From Iran to Syria war crimes: the non-coronavirus news you may have missed

Tensions between the US and Iran are growing again over the Arabian Gulf and Iraq faces more leadership troubles

A US Navy file photo shows Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy vessels alongside the guided-missile destroyer 'USS Paul Hamilton'. AFP

Iran and US squabble over tankers

Iran has instructed its Navy to target US ships if they "endanger the security" of Iranian crafts. It follows US President Donald Trump tweet saying that the US Navy could "shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea" following US accusations of harassment by Iranian gunboats in the Arabian Gulf.

"We have instructed our military units at sea that if a floating or combat unit from the Navy wants to endanger the security of our non-combat ships or warships, to target that vessel or military unit," Gen Hossein Salami, chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, said.

First Syria war crimes trial opens

Two alleged former Syrian intelligence officers went on trial in Germany on Thursday accused of crimes against humanity in the first court case worldwide over state-sponsored torture by President Bashar Al Assad's regime.

Prime suspect Anwar Raslan, an alleged former colonel in Syrian state security, stands accused of carrying out crimes against humanity while in charge of the Al Khatib detention centre in Damascus.

Iraq faces more leadership troubles

Only two weeks after being nominated to form a new government in Baghdad, prime minister designate Mustafa Al Kadhimi has hit major obstacles.The outcome of a six-month-long political crisis in Baghdad will be a key indicator of the balance of power in the Middle East between Washington and Tehran.

Mr Al Kadhimi is the third person to try and form a new government in Iraq after incumbent Adil Abdul Mahdi resigned in the face of a bloody crackdown on protesters in November.

US Supreme Court eases path to deport more migrants

The US Supreme Court on Thursday made it easier for federal authorities to deport certain immigrants who have committed crimes in a victory for President Donald Trump's administration.

The court ruled to uphold a lower court decision that found a legal permanent resident from Jamaica named Andre Martello Barton ineligible to have his deportation canceled under a US law that lets some longtime legal residents avoid expulsion.

Barton was targeted for deportation after criminal convictions in Georgia for drug and gun crimes