Gulf

Military confrontation seems inevitable if no new Iran nuclear deal, France says

France's foreign minister warned that if world powers were unable to quickly reach a new agreement with Iran over its contested nuclear programme then a military confrontation seemed "almost inevitable".…

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Iran speaker says US bases will be struck if Trump attacks Iran

Tehran would strike U.S. bases in the region if Washington follows through on its warning of military consequences for Iran in the absence of a new nuclear deal, the speaker…

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Iran says ready for indirect talks with US

Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said on Thursday Tehran has not closed all doors to resolve its disputes with the United States and is ready for indirect…

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Saudi Arabia’s role as Ukraine war mediator advances Gulf nation’s diplomatic rehabilitation

By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Fellow for the Middle East at the Baker Institute, Rice University Saudi Arabia is 2,000 miles from Ukraine and even more politically distant, so at first glance it…

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Yemen’s Huthis claim attacks on carrier group after US strikes

Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed on Monday to have twice attacked an American aircraft carrier group within 24 hours, calling it retaliation for deadly US strikes. The Huthis initially said…

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Yemen’s Houthis to resume attacks on Israeli ships

Yemen’s Houthis his week announced that they would resume attacks on Israeli ships passing through the Red and Arabian seas, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden, ending…

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46.1 million people counted in Iraq’s first census in nearly 40 years

The final results of Iraq’s first census in nearly 40 years released Monday show the population has reached 46.1 million. In 2009, an unofficial count estimated the population at 31.6 million. Iraqi…

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Iran alerts UN to Trump threat of force, says it will defend itself

Iran alerted the United Nations to what it described as "reckless and inflammatory statements" by US President Donald Trump threatening the use of force and warned that "any act of…

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Saudi Arabia, UAE seen as possible venues for Trump-Putin summit

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are seen by Russia as possible venues for a summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, two Russian sources…

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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say Iran purchased Russian-made Sukhoi 35 fighter jets

Iran has purchased Russian-made Sukhoi-35 fighter jets, a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Monday, amid growing concerns in the West over military cooperation between Tehran and…

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Saudi Arabia asks legendary film score composer Hans Zimmer to create new version of national anthem

Saudi Arabia has asked legendary Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer to work on a new version of its national anthem, according to a senior official in the country. The move comes…

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Trump designates Yemen’s Houthis as a ‘foreign terrorist organization’

U.S. President Donald Trump re-designated Yemen's Houthi movement, known formally as Ansar Allah, as a "foreign terrorist organization", the White House said. The move will impose harsher economic penalties than…

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US military conducts precision airstrikes against Houthi targets in Sanaa, Yemen missile lands in Tel Aviv area

The U.S. military on Saturday said it conducted precision airstrikes against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. In a statement,…

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Iran’s Khamenei calls for death sentence for Israeli leaders

The supreme leader of Iran, which backs the Hamas and Hezbollah militants fighting Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, said on Monday that death sentences should be issued for Israeli leaders,…

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UAE arrests three suspects in killing of Israeli rabbi

Three people have been arrested in the United Arab Emirates in connection with the alleged murder of an Israeli citizen, the Emirati interior ministry said. The ministry statement did not…

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Iran’s president says Tehran has to deal with Washington

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will not be able to ignore its arch-foe the United States and needs to "handle its enemies with forbearance", state media reported on Tuesday,…

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Iran plays down importance of US election, voices readiness for confrontation

Iranians' livelihoods will not be affected by the U.S. elections, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani was reported as saying on Wednesday after Donald Trump claimed victory in the presidential vote. Arab…

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Dubai and Abu Dhabi race to lure world’s wealth managers

Abu Dhabi is emerging from Dubai's shadow as it attracts its own share of asset managers' and billionaires wealth, helping cement United Arab Emirates' role as an alternative to global…

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Iran preparing strike on Israel from Iraqi territory within days

Israeli intelligence suggests Iran is preparing to attack Israel from Iraqi territory in the coming days, possibly before the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5, Axios reported, citing two unidentified…

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US warns Iran at UN of ‘severe consequences’ in case of new attacks

The United States warned Iran at the United Nations Security Council of "severe consequences" if it undertakes any further aggressive acts against Israel or U.S. personnel in the Middle East.…

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Israel strikes Iran military targets, Tehran says damage ‘limited’

Israel struck military sites in Iran early on Saturday, saying it was retaliating against Tehran's strikes on Israel this month, the latest attack in the escalating conflict between the heavily…

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U.S. forces target underground Houthi weapons storage sites in Yemen

The United States conducted precision strikes on Wednesday against five underground weapons storage locations in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. "U.S. forces…

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Iran says attack on nuclear sites improbable

The probability of an attack on Iran's nuclear sites remains low but any potential damage would be "quickly compensated", state atomic energy agency spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi said on Wednesday, according…

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Stop Israel from bombing Iran’s oil sites, Gulf states urge US

Gulf states are urging Washington to prevent Israel from attacking Iran's oil sites, fearing that if the conflict escalates, Tehran's proxies could retaliate by targeting their own oil infrastructure, according…

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Israel’s security cabinet expected to decide on Iran response

Israel’s security cabinet is set to vote on Thursday regarding its response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack, according to an Israeli official speaking to CNN. Earlier, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant…

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Iran warns Israel against any attack, threatens stronger retaliation

Iran's foreign minister warned Israel against launching an attack, saying on Tuesday any strike on Iranian infrastructure would be met with a stronger retaliation.Iran attacked Israel last week with a…

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Iran says any Lebanon ceasefire should be simultaneous with Gaza

Tehran backs efforts for a ceasefire in Lebanon on the condition it would be backed by Hezbollah and simultaneous with a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Iran's foreign minister Abbas…

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Khamenei says Iran and its allies will not back down from Israel

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that Iran and its regional proxies will not back down from Israel hours after an Israeli attack on Beirut that is thought…

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Iran’s Khamenei warned Nasrallah of Israeli plot to kill him

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Hezbollah leader Syyed Hassan Nasrallah to flee Lebanon days before he was killed in an Israeli strike and is now deeply worried about…

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Iran launches salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel

Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday in retaliation for Israel's campaign against Tehran's Hezbollah allies in Lebanon. Alarms sounded across Israel and explosions could be…

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Saudi Arabia announces new global coalition to establish Palestinian state

Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat announced the launch of a new initiative to establish a Palestinian state and garner support for the implementation of a two-state solution after decades of international…

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Iran brokering talks to send advanced Russian missiles to Yemen’s Houthis, sources say

Iran has brokered ongoing secret talks between Russia and Yemen's Houthi rebels to transfer anti-ship missiles to the militant group, three Western and regional sources said, a development that highlights…

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US military says Yemen’s Houthis attacked two crude oil tankers in Red Sea

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked two crude oil tankers - the Saudi-flagged Amjad and the Panama-flagged Blue Lagoon I - in the Red Sea on Monday, the U.S. military said,…

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Yemen weapons dealers selling machine-guns on X

Weapons dealers in Yemen are openly using the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to sell Kalashnikovs, pistols, grenades and grenade-launchers. The traders operate in the capital Sana’a…

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Only Gaza ceasefire can delay Iran’s Israel response

Only a ceasefire deal in Gaza stemming from hoped-for talks this week would hold Iran back from direct retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on…

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Iran considers retaliation against Israel over Haniyeh killing a ‘right’, president says

Iran’s president has said Tehran considers retaliation against Israel over the killing of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh a “right” and a way to prevent future aggression in a call…

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US personnel wounded in attack against base in Iraq

At least five U.S. personnel were injured in an attack against a military base in Iraq, U.S. officials told Reuters, as the Middle East braced for a possible new wave…

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Iran says it does not want regional escalation but must ‘punish’ Israel

Iran is not looking to escalate regional tensions but believes it needs to punish Israel to prevent further instability, the foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, following the killing of…

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UAE announces two-month grace period for holders of expired resident visa

The UAE has announced a two-month grace period for expired residency permit holders to exit the country or change their visa status without fines. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship,…

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UPDATED: Death of Hamas military leader Deif in July confirmed, Israel says

The head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza last month, the Israeli military said on Thursday, a day after the group’s political…

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US carries out strike in Iraq as regional tensions worsen

The United States carried out a strike in Iraq in self defence, U.S. officials told Reuters, as regional tensions rose after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut that Israel said killed…

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Iranians vote in run-off presidential race amid widespread apathy

Polls opened in Iran on Friday for a run-off presidential election that will test the clerical rulers' popularity amid voter apathy at a time of regional tensions and a standoff…

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Iran holds presidential vote

Iranians will vote for a new president on Friday following Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash, choosing from a tightly controlled group of four candidates loyal to the supreme…

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More than 1,000 die in haj amid scorching temperatures

More than 1,000 people died during haj this year, according to a Reuters tally, as extreme heat hammered the nearly two million who took part in the annual Muslim pilgrimage…

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Houthis believed to have sunk second ship, the Tutor, in the Red Sea, UKMTO says

Yemen's Houthi militants are believed to have sunk a second ship, the Tutor, in the Red Sea, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said. The Greek-owned Tutor coal carrier…

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Soaring temperatures scorch pilgrims on Haj in Saudi Arabia

Throngs of tightly packed pilgrims struggled through searing heat which has claimed lives during the annual Haj pilgrimage as temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 Fahrenheit) in the shade of…

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Houthi missile strikes set ship ablaze, injure one crew, US military says

Missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi militants struck the Palau-flagged Verbena cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, sparking a fire and severely injuring one of her crew, U.S.…

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Houthi missile strikes on two ships in Gulf of Aden

Yemen's Houthi damaged two commercial vessels in missile attacks in the Gulf of Aden in the last 24 hours as part of the militia group's ongoing campaign against international ocean…

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Yemen’s Houthis say they attacked three ships in Red Sea, Arabian Sea

Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis said they had launched attacks on three ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea - though shipping giant Maersk dismissed the militants' report that the…

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Vessel tilts off of Yemen’s coast after missile attack

A merchant vessel off the Yemeni coast took on water and tilted to one side after being targeted with three missiles, British security firm Ambrey said on Tuesday. The vessel…

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No sign of attack on Iran president’s helicopter before fatal crash, armed forces say

Moving briefly away from Gaza and Israel developments, Iran’s military says the helicopter carrying late President Ebrahim Raisi caught fire soon after it crashed into a mountain and there was…

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Houthis say they targeted the Mediterranean this week, no confirmation available

The leader of Yemen's Houthis, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said that one of their operations this week targeted the Mediterranean Sea. Earlier this month, al-Houthi had said that all ships heading…

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UPDATED: Iran declares five days of mourning

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei announced five days of public mourning for president Ebrahim Raisi after his death in a helicopter crash and confirmed Mohammad Mokhber as interim head of…

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UPDATED: Reactions to the death of Iran’s president in a helicopter crash

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner long seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan…

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Saudi king to be treated for lung inflammation

Saudi King Salman will undergo treatment at Al Salam Palace in Jeddah for a lung inflammation, the state news agency said, hours after he underwent medical tests. Citing the royal…

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Who is Mohammad Mokhber, the man set to become Iran’s interim president?

Here are some key facts about Mohammad Mokhber, 68, Iran's first vice president who, based on the country's constitution, is expected to become interim president following the death of Ebrahim…

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What happens if an Iranian president dies in office?

Rescuers in Iran have found the crash site of a helicopter that was carrying President Ebrahim Raisi with indications that all those on board died. Below is brief outline of…

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