Middle East/North Africa

The administration on Wednesday strongly denied reports Saudi officials had flagged Tamerlan Tsarnaev as a terror threat.

Obama declined to lay out specific consequences if chemical weapons are used, but said it would be a “game changer.”

GOP lawmakers say reports that employees are being prevented from testifying validate their call for a select committee on Benghazi.

Saudi Arabia’s oil chief said Tuesday that he expects newfound fossil fuel reserves in the United States will further integrate — rather than isolate — the nation into the international market.

“I believe these reserves will lead the United States into a much deeper engagement in world energy markets,” Saudi Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Ali al-Naimi said at a Washington, D.C., event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The recent discovery of a wealth of U.S. fossil fuels has many lawmakers heralding a not-too-distant future free of oil imports from the Middle East, Venezuela and other nations.

President Obama shared his “concern” that Syria may have used chemical weapons during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

Obama has called the use of such weapons a “red line,” and is expected to take some form of action if U.S. intelligence confirms that sarin gas was used by Bashar Assad's regime. Russia remains allied with the Syrian leader and has resisted further sanctions on his regime at the United Nations.

“President Obama and President Putin reviewed the situation in Syria, with President Obama underscoring concern over Syrian chemical weapons,” according to a White House read-out of the call. “The Presidents agreed to stay in close consultation and instructed Secretary [of State John] Kerry and Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov to continue discussions on Syria.”

There is more public support than opposition for U.S. military action in Syria if the reports of chemical weapons are confirmed, according to a new poll from Pew Research.

The survey found 45 percent of respondents supported military action against Syria, while 31 percent were opposed. Nearly a quarter of respondents, 23 percent, did not have an opinion or did not know.

President Obama has warned that the used of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar Assad would be a “game changer,” although Obama has proceeded cautiously after the White House said there was some evidence a chemical attack occurred.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Monday that the Obama administration was still assessing the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria, echoing the caution President Obama has expressed about a possible U.S. response.

“I think we should wait to get the facts before we get any judgments about what actions, if any, should be taken, and what kind of action,” Hagel said at a joint Pentagon press conference with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera.

The White House’s disclosure last week that it believes Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces have used chemical weapons sparked a flurry of calls for action, including the possibility of a no-fly zone and providing arms to rebel groups.

Last week, administration officials said initial intelligence indicated that the Assad regime had likely used the nerve gas sarin.

An high-ranking Israeli minister shot down allegations that his government is pressuring Obama to respond aggressively in Syria.

Iran's crude oil exports hit a 26-year low last year because of U.S. and international sanctions, the government's independent energy information agency said.

The latest round of sanctions cut the country's net estimated oil export revenue down to only $69 billion in 2012, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) – 27 percent less than in 2011. Oil exports account for more than half of government revenue.

“Sanctions affecting investment in Iran's oil sector have also been tightened, resulting in cancellation of new projects by several foreign companies; they also negatively affected existing projects,” the EIA concluded. “Following the implementation of sanctions in late-2011 and mid-2012, Iranian oil production dropped dramatically.”