Washington DC

14 Sep 2022; MEMO: The United States imposed sanctions on Wednesday on individuals and entities it linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard for what it called Tehran's "malicious" cyber and ransom ware activity, Reuters reports.

The sanctions were part of a joint response by several US agencies, including the departments of Justice and State, the US Treasury said in a statement.

09 Sep 2022; MEMO: US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, said on Friday that his country would not agree with Iran on a deal that fails to meet basic demands, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Iran's "latest response takes us backward", Blinken told reporters at a joint news conference with NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, following their meeting.

Blinken referred to Iran's official reply to the draft compromise, proposed by EU Foreign Policy Chief, Josep Borrell, on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

09 Sep 2022; MEMO: The United States, on Friday, imposed sanctions on Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security and its Minister, accusing them of being tied to a disruptive July cyber attack on Albania and engaging in other cyber activities against the United States and its allies, Reuters reports.

The move comes after Albania severed diplomatic relations with Iran on Wednesday for the same incident, ordering Iranian diplomats and embassy staff to leave within 24 hours.

Washington, Sep 9 (PTI) Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has said that she has been receiving abusive and hate messages over the phone from a male caller who even asked her to go back to India.

On Thursday, Chennai-born Jayapal posted a collection of five such audio messages.

In all the messages, portions of which have been redacted because of obscene and abusive content, the male caller is heard threatening her with dire consequences and in one instance she is being asked to go back to her country of origin India.

06 September 2022; MEMO: The family of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh has rejected an Israeli army report on her killing. Abu Akleh was killed while covering a raid by Israeli troops in Jenin refugee camp on 11 May.

03 September 2022; MEMO: The United States compelled Iran, for a second time this week, to release US military sail drones that it tried to seize at sea, a US defence official said on Friday, Reuters reports.

Iran has been building up its naval presence in the Red Sea, near the coast of Yemen where Tehran backs the Houthi Movement, after sending vessels there more than a decade ago to protect Iranian oil tankers and merchant ships against piracy.

01 September 2022; MEMO: The US hopes Turkiye and Greece will refrain from statements and actions that could intensify tensions following Athens' recent harassment of Turkish fighter jets that were carrying out missions in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, a US official told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.

01 September 2022; MEMO: US President Joe Biden, on Wednesday, reiterated his country's commitment to not allow Iran to become a nuclear power, Anadolu News Agency reports.

In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, Biden "underscored the US commitment to never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon," according to a readout by the White House.

30 August 2022; MEMO: Accusations of anti-Semitism has become an arsenal to crackdown on critics of Israel, prominent American Jewish commentator, Peter Beinart, has argued in an article in the New York Times.

30 August 2022; MEMO: The United States has been putting pressure on Israel to fulfil the promise made to President Joe Biden to ease the travel of Palestinians through border crossing with Jordan.