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Iran will not surrender to US pressure and will never abandon its goals even if it is attacked, President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Iran's top military chief said the standoff between Tehran and Washington was a "clash of wills", warning any enemy "adventurism" would meet a crushing response, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. After pulling out of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, US President Donald Trump restored punishing American sanctions on Iran last year and tightened them this month, ordering all countries to halt imports of Iranian oil or face sanctions of their own. "More than one year after the imposition of these severe sanctions, our people have not bowed to pressures despite facing difficulties in their lives," Rouhani was quoted by the state news agency IRNA as saying.

PARIS (AP) - France is taking in a new group of Yazidis including women victimized by the Islamic State group and their children. The families, a total of 130, were arriving Wednesday night in Toulouse, from Irbil, Iraq for resettlement around France. A group of 16 Yazidi women and their children arrived in December, helped by the International Organization for Migration. During a rampage through Iraq's Sinjar region in 2014, the Islamic State group captured thousands of women and girls from the Yazidi religious minority and forced them into sexual slavery, while massacring men. Many remain missing to this day. Last month, the spiritual council for Iraq's Yazidi community said it won't embrace

Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn has appeared in a Japanese courtroom for a hearing ahead of his trial on accusations of financial misconduct. Ghosn has maintained his innocence, denouncing his arrest as “a conspiracy” by some at Nissan Motor Co.

US President Donald Trump has said he will send about 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East amid heightened tensions with rival Iran. Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn shortly before departing for a trip to Japan on Friday, Trump said the purpose of this deployment is "mostly protective", and is meant to increase the security of forces already in the region. "We want to have protection in the Middle East. We're going to be sending a relatively small number of troops," Trump said. "Right now, I don't think Iran wants to fight. And I certainly don't think they want to fight with us," he added. The Trump administration had notified Congress earlier on Friday about the troop plans.

(CNN) - If you're still deciding where to take your summer vacation, 2019 brings major anniversaries, new flight routes, buzzy museum openings and more. In no particular order, check out our picks for where to travel this summer: 1. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia The Salar de Uyuni, or Uyuni Salt Flat, is a vast expanse near the Bolivian Andes that resembles ice. The surreal landscape is actually leftover salt from ancient lakes. Flooding from today's nearby lakes during the rainy season (November-March) results in a reflective surface that is every photographer's dream. Beyond simply enjoying the food and scenery, guests can hike to the crater of Tunupa Volcano, mountain bike across the Salar or visit

Middle East Eye , an online platform devoted to news from the region, has reported on Saudi plans to imminently execute three religious activists. Clerics Salman al-Odah, Awad al-Qarni and Ali al-Omari are expected to be put to death once Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, ends on June 4. The German branch of Reporters Without Borders, along with Human Rights Watch head Kenneth Roth, immediately shared the news on Twitter. And Al-Jazeera and other Arabic media have also started covering the news. The Gulf monarchy last carried out such an execution in April, when 37 where put to death. DW spoke with Madawi Al-Rasheed, a London-based social anthropologist originally from Saudi Arabia, about

Japan's Panasonic said Thursday it is suspending business with Huawei after a US ban on the Chinese firm over security fears, in a new blow for the telecoms giant. “We've stopped all business transactions with Huawei and its 68 group companies... that are subject to the US government ban,” Panasonic spokesman Joe Flynn told AFP. Flynn said Panasonic's business with Huawei involves the supply of “electronic parts,” but declined to provide further details.