Monday, April 13, 2026

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Russia says prospect for JCPOA revival dim

Russia’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov has declared that the prospects for restoring Iran's nuclear deal are currently extremely dim. He made the remarks in an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia published on Friday.

US dispatching Marines, more warships to ME amid rising tension with Iran

The United States is sending marines and additional warships to Middle Eastern waters amid rising tensions with Iran, the military announced Thursday.

Live Update: Russia’s “Special Operation” in Ukraine; Day 513

Russia, wary of NATO’s eastward expansion, began a military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022 after the Western-leaning Kiev government turned a deaf ear to Moscow’s calls for its neighbor to maintain its neutrality. In the middle of the mayhem, Moscow and Kiev are trying to hammer out a peaceful solution to the conflict. Follow the latest about the Russia-Ukraine conflict here:

Moscow says Russia-Iran strategic partnership treaty still in the works

The preparation for a new international treaty on strategic partnership between Moscow and Tehran continues, and the sides reaffirm their interest in signing this document, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing Thursday.

Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian, injure 4 in West Bank

Israeli soldiers have shot dead a Palestinian and injured at least four others – two in serious condition – in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, the Palestinian health ministry and the Red Crescent have confirmed.

Turkey inks $50 billion in deals with UAE during Erdogan’s visit

The United Arab Emirates and Turkey signed several deals worth $50.7 billion during a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Abu Dhabi as he toured wealthy Persian Gulf Arab nations for investment and funds.

Video appears to show Wagner chief in public for first time since “uprising”

A video has emerged purportedly showing Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin greeting his fighters in Belarus, in what would be his first public appearance since he led an “armed rebellion” in Russia last month.

Persian Gulf Council says willing to hold ‘deep talks’ with Iran

The Persian Gulf Cooperation Council ([P]GCC) has announced that the normalization of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia has contributed to the region’s stability and security, expressing willingness to engage in serious discussions with Tehran.

Iran foreign minister says Tehran’s choices not limited to Russia, China

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said in a televised interview that Tehran would maintain its relations with countries while pursuing its “Look to Asia” policy, but hastened to add that the Islamic Republic “will never allow Russia or China to think that they are our only choices.”

Expert: Iraqis refuse to pay their energy debt to Iran by shifting blame onto US

Iranian foreign policy expert Seyyed Ali Hosseini says Iraqi officials are deliberately dragging their feet on the payment of their energy debt to Iran through hampering a mechanism that’s been created for this purpose.

UN experts urge Bahrain to release students “tortured into confessions”

UN experts called for the release of six imprisoned Bahraini students who they say are being held arbitrarily after “confessing to crimes under torture and undergoing unfair trials.”

Central Bank says Iran’s foreign debt shrank by 27%

Iran’s foreign debts were reduced to $6.282 billion in the last Persian calendar year (ended on March 20), showing a 27.6 percent decrease compared to a year before, according to a report by the Central Bank of Iran (CBI).

Report: MbS threatened to place UAE under blockade

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had threatened to place sanctions on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a private conversation with journalists last year, the Wall Street Journal reported. The threat had come amid a growing rift between bin Salman and the UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan due to differences over regional policies and OPEC limits.

Official says EU likely to keep missile sanctions on Iran

A European official has stated he expects no difficulty persuading EU states to maintain ballistic missile sanctions on Tehran that are due to expire in October. Iran says keeping the bans in place beyond that time, runs counter to international law.

“US issues new waiver letting Baghdad pay Tehran for electricity”

The United States has moved to let Iraq pay Iran for electricity via non-Iraqi banks, a US official said on Tuesday. Iraq owes billions of dollars to Iran for importing gas and electricity which has continued despite US sanctions, but Tehran has been unable to obtain its assets frozen in Iraqi banks under US pressure.

2 Syrian soldiers wounded in Israeli air attack against Damascus

Israel has carried out airstrikes near Syria’s capital Damascus, wounding two Syrian soldiers, Syrian state news agency has reported. The missiles were reportedly fired from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and most were shot down by Syrian air defences.

Turkey, Qatar to bolster bilateral relations after Erdogan visit

Turkey and Qatar have agreed to further boost bilateral ties in various fields, according to a joint statement issued after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the Persian Gulf country on Tuesday.

Former Iranian deputy FM: Russia didn’t give a sound narrative of Ukraine attack

Iran’s former deputy foreign minister Abbas Araqchi says Russia has failed to justify its military expedition to Ukraine before the international community.

Israelis block highways in ‘day of disruption’ against PM’s judicial overhaul plan

Israeli demonstrators blocked highways and gathered outside Tel Aviv’s stock exchange and military headquarters on Tuesday to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned judicial overhaul.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey ink agreements on energy, defence fields

Saudi Arabia and Turkey have signed a number of memorandums of understanding in various fields including energy, direct investments and defence, Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Tuesday.

Pentagon says will send F-35s, F-16s, warship to Persian Gulf

The US military will send a Navy destroyer along with F-16 and F-35 fighter jets to the Persian Gulf region after “a number of recent alarming events in the Strait of Hormuz” caused by Iran, said a Pentagon spokesperson. Tehran says Iranian naval forces have so far seized 35 ships for violating maritime laws in the waters off the Persian Gulf.

Netanyahu pledges crackdown on Israel’s military no-shows

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to crack down against no-shows for military reserve duty by opponents of his judicial overhaul plan.

Russian military aircraft crashes into Sea of Azov, pilot killed

A Russian Su-25 military aircraft crashed into the Sea of Azov on Monday, local officials have confirmed. The pilot managed to eject to safety and was recovered by a search and rescue team, but succumbed to his injuries.

Erdogan says open to meeting Assad but not to withdrawal from Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he is open to talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but would not meet him if a withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian soil were set as a precondition. Assad had stated that there was no point in a meeting with Erdogan until Turkey’s “illegal occupation” ended.

Analyst: Russian FM’s comments about JCPOA have no impact

An Iranian political commentator has said the recent remarks of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about the revival of the Iran nuclear deal, JCPOA, are pointless.

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