Iran’s top human rights official says the Islamic Republic has asked Iraqi officials to extradite 38 main members of the separatist terrorist groups operating in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

The US Defense Department expressed frustration for being repeatedly ignored by Chinese officials when attempting to make contact amid Beijing’s ire over US sanctions.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has denied any plans to impose a no-fly zone (NFZ) over Ukraine, arguing that any such attempt could spark an all-out war between the world's two largest nuclear powers.

Russia has censured as “a provocation” a reported Ukrainian request for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile systems from the United States, stressing that considering such supplies would deal a setback to efforts to ease an ongoing crisis between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.