Syrian forces fire at protesters, leaving at least 8 dead in another day of murder, even as the Arab league monitors are in country.
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has appeared in court for the first time in three months on charges related to the deaths of hundreds of anti-government protesters early this year.
Iran has threatened to block the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz if Western governments attempt to impose sanctions on its petroleum exports. Predictably, the US says they 'will not tolerate' disruptions in Strait of Hormuz traffic.
The Iraqi political bloc led by anti-American Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has issued a call to dissolve Iraq's parliament and hold early elections, in a move that could escalate the country's growing sectarian crisis.
Details after the break.
Activists say Syrian security forces fired shots at protesters in Hama on Wednesday as Arab League monitors toured other regions to track the extent of the government's crackdown on dissent.
Rights groups say the government action in Hama was among scattered violence across the country on Wednesday that left at least eight people dead.
Arab League observers are due to visit the flashpoint city late Wednesday or Thursday, along with stops in the Idlib and Daraa regions.
The mission leader, Sudanese General Mohammed Dabi, said observers did not see "anything frightening" during a Tuesday visit to Homs. He said the city was "quiet" and there were no clashes.
The comments came despite activists' reports Tuesday that Syrian forces fired tear gas and live ammunition at thousands of demonstrators in Homs. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says six people were killed there, while at least nine protest-related deaths were reported nationwide.
On Wednesday, activists said that some Homs residents refused to meet with observers because they were accompanied by a Syrian army officer.
Meanwhile, a human rights group has accused Syria of transferring prisoners to military facilities in order to hide them from the observers. Syrian state media said Wednesday the government released 755 prisoners.
Human Rights Watch says hundreds of inmates, though, were transferred shortly before the arrival of the observers, who are monitoring government pledges to halt a violent crackdown and release political dissidents.
Rights groups have questioned whether monitors can work independently.
Middle East analyst Jonathan Adelman of the University of Denver said the Arab League is hoping to push Assad away from fighting and into negotiations, but that the size of the observer mission is too small.
"It's also simply not backed up by what really would get Bashar Assad to do something, which is the threat of foreign military intervention which we saw in Libya for example. But without that I think he's going to play with them as long as he can," said Adelman.
Egypt
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has appeared in court for the first time in three months on charges related to the deaths of hundreds of anti-government protesters early this year.
Mubarak arrived at the Cairo court by ambulance on Wednesday, as he has done for previous appearances. He was wheeled inside on a hospital bed. Doctors say the 83-year-old former leader is suffering from a heart condition.
The presiding judge heard statements from lawyers on both sides before adjourning the case until January 2nd.
The Associated Press says defense attorneys asked the judge to expand the case to include other incidents of violence and deaths of protesters that have taken place since Mubarak's February resignation.
Several dozen supporters and opponents of Mubarak rallied outside of the courtroom during the proceeding.
The former president is charged with involvement in the killings of more than 800 people during the anti-government protests that led to his resignation.
Mubarak's co-defendants, including two sons and his former interior minister, were present for Wednesday's session.
Iran
Iran has threatened to block the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz if Western governments attempt to impose sanctions on its petroleum exports in their dispute over its nuclear ambitions.
The official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi as saying that if Iranian oil is banned "then not a drop of oil will pass through the Strait of Hormuz."
Rahimi was quoted as saying Iran does not want hostilities but that Westerners are not willing to give up "their plots."
The blunt warning came as Iran's naval forces continued a 10-day exercise in the Strait and nearby waters that began Saturday.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner dismissed the threat as "bluster." He called the comments "another attempt to distract attention from [Iran's] continued noncompliance with international nuclear obligations."
Iran contends its uranium enrichment program is for civilian purposes, but a United Nations report issued last month said Tehran appears to be secretly working on designing an atomic weapon and missile delivery system.
European Union ministers have said that a decision on further economic sanctions - including the question of whether to boycott Iranian oil - would be made in the coming weeks. The vast majority of Iran's foreign revenue comes from oil exports.
More than one-third of the world's tanker-borne oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military says it will not tolerate disruptions in Strait of Hormuz traffic.
A spokeswoman for the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet said the flow of goods through the strait is "vital to regional and global prosperity." Lieutenant Rebecca Rebarich said Wednesday the U.S. Navy is ready to "counter malevolent actions" to ensure navigation freedom.
Earlier Wednesday, Iran's top naval officer, Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, said closing the Strait of Hormuz would be "very easy" for his forces, though he added no immediate action was "necessary."
Sayyari is the second Iranian official this week to raise the possibility of closing the entrance to the Persian Gulf in response to Western threats to put sanctions on Iran's petroleum exports because of the country's controversial nuclear program.
On Tuesday, Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said that if Iranian oil is banned, "then not a drop of oil will pass through the Strait of Hormuz."
Iran's warnings have come as its naval forces continue a 10-day exercise in the strait and nearby waters that began on Saturday.
Iran contends its uranium enrichment program is for civilian purposes, but a United Nations report issued last month said Tehran appears to be secretly working on designing a nuclear weapon.
European Union ministers have said that a decision on further economic sanctions - including a boycott of Iranian oil - would be made in the coming weeks. The vast majority of Iran's foreign revenue comes from oil exports.
A closure of the Strait of Hormuz could temporarily cut off some oil supplies and force shippers to use longer, more expensive routes.
It could impact the price of oil worldwide. After an initial spike following the Iranian threats, however, oil futures edged lower on Wednesday.
The Associated Press quoted a Saudi oil ministry official as saying Gulf oil producers would be ready to step in, if necessary, to make up for any losses of Iranian crude.
Iraq
The Iraqi political bloc led by anti-American Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has issued a call to dissolve Iraq's parliament and hold early elections, in a move that could escalate the country's growing sectarian crisis.
The Sadrists said earlier this week that new elections are the only way to resolve Iraq's deepening political problems because the current government "cannot find solutions" for the issues that "threaten to divide" the country.
Tensions are rising after Iraq's Shi'ite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered the arrest of Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi on suspicion of running a death squad. Hashemi denies the charge and fled to northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region to avoid detention. Maliki also asked parliament to fire Sunni Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq.
The political crisis comes amid a wave of attacks on the capital, Baghdad, by suspected al-Qaida-linked Sunni extremists.
All content based on VOA News reports.
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