Middle East

Iraqi government forces have established security over the northern city of Kirkuk after retaking contested territory from Kurdish militants.

Ali Akbar Velayati, an international advisor to Iran's Leader, has dismissed allegations of the Islamic Republic’s involvement in the Iraqi army’s operation to retake the oil-rich city of Kirkuk from Kurdish forces.

The steps taken by Iran and Russia in the fight against terrorism in Syria are bearing fruits, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said on Tuesday.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari and France’s Special Envoy for Syria Franck Gellet have held talks on the latest developments in the Arab country.

An Iranian general says Washington regards the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as the key contributor to US failures in the Middle East.

The Iraqi central government forces have retaken the Kurdish-held city of Kirkuk on Monday in an operation launched on Sunday in response to Kurdistan’s independence referendum.

A group of Assyrian forces is playing a key role in the Syrian troopers’ operation to retake the city of Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of ISIS in Syria.

Iraqi premier has reportedly appointed an Arab politician as the new acting governor of Kirkuk, which is the scene of conflict between Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmarga since the beginning of the central government’s operation to retake the oil-rich city.

A senior advisor to Iran’s president says Trump’s comments will only increase the Iranian people’s support for the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

Iraqi forces have taken full control of the largest airbase of Kirkuk, known as K1, after recapturing vast areas of the city from Kurds in an operation started on Sunday night.

While Iran’s nuclear deal is grabbing the international headlines, oil market experts are mainly concerned with the internal divisions in Iraq, particularly the conflict over the secession of Iraqi Kurdistan as the main element which can influence the global oil prices.

Iran has denied reports that the country has closed its land border with the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan Region in response to last month’s independence referendum in the region.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has imposed new rules on sports fans, banning them from wearing casual clothes to games as such dress is 'inappropriate'.

Iraqi central government in Baghdad has set a deadline for the Kurdish Peshmerga forces to leave and hand over the areas which had been under the control of the army before the ISIS attack.

A Middle East expert says during the past three years, the US-led coalition in Iraq and Syria has run with the hare and hunted with the hound to provide ISIS with new opportunities to continue its operation along borders of regional countries.

A top Iranian Shiite cleric says Saudi Arabia has decided to adopt a different policy on Iran and this was evident in their recent behaviour towards Iranian Hajj pilgrims.

As the US president is expected to deliver a speech on Friday night and declare the country’s new strategy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran, an informed source at the Iranian foreign ministry has outlined the main themes of Tehran’s response to Trump and his country’s new policies.

Baghdad’s ban on the arrival and departure of foreign flights at/from Kurdistan airports has reportedly caused a loss of 50 to 60 thousand dollars a day.

The eldest son of late former Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, has praised an Iranian medical team for their efforts to offer good services to his father during treatment period.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister has announced that the country is prepared to mediate in normalising ties between regional arch-rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Iranian president has highlighted the role played by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in saving regional states from terrorism, saying the IRGC is now popular not only in Iran, but also in Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan region, Syria, and Lebanon.

A senior Iranian advisor has held a meeting with the head of the Egyptian Interest Section in Tehran.

Iran and Turkey have signed a draft agreement to carry out trade activities based on their own local currencies instead of traditional foreign currencies such as the euro and the dollar.

An Iranian analyst says Tehran and Ankara cannot pursue a totally similar policy towards the issue of Iraqi Kurdistan, and Iran needs to adopt its own independent policy in this regard.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in an article published in The Atlantic, has rejected the ‘myths’ about Iran’s aggression in the Middle East, and argued that his country has been unfairly maligned.