Thursday, March 5, 2026

Latest News and Views from Iran and the World

Iran releases water into shrinking Lake Urmia

The governor of the northwestern Iranian province of West Azarbaijan said on Tuesday that water has been released into receding Lake Urmia two months earlier than the previous years.

Iran FM urges the UN chief to force Israel to stop Gaza genocide

The Iranian foreign minister has sent a letter to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, once again reminding the organization of its onerous task in the face of the Israeli regime’s "genocide" in the Gaza Strip.

Saudi FM believes Iran does not want a broader war

In an interview with FRANCE 24 on tensions in West Asia, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said his country was "concerned" about a regional war. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud added he doesn't believe that Tehran wants a broader conflict.

Iranian specialist: JN.1 COVID-19 variant not lethal

After the first case of JN.1 variant of COVID-19 was detected in Iran, an Iranian infectious disease specialist has sought to sooth concerns among the public, saying the substrain, although highly transmissible, is not fatal.

Palestinian women and girls raped and sexually assaulted in Israeli detention: UN experts

UN experts have decried reports of rape and sexual assault of Palestinian women and girls held in Israeli detention.

Taliban boycott UN-sponsored meeting in Qatar

The Taliban refused to attend a UN-sponsored conference in Qatar, insisting that their delegation should be recognized as the sole representative of Afghanistan.

Iran’s UN envoy rejects as baseless US allegations about weapons smuggling to Yemen

Iran has roundly dismissed as "unfounded" US accusations that Tehran is transferring arms and ammunition to Yemen, stressing that Washington is abusing the UN Security Council podium to pursue its short-sighted political objectives.

Suez Canal revenues down 40-50% amid Red Sea tension: Egypt president

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has stated that the Suez Canal revenues have dropped 40-50% amid heightened tensions in the Red Sea.

EU launches Red Sea naval mission to protect shipping from Houthi strikes

The European Union has started a naval mission to protect cargo ships in the Red Sea from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi fighters. The Houthis say, in consolidation with the Palestinians, they will target Israeli-bound vessels off the Red Sea.

Iran’s beach soccer team beat Tahiti at FIFA world cup, move to quarterfinal

Iran’s national beach soccer team made a thrilling comeback and defeated Tahiti on Monday to stand atop Group B of the 2024 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

Israel’s economy shrinks by a fifth: Report

Israel’s economy has faced one of the biggest contractions in the its history in the fourth quarter of last year due to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, a report from the Central Bureau of Statistics has revealed.

Brazil recalls ambassador to Israel in row over president’s Gaza comments

Brazil has recalled its envoy to Israel, and Tel Aviv says Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is not welcome in the occupied territories, in a diplomatic rift after Lula compared Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to the Holocaust.

26 EU members warn against Israel’s military action in Rafah, Gaza

Nearly all member states of the European Union have warned Israel against going ahead with its planned ground offensive in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, which is packed with Palestinian refugees.

EU calls for ‘international investigation’ into Russian opposition activist’s death

Moscow must allow an international investigation into the death of opposition figure and anti-corruption campaigner Alexey Navalny, EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell has stated.

US drops opposition on Gaza ceasefire: Report

US President Joe Biden’s administration has reportedly changed its position to a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and proposed a UN resolution calling on Israel to cancel its planned military operation in the besieged enclave’s last refuge for displaced civilians.

Report: 15,220 qualified to run for Iran’s March elections

Iran's Tasnim news agency says the final number of candidates running for the upcoming elections in the country reaches 15,220.

Alexey Navalny’s wife says Russian authorities hiding the opposition figure’s body

Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny says that Russian authorities are hiding her husband's body and “lying pathetically”, while waiting for traces of poisoning to disappear.

World Court begins hearings on Israel’s occupation of Palestine

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) started hearing historic oral arguments Monday over Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories since 1967.

Expert warns of anti-Iran moves by Israel and West 

An international affairs expert says the Middle East is in transition to a new unstable order after the October 7 attack by Hamas which quote poses a threat to Iran.

Yemen’s Houthis claim hit British ship, downed US drone

The Houthi group has announced it hit a British cargo ship that is believed to be significantly damaged and shot down a US drone over its territory as the Yemeni group continued to target ships in the Red Sea demanding an end to Israel’s war on Gaza.

Official says Iran in talks with several countries to set up joint free zones

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council of Free Trade-Industrial and Special Economic Zones Hojjatollah Abdolmaleki has said negotiations are underway between Tehran and 21 states to launch joint free zones.

Gaza war unmasks rights advocates: Iran

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani has stated that Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip plucked the mask from the face of self-proclaimed champions of human rights. More than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

Omid, migratory Siberian crane, hasn’t returned to Iran

The only survivor of a flock of Siberian cranes, named Omid or hope in Persian, has not returned to Iran this year to its winter refuge, the head of Iran's Environment Protection Organization says.

Top commander: Iran considers even minor threats serious

The chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces says the country’s deterrence has created a ‘stable shield for the national security and national defense’, asserting that the Iranian armed forces seriously deal even with smallest threats.

Iranian daily warns officials not to trust ‘KGB agent’ Putin

After the death of Russian opposition leader and government critic Alexei Navalny in an Arctic penal colony on Friday, the country’s President Vladimir Putin is once again in the spotlight for the incident.