Middle East

Saudi Arabia is reportedly refusing to release an Iranian oil tanker which has been docked at the port of Jeddah after a technical failure in late April.

Scores of Iraqi people have stormed the Bahrain embassy in the capital city of Baghdad to protest Manama's decision to host a key summit where the US showcased its so-called deal of century to end Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi and his Iraqi counterpart Nizar al-Khairallah on Wednesday held a meeting in Tehran.

Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif has slammed the US sanction against Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei as a violation of the constitutional right of freedom of religion for American Muslims.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has censured the US president for turning a blind eye to the Israeli regime’s nuclear arsenal while accusing Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the B-Team – Bin Salman, Bin Zayed, Bolton, and Bibi – were dragging US President Donald Trump into a war with Iran, but prudence prevented that from happening.

A top Iranian military official says the Islamic Republic is fully prepared to help the neighbouring Iraq fulfil its air defence needs.

A top aide to Iran’s parliament speaker has lashed out at Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain for threatening regional security by allowing the US to use their territories for espionage, warning them of damages from a “self-inflicted fire”.

Iran’s Boxing Federation is threatening to boycott the upcoming schoolboys championships in Kuwait if the Asian Boxing Confederation would not use the one and real name of the ‘Persian Gulf’ in its official website.

A leaked audio of a phone conversation between two members of the anti-Iran terrorist group, the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization, reveals Saudi Arabia has colluded with the MKO elements to frame Iran for the recent tanker attacks in the Persian Gulf.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu says his country is prepared to enhance its all-out relations with Iran in various political, economic, and cultural areas.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will travel to Iran on Thursday within the framework of regular political consultations between Tehran and Ankara, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said.

Saudi Arabia has reportedly suspended the visa program for Umrah (minor Hajj) pilgrimage.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has held talks with Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Khalil al-Haddad, who is visiting Iran at the head of a parliamentary delegation.

Mohamed Mursi, the first and last elected president of Egypt, came to power through popular elections, but was not lucky enough to retain the position and was sacked in a coup, imprisoned for years, and finally died in court at the age of 68.

Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor-in-chief of Rai al-Youm newspaper, referred to the recent developments in the region, and said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has long been threatening Iran is afraid to speak in support of the US verbal threats to Tehran these days.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi has rejected the recent anti-Iran accusations levelled by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in various spheres.

Former president of Egypt Mohamed Mursi has died at age 67 in court, state television reported on Monday.

Yemen’s Minister of Information says Sana’a is in possession of a weapon that no country has access to in the whole Arab region.

Saudi Arabia has closed Abha and Jizan airports following airstrikes carried out by the Yemeni army backed by Ansarullah fighters using Qasef K2 drones, said a spokesman for Yemeni armed forces.

A former Iranian minister has advised British officials to put more time on studying history and learn from the experiences of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the Middle East instead of fanning the flames of a new conflict.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan have expressed their opposition to any sanction and coercive policy in the region.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has highlighted the “interwoven” nature of security in the region, saying that bilateral and multilateral consultations and further cooperation are the only ways to settle disputes and resolve regional problems.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the policies of foreign powers have turned the Middle East into the most unstable region in the world.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Tehran, meeting the highest-ranking Iranian official in an historic visit, when two oil tankers – one of them belonging to Japan – were attacked in the Sea of Oman.