Shia Muslims

Iranian protesters on Octç 27 defied a deadly crackdown by security forces against nearly six weeks of women-led protests, as Tehran vowed to punish those behind a mass shooting that killed 15 worshippers at a shrine.

Iran's supreme leader opened a presidential election on June 17 in which ultraconservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi is seen as all but certain to coast to victory over his vetted rivals.

After a lacklustre campaign, turnout is expected to plummet to a new low in a country exhausted by a punishing regime of US economic sanctions that dashed hopes for a brighter future.

Putin and Biden announced some practical steps after Geneva summit for coming months.

The summit of the Russian and US presidents, which lasted less than 4 hours, ended better than many predicted.

A joint communique on strategic stability was signed, and the ambassadors of both countries are returning in the coming days to work on bilateral relations.

Pope Francis extended his hand to the world's Shiite Muslims on March 6, meeting top cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in a landmark moment in modern religious history.

The two elderly, respected men of religion met at Sistani's humble home in the shrine city of Najaf early on Saturday, the second day of the first-ever papal visit to Iraq.

Iran said on Jan. 14 it had arrested people accused of a role in shooting down a Ukrainian airliner and had also detained 30 people involved in protests that have swept the nation for four days since the military belatedly admitted its error.

The United States has no plans to pull its troops out of Iraq, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Jan. 6, following reports by Reuters and other media of an American military letter informing Iraqi officials about repositioning troops in preparation for leaving the country.

Iran will not yield to pressure imposed by its longtime foe the United States, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Nov. 3, adding that holding talks with Washington will not solve Tehran's problems.