Gulf

Senior Islamic State figure killed in Iraq, PM says

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces have killed Abu Yaser al-Issawi, an Islamic State commander who had claimed to be the leader of the group in Iraq and its "deputy…

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Blast heard in Saudi capital Riyadh – UPDATED

RIYADH, Jan 26 (Reuters) - An explosion was heard in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh on Tuesday and the cause was not immediately known. Several witnesses also reported hearing two loud bangs and…

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UAE to open embassy in Israel as Israel opens embassy in Abu Dhabi

DUBAI/JERUSALEM Jan 24 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates cabinet on Sunday approved the establishment of an embassy in Tel Aviv in Israel, state media said, and Israel announced its…

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Saudi-led forces thwart air attack on Riyadh – Saudi TV

DUBAI (Reuters) - The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Houthi movement said it had thwarted an attack towards the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh on Saturday, Saudi state television reported, but the…

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Iran to begin COVID-19 vaccinations in coming weeks

President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that COVID-19 vaccinations will begin in the coming weeks in Iran, the Middle East’s worst hit country. “Foreign vaccines are a necessity until local…

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Saudi minister optimistic U.S. ties will be ‘excellent’ under Biden

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has voiced optimism that relations between Riyadh and Washington will be “excellent” under new U.S. President Joe Biden, Al-Arabiya TV channel cited him as saying. Appointments…

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Dubai cancels non-essential surgery, live entertainment as COVID-19 cases surge

Dubai has suspended non-essential surgery for a month and live entertainment in hotels and restaurants until further notice as coronavirus infections surge in the Middle East trade hub. The decision…

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UPDATED: Rare twin suicide attack kills at least 23 in Baghdad

Two men blew themselves up in a crowded Baghdad market on Thursday, killing at least 32 people in Iraq’s first big suicide bombing for three years. Islamic State claimed responsibility…

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Saudi Arabia pips Russia to be China’s biggest oil supplier in 2020

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, beat Russia to keep its ranking as China's top crude supplier in 2020, Chinese government data showed on Wednesday. Oil demand in China,…

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Iran’s Rouhani urges Biden to return to 2015 nuclear deal

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday to return to a 2015 nuclear deal and lift crippling sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Biden, who takes office…

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Photo Story: Iranian Army military drill as US prepares for Biden presidency

Handout photos made available by the Iranian Army office shows, Iranian Army ground forces soldier during a military ground drill in the coast of Makran, Gulf of Oman. The drill…

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Maltese delegation seeks better relations with Qatar in official visit

Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Evarist Bartolo is leading a Maltese delegation on a visit to Qatar with the aim of further strengthening relations between the two countries. Ties…

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Iran’s Zarif tells France: Avoid ‘absurd nonsense’ about Tehran’s nuclear work

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday dismissed a claim by France that Tehran was in the process of building up its nuclear weapons, calling it…

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Iranian Navy drill in the Gulf of Oman as U.S. imposes fresh sanctions

A series of photos made available by the Iranian Army Office shows an Iranian missile fired from beach to sea during a navy military drill this week in the Gulf…

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Photo Story: Malnutrition amid dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen

A Yemeni woman takes care of her patient child as he gets medical attention at a hospital in Sana’a, Yemen, on 13 January 2021. According to reports, the UN and…

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Who are Yemen’s Houthis?

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement has been battling a Saudi-led military coalition since 2015. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday Congress would be notified of his intent to…

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Pompeo to accuse Iran of al Qaeda links – sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to use newly declassified U.S. intelligence on Tuesday to publicly accuse Iran of ties to al Qaeda, two people familiar…

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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards unveil underground missile base in Gulf

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards unveiled an underground missile base at an undisclosed Gulf location on Friday, Iranian state media reported, at a time of heightened tension between Tehran and the…

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Qatar and Saudi Arabia to resume direct flights

Qatar Airways and Saudi Airlines will resume flights between Doha and Riyadh from Monday in a reopening of airspace as part of a political rapprochement in a three-year-old dispute. Qatar…

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Iran leader bans import of U.S., UK COVID-19 vaccines, demands sanctions end

DUBAI, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader on Friday banned the government from importing COVID-19 vaccines from the United States and Britain, labelling the Western powers "untrustworthy", as the…

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Iranian leader Khamenei bans imports of U.S., British COVID-19 vaccines

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei banned Iran's government on Friday from importing COVID-19 vaccines from the United States and Britain. "Imports of U.S. and British vaccines into the country are…

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Iran’s Khamenei: Tehran not in rush for U.S. to rejoin 2015 nuclear deal

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday Tehran was in no rush for the United States to rejoin a 2015 nuclear deal, but that sanctions on the Islamic…

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With eye on US ties, Saudi Arabia leads pack on Gulf detente

Saudi Arabia will move faster than its allies to reconcile with Qatar, sources familiar with the matter said, aiming to impress the incoming Biden administration by ending what the West…

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Trade, transport could resume within a week with Qatar, UAE says

Trade and transportation could resume between Qatar and boycotting countries within a week, the United Arab Emirates' minister of state for foreign affairs said on Thursday. Saudi Arabia and its…

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Photo Story: Iran holds aerial military drill

Handout photos made available by the Iranian Army office shows drones during an aerial military drill at an undisclosed location, Iran. The Iranian military began a two-day drone aerial military…

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Dubai launches fifth coronavirus economic stimulus package

The Emirate of Dubai has announced a new stimulus package worth 315 million dirhams ($86 million) to help the economy cope with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The package,…

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From embargo to embrace, Saudi Arabia pushes Gulf detente

Embracing Qatar’s ruler, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince pushed a deal to end a row with Doha at a Gulf summit on Tuesday to try to strengthen an Arab alliance against…

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Iran tests drones in military exercise

Iran launched exercises featuring a wide array of domestically produced drones on Tuesday, Iranian media reported, days after the anniversary of the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general by a drone strike…

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OPEC+ deadlocked over raising oil output, to resume talks today

OPEC+ will resume talks today after reaching a deadlock over February oil output levels as Saudi Arabia argued against pumping more due to new lockdowns while Russia led calls for…

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Iran resumes uranium enrichment programme

Iran has resumed 20% uranium enrichment at an underground nuclear facility, the government said on Monday, breaching a 2015 nuclear pact with major powers and possibly complicating efforts by U.S.…

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Qatar, Saudi Arabia ‘agree to open airspace, land and sea border’ – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera - Saudi Arabia, Qatar agree to open airspace, land and sea border, Kuwait’s foreign ministry announced on Monday. The state-run Kuwait News Agency reported the announcement, saying that Saudi…

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Iran says it resumes 20% enrichment at Fordow in latest nuclear deal breach

Iran has resumed 20% uranium enrichment at an underground nuclear facility, the government said on Monday, breaching a 2015 nuclear pact with major powers and possibly complicating efforts by U.S.…

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UPDATED: South Korean-flagged tanker seized by Iran

Iranian media reported on Monday that the country's elite Revolutionary Guards navy has seized a South Korean vessel "for polluting the Persian Gulf with chemicals". A South Korean-flagged tanker appears…

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Saudi Arabia ends entry ban but keeps some coronavirus restrictions

Saudi Arabia said that entry to the kingdom by sea land and air will be resumed starting Sunday after a ban that lasted two weeks amid fears of a new…

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Iran’s foreign minister urges Trump to avoid Israel ‘trap’ to provoke war

DUBAI, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday not to be "trapped" by an alleged Israeli plan to provoke a war through attacks…

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UAE reports record COVID-19 cases for fourth consecutive day

The United Arab Emirates has recorded its fourth straight record number of daily coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, reporting 1,963 cases on Saturday. The new cases recorded in the…

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Iran to enrich uranium to 20%

Iran has told the United Nations nuclear watchdog it plans to enrich uranium to up to 20% purity, a level it achieved before its 2015 accord, at its Fordow site…

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Iran allocates $150,000 for families of victims of Ukraine plane crash

Dec 30 (Reuters) - Iran's cabinet on Wednesday allocated $150,000 for the families of each of the 176 victims of a Ukrainian plane shot down in Iranian airspace in January,…

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Blast, gunfire at Aden airport after plane carrying new government lands, 5 killed

ADEN, Dec 30 (Reuters) - At least five people were killed and dozens more wounded in an attack on Aden airport, shortly after a plane carrying a newly formed government…

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Iran starts human testing of first domestic COVID-19 vaccine

DUBAI, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Iran launched human trials of its first domestic COVID-19 vaccine candidate, state media reported on Tuesday, which Tehran says could help it defeat the pandemic…

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Special Report: UAE emerges as hub for companies helping Venezuela avoid U.S. oil sanctions

In June, the United States imposed sanctions on half a dozen oil tankers managed by established shipping firms. It was a major escalation of American attempts to choke off Venezuela’s…

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Storms kill 12 climbers in Iran, capsized ship crew missing in Gulf

DUBAI, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Heavy snowfall has killed 12 climbers in mountains north of Iran's capital, Tehran, while rough waters capsized a ship in the Gulf and left its…

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Saudi Arabia announces four oil and gas discoveries

Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry on Sunday announced the discovery of four new oil and gas fields, state news agency SPA reported. State oil producer Aramco discovered oil in the Al-Ajramiyah…

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Dubai ruler approves $15.5 billion budget for 2021

Dubai, the business and financial hub of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has approved a 57.1 billion dirham ($15.55 billion) budget for 2021, its ruler said on Sunday. The statement…

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Iran says U.S. approved its funds transfer to buy COVID vaccines

DUBAI, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Iran has won U.S. approval to transfer funds for coronavirus vaccines from overseas, the central bank chief said on Thursday, as its daily death toll…

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Dubai economy to grow 4% in 2021, rebounding from this year’s contraction

Dubai, the financial and business hub of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is forecast to grow by 4% in 2021, recovering for a projected 6.2% contraction this year, the government…

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Plea to save conjoined twins ‘in critical condition’ in war torn Yemen

BBC - Doctors in the Yemeni capital Sanaa have called for urgent help to save the lives of conjoined twins who were born on Wednesday. The head of the al-Sabeen…

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Oman to close borders on Tuesday for one week

Oman will close its land, air and sea borders on Tuesday at 1 a.m. for one week, state television reported on Monday. The decision follows measures imposed by various countries…

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Rockets fired at U.S. embassy in Baghdad

At least eight Katyusha rockets landed in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in an attack targeting the U.S. Embassy, causing some minor damage on the compound on Sunday, the Iraqi…

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Magnitude 4.5 quake shakes northwest Iran near Turkish border – IRNA

(Reuters) - A magnitude-4.5 earthquake shook Iran’s northwest near the Turkish border on Sunday, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported, saying there were no immediate reports of casualties. The…

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Italy authorises Abu Dhabi fund to invest in TIM’s grid – sources

The Italian government has given Abu Dhabi's biggest sovereign fund a conditional green light to invest in Telecom Italia's (TIM) last-mile network, three sources close to the matter told Reuters…

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UPDATE – Oil tanker attack in Saudi Arabia considered as a ‘terrorism’ act

Saudi Arabia said on Monday that a fuel transport ship anchored at a Jeddah terminal was hit by an explosive-laden boat in what it called a terrorist attack, after shipping…

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UAE’s non-oil economy to grow 3.6% in 2021

United Arab Emirates' (UAE) non-oil gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow by 3.6% in 2021, state news agency WAM reported on Saturday citing central bank estimates, suggesting the…

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UAE, Israel export credit agencies sign agreement to boost trade

The export credit agencies of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel have signed a cooperation agreement to develop economic relations between the two countries, the UAE's state news agency…

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Explosion near Baghdad airport, cause unclear, no casualties – sources

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An explosion took place near Baghdad international airport on Saturday in an area housing Iraqi military compounds, but caused no damage or casualties, security sources said. The…

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Iran executes dissident journalist Ruhollah Zam – state media

(Reuters) -Iranian dissident journalist Ruhollah Zam, who was convicted of fomenting violence during the 2017 anti-government protests, was executed on Saturday, Iran's state television reported. Iran's Supreme Court on Tuesday…

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Some of those involved in killing of Iranian nuclear scientist arrested, official says

DUBAI (Reuters) - Some of those involved in the assassination of Iran's top nuclear scientist last month have been arrested, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, an adviser to the Iranian parliament speaker, said…

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