Middle East

A screen grab from NuclearEnergy.ir. The English-language website makes Iran's case for its controversial nuclear program.

World News

Amid Nuclear Talks, Iran Pushes Diplomacy Online

6:10pm November 17, 2013

by NPR Staff

Iran's leaders are active on Facebook and Twitter, and frequently reach out in English via social media. Both services remain officially banned in Iran. But journalist Robin Wright, an expert on Iran, calls their online overtures "the most ambitious public diplomacy campaign since Iran's 1979 revolution."

Queue Listen Now

World News

Israel Joins Debate Over Nuclear Talks With Iran

8:22am November 17, 2013

When weekend talks fell apart, no one appeared as relieved as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Linda Wertheimer talks to Jeffrey Goldberg of Bloomberg View and The Atlantic about Israel's opposition to the ongoing negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

Queue Listen Now

Kerry's New Mission: Convince Congress To Take Iran Deal

5:56pm November 12, 2013

by Michele Kelemen

Secretary of State John Kerry is back in Washington to defend the proposed nuclear deal with Iran to skeptical members of Congress. He and his colleagues from other major powers failed to reach a deal with Iran during talks over the weekend in Geneva. Iran blames France's hard line for blowing up the deal, though Kerry has tried to downplay that.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Iran Nuclear Talks Break, To Resume Later This Month

5:52am November 11, 2013

by Peter Kenyon

Negotiators from Iran and a six-nation group are scheduled to resume talks on Iran's nuclear program in 10 days. Talks ended on Saturday after an agreement was not reached on an initial proposal to ease international sanctions against Tehran in return for some restraints on its nuclear program.

Queue Listen Now

This colorfully illustrated French and Hebrew Passover Haggadah was published in Vienna in 1930. Caption on the image: "Eating Matzah." This restored document is part of an exhibit at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., that opens Nov. 8.

Who Owns The Archives Of A Vanishing Iraqi Jewish World?

12:22pm November 10, 2013

by Larry Abramson

In 2003, U.S. forces discovered a trove of Jewish documents in a flooded Baghdad basement. They tell the tale of a once-thriving Jewish community. The painstakingly restored documents will be exhibited in the U.S. before they are returned to Iraq. But some Jewish groups are trying to prevent that.

Queue Listen Now

Militias from towns throughout the country's west parade through Tripoli, Libya, in 2012. Analysts say the country is awash with heavy weapons in the hands of militias divided by tribe, ideology and region. The central government has little power over the

World News

In Libya, The Militias Rule While Government Founders

6:51pm November 07, 2013

by Leila Fadel

More than two years since the fall of Moammar Gadhafi, Libya is growing more chaotic. Analysts describe a nation awash with heavy weapons in the hands of militias divided by tribe, ideology and region. The central government has little power over the gunmen, and leaders worry their country could become another Somalia or Afghanistan.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Suspicions Bog Down Talks On Iran's Nuclear Program

4:54am November 07, 2013

by Peter Kenyon

Negotiators from Iran and six world powers resume talks Thursday in Geneva on Iran's nuclear program. Iran's Supreme Leader says he's not optimistic, and U.S. officials say "no deal is better than a bad deal." Still, Iran's desire to get out from under crippling economic sanctions may drive progress forward despite the long odds.

Queue Listen Now

A Syrian fighter from the Islamist rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra inspects a resident's identification papers at a checkpoint in Aleppo on Oct. 26. Syria's Islamist fighters are generally better funded than their more moderate counterparts.

World News

Syria's Moderate Rebels Fight A Battle On Two Fronts

5:28pm November 04, 2013

by Michele Kelemen

On one side, they are battling forces loyal to the Assad regime; on the other, Islamist rebels from among their own ranks. But while the Islamists and the regime are both well-funded, the moderate rebels are looking to the U.S. for aid — and getting little in return.

Queue Listen Now

Iranian demonstrators march in Tehran in 2011, during a protest asking the government to intensify its enforcement of the Islamic dress code.

From Sulking To Sanctions, A Street-Level View Of Life In Iran

3:15pm November 04, 2013

Journalist Hooman Majd's new book, The Ministry of Guidance Invites You to Not Stay, was inspired by the year he and his young American family spent in Tehran, where Majd was born. He tells Fresh Air about the country's long-standing tradition of sulking, and what sets Tehran apart from most other Islamic metropolises.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Will Hard-Line Critics Scuttle Iranian Talks?

8:55am November 03, 2013

by Peter Kenyon

The resurgence of diplomacy in the Iranian nuclear standoff has generated hope in the West for a peaceful solution to the long-running crisis, and hope in Iran for the lifting of painful economic sanctions. But the new opening has also invigorated hard-line opponents in Israel, Washington and Tehran. Analysts say pressure from these conservative critics could derail the talks as they enter a particularly difficult phase.

Queue Listen Now