Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

We are on cusp of full-scale confrontation with enemy: Iranian Guards commander

The commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday: "We are on the cusp of a full-scale confrontation with the enemy," the Fars news agency reported. Major General Hossein Salami, named head of the force last month, added: "This moment in history, because the enemy has stepped into the field of confrontation with us with all the possible capacity, is the most decisive moment of the Islamic revolution."

Migrants sleep on ground, rig awnings at Texas Border Patrol station

Reuters photos taken on Wednesday show adults and children outside the U.S. Border Patrol station for migrants in McAllen, Texas, sleeping on the ground and rigging up makeshift awnings with reflective blankets to shelter from the sun. The photos, taken from a helicopter, also show people sleeping in a shaded area of a parking lot and crowded around a military tent.

UAE says it will show restraint after tanker attacks, Iran's behavior a concern

The United Arab Emirates will show restraint after attacks on oil tankers off its coast and is committed to de-escalation during a "difficult situation" caused by Iranian behavior in the region, a senior official said on Wednesday. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said he would not speculate about who was behind Sunday's sabotage acts on four vessels, including two Saudi tankers, near Fujairah emirate while an investigation was under way and due to be completed within days.

Iran halts some commitments under nuclear deal

Iran has officially stopped some commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers following an order from its national security council, an informed official in the country's atomic energy body told the ISNA news agency on Wednesday. Last week, Iran notified China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom of its decision to halt some commitments under the nuclear deal, a year after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord and re-imposed sanctions.

U.S. House members criticize Turkey over Russia ties

Senior Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives called on Turkey on Wednesday to cancel its planned acquisition of a Russian S-400 missile defense system, the latest effort by U.S. lawmakers to discourage Ankara from pursuing the deal. They introduced a resolution urging Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to avoid a military relationship with Russia that could jeopardize the U.S.-Turkey partnership and Turkey's role in NATO.

Venezuela opposition, government leaders travel to Norway for possible talks

Representatives of Venezuela's government and the opposition have traveled to Norway to discuss potential options following a failed uprising against President Nicolas Maduro, according to four opposition sources familiar with the situation. The trips suggests the two sides may be seeking a fresh approach after the repeated failure of dialog between the opposition and the ruling Socialist Party amid a steadily escalating political crisis.

Iran exercising 'maximum restraint' despite U.S. withdrawal from nuclear deal: Zarif

Iran remains committed to its obligations under a multilateral nuclear deal despite the United States' withdrawal from the landmark agreement last year, its foreign minister said on Thursday, calling the U.S. escalation of sanctions "unacceptable." "We exercise maximum restraint in spite of the fact the United States withdrew from JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) last May," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, at the start of their meeting in Tokyo. JCPOA is commonly referred to as the Iran nuclear deal.

Rebels hope to kill off May's Brexit deal in 'last-chance' vote

Brexit-supporting rebels in British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party said on Wednesday they would vote down her European Union divorce deal when she brings it back to parliament next month. Britain had been due to leave the EU on March 29 but parliament has three times rejected the withdrawal agreement May struck with Brussels. The United Kingdom is now scheduled to leave, with or without a deal to smooth the exit, by Oct. 31.

U.S.-backed forces crack down on Islamic State fighters in Syria's Deir al Zor

U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces said on Wednesday they had begun a campaign against "terrorists" linked to Islamic State in a strategic town in the oil rich eastern province of Deir al Zor that residents and witnesses say has been at the center of protests opposing the rule of U.S.-supported militia. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spearheaded by the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia said it had so far arrested 20 militants and confiscated weapons in the security sweep in the vicinity of the town of Shuhail on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River and its outlying desert region.

Fighting grips Yemen's Hodeidah port, complicating peace moves

Houthi fighters and Saudi-backed pro-government forces battled in Yemen's port city of Hodeidah on Wednesday, breaching a ceasefire and potentially complicating a troop withdrawal agreement intended to pave the way for wider peace talks. The Houthis began withdrawing from three ports on Saturday, including Hodeidah port - a lifeline for millions of Yemenis threatened by starvation because of the four-year war, as it is the main entry point for food imports and humanitarian aid.