Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad played down talk of a possible American strike against his country during a visit to Bahrain.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today said the United States is “very concerned” about the plight of the Palestinians and pledged to improve living conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today said that talks with the ruling Hamas militant group on forming a more moderate coalition government had broken down.