US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday urged the international community to call on Iran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Pompeo's statement followed IAEA's IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi's
report from earlier this week in which he said that the Islamic Republic is not cooperating with IAEA inspectors overseeing its nuclear program. "On March 3 in Vienna, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi issued two new reports that heighten already serious concerns that the Islamic Republic of Iran is hiding its nuclear material and nuclear activities," said Pompeo. "Iran is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran's safeguards agreements, under that Treaty, require it to declare nuclear material to the IAEA and provide IAEA inspectors with access for verification. Iran's intentional failure to declare such nuclear material would be a clear violation of its safeguards agreement required by the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The regime must immediately cooperate with the IAEA and fully comply with its IAEA safeguards obligations. Otherwise, the NPT isn't worth the paper it is written on," he continued. "The IAEA's latest reports are all the more troubling because we know that Iran continues to lie about its past nuclear weapons program and concealed a vast archive of records from those efforts when it concluded the nuclear deal – not to mention its lies about downing a civilian airliner, and its suppression of the extent of its coronavirus outbreak. Given Iran's prior covert nuclear weapons program and ignominious record of duplicity, any undeclared nuclear material or activities in Iran today would be an extremely serious matter," said Pompeo.
READ MORE 
Hossein Salami, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, claimed on Thursday that the coronavirus outbreak could be a biological attack by the United States against China and Iran. Speaking to a crowd in the city of Kerman and quoted by the Daily Mail, Salami said that the virus which has brought misery to Iran "may be the product of the American biological invasion." "We will win in the fight against the virus, which may be the product of the American biological invasion, which it first spread to China and then to Iran and the rest of the world," he declared. "Today the country is engaged in a biological battle. Even today, we will win, even in the fight against the virus. The US must know that if it did it, [the virus] will return to it," added Salami. Members of the Revolutionary Guards routinely engage in conspiracy theories and angry rhetoric towards America has heightened since top general Qassem Soleimani
was killed in a US drone strike in January. Salami
has threatened to strike the United States and Israel and has also
threatened to retaliate against American and Israeli commanders if the US continues to threaten top Iranian generals. The coronavirus has hit Iran hard, with 23 members of parliament
and other government officials among those having been infected. Iran on Thursday announced 15 new deaths from the coronavirus, raising the official toll to 107 - the highest death toll outside China. However,
some reports have indicated that the death toll in Iran is much higher and that Iranian officials are hiding the truth. A lawmaker from Qom, Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani,
said last week that the death toll in Iran was higher than reported and accused the authorities of a cover-up.
At CPAC2020, Gordon Chang told Zooming In hostess Simone Gao that it seems like the World Health Organization (WHO) has been bought by the Chinese Communist Party because their narrative corresponds to President Xi's urge to push Chinese people back to work. As the situation proves to be much more severe than the SARS outbreak, the Chinese economy will take a long-term hit, coupled with the moving out of supply chains even before the epidemic. In light of CPAC2020's "America vs Socialism" theme, Goa discussed how coronavirus might have an impact on U.S.-China trade relations, how it will hurt the Chinese Communist Party's reputational state, whether China can fulfill its commitment to the Phase 1 Deal, and ultimately, how the epidemic has exposed weaknesses in the U.S.-China link.
WATCH 
Damascus said early Thursday that Israel was carrying out airstrikes in central and southern Syria and that its air defenses had engaged the missiles. The state-run SANA news agency said "our air defense confronted an Israeli missile attack in the southwest of Quneitra province" in the south and also an area in the center of the country. Quneitra is just over the border with the Israeli Golan Heights. SANA quoted a military source saying that at 12.30 am on Thursday (2230 GMT Wednesday) "our air defense observed Israeli warplane movement… several missiles were fired towards the central region. "The hostile missiles were immediately dealt with, and were successfully confronted, none was able to reach its target." Syria routinely and falsely claims to have intercepted Israeli missiles. In mid-February, Israeli strikes on Damascus airport killed seven Syrian and Iranian fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor. SANA later said the missiles were fired from Lebanese airspace and from inside the Golan. The short statement released after midnight did not provide details on the targets. Reports said the strikes in the center were near the city of Homs.
READ MORE 
The Yisrael Beytenu faction convened at a faction meeting on Thursday, at the end of which the party spokesman said that the faction had decided to promote two laws. The first is the law limiting the tenure of a prime minister to two terms. The second is the law that prevents an MK facing an indictment from being tasked with forming a government. The decision is a clear signal from Liberman that, even after the current round of elections, he will not enable Prime Minister Netanyahu to form a new government. MK Ayman Odeh, chairman of the Joint List faction, responded to the announcement, saying, "Interesting. This is a new situation, we will consider the consequences." Blue and White officials noted that in order to advance the law, which Liberman announced today that he would support, it would be necessary to elect a new Knesset Speaker from White Blue instead of Yuli Edelstein. The candidate is MK Meir Cohen.
Earlier on Thursday, MK Ofer Shelah criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, making it clear that his party would not hesitate to cooperate with the Joint Arab List to prevent him from forming a government. "Netanyahu's statement yesterday that he won the election because the Joint Arab List doesn't count is his official declaration of war on the Jewish and democratic state of Israel," Shelah said. He asserted that while for Israel's founding fathers, "the Arabs and other non-Zionists [were] equal citizens, In the 'State of Netanyahu' they have no right to vote, be represented, or participate in the democratic game." "There's a majority in the new Knesset for the State of Israel and against the State of Netanyahu," Shelah added. "We will work without hesitation to decide the campaign for the image of our country. And every person in the Netanyahu bloc who heard it yesterday and doesn't express deep shock at what he said, should know that from yesterday, he's on the wrong side of the campaign."
The outcome of Israel's third election in 11 months points to at least half the electorate's overwhelming desire for continuity in government rather than the chaos of another deadlocked ballot and the resulting economic havoc. For this reason, Binyamin Netanyahu's Likud and its right-wing bloc came in first, trailed by their challenger, Benny Gantz's Kahol Lavan. Ganz and his three co-leaders failed to accurately diagnose the dominant popular mood, because all three of their election campaigns were firmly fixated on Netanyahu's unfitness to govern under three corruption indictments and imminent trial on March 17. In any case, they argued, he would be too busy with the trial to exercise his duties diligently as prime minister. And so, after Netanyahu trumpeted his party's great victory on Monday night, March 2, at the end of voting, Kahol Lavon's leaders waited in vain for good tidings. What their strategists missed was that a weighty slice of the electorate was prepared to separate Netanyahu as politician and national leader from the persona that the police and prosecution had indicted for fraud, breach of faith and bribery. Some credited his allegations of a conspiracy by an adverse faction of the law enforcement body for trumping up the charges against him and subverting witnesses to this end. The law clearly allows a prime minister to stay in office – even if convicted – until the appeals process is exhausted, promising long-drawn out years of litigation. In the meantime, enough voters decided to stick with Netanyahu and his loyal bloc of right-wing and religious parties for the sake of government continuity. While firmly in the lead after most of the ballots were counted by Wednesday noon, this bloc appears to be shy by one of two mandates of the magic 61 Knesset seats for establishing a majority government, and so final results are tensely awaited. Kahol Lavan lags too far behind to bid against Netanyahu and is trying to raise the specter of a fourth election, as well as legislation for disqualifying the Likud leader from heading a government. A petition to this end was also filed with the Supreme Court. The justices face some tough deliberations before deciding to step into a constitutional minefield by nullifying a national election. With 95.5pc of the votes tallied, the most likely outcome of this election, say DEBKAfile analysts, is that the president will entrust the incumbent prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu with forming a minority government in preference to a fourth election. Negotiations are already apace with potential defectors from the opposition camp to come aboard and fill in the vacancies for a durable administration.
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran announced Wednesday that the new coronavirus has killed 92 people amid 2,922 confirmed cases across the Islamic Republic, the highest death toll in the world outside of China. Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour announced the new figures — including the 15 new deaths — at a news conference in Tehran, raising Iran's death toll from the new illness to higher than Italy's, where there has also been a serious spike in infections. There are now over 3,140 cases of the new virus across the Middle East. Of those outside Iran in the region, most link back to the Islamic Republic. The virus has sickened top leaders inside Iran's civilian government and Shiite theocracy, and one has died. On Wednesday, the IranWire news site reported that the country's first vice president Eshaq Jahangiri had tested positive and was undergoing treatment, according to Reuters. There was no official confirmation. Iran stands alone in how the virus has affected its government, even compared to hard-hit China, the epicenter of the outbreak. Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 90,000 people and caused over 3,100 deaths. Friday prayers in Iran have been canceled across all provincial capitals amid the country's growing coronavirus outbreak, state television said. Friday is the main congregational day of prayer in Islam, and traditionally an important event for Iran's clerical rulers. The report came after Tehran and other areas canceled Friday prayers last week over the outbreak. Experts worry Iran may be under-reporting the number of cases it has. "The virus has no wings to fly," Jahanpour said. "We are the ones who transfer it to each other."
READ MORE The Health Ministry on Wednesday instructed all 1,150 students at a high school, plus the members of an elementary school class in a different school, to self-quarantine at home, after a teen and a 5th-grade teacher were diagnosed with the coronavirus.
In addition, soccer fans who sat in a particular area at a Tel Aviv game last week have also been told to go into isolation. The order came after the ministry announced late Tuesday that three more Israelis had tested positive for the virus, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the country to 15. One of the three is a 9th-grade student at the Brener High School in Givat Brener who had reportedly worked at the Red Pirate toy store in Or Yehuda, where he came into contact with an Israeli employee who returned from Italy with the coronavirus. As a result the ministry told all students and staff members at the school to remain secluded at home until March 12. In addition, the teen attended the derby game on February 24 when Hapoel Tel Aviv played Maccabi Tel Aviv at Bloomfield Stadium. The ministry said that anyone who sat in the following areas from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. is instructed to enter quarantine: Gates 7-8, section 425, rows 43-49, seats 167-179. The Red Pirate branch has become a focus of concerns over the spread of the virus in Israel. So far, three people who work at the store have been diagnosed with the disease.
READ MORE 
Tehran has no obligation to grant the UN's nuclear watchdog access to sites in Iran when it deems that requests are based on "fabricated information," Iran's UN ambassador in Vienna says. "Intelligence services' fabricated information… creates no obligation for Iran to consider such requests," says a statement from Iran's ambassador to the UN in Vienna, Kazem Gharib Abadi. It comes a day after a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in which it reprimanded Iran for refusing access to two sites which diplomats believe could be connected to Iran's historic nuclear activity. Gharib Abadi also accuses the US and Israel of trying to "exert pressure on the Agency… in order to distort the proactive and constructive cooperation" between the IAEA and Iran. Israel has claimed that a trove of information obtained by its intelligence services contains new information on a previous nuclear weapons program in Iran. The two sites that the IAEA was denied access to were among three locations that the agency had been raising questions over since last summer. In a second report issued on Tuesday the IAEA reported Iran was continuing to breach the terms of the 2015 nuclear accord with world powers but did not report any restrictions in access to nuclear facilities.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's atomic watchdog, on Tuesday sounded the alarm at Iran's cooperation with the agency and demanded "clarifications" over an undeclared site in Tehran where uranium particles were found late last year. Rafael Grossi, the new head of the IAEA who was in Paris to meet President Emmanuel Macron, told AFP, "Iran must decide to cooperate in a clearer manner with the agency to give the necessary clarifications." "The fact that we found traces (of uranium) is very important. That means there is the possibility of nuclear activities and material that are not under international supervision and about which we know not the origin or the intent. That worries me," Grossi added. The IAEA has for months been pressing Tehran for information about the kind of activities being carried out at an undeclared site where the uranium particles were found. While the IAEA has not identified the site in question, it is believed to be the Turquzabad facility which was identified by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
during his address before the UN General Assembly in 2018 as a "secret atomic warehouse." Reports last April indicated that the
IAEA had inspected the secret atomic warehouse. Subsequent reports said the facility was found
to contain traces of uranium. In addition, according to a report issued by the IAEA on Tuesday, "the Agency identified a number of questions related to possible undeclared nuclear material and nuclear-related activities at three locations in Iran." At one of them the report said the IAEA had from early July 2019 observed "activities... consistent with effort to sanitize part of the location." A diplomatic source said that the three locations were separate to Turquzabad. A second report from the agency detailed Iran's current breaches of several parts of a landmark 2015 international deal on scaling back its nuclear program. The report showed Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium now stands at more than five times the limit fixed under the accord. It said that as of February 19, 2020 the Iranian stockpile stood at the equivalent of 1,510 kilograms, as opposed to the 300 kg limit set under the agreement. Iran
has gradually scaled back its compliance with the 2015 deal in response to US President Donald Trump's
withdrawal from the agreement in May of 2018. The latest IAEA reports come just days after
a meeting in Vienna of the remaining parties to the deal ended without a clear plan to keep the accord alive. Britain, France and Germany have attempted to save the agreement, but recently
triggered the dispute mechanism in the nuclear deal that could eventually lead to reimposing UN sanctions on Iran.
Texas is home to one of the largest evangelical populations in the country, most of which traditionally votes Republican. But some current and former members of the evangelical community have turned to the Democrats, espousing more progressive beliefs. On the eve of Tuesday's make-or-break Democratic primary, FRANCE 24's correspondents Alyssa Caverley and Pierrick Leurent travelled to Austin, the state's capital, to meet some of those hoping to defeat President Donald Trump. According to a Pew study, more than 60 percent of
evangelicals in Texas are registered to vote as Republican – and many are
Trump supporters. But the same study says a quarter of evangelicals are Democrats, including many women who feel that the US president's message does not reflect Christian values. "I'm going to vote for any opponent to Donald Trump," says Karen Smith, a volunteer for East Travis County Democrats. "But I'm hopeful that we find candidates of faith and character on the left and break through this myth that the only Christians are the Republicans."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed Monday to keep the doors open for migrants heading for Europe, promising he will not hinder anyone heading for the border with Greece. He warned Europe that it will have prepare to shoulder its part of the migrant "burden." "After we opened the doors, there were multiple calls saying 'close the doors'," he said. "I told them 'it's done. It's finished. The doors are now open. Now, you will have to take your share of the burden'." Some 13,000 migrants, including Afghans, Syrians and Iraqis, massed at Turkey's border with Greece over the weekend after Erdogan announced Turkey would no longer prevent them from heading towards Europe's hearland. The move follows years of threats made by Erdogan to
punish Europe for not furnishing his Islamist government with money and political support by opening Turkey's borders — behind which are
3.5 million or more migrants waiting to travel to head west. As Breitbart London reported,
tensions at the border with Turkey began rising as thousands of migrants arrived at the frontier on unmarked buses and state-owned railways. Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
announced on Sunday evening that all asylum applications are being suspended in response to the crisis, and "the level of deterrence at our borders [has been increased to the maximum." E.U. foreign ministers are due to meet this week at the request of Greece to discuss the situation, amid fears of a repeat of the refugee influx that poisoned European politics in 2015. Athens is to boost patrols of its land and sea borders in the north-east and was also suspending consideration of asylum applications by those who entered the country illegally, said Greek government spokesman, Stelios Petsas.
Binyamin Netanyahu's ruling Likud gained 37 seats ahead of Benny Gantz' opposition Kahol Lavan's 32-3 in Monday's Knesset election and commands a right-wing-religious bloc of 60, according to all the TV exit polls. This third general election in less than a year looks close to breaking the long political deadlock preventing the formation of a government. The Arab Joint list came third with 14-15 seats, the ultra-religious Shas, 9, Yisrael Beteinu (Lieberman) – 6-8, left-wing Labor-Meretz – 7-8, Habayit Hayehudi (right) – 6. and Torah Judaism – 7. If these figures are confirmed in the official tally of real votes, incumbent Prime Minister Netanyahu may be able to form his fifth government, after missing out in the last two rounds. The centrist-left wing bloc led by Benny Gantz can count on 54 seats with the support of the Joint Arab list. It took Israel's voter three rounds of to choose a leader, party and bloc to head its next government. Netanyahu's campaign got off to a dismal start, with his main party rival Gideon Saar predicting he was a spent force. His challengers maintained that with a trial on three corruptions charges ahead of him two weeks after election day, he was unfit to serve as head of government. developing…
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday urged the international community to call on Iran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Pompeo's statement followed IAEA's IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi's report from earlier this week in which he said that the Islamic Republic is not cooperating with IAEA inspectors overseeing its nuclear program. "On March 3 in Vienna, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi issued two new reports that heighten already serious concerns that the Islamic Republic of Iran is hiding its nuclear material and nuclear activities," said Pompeo. "Iran is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran's safeguards agreements, under that Treaty, require it to declare nuclear material to the IAEA and provide IAEA inspectors with access for verification. Iran's intentional failure to declare such nuclear material would be a clear violation of its safeguards agreement required by the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The regime must immediately cooperate with the IAEA and fully comply with its IAEA safeguards obligations. Otherwise, the NPT isn't worth the paper it is written on," he continued. "The IAEA's latest reports are all the more troubling because we know that Iran continues to lie about its past nuclear weapons program and concealed a vast archive of records from those efforts when it concluded the nuclear deal – not to mention its lies about downing a civilian airliner, and its suppression of the extent of its coronavirus outbreak. Given Iran's prior covert nuclear weapons program and ignominious record of duplicity, any undeclared nuclear material or activities in Iran today would be an extremely serious matter," said Pompeo. READ MORE 
Hossein Salami, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, claimed on Thursday that the coronavirus outbreak could be a biological attack by the United States against China and Iran. Speaking to a crowd in the city of Kerman and quoted by the Daily Mail, Salami said that the virus which has brought misery to Iran "may be the product of the American biological invasion." "We will win in the fight against the virus, which may be the product of the American biological invasion, which it first spread to China and then to Iran and the rest of the world," he declared. "Today the country is engaged in a biological battle. Even today, we will win, even in the fight against the virus. The US must know that if it did it, [the virus] will return to it," added Salami. Members of the Revolutionary Guards routinely engage in conspiracy theories and angry rhetoric towards America has heightened since top general Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike in January. Salami has threatened to strike the United States and Israel and has also threatened to retaliate against American and Israeli commanders if the US continues to threaten top Iranian generals. The coronavirus has hit Iran hard, with 23 members of parliament and other government officials among those having been infected. Iran on Thursday announced 15 new deaths from the coronavirus, raising the official toll to 107 - the highest death toll outside China. However, some reports have indicated that the death toll in Iran is much higher and that Iranian officials are hiding the truth. A lawmaker from Qom, Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani, said last week that the death toll in Iran was higher than reported and accused the authorities of a cover-up. 
At CPAC2020, Gordon Chang told Zooming In hostess Simone Gao that it seems like the World Health Organization (WHO) has been bought by the Chinese Communist Party because their narrative corresponds to President Xi's urge to push Chinese people back to work. As the situation proves to be much more severe than the SARS outbreak, the Chinese economy will take a long-term hit, coupled with the moving out of supply chains even before the epidemic. In light of CPAC2020's "America vs Socialism" theme, Goa discussed how coronavirus might have an impact on U.S.-China trade relations, how it will hurt the Chinese Communist Party's reputational state, whether China can fulfill its commitment to the Phase 1 Deal, and ultimately, how the epidemic has exposed weaknesses in the U.S.-China link. WATCH 
Damascus said early Thursday that Israel was carrying out airstrikes in central and southern Syria and that its air defenses had engaged the missiles. The state-run SANA news agency said "our air defense confronted an Israeli missile attack in the southwest of Quneitra province" in the south and also an area in the center of the country. Quneitra is just over the border with the Israeli Golan Heights. SANA quoted a military source saying that at 12.30 am on Thursday (2230 GMT Wednesday) "our air defense observed Israeli warplane movement… several missiles were fired towards the central region. "The hostile missiles were immediately dealt with, and were successfully confronted, none was able to reach its target." Syria routinely and falsely claims to have intercepted Israeli missiles. In mid-February, Israeli strikes on Damascus airport killed seven Syrian and Iranian fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor. SANA later said the missiles were fired from Lebanese airspace and from inside the Golan. The short statement released after midnight did not provide details on the targets. Reports said the strikes in the center were near the city of Homs. READ MORE 
The Yisrael Beytenu faction convened at a faction meeting on Thursday, at the end of which the party spokesman said that the faction had decided to promote two laws. The first is the law limiting the tenure of a prime minister to two terms. The second is the law that prevents an MK facing an indictment from being tasked with forming a government. The decision is a clear signal from Liberman that, even after the current round of elections, he will not enable Prime Minister Netanyahu to form a new government. MK Ayman Odeh, chairman of the Joint List faction, responded to the announcement, saying, "Interesting. This is a new situation, we will consider the consequences." Blue and White officials noted that in order to advance the law, which Liberman announced today that he would support, it would be necessary to elect a new Knesset Speaker from White Blue instead of Yuli Edelstein. The candidate is MK Meir Cohen. Earlier on Thursday, MK Ofer Shelah criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, making it clear that his party would not hesitate to cooperate with the Joint Arab List to prevent him from forming a government. "Netanyahu's statement yesterday that he won the election because the Joint Arab List doesn't count is his official declaration of war on the Jewish and democratic state of Israel," Shelah said. He asserted that while for Israel's founding fathers, "the Arabs and other non-Zionists [were] equal citizens, In the 'State of Netanyahu' they have no right to vote, be represented, or participate in the democratic game." "There's a majority in the new Knesset for the State of Israel and against the State of Netanyahu," Shelah added. "We will work without hesitation to decide the campaign for the image of our country. And every person in the Netanyahu bloc who heard it yesterday and doesn't express deep shock at what he said, should know that from yesterday, he's on the wrong side of the campaign." 
The outcome of Israel's third election in 11 months points to at least half the electorate's overwhelming desire for continuity in government rather than the chaos of another deadlocked ballot and the resulting economic havoc. For this reason, Binyamin Netanyahu's Likud and its right-wing bloc came in first, trailed by their challenger, Benny Gantz's Kahol Lavan. Ganz and his three co-leaders failed to accurately diagnose the dominant popular mood, because all three of their election campaigns were firmly fixated on Netanyahu's unfitness to govern under three corruption indictments and imminent trial on March 17. In any case, they argued, he would be too busy with the trial to exercise his duties diligently as prime minister. And so, after Netanyahu trumpeted his party's great victory on Monday night, March 2, at the end of voting, Kahol Lavon's leaders waited in vain for good tidings. What their strategists missed was that a weighty slice of the electorate was prepared to separate Netanyahu as politician and national leader from the persona that the police and prosecution had indicted for fraud, breach of faith and bribery. Some credited his allegations of a conspiracy by an adverse faction of the law enforcement body for trumping up the charges against him and subverting witnesses to this end. The law clearly allows a prime minister to stay in office – even if convicted – until the appeals process is exhausted, promising long-drawn out years of litigation. In the meantime, enough voters decided to stick with Netanyahu and his loyal bloc of right-wing and religious parties for the sake of government continuity. While firmly in the lead after most of the ballots were counted by Wednesday noon, this bloc appears to be shy by one of two mandates of the magic 61 Knesset seats for establishing a majority government, and so final results are tensely awaited. Kahol Lavan lags too far behind to bid against Netanyahu and is trying to raise the specter of a fourth election, as well as legislation for disqualifying the Likud leader from heading a government. A petition to this end was also filed with the Supreme Court. The justices face some tough deliberations before deciding to step into a constitutional minefield by nullifying a national election. With 95.5pc of the votes tallied, the most likely outcome of this election, say DEBKAfile analysts, is that the president will entrust the incumbent prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu with forming a minority government in preference to a fourth election. Negotiations are already apace with potential defectors from the opposition camp to come aboard and fill in the vacancies for a durable administration. 
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran announced Wednesday that the new coronavirus has killed 92 people amid 2,922 confirmed cases across the Islamic Republic, the highest death toll in the world outside of China. Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour announced the new figures — including the 15 new deaths — at a news conference in Tehran, raising Iran's death toll from the new illness to higher than Italy's, where there has also been a serious spike in infections. There are now over 3,140 cases of the new virus across the Middle East. Of those outside Iran in the region, most link back to the Islamic Republic. The virus has sickened top leaders inside Iran's civilian government and Shiite theocracy, and one has died. On Wednesday, the IranWire news site reported that the country's first vice president Eshaq Jahangiri had tested positive and was undergoing treatment, according to Reuters. There was no official confirmation. Iran stands alone in how the virus has affected its government, even compared to hard-hit China, the epicenter of the outbreak. Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 90,000 people and caused over 3,100 deaths. Friday prayers in Iran have been canceled across all provincial capitals amid the country's growing coronavirus outbreak, state television said. Friday is the main congregational day of prayer in Islam, and traditionally an important event for Iran's clerical rulers. The report came after Tehran and other areas canceled Friday prayers last week over the outbreak. Experts worry Iran may be under-reporting the number of cases it has. "The virus has no wings to fly," Jahanpour said. "We are the ones who transfer it to each other." READ MORE The Health Ministry on Wednesday instructed all 1,150 students at a high school, plus the members of an elementary school class in a different school, to self-quarantine at home, after a teen and a 5th-grade teacher were diagnosed with the coronavirus. 
In addition, soccer fans who sat in a particular area at a Tel Aviv game last week have also been told to go into isolation. The order came after the ministry announced late Tuesday that three more Israelis had tested positive for the virus, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the country to 15. One of the three is a 9th-grade student at the Brener High School in Givat Brener who had reportedly worked at the Red Pirate toy store in Or Yehuda, where he came into contact with an Israeli employee who returned from Italy with the coronavirus. As a result the ministry told all students and staff members at the school to remain secluded at home until March 12. In addition, the teen attended the derby game on February 24 when Hapoel Tel Aviv played Maccabi Tel Aviv at Bloomfield Stadium. The ministry said that anyone who sat in the following areas from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. is instructed to enter quarantine: Gates 7-8, section 425, rows 43-49, seats 167-179. The Red Pirate branch has become a focus of concerns over the spread of the virus in Israel. So far, three people who work at the store have been diagnosed with the disease. READ MORE 
Tehran has no obligation to grant the UN's nuclear watchdog access to sites in Iran when it deems that requests are based on "fabricated information," Iran's UN ambassador in Vienna says. "Intelligence services' fabricated information… creates no obligation for Iran to consider such requests," says a statement from Iran's ambassador to the UN in Vienna, Kazem Gharib Abadi. It comes a day after a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in which it reprimanded Iran for refusing access to two sites which diplomats believe could be connected to Iran's historic nuclear activity. Gharib Abadi also accuses the US and Israel of trying to "exert pressure on the Agency… in order to distort the proactive and constructive cooperation" between the IAEA and Iran. Israel has claimed that a trove of information obtained by its intelligence services contains new information on a previous nuclear weapons program in Iran. The two sites that the IAEA was denied access to were among three locations that the agency had been raising questions over since last summer. In a second report issued on Tuesday the IAEA reported Iran was continuing to breach the terms of the 2015 nuclear accord with world powers but did not report any restrictions in access to nuclear facilities. 
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's atomic watchdog, on Tuesday sounded the alarm at Iran's cooperation with the agency and demanded "clarifications" over an undeclared site in Tehran where uranium particles were found late last year. Rafael Grossi, the new head of the IAEA who was in Paris to meet President Emmanuel Macron, told AFP, "Iran must decide to cooperate in a clearer manner with the agency to give the necessary clarifications." "The fact that we found traces (of uranium) is very important. That means there is the possibility of nuclear activities and material that are not under international supervision and about which we know not the origin or the intent. That worries me," Grossi added. The IAEA has for months been pressing Tehran for information about the kind of activities being carried out at an undeclared site where the uranium particles were found. While the IAEA has not identified the site in question, it is believed to be the Turquzabad facility which was identified by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during his address before the UN General Assembly in 2018 as a "secret atomic warehouse." Reports last April indicated that the IAEA had inspected the secret atomic warehouse. Subsequent reports said the facility was found to contain traces of uranium. In addition, according to a report issued by the IAEA on Tuesday, "the Agency identified a number of questions related to possible undeclared nuclear material and nuclear-related activities at three locations in Iran." At one of them the report said the IAEA had from early July 2019 observed "activities... consistent with effort to sanitize part of the location." A diplomatic source said that the three locations were separate to Turquzabad. A second report from the agency detailed Iran's current breaches of several parts of a landmark 2015 international deal on scaling back its nuclear program. The report showed Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium now stands at more than five times the limit fixed under the accord. It said that as of February 19, 2020 the Iranian stockpile stood at the equivalent of 1,510 kilograms, as opposed to the 300 kg limit set under the agreement. Iran has gradually scaled back its compliance with the 2015 deal in response to US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the agreement in May of 2018. The latest IAEA reports come just days after a meeting in Vienna of the remaining parties to the deal ended without a clear plan to keep the accord alive. Britain, France and Germany have attempted to save the agreement, but recently triggered the dispute mechanism in the nuclear deal that could eventually lead to reimposing UN sanctions on Iran. 
Texas is home to one of the largest evangelical populations in the country, most of which traditionally votes Republican. But some current and former members of the evangelical community have turned to the Democrats, espousing more progressive beliefs. On the eve of Tuesday's make-or-break Democratic primary, FRANCE 24's correspondents Alyssa Caverley and Pierrick Leurent travelled to Austin, the state's capital, to meet some of those hoping to defeat President Donald Trump. According to a Pew study, more than 60 percent of evangelicals in Texas are registered to vote as Republican – and many are Trump supporters. But the same study says a quarter of evangelicals are Democrats, including many women who feel that the US president's message does not reflect Christian values. "I'm going to vote for any opponent to Donald Trump," says Karen Smith, a volunteer for East Travis County Democrats. "But I'm hopeful that we find candidates of faith and character on the left and break through this myth that the only Christians are the Republicans." 
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed Monday to keep the doors open for migrants heading for Europe, promising he will not hinder anyone heading for the border with Greece. He warned Europe that it will have prepare to shoulder its part of the migrant "burden." "After we opened the doors, there were multiple calls saying 'close the doors'," he said. "I told them 'it's done. It's finished. The doors are now open. Now, you will have to take your share of the burden'." Some 13,000 migrants, including Afghans, Syrians and Iraqis, massed at Turkey's border with Greece over the weekend after Erdogan announced Turkey would no longer prevent them from heading towards Europe's hearland. The move follows years of threats made by Erdogan to punish Europe for not furnishing his Islamist government with money and political support by opening Turkey's borders — behind which are 3.5 million or more migrants waiting to travel to head west. As Breitbart London reported, tensions at the border with Turkey began rising as thousands of migrants arrived at the frontier on unmarked buses and state-owned railways. Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Sunday evening that all asylum applications are being suspended in response to the crisis, and "the level of deterrence at our borders [has been increased to the maximum." E.U. foreign ministers are due to meet this week at the request of Greece to discuss the situation, amid fears of a repeat of the refugee influx that poisoned European politics in 2015. Athens is to boost patrols of its land and sea borders in the north-east and was also suspending consideration of asylum applications by those who entered the country illegally, said Greek government spokesman, Stelios Petsas. 
Binyamin Netanyahu's ruling Likud gained 37 seats ahead of Benny Gantz' opposition Kahol Lavan's 32-3 in Monday's Knesset election and commands a right-wing-religious bloc of 60, according to all the TV exit polls. This third general election in less than a year looks close to breaking the long political deadlock preventing the formation of a government. The Arab Joint list came third with 14-15 seats, the ultra-religious Shas, 9, Yisrael Beteinu (Lieberman) – 6-8, left-wing Labor-Meretz – 7-8, Habayit Hayehudi (right) – 6. and Torah Judaism – 7. If these figures are confirmed in the official tally of real votes, incumbent Prime Minister Netanyahu may be able to form his fifth government, after missing out in the last two rounds. The centrist-left wing bloc led by Benny Gantz can count on 54 seats with the support of the Joint Arab list. It took Israel's voter three rounds of to choose a leader, party and bloc to head its next government. Netanyahu's campaign got off to a dismal start, with his main party rival Gideon Saar predicting he was a spent force. His challengers maintained that with a trial on three corruptions charges ahead of him two weeks after election day, he was unfit to serve as head of government. developing…