Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Middle East

Saudi crown prince on first visit to Qatar since end of blockade

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) has arrived in Doha on the third stop of his tour of the Persian Gulf states, the first visit since a years-long blockade of Qatar was withdrawn in January.

Iran’s chief negotiator: no obstacle to deal

Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator and Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri has said there is no obstacle to a deal if necessary grounds are provided in the Vienna talks over the Iran nuclear deal.

Iran FM slams West’s failure to offer constructive proposals in Vienna

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has criticized the West for failing to put forward constructive initiatives and proposals during negotiations with the Islamic Republic.

UNSC condemns deadly terror attacks in Iraq

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has condemned in the strongest terms the recent deadly terrorist attacks in Iraq. The world body has called for international cooperation to bring to account the perpetrators and financiers of such crimes.

Israeli government divided over how to influence Biden on Iran

There is an internal debate inside the Israeli government about the best way to influence the US position regarding Iran, with Minister of Defense Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid growing concerned with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's increasingly confrontational approach, Israeli officials say.

Yemeni official says defining moment of Ma’rib battle close

A member of the political bureau of Yemen’s Ansarullah resistance movement says the defining moment of the battle for Ma'rib is "close", as sources say the strategic province will be fully liberated in the near future.

Report: Saudi king holed up for over 480 days

Reports say, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia has isolated himself in the kingdom's northwest desert for more than 480 straight days, reigniting concerns for his health while his heir, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), lies in wait for the throne.

Iranian Leader advisor: Syria to continue path of resistance

The path of resistance against enemies will be continued in Syria, a senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei told the visiting Syrian foreign minister in Tehran.

Saudi official arrested in France over Khashoggi murder

A Saudi diplomat accused of being involved in the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was arrested on Tuesday at a Paris airport.

What is UAE’s motive for expanding ties with Iran?

In an article run by political website Iranian Diplomacy, Saber Golanbari, an expert on international relations, has looked into the possible motives behind the UAE’s overtures to Iran at a time when the two Persian Gulf countries are divided over a range of issues, most notably the sheikdom’s normalization of ties with the Israeli regime. Here is a summary of the article:

Yemeni forces say pounded many targets in Saudi Arabia

The Yemeni Army’s spokesman General Yahya Saree says the country’s armed forces have attacked key targets in Saudi Arabia using ballistic missiles and assault drones. The targets bombed include King Khaled Airport and the Saudi Defense Ministry in Riyadh. Saree described the attacks unique and massive.

Ghalibaf: Iran ready to help end insecurity in Syria

Iran’s Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said Tehran is ready to help end the ongoing insecurity in Syria through dialog between Syrian factions.

Iran’s president invited to visit the UAE

Iran’s President has told the UAE’s National Security Adviser that Tehran welcomes an expansion of ties with the Emirates.

Amir Abdollahian: Iran will not hesitate to defend its territory, security

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has said Iran will resolutely defend its territorial integrity and national security.

Raisi: lifting sanctions top priority for government

Iranian president Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi said the lifting and neutralizing of the anti-Tehran sanctions is a top priority for his administration.

Syria: Family of six seriously wounded in US strike

A Syrian man and his family members were among the civilians injured in the recent US drone attack in Idlib province. Doctors say the 10-year-old son of the six-member family may never fully recover from the wounds caused by the air raid.

Yemen: Saudi peace plan ‘immature’, includes ‘unrealistic’ demands

A high-ranking member of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council has dismissed as “immature” Saudi Arabia’s so-called peace initiative for the conflict-stricken Arab country. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi has stated that the demands put forward by Riyadh in the plan are “unrealistic”.

Explosions heard inside US military base in Syria

Multiple blasts could be heard inside the US military base in the At-Tanf area, located in Homs Province, near the Iraqi border, Syrian state TV reported on Sunday.

Kuwait prohibits entry of vessels carrying goods destined to, originated from Israel

Kuwait has banned the entry of commercial vessels carrying goods to and from the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, days after the Persian Gulf kingdom reiterated its support for Palestine and condemned a controversial visit by the Israeli president to the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil.

Israeli police kill young Palestinian in Jerusalem

A Palestinian young man was killed on Saturday evening when Israeli police officers opened fire on him at point blank range in the vicinity of the Damascus Gate plaza in occupied Jerusalem.

Report: US military base in Syria hit by rocket attack

A facility housing US troops in eastern Syria came under attack late Saturday when rockets were fired from nearby areas, state media, and a spokesman for US-backed militants said.

Explosive device defused ahead of Turkish president rally

An explosive device was found on Saturday under the private car of a police officer assigned to provide security to the Turkish president's rally in southeastern Turkey.

Iran’s top negotiator: I’m optimistic about future of talks

Iran’s top negotiator and Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri has told Al-Jazeera news channel Tehran insists that all sanctions placed on the country in violation of the nuclear deal, JCPOA, and as part of the US’s “maximum pressure campaign” must be removed immediately.

Pentagon: US strike may have killed Syrian civilians

The US military said it would open an investigation into the possibility a recent drone strike caused civilian casualties, with Pentagon officials claiming the attack had been intended to target a “senior al-Qaeda leader”.

Yemen says France complicit in war crimes

A senior Yemeni official has lambasted Paris over quote its collaboration with Saudi Arabia in the devastating war on Yemen. The comments are made as French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Persian Gulf Arab countries signing lucrative arms deals.

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