice President Biden floated them last week.   Khamenei’s refusal reflects the known and explicit position of Iranian hardliners, explicitly expressed in the context of mass protests as recently as November. Prominent U.S....