Gulf

Trump says US ‘locked and loaded’ after attack on Saudi oil

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said the United States was “locked and loaded” following a drone attack on a major Saudi Arabian oil facility, which the Trump administration is…

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Oil prices soar after attacks on Saudi facilities

Oil prices hit their highest in four months after two attacks on Saudi Arabian facilities in the weekend knocked out more than 5% of global supply. At the start of…

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Mystery about the death of six UAE soldiers

Six Emirati troops have been killed in a “collision,” the United Arab Emirates announced, without elaborating or offering a location or time for the incident. The Associated Press is indicating…

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UPDATED: Major Saudi Aramco facility attacked

Drone attacks targeted a major Saudi Aramco processing facility in Buqyaq and oilfield in Khurais in eastern Saudi Arabia Saturday, the Interior Ministry said, sparking a huge fire at one of…

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US-Saudi nuclear power talks likely Monday

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said he will meet the new Saudi energy minister on Monday and likely discuss plans the kingdom has to build nuclear reactors. Perry did not…

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Kuwait’s emir leaves U.S. hospital

Kuwait’s 90-year-old ruler has left a hospital in the United States after successfully completing medical tests, state news agency KUNA reported on Friday. Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, who has…

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Two British-Australian women detained in Iran

Two British-Australian women have been arrested and detained in Iran. One of the women is a blogger who had been travelling through Asia with her Australian boyfriend and the second…

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Kuwait’s ruler urgently admitted to U.S. hospital

Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, Kuwait’s 90-year-old ruler has been admitted to hospital in the United States for medical tests and postponed a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump planned…

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US warns anyone fuelling Iran tanker risks being blacklisted

The U.S. Treasury Department warned that anyone around the world who helps fuel Iranian vessels blacklisted by Washington runs the risk of being designated as well. The Treasury Department blacklisted…

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Iran takes a further step away from nuclear deal

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced that the country would soon begin researching and developing improved centrifuges to speed up the process of enriching uranium. "I, as of now, announce the…

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Iran to free crew of seized British tanker

Iran says it will free on humanitarian grounds seven of the 23 crew members of a British-flagged oil tanker, Stena Impero, that it seized in the Strait of Hormuz in…

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Iranian tanker no longer heading for Turkey, claims it has been sold

An Iranian tanker at the centre of a confrontation between Washington and Tehran is no longer recorded as heading for Turkey, Refinitiv Eikon shipping data showed on Monday, having switched…

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Trump says he does not want regime change in Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he wanted to see a strong Iran and was not seeking a change of leadership in Tehran, adding that the standard of living…

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Photo story: Iran unveils new air missile defense system

A handout picture made available by Iran's Presidential Office shows Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (2-L) delivering a speech next to Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami (2-R) during the inauguration ceremony…

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UK and Iraq agree future defence relationship

The UK has cemented its commitment to continued military support to Iraq, after an agreement was signed in London today. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace met with his Iraqi counterpart, His…

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Lack of funds forces UN to close life-saving aid programmes in Yemen

The United Nations announced that it is being forced to close down several humanitarian programmes in Yemen because money pledged by Member States to pay for them has “failed to materialize”. “We are desperate for the funds that were promised,” said Lise Grande, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen. “When…

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US military drone shot down over Yemen

A U.S. military MQ-9 drone was shot down in Yemen, U.S. officials have confirmed. The drone was shot down late on Tuesday in Yemen’s Dhamar governate, southeast of the Houthi-controlled…

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Marks & Spencer loses Saudi Arabian franchise partnership

Saudi Arabian retailer Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair Co. has pulled out of its franchise partnership with British store group Marks & Spencer and has ended similar agreements with a number of…

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US warns Greece not to assist Iranian tanker

The US has warned that any assistance given to the Iranian-flagged oil tanker recently released by Gibraltar would be considered as support for terrorism. The tanker is thought to be…

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UN renews call to Yemen’s warring parties to down weapons

The UN’s top aid coordinator in Yemen has renewed her appeal for an end to the conflict. In a statement, Lise Grande insisted that every aid worker in Yemen understands…

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Kuwait insists emir in good health after reports that he was unwell

Kuwaiti state media reported Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah had "recovered", shortly after Iran's foreign minister indicated that the 90-year-old was unwell. The emir "has recovered from a setback and…

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Iranian tanker leaves Gibraltar, Iran ready to give it naval escort

An Iranian ship held by Gibraltar since July on suspicion of transporting oil to Syria has left port. The tanker is moving east into the Mediterranean and lists Kalamata in…

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US issues warrant for Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar

The US Justice Department has issued a federal warrant for the seizure of Grace 1, the Iranian oil tanker that was detained in Gibraltar. The US has said the vessel…

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U.S. Threatens Visa Bans For Crew Of Freed Iranian Oil Supertanker

The United States says the crew of an Iranian supertanker whose departure Washington apparently was unable to block from Gibraltar could be subject to a U.S. visa ban. State Department…

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Gibraltar to release Iranian vessel (Updated)

Update: Gibraltar has said it will allow a detained Iranian oil tanker to be released after Tehran gave the territory’s government an assurance that it would not allow its cargo…

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Steps taken to end Saudi ‘guardianship’ system for women, ‘encouraging’ start

Allowing Saudi women to apply for passports and travel without their guardians’ permission is “an encouraging move” towards the “complete abolition of the ‘guardianship’ system,” independent United Nations rights experts…

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U.S. tells commercial vessels to send Gulf transit plans in advance

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), the U.S. maritime agency, has issued an advisory telling U.S.-flagged commercial vessel they must send transit plans in advance to American and British naval authorities…

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1.8 million pilgrims arrive for Hajj Pilgrimage

More than 1.8 million Hajj pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia amid final preparations for the most sacred week in the Islamic calendar. Saudi Passport officials said that this year…

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Saudi Arabia to stage world’s richest horse race in 2020 with $20 million prize

Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al-Faisal, chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, at a launch event in Saratoga, New York, announced that Saudi Arabia will host the world’s richest…

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Photo Story: Eid al-Adha 2019 preparations in Yemen

A Yemeni boy displays toys for sale at a bazaar ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival, in Sana'a, Yemen. Millions of Muslims around the world prepare to celebrate Eid Al-Adha,…

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First day of Hajj confirmed as Aug. 9

The Saudi Supreme Court confirmed Thursday that the crescent moon of Dhu Al-Hijjah had been sighted. Hajj will therefore begin on Friday August 9, pilgrims will spend the day on…

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Saudi Arabia ends restrictions on women traveling alone

Saudi women no longer require a permission from a “male guardian” to travel or obtain a passport, a decree signed by King Salman bin Abdulaziz indicates. According to the document…

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Iran slashes four zeroes from currency

Iran is to remove four zeroes from its national currency, the rial, as the country struggles with soaring inflation. The oil-rich nation's economy has been hit hard by unilateral sanctions…

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U.S. imposes sanctions against Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif

The US Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions against Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, a highly unusual action of penalising the top diplomat of another country. The sanctions…

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Reports that Israel attacked Iranian targets in Iraq

The London-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat citing unnamed western diplomatic sources reported that Israel used F-35 stealth fighter jets on late Sunday night to attack “Iranian advisers” and a shipment of ballistic…

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Dubai’s Princess Haya seeks legal protection in London

Princess Haya bint Al-Hussein, the estranged wife of Dubai's ruler, has requested a forced marriage protection order in a London court. The princess is locked in a legal row with…

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Britain rejects idea of tanker swap with Iran

Britain on Monday rejected the idea that it could release a Iranian tanker in exchange for a British-flagged vessel seized by the Islamic Republic in the Gulf. Tensions have spiked…

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HMS Duncan arrives in the Gulf

British Royal Navy vessel HMS Duncan has arrived in the Gulf, where she will support the safe passage of British-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz along with HMS Montrose.…

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Oman tries to negotiate solution in Iranian tanker crisis

A top Omani diplomat was in Iran on Saturday for bilateral talks after weeks of volatility over the Strait of Hormuz, the passageway for a fifth of all globally traded…

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Photo Story: Daily life in Sana’a

A Yemeni stand in front of a destroyed building allegedly hit by a previous Saudi-led airstrike, in Sana'a, Yemen, 25 July 2019. According to reports, US President Donald Trump has…

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Growing risk of locust swarms in Yemen and Horn of Africa

Yemen and several countries in the Horn of Africa region, are facing an increased risk of desert locust swarms, threatening agricultural production during the next three months, the UN Food and…

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UK warship escorting British ships through Strait of Hormuz

Sky News reports that the Royal Navy has been tasked with accompanying British-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz to protect them from Iranian attack. HMS Montrose, a Type 23…

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Photo Story: Swarms of desert locusts invade Yemen

A Yemeni girl attempts to hit desert locusts flying over a neighbourhood in Sana'a, Yemen. Swarms of desert locusts are spreading throughout several Yemen cities, including Sana'a. Traditionally, many Yemenis…

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Iran says breaks up CIA spy ring

Iran has captured 17 spies working for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and some have been sentenced to death, Iranian media reported on Monday. State television quoted the Intelligence…

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Watch The Moment Iran seized the British Oil Tanker

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have released footage showing a British oil tanker being seized in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. The Stena Impero tanker "was confiscated by the…

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Hunt says Iran may be on ‘dangerous path’ after seizing tanker

British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said on Saturday that he was worried that Iran had taken a “dangerous path” after it seized a British-flagged tanker on Friday in the Strait…

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US to send troops to Saudi Arabia

The Pentagon has said US troops are being deployed to Saudi Arabia to defend American interests from "emergent credible threats". The move comes amid heightened tensions with Iran over the…

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Iran insists it didn’t lose any drones

Iran’s top military spokesman said all the country’s drones had returned safely to base, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, after President Donald Trump said a U.S. Navy ship had…

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Oil prices rise after the U.S. Navy destroyed an Iranian drone

Oil prices rose more than 1% on Friday after the U.S. Navy destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz, a major chokepoint for global crude flows, again raising…

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Iranian forces confirm they have seized a foreign oil tanker

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard forces have seized a foreign oil tanker after accusing it of smuggling oil, Iran’s state TV reported Thursday. The news was announced just days after an…

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Suspicions Iran may have seized UAE-based oil tanker

A small oil tanker that stopped transmitting its location more than two days ago while traveling through a vital waterway near the Persian Gulf didn't emit a distress call, causing U.S. officials to…

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Britain sending third warship to Gulf

The UK is sending another major warship to the Persian Gulf amid ongoing tensions with Iran. Frigate HMS Kent will travel to the region from mid-September to bolster the Royal…

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Qatar says French missile found among arms seized in Italy was sold 25 years ago

Qatar said that a French missile once owned by Qatar’s military and found among a huge arsenal of weapons seized in Italy was sold by Qatar 25 years ago to…

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EU foreign ministers meet to discuss Iran nuclear deal

EU foreign ministers are meeting on Monday to discuss the latest developments concerning the Iran nuclear deal. They will try to flesh out a plan to convince Iran and the…

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Kuwait moves to protect its ports

Kuwait’s navy and ports authority will prepare security plans to protect the key OPEC exporter’s ports, state news agency KUNA reported, amid heightened tensions between Iran and the West. A joint cooperation protocol was…

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Iranian boats ‘harass’ British tanker in the Gulf

Five boats believed to belong to Iranian Revolutionary Guards approached a British oil tanker in the Gulf and asked it to stop in Iranian waters close by, but withdrew…

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Rouhani warns the UK…it will face ‘consequences’

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday Britain would face “consequences” over the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker and said Iran’s increase in uranium enrichment was for peaceful aims.…

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