Iraqi forces have entered the disputed city of Kirkuk and taken control of the provincial council's headquarters, witnesses say.
The Iraqi Army says government troops have moved toward Kurdish-held sites in the northern province of Kirkuk, capturing several positions from Kurdish fighters.
U.S. officials urged Iraqi and Kurdish forces “to avoid additional escalatory actions” following reports of artillery clashes after Iraqi government troops moved in a "major operation" against Kurdish positions near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
Iran denies reports that it has closed border crossings with northern Iraq in response to an independence referendum in the autonomous Kurdish region last month.
Another Iranian convert to Christianity has been arrested in the city of Dezful, southwest of the country, an Iranian Christian rights advocate has confirmed in an interview with Radio Farda.
Iraqi troops and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were locked in an armed standoff in Kirkuk Province as tensions continue to rise following the holding of an independence referendum by Kurdistan officials last month.
As negative reactions to the suspension of a Zoroastrian minority member of Yazd City Council continue, several MPs have also stepped in calling for immediate cancellation of the decision.
A spokesman for the U.S.-backed forces fighting Islamic State militants in Syria says the "final" battle to uproot the extremists from the northern city of Raqqa is under way.
U.S. President Donald Trump's call for legislation aimed at toughening the Iran nuclear deal faces an uncertain future in Congress even as leading Republican senators stepped forward to champion the cause.
The United States has formally added Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to its antiterrorism sanctions list.
Load more