Qassim Soleimani
Voters register to cast their vote during the presidential election at a polling station in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 18, 2021. Iran began voting Friday in a presidential election tipped in the favor of a hard-line protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, fueling public apathy and sparking calls for a boycott in the Islamic Republic. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Apathy greets Iran presidential vote dominated by hard-liner

By Jon Gambrell Jun. 17, 2021 11:58 PM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 8, 2016 file photo, a U.S. Army soldier guards a position at Camp Swift, northern Iraq. Iraq’s prime minister asked the Iranian leadership to rein in Iran-backed militias in Iraq, and in a strongly worded message to Tehran, suggested he would confront the factions, two Iraqi officials said Wednesday, April 7, 2021, ahead of another round of strategic talks with Washington. (AP Photo/Susannah George, File)
No timetable for withdrawal of troops after US, Iraq talks

By Qassim Abdul-Zahra And Samya Kullab Apr. 07, 2021 12:22 PM EDT

Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard poses in Paris, Tuesday, April 6, 2021. Agnes Callamard is best known for her investigation into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and has made a career uncovering extra-judicial killings. The French human rights expert's focus on rights abuses is taking on new dimensions as she assumes leadership of Amnesty International and turns her attention to what she says is one of the world's most pressing rights issues — vaccine equity. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
'We failed the test' of COVID-19, says human rights champion

By Lori Hinnant Apr. 06, 2021 07:00 PM EDT

FILE - This Dec. 29, 2019, aerial file photo taken from a helicopter shows Ain al-Asad air base in the western Anbar desert, Iraq. At least 10 rockets targeted a military base in western Iraq that hosts U.S.-led coalition troops on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, the coalition and the Iraqi military said. It was not immediately known if there were any casualties. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File)
US warns of military response to rocket attack on Iraq base

By Samya Kullab And Lolita C. Baldor Mar. 03, 2021 10:57 AM EST

FILE - In this picture released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addresses the nation in a televised speech in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. in Tehran, Iran. Twitter says on Friday, Jan. 22, it has permanently banned an account connected to the office of Iran’s supreme leader. Other accounts thought to be tied to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office remained active. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
Twitter bans suspect Iran account after post threatens Trump

Jan. 22, 2021 11:57 AM EST

Supporters of the Popular Mobilization Forces hold a poster of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces and General Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran's Quds force during a rally to commemorate the anniversary of the killing of Soleimanil and al-Muhandis in a U.S. drone strike in Basra, Iraq, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)
US sanctions prominent Iraqi politician over rights abuses

Jan. 08, 2021 02:29 PM EST

In this photo released Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, by Tasnim News Agency, the MT Hankuk Chemi, a South Korean-flagged tanker is escorted by Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats on the Persian Gulf. Iranian state television acknowledged that Tehran seized the oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The report on Monday alleged the MT Hankuk Chemi had been stopped by Iranian authorities over alleged “oil pollution” in the Persian Gulf and the strait. (Tasnim News Agency via AP)
Iran starts 20% uranium enrichment, seizes South Korean ship

By Jon Gambrell And Isabel Debre Jan. 04, 2021 03:11 PM EST

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Trump is returning to Washington after visiting his Mar-a-Lago resort. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Trump returns to White House early, offers year-end message

By Darlene Superville Dec. 31, 2020 03:43 PM EST

President Donald Trump's motorcade arrives at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
No reason given for Trump cutting short his Florida vacation

By Darlene Superville Dec. 31, 2020 12:24 AM EST

Volunteers wearing protective clothing prepare the body of a man who died from COVID-19 for a funeral at a cemetery in the outskirts of the city of Ghaemshahr, in northern Iran, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
AP PHOTOS: Beirut blast led litany of Mideast crises in 2020

By Joseph Krauss Dec. 20, 2020 12:45 AM EST

A billboard carries a portrait of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian scientist linked to the country's nuclear program who was killed by unknown assailants last month, at the site of his killing in Absard east of the capital, Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. Iran's supreme leader and the country's president both warned America on Wednesday that the departure of President Donald Trump does not immediately mean better relations between the two nations. The billboard also shows other slain nuclear scientists. The Persian reads: "the site of ascension of martyred scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh to heaven." (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iran leaders: Biden arrival won't guarantee better relations

By Amir Vahdat Dec. 16, 2020 07:30 AM EST

FILE - In this April 17, 2019, file photo, Iraqi soldiers chant slogans against IS while Australian and New Zealand coalition forces participate in a training mission with Iraqi army soldiers at Taji Base, north of Baghdad, Iraq. In a quest to root out Islamic State group hideouts over the summer, Iraqi forces on the ground cleared nearly 90 villages across a notoriously unruly northern province. But the much-touted operation still relied heavily on U.S. intelligence, coalition flights and planning assistance. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)
EXPLAINER: How could US drawdown in Iraq aid IS, Iran?

By Samya Kullab Dec. 03, 2020 01:25 AM EST

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2015, file photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Vice President Joe Biden, stand for the U.S. national anthem during an arrival ceremony in Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
Many thorny global situations hinge on US election outcome

By Tamer Fakahany Oct. 21, 2020 02:04 AM EDT

FILE - In this April 22, 2020, file photo, mourners pray as the remains of Traffic Section Commander Mohammed Chowdhury are brought out of the funeral home during his funeral in New York. Chowdhury died on April 19, 2020, from complications related to the coronavirus. Whether it's framed as American exceptionalism, American interventionism, American global standing, or a lack of it, how the world's foremost superpower moves forward following the presidential election will have a sizeable impact in various geopolitical pressure points and in the time of the pandemic. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Many thorny global situations hinge on US election outcome

By Tamer Fakahany Oct. 21, 2020 01:16 AM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 13, 2012 file photo, an Iranian clergyman stands next to missiles and army troops, during a manoeuvre, in an undisclosed location in Iran. A decade-long U.N. arms embargo on Iran that bared it from purchasing foreign weapons like tanks and fighter jets expired Sunday, Oct. 18, 20202, as planned under its nuclear deal with world powers, despite objections from the United States. (Majid Asgaripour/Mehr News Agency via AP, File)
Russia calls for collective security in Gulf, US blames Iran

By Edith M. Lederer Oct. 20, 2020 10:47 PM EDT

In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani, right, welcomes Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein for their meeting, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)
Iraq's foreign minister makes first visit to Iran

Sep. 26, 2020 07:25 AM EDT

In this image made from UNTV video, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks in a pre-recorded message which was played during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020, at UN headquarters in New York. The U.N.'s first virtual meeting of world leaders started Tuesday with pre-recorded speeches from some of the planet's biggest powers, kept at home by the coronavirus pandemic that will likely be a dominant theme at their video gathering this year. (UNTV via AP)
Iran strikes defiant tone at UN under crushing US sanctions

By Aya Batrawy Sep. 22, 2020 03:47 PM EDT

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Iraq's President Barham Salihat, right, give a news conference at the presidential palace, in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020. Macron is the first head of state to visit the Iraqi capital since the country's new prime minister and Iraq’s former intelligence chief formed a government in May. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
French leader in Baghdad, urges Iraqis to guard sovereignty

By Abdulrahman Zeyad Sep. 02, 2020 03:12 AM EDT

FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2020, file photo, rescue workers search the scene where an Ukrainian plane was shot down in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran. An Iranian official said Sunday, Aug 23, 2020, that some data, including parts of cockpit conversations, have been retrieved from downed Ukrainian plane. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)
Iran retrieves data, cockpit talk from downed Ukraine plane

By Nasser Karimi Aug. 23, 2020 05:11 AM EDT

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo walks off of the stage following a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020, with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Pompeo pledges support for Iraq, targets pro-Iran militias

By Matthew Lee Aug. 20, 2020 12:50 AM EDT