Egypt sentences activist Sanaa Seif to 18 months in prison Seif, who had been in pretrial detention since June, was convicted Wednesday of spreading false news and misusing social media. Egypt
Ukraine rejects Iran's final report on downed passenger plane The Iranian government said last year's shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was the result of a human error. Iran
Iran operating new advanced centrifuges, nuclear watchdog finds According to an International Atomic Energy Agency report, Iran is now using IR-4 centrifuges to enrich uranium in violation of the nuclear accord. Iran
UN says Libya arms embargo 'totally ineffective' A United Nations panel of experts accused several member states, including Turkey and Russia, of fueling the Libyan conflict. Libya
How will Hamas react to Israel’s admission of error in killing of militant? Israel admitted that it mistakenly killed a Hamas operative near the border fence with Gaza, a move that Palestinians did not accept — although Hamas seems to have delayed retaliation to allow Israel to commit to the truce understandings. Palestine
Trump’s defense pick calls for US-led pact to deter Iran Army Secretary Mark Esper, auditioning for the Pentagon’s top job Tuesday, called on allies to join the United States in fighting Iranian malfeasance in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia
Tehran courts Kurds as Washington amps up rhetoric against Iran Iranian Kurdish opposition groups and Iran are conducting talks in Oslo, in what some see as an Iranian bid to safeguard against Kurdish collaboration with the United States. Iraqi-Kurdistan
Russia, UN take another stab at forming Syria’s constitutional committee Despite real progress on the formation of a constitutional committee for Syria, challenges remain ahead of a new round of Astana talks. Syria
EU says Iran deal parties trying to salvage deal, not ready to trigger dispute mechanism The remaining parties to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are not yet prepared to trigger the accord’s dispute-resolution mechanism over Iran’s decision to reduce its compliance to protest crippling US economic sanctions. United States
Three years on, coup attempt continues to reshape Turkey On the third anniversary of the July 15 coup attempt, politics, foreign policy and daily life continue to bare marks of the night that would remake Turkey. Turkey
Israeli court rules Abbas responsible for terror attacks An Israeli court ruled that the Palestinian Authority is to be held responsible for terror attacks not carried out by its own people, prompting questions of how the ruling will affect PA security cooperation with Israel. Palestine
Iran calls for concrete steps from Europe to save nuclear deal In response to European statements regarding keeping the nuclear deal alive, Iran says it wants to see operational steps rather than statements. United States
Russia eyes big picture with S-400 sale to Turkey Russia's controversial S-400 deal with Turkey is more about constructing a Middle East less dependent on the United States than direct competition. Turkey
How Turkey is planning to handle US blowback over S-400s Some parts of the Russian made S-400 missile system arrived in Ankara in the last several days, but none of the shipment included missiles. Turkey
Gaza not soothed by minor Israeli trade concessions Despite a truce understanding, tension is still high on the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. Palestine
US forced to mull sanctions against Turkey after S-400 purchase The delivery of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system to Ankara has forced a new US sanctions regime into effect. Turkey
