Middle East

Kurdish peshmerga fighters keep watch during the battle with Islamic State militants on the outskirts of Mosul on Jan. 21.

World News

Under ISIS, Life In Mosul Takes A Turn For The Bleak

2:37pm March 22, 2015

by Deborah Amos

The militants have held Iraq's second largest city since June. Now, local Sunni residents are weary of ISIS, there are signs of strain within their ranks, and it's almost impossible to flee.

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A Nuclear Deal With Iran Could Increase Global Oil Glut

1:59pm March 22, 2015

by Chris Arnold

The price of oil has plummeted as a glut of crude sits idle in tankers and in storage. And more oil could be on the way if a nuclear deal removes the caps on Iranian oil exports.

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Lamya Kaddor teaches Islamic studies in Germany. She's written a new book, Zum Toeten Bereit (Ready To Kill), about the experience of having five former students flee to Syria to join jihadist groups.

After Students Went To Wage Jihad, Teacher Highlights Youth Radicalization

7:41pm March 21, 2015

by NPR Staff

A German-Syrian religious studies teacher was shocked when she heard that five of her former students had left Germany to join jihadist groups in Syria. "It felt like a personal defeat," she says.

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A cell block at the now-closed Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, a facility notorious for photos released in 2004 showing U.S. soldiers torturing and humiliating inmates.

Judge Rules U.S. Must Release Photos Of Prisoner Abuse In Iraq, Afghanistan

3:51pm March 21, 2015

by Lauren Hodges

The ACLU has fought for years for the release of photos documenting abuse in prisons like Abu Ghraib. The government argues releasing the photos would pose a threat to American military.

Secretary of State John Kerry delivers a statement about the recently concluded round of negotiations with Iran over their nuclear program at the International Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Saturday.

Kerry Cites Progress In Iran Talks, Saying Deal Is Possible

1:28pm March 21, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The secretary of state says all sides appear to be getting closer to an agreement, although he acknowledges remaining differences.

World News

In Tunisia, Society 'Wasn't Quite Prepared' For Liberal Reforms

10:56am March 21, 2015

More than 20 people were killed this week when two gunmen stormed Tunisia's national museum. NPR's Scott Simon talks with William McCants of the Brookings Institution about the attack's repercussions.

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Expert: Iran Has Territorial Ambitions

10:56am March 21, 2015

The U.S. and its international partners continue nuclear negotiations with Iran. NPR's Scott Simon speaks to Yale professor Stephen Carter about Iran's position in the Middle East.

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Relationship Between Obama And Netanyahu? It's Complicated

7:58pm March 20, 2015

by Tamara Keith

The White House says it needs to reassess its options in light of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's campaign comments dismissing a two-state solution. It's not the only issue where he and President Obama clash; there's also Iran.

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A wounded girl reacts as she is carried by a man out of a mosque that was attacked by a suicide bomber in Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday.

World News

Scores Killed In Mosque Attacks In Yemen

5:53pm March 20, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Suicide bombers strike at two Shiite mosques said to be frequented by supporters of the country's Houthi rebel movement.

A woman watches a partial solar eclipse in Budapest, Hungary, on Friday.

Solar Eclipse Wows Parts Of Europe, Middle East And Russia

4:05pm March 20, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The eclipse, total in some areas far north and partial for many others, lasted about 2 1/2 hours and was visible from South America to Asia.