Tunisian parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi has declared the assembly in session and called on parliamentarians to resume work, defying President Kais Saied’s suspension of the assembly in a new escalation of the country’s political crisis.

Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raeisi is facing mounting calls by his supporters and associated political figures to join the 2021 presidential race, with a top body of Principlists now backing him as its top choice.