WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, May 22, 2017.

Iran US response

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says no country can claim it’s building a stable Middle East without Iran. Rouhani said Sunday’s summit in Saudi Arabia was not a sincere move against terror. The Iranian president called the gathering a stunt that did not have any political or practical outcome. Rouhani also blasted the Saudis and the US for supporting Daesh and the like in Iraq and Syria, saying those who funded and armed terrorists cannot claim they are fighting terrorism. He further stressed that the Syrian and Iraqi nations are actually fighting terror with the help of Iran, the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah and Russia. Rouhani also downplayed the huge arms deal between the US and Saudi Arabia. The president said the American people will not accept the 110 billion dollar deal as ransom for the blood spilled on September 11, 2001.

Saudi war on Yemen

At least seven civilians have been killed during a series of Saudi military attacks on Yemen in the past two days. A mortar attack in the southwestern city of Ta'izz left at least three people dead and two others seriously wounded. Elsewhere on Sunday, four Yemenis were killed east of the capital Sana’a after a car was targeted in a Saudi airstrike. Meanwhile, the Yemeni army snipers launched fresh attacks killing a Saudi soldier in Jizan region. Saudi Arabia began its war on Yemen in March 2015. The war has so far killed over 12,000 people, most of them civilians.

Turkey trial

Turkey has put on trial 200 suspects for their alleged involvement in last year’s failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Those standing trial include Erdogan's former military assistant, the former head of Turkey’s air force and dozens of senior military officers. They were allegedly behind the raid on the state broadcaster during the coup. Back then assailants forced the presenter to read out an announcement that said the country was in the hands of the army. The suspects could face life imprisonment if convicted. Turkish authorities have arrested some 50,000 people over the coup since July 2016. Around 150,000 more public employees have been sacked or suspended. Ankara blames the military revolt on US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.

US policy of Iranophobia

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s allegations against the country as interfering, destructive and baseless. Bahram Qassemi said the US president is trying to intensify Iranophobia among the regional countries to persuade them to buy more and more American arms. Qassemi urged Washington to stop the policy of war mongering, interference, Iranophobia and selling dangerous arms to the main supporters of terrorism. He said Trump accuses Iran of destabilizing the region while in the past decades the United States has been assisting Israel in suppressing the Palestinian nation by providing its ally with arms, money and intelligence. Qassemi said the US has also played a role in the death and destruction in Yemen by equipping a number of Arab countries in the Persian Gulf region.

Trump in Israel

Donald Trump hails Washington’s “unbreakable” bond with Israel as he lands in Tel Aviv on the second leg of his first foreign trip as US president. Top Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and cabinet members greeted Trump upon his arrival. During his two-day stay, the US president will also tour some iconic sites in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the al-Aqsa mosque complex. The holy site has recently been the target of attacks by Israeli forces and settlers. Trump will also meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Trump's initial stop was Saudi Arabia during his first trip abroad as president. There he signed a huge arms deal with Riyadh while vaguely calling for peace and fighting extremism.

US students protest

A group of students in the US university of Notre Dame have abandoned their graduation ceremony immediately after Vice President Mike Pence started his commencement speech. Dozens of students walked out of Pence’s speech arguing that his policies as vice president and as former Indiana governor targeted marginalized people with different religions and skin colors. They also said that they wanted to object President Donald Trump’s threat to civil rights and his controversial immigration policies. The walkout comes amid a mounting controversy over what constitutes free speech at college campuses since Trump took office in January, with students objecting to appearances by divisive conservative figures.

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