WASHINGTON-- The Trump administration plans to return diplomats to embassies in the Middle East that were evacuated before and during the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, with some personnel potentially returning as early as this week, The New York Times (NYT) has reported.
U.S. embassies in Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Iraq and Kuwait are among the missions expected to increase staffing, the report said Tuesday, citing an internal U.S. State Department document and three U.S. officials. (US-Middle East-Embassies)
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TEHRAN -- The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened if the United States does not accept Iran's conditions, according to the IRGC's official news outlet Sepah News.
IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi told reporters that the strategic waterway remains under Iranian control and no vessel can pass through it without Iran's permission. (Iran-Hormuz-Fees)
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KATHMANDU -- At least 95 people were killed and 484 others remain missing in a massive flash flood in north Nepal on Wednesday, the Office of the Prime Minister said.
Among the missing are 391 foreign tourists and 93 Nepali nationals, the office said in a statement. As per the Nepal Tourism Board record, the missing foreign nationals include 134 Indians, 47 Americans, 33 British and 34 Australians. (Nepal-Floods-Missing)
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MOSCOW -- Nine people were killed and five others injured in a Ukrainian strike on a passenger bus in the Luhansk region, said Leonid Pasechnik, the Moscow-appointed head of the region, on Wednesday.
The strike targeted a bus travelling from Lysychansk to Stakhanov, with 15 passengers on board. Eight people died at the scene of the attack. A 20-year-old woman was rushed to intensive care, but later died of her injuries. Her mother was also wounded, Pasechnik said. (Russia-Ukraine-Strike) ■
