Middle East

Latest Middle East News – Read the latest news from Middle East covered by Iranian media.

Middle East

Commander: US in new crisis if not for Iran’s goodwill

Emad Askarieh - January 13, 2016

Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said what happened to American sailors on Tuesday proved how vulnerable the US is in front of powerful Iranian forces.

Hard News

US wants to demote Iran struggles to Saudi level: Basij chief

Emad Askarieh - January 13, 2016

The chief of Iran's Basij (volunteer forces) Brigadier General, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, says Tehran must not lose focus of its main enemy, namely the US, warning that Washington seeks to downgrade the stature of the Islamic Republic's struggles to Riyadh's levels.

Foreign Policy

Iran condemns Istanbul terrorist blast

Emad Askarieh - January 12, 2016

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari on Tuesday strongly denounced the terrorist explosion which hit central Istanbul earlier in the day.

Hard News

Syria fighting international terror: Iran

Emad Askarieh - January 12, 2016

Iran’s Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli says the Syrian government and nation is fighting a war against international terrorism.

Foreign Policy

Saudi-Based Takfirism Main Threat to Region: Iran’s FM

Emad Askarieh - January 12, 2016

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif slammed extremist ideologies originating from Saudi Arabia as the major threat that the Middle East is facing.

Hard News

West’s Divisive War on Muslims Unending: Iranian Minister

Emad Askarieh - January 12, 2016

Iran’s Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli called for Muslim unity to thwart the plots hatched by the West and the US, which he said are still waging wars against the Islamic world like the Crusades.

Hard News

S Arabia’s policies adopted under Israel’s influence: Iran official

Emad Askarieh - January 11, 2016

The policies adopted by Riyadh are under the influence of Israel, which seeks to see tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran, a senior Iranian military official says, amid strained relations between the two Muslim countries.

Middle East

Saudi Arabia actively sponsors terrorism, Zarif says

Emad Askarieh - January 11, 2016

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says some in Saudi Arabia are determined to drag the entire Middle East into confrontation.

Foreign Policy

Iran Not to Let Saudi-Triggered Tensions Ruin Syria Peace Efforts: FM

Emad Askarieh - January 10, 2016

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reaffirmed the country’s “responsible and constructive” attitude toward regional crises, pledging that Tehran will not allow the tensions provoked by Saudi Arabia to undermine the efforts for the settlement of the crisis in Syria.

Middle East

Saudi airstrike on Iran embassy in Yemen premeditated act of war: Lawmaker

Emad Askarieh - January 10, 2016

Saudi Arabia’s airstrike targeting the Iranian embassy in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, was a premeditated state-sponsored act of war which runs counter to all international regulations, says a senior Iranian lawmaker.

Foreign Policy

Spokesman: Iran seeks de-escalation of tensions

Emad Askarieh - January 10, 2016

Iran seeks de-escalation of tensions in the region including decrease of tensions with Riyadh, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaber-Ansari said on Sunday.

Foreign Policy

Saudis doomed to lose war of embassies: Spokesman

Emad Askarieh - January 10, 2016

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari said Saudi Arabia's policy of 'war of emabssies' by cutting its ties with Iran and pressuring other countries in doing so will not bear any benefit to the Riyadh regime.

Interviews

Int’l law Expert: UN Security Council statement, unilateral

Emad Askarieh - January 9, 2016

According to international law expert Mostafa Mir-Mohammadi, the UNSC statement was a unilateral move which requires contemplation.

Middle East

Indonesian envoy to visit Iran, Saudi Arabia with message of peace

Emad Askarieh - January 9, 2016

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi is to visit Iran and Saudi Arabia as his President’s especial envoy with a message of peace.

Hard News

UN: Saudi Use of Cluster Bomb in Yemen May Amount to War Crime

Emad Askarieh - January 9, 2016

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that the use of cluster bombs in Yemen by Saudi Arabia may amount to war crimes.

Foreign Policy

Riyadh must choose between hate-mongering and stability: Zarif

Emad Askarieh - January 9, 2016

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Saudi Arabia has to make "a crucial choice" to either promote “sectarian hate-mongering" by its continued support for extremist groups or promote regional stability.

Middle East

Why Saudis Need to Rethink Their Policies

IFP Media Wire - January 8, 2016

It’s no secret that Saudi Arabia is in deep social and political troubles, both internally and externally. For the past decades, the family has been leading an absolutely pre-medieval society to become a rich and glamorous petroleum-smelling society with sky-scrapers and fancy cars. Yet, the structure and norms of the society remain unchanged.

Middle East

14 reasons why Saudi Arabia is a failed Mideast power

IFP Media Wire - January 8, 2016

Saudi Arabia started 2016 shamefully by carrying out its largest mass execution since 1980, putting 47 men to death on Jan. 2. Among them were at least four prominent Shia activists, including a leader of the kingdom's Shia minority, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. The killings have spurred a new round of tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the two regional powers.

Hard News

Iran to report Saudi raid on Sana’a mission to UN: Official

Emad Askarieh - January 8, 2016

A senior Iranian official says the Islamic Republic is set to submit a report to the United Nations over the Saudi air raid on Tehran’s mission in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a.

Foreign Policy