Mediaboss Marketing

OSLO Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said on Monday the Trump administration will end up abiding by the 2015 nuclear deal despite its protestations to the contrary because it is in the national interest of the United States.

Trump has previously said that the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran is a "disaster" and the "worst deal ever negotiated".

"Unfortunately the behavior from the new administration in Washington is not very promising," Zarif told reporters after meeting his Norwegian counterpart. "We believe that at the end of the day they will find it necessary to abide by the deal.

"I believe the U.S. administration will find it in the interest of the United States, as well as the interest of international peace and security, to live up to its commitments."

(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Alison Williams)

ANKARA Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday blamed the United States for instability in the Middle East and said Washington's fight against the Islamic State militant group was "a lie".

LONDON Britain's Theresa May told her party on Monday she would serve as prime minister as long as they wanted after a botched election gamble cost the party its majority in parliament and weakened London's hand days before formal Brexit negotiations.

Read the original:
Iran says Trump administration will end up abiding by nuclear deal - Reuters

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran became the second team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup by beating Uzbekistan 2-0 on Monday.

It is the first time Iran has qualified for consecutive World Cups, and will be its fifth appearance in total.

Sardar Azmoun scored in the 23rd minute and Mehdi Taremi in the 88th at Azadi Stadium in Tehran.

Iran, managed by former Real Madrid and Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz since 2011, tops Group A of Asian qualifying. The team is eight points clear of third-placed Uzbekistan with two qualifying games left out of 10, so cannot be denied a top-two finish.

South Korea is in second place, a point ahead of Uzbekistan with a game in hand. Iran will finish top of the group.

Iran has yet to concede a goal in qualifying.

Brazil was the first team to qualify for next years World Cup in Russia.

See more here:
Iran qualifies for 2018 World Cup after beating Uzbekistan - FOXSports.com

Igor Kossov, Special for USA TODAY Published 2:35 p.m. ET June 12, 2017 | Updated 16 minutes ago

Sick and starving residents were seen fleeing western Mosul on Friday, as Iraqi and U.S.-backed coalition forces continued to push Islamic State group militants from the city. (June 10) AP

Iraqi elite Rapid Response Division members gather around a building in Mosul's western Al-Shifa district as they battle against Islamic State fighters, on June 12, 2017.(Photo: Mohamed El-Shahed, AFP/Getty Images)

IRBIL, Iraq The Iraqi military had planned on a big celebration Saturday, the third anniversary of the Islamic State's capture of Mosul, by completing the liberation of Iraq's second-largest city and the militants' last major stronghold in the country. But it didn't happen.

Instead, the military is still struggling to eject amilitant group that has shown reneweddetermination and ferocitythan expected despite being heavily outnumbered.

On Sunday, Iraqi forces began to storm one of the gateways into the final bastion held by the Islamic State, or ISIS, in Mosul: the "Old City."

"They are fighting much harder than before," said Rebin Rozhbayane, a former officer and trainer with the Iraqi army who was near the front lines in western Mosul over the past few weeks.

Iraq's Joint Operations Command saidSunday that 23 militants were killed as government troops entered Bab Sinjar, the northern entrance to the Old City. Fewer than 1,000 fighters are believed toremain in Mosul, hiding among hundreds of thousands of civilians. Tens of thousands of Iraqi troops are deployed to dislodge the militants.

Yahya Rasol, an Iraqi military spokesman, said the army's Ninth Division took the Zanjli neighborhood north of the Old City, allowing Iraqi forces to control the Bab Sinjar entry.

Iraqi federal police posted on their official Facebook account that they are "tightening the noose" around ISIS in the Old City, which has been completely encircled by government forces. Iraqi forces captured eastern Mosul in January and later crossed the Tigris River into western Mosul, wherethe ancient city first arose.

Liberating the Old City isthe most difficult part of the offensive because of its narrow streets and densely clustered buildings. These conditions preventthe use of armored vehicles and create a high risk of ambushes, booby traps and civilian casualties.

The big prize in the Old City is the al-Nuri mosque, where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made a public speech in 2014 after the militants captured Mosul. Recapturing the city would mean a symbolic end to the Islamic State's reign in Iraq.

Iraq's federal police forces came within hundreds of yards of the mosque in March and hinted at the time that they would take it shortly. However, the widely publicized deaths of hundreds of civilians in U.S.-led bombing raids forceda changeinstrategy.

Iraqi forces decided to surround the Old City first and thenopen corridors for civilians being used as human shields to escape."The biggest challenge is to kill the (ISIS fighters)while making a safe way out for civilians," said Muntader Khazem, a sergeant with the Emergency Response Division, the elite unit of the federal police.

According to Rozhbayane, the presence of civilians is slowing down the operation, even thoughU.S. Air Force Col.John Dorrian predicted in May that ISIS is "on the brink of total defeat in Mosul."

Rozhbayane saidIraqi forces are nowproceedingmore cautiously, taking many breaks to update their tactics and give their troops time to rest.

The United Nations refugee agency reported on Thursdaya "significant escalation of extremist groups use of civilians as human shields and targeting of those attempting to flee areas under their control."

"At least 204 civilians attempting to flee western Mosul have reportedly been killed during the last week alone," the refugee agency said.

In addition to worries about trapped civilians, the Iraqi offensive has slowed because of fierce resistance from ISIS fighters who havenowhere left to go.Ahandful of snipers holdingout in a single building wereenough to delay Iraqi forces by up to a day.

"The last thing you want to do is underestimate these guys," said Alex Moreau, a Canadian forces veteran serving as a volunteer medic near Mosul."Some of them have been fighting since the early days of the American occupation" in 2003, said Moreau,who said he saw scores of federal police casualties.

Read more:

Iraqi families fear reprisals against relatives forced to help ISIS

Meet the men who fought ISIS from inside Mosul

This Iraqi sniper picks off ISIS fighters as they hide behind human shields

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2tdF23x

Here is the original post:
ISIS clings to Mosul on 3rd anniversary of invading Iraq - USA TODAY

SOUTHWEST ASIA, June 12, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 36 strikes consisting of 64 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 29 strikes consisting of 37 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, six strikes destroyed four ISIS tanks, six ISIS oil tanks, two ISIS wellheads, an ISIS oil separation tank, an ISIS oil refinery, an ISIS oil truck and an ISIS oil still.

-- Near Raqqa, 23 strikes engaged 20 ISIS tactical units; destroyed 16 fighting positions, two vehicles and two ISIS boats; damaged five ISIS supply routes; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted seven strikes consisting of 27 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Fallujah, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position.

-- Near Kisik, a strike destroyed a mortar system.

-- Near Mosul, four strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units; destroyed five fighting positions, two supply caches, a mortar system, a command-and-control node, an artillery system and a vehicle; and damaged two fighting positions.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a tunnel.

June 10 Strikes

Additionally, 12 strikes were conducted in Syria and Iraq on June 10 that closed within the last 24 hours.

-- Near Raqqa, Syria, 11 strikes engaged nine ISIS tactical units; destroyed eight fighting positions, a tunnel, a weapons storage facility, and a command-and-control node; damaged an ISIS factory; and suppressed a sniper.

-- Near Mosul, Iraq, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed four barriers, a command-and-control node, a vehicle-borne-bomb facility and a fuel storage facility; and damaged seven ISIS supply routes.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect.

For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

Read the rest here:
Officials Release Details of Latest Strikes Against ISIS in Iraq, Syria - Department of Defense

ODESSA, Fla. - A Florida Marine stationed in Iraq found out through Skype that he will be receiving a $25,000 surprise wedding at Old McMicky's Farm in Odessa.

Kayla and Giovanni Perez, will receive the rustic, farmhouse style wedding as part of Mission I Do -- where a local military couple is awarded a dream wedding on the lakefront property.

OldMcMicky's FARM (OMF) announced their6thMission I Do wedding giveaway in March. The Farm received 75 entries from local deserving military couples and narrowed the entries down to eight worthy couples. On April first, voting was made public.

Nicole Kennedy & Jacob Woods won the contest.

The Perez's were one of the top finalists, but did not receive the most votes, but after hearing their story Old McMicky's Farm decided to award a second couple.

Kayla and Giovanni have been together five years, they had their first child in 2012, and soon after got married at the courthouse. Following that, the couple would have two other children.

Last Valentine's Day, the Perez's lost their four-month-old son, Zaiden, unexpectedlyto SIDS.

The couple who has always dreamed of a "real" wedding -- entered the online contest through Mission I do, never thinking they would win.

The first wedding for Kennedy and Woods will be October 22 followed by the second-surprise wedding give away of the Perez's on December 3rd.

The couples will have their wedding on the lakefront property and will be given a wedding planner, caterer, photographer, wedding rings, flowers and more.

"These wedding gifts are in appreciation of the service and sacrifice of those who have currently served or have served in our military," said Ralph Zuckerman,

Old McMicky's has donated over $125,000 to active military members and US Veterans as part of Mission I Do.

See the rest here:
Florida Marine stationed in Iraq gets $25K wedding surprise from Old McMicky's Farm - ABC Action News