Gulf

Statement by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK and the US about the situation in Yemen and the region

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States of America have expressed their concern over escalating tensions in the region. Statement…

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Iran warned not to misjudge U.S. ‘prudence’

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton warned that Iran should not "mistake U.S. prudence and discretion for weakness.”. He was referring to President Donald Trump's decision the other week…

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Trump open to talks with Iran but warns it would face “obliteration” if conflict broke out

President Trump has said he doesn't want war but warned Iran it would face "obliteration" if conflict broke out. Speaking to NBC on Friday evening, Trump said the…

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U.S. regulator bars U.S. airlines from flying over Iranian airspace

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency order prohibiting U.S. operators from flying in an overwater area of Tehran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf…

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UPDATED: Videos released of American drone being hit in the Gulf, strike on Iran averted at last moments

Iran and the US have both released videos purporting to show an American drone being shot down and which is threatening to escalate the tension even more. In…

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Moller-Maersk alters its route through the Strait of Hormuz

The world’s largest shipping firm, A.P. Moller-Maersk, has changed the route of its ships that were sailing through the world’s busiest transit lane, the Strait of Hormuz. This applies for…

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U.S. Navy link mine fragments to Iran

The United States Navy on Wednesday displayed mine fragments it said it had removed from one of two oil tankers attacked in the Gulf of Oman last week. The American…

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The UN states there is credible evidence’ Saudi crown prince liable for Khashoggi killing

A forensic UN report published today states that Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia should be investigated over the murder of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi because…

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ExxonMobil and other oil firms targeted in rocket attack in Iraq

A rocket landed at a residential and operations headquarters of several global major oil companies, including U.S. giant ExxonMobil, near Iraq's southern city of Basra early on Wednesday, wounding…

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Iran to breach enriched uranium limit on 27 June

Iran has said it will breach on 27 June the limit on its stockpile of enriched uranium that was capped under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The…

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Tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman arrive in the UAE

The two tankers that were the target of a mysterious attack blamed on Iran, on Sunday arrived safely at locations off the Emirati coast. The vessels were rocked by explosions…

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New attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport

Houthi rebels in Yemen on Monday launched a new attack targeting the Abha airport in southern Saudi Arabia. The news was given by the rebel's Al Masirah TV. There was…

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Saudi Crown Prince calls for decisive international position against Iran

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, said that Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region, but stressed that it “will…

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Royal Navy planning to deploy marines to Gulf

The Telegraph reports that the Royal Navy is drawing up plans to deploy marines to the Persian Gulf to protect British ships after a series of alleged Iranian attacks…

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Saudi Arabia wants maritime protection for tanker traffic in the Gulf

Reuters reports that Saudi Arabia called for swift action to secure Gulf energy supplies, after the United States blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in a vital…

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Warning that tanker attacks risk sparking conflict

After the latest incident on Thursday that left two tankers in flames in waters near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst with International Crisis Group, warned the…

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Video that US says shows Iran removing mine from tankers in Gulf of Oman

The U.S. military has released a video it says implicates Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, the latest…

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Saudi intercepts five drones in new airport attack

Saudi forces on Friday intercepted five drones launched by Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels in the second assault on an airport in the kingdom. The drones targeted Abha airport, where a rebel…

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Iran calls US accusation it is behind attacks on two oil tankers ‘unfounded’

Iran says it "categorically rejects" US claims that it is behind attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had earlier…

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UPDATED: Two tankers struck in suspected attacks in Gulf of Oman

UPDATED: Two tankers were hit in suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman and the crew have been evacuated, shipping sources said on Thursday, a month after a similar incident…

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26 injured in cruise missile attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport

Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels carried out an attack on Saudi Arabia's Abha airport on Wednesday using what has been described as a cruise missile and injured 26 people. Houthi-backed…

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Photo Story: The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group in the Arabian Sea

Handout photos made available by the US Navy shows the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress, assigned to the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron…

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UAE claims ‘State actor’ behind tanker attacks

The United Arab Emirates has told the UN Security Council that a "state actor" was most likely behind attacks on four tankers off its coast. The report states that May…

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Muslim world prepares for the end of Ramadan

The Saudi Supreme Court has called on all Muslims throughout Saudi Arabia to sight the crescent of the month of Shawwal on Monday evening. This will signal the end…

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Following opposition social media could result in legal action in Bahrain

Bahrain has warned citizens and residents that following anti-government social media accounts could result in legal action. The interior ministry sent text messages to Bahraini phones late last week warning…

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US ready to talk with Iran ‘with no preconditions’

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Washington was willing to hold talks with Iran to lower tensions in the Persian Gulf "with no preconditions." "We are prepared to…

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John Bolton warns Iran of 'very strong response'

John Bolton, President Donald Trump's national security adviser, warned Iran on that any attacks in the Persian Gulf will draw a "very strong response" from the U.S. Bolton's comments came…

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US to send 1,500 extra troops to Middle East

The US is to send 1,500 troops to the Middle East to counter the "ongoing threat posed by Iranian forces", the acting defence secretary says. Congress has been notified about…

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Pentagon doesn’t exclude sending troops to the Middle East

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan confirmed that the Pentagon was considering sending additional U.S. troops to the Middle East. The troops will serve as one of the ways…

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Germany to mediate in Iranian crisis

Germany is going to attempt to mediate in the current crisis between the United States and Iran. According to report in German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), the policy director…

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UAE to guarantee maritime freedom in the region

While hosting Jordan's King Abdullah, on an official visit to Emirates, Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince said the United Arab Emirates is working with Arab countries to guarantee maritime freedom in…

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Drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s Najran airport

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement launched a drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s Najran airport, the group’s Almasirah TV said early on Wednesday. It said it targeted hangars containing war planes.…

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Trump warns Iran: It will be your end

After that in the past few days President Donald Trump tried to reach out to Iran to deescalate the ever rising tension, he now issued a very stern warning. In…

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Fears of a miscalculation in ongoing Iran-US tension

Amid the ongoing tension in the Middle East, with both the US and Iran strengthening their military presence Eurasia Group’s Henry Rome, the risk of miscalculation by Washington and…

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Gulf nations approve US request to deploy troops

The United States is planning to deploy military forces in the waters of the Arabian Gulf and in a number of Gulf Cooperation Council countries, according to media reports in…

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US warns airliners of flying risks in Gulf

As the tension in the Gulf shows no signs of abating, U.S. diplomats warned that commercial airliners flying over the wider Arabian Gulf faced a risk of being “misidentified” amid…

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Filipinos and Korean released in Libya after months of captivity

Authorities in Seoul and Abu Dhabi announced that one South Korean and three Filipinos have been released following months of captivity in Libya. The United Arab Emirates foreign ministry…

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USS Abraham Lincoln ready for every eventuality

Fox News is reporting that the USS Abraham Lincoln is now on station in the northern Arabian Sea amid rising tension with Iran. The USS Abraham Lincoln is accompanied…

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Britain raises threat level in Iraq

Sky News is reporting that Britain has raised the threat level for UK forces and diplomats in Iraq because of what sources say is a heightened security risk from Iran.…

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Saudi Arabia approves permanent residency for expatriates

For the first time Saudi Arabia has introduced a scheme where certain expatriates can obtain permanent residency, allowing them to own real estate and reside with their families without…

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Germany and the Netherlands suspend military training in Iraq

Germany and the Netherlands are suspending military training operations in Iraq due to increasing regional tensions and an unspecified threat. The Germany Defence Ministry said it has no indications of its…

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Houthi rebels in Yemen take responsibility for drone attack in Saudi

Houthi rebels in Yemen have taken responsibility for the drone attacks that shut down one of Saudi Arabia's major oil pipelines further ratcheting up Gulf tensions after the mysterious sabotage…

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Washington orders non-emergency government employees to leave Iraq

The U.S. State Department on Wednesday ordered the departure of “non-emergency government employees” from Iraq, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad said in a statement. Referring to the embassy and the…

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Saudi oil facilities attacked by drones

Saudi Arabia said armed drones struck two of its oil pumping stations on Tuesday, two days after the sabotage of oil tankers near the United Arab Emirates. Tuesday's attacks on…

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Trump insists he doesn’t want war with Iran

President Donald Trump insisted that the United States is not preparing for war with Iran despite recent escalating tensions. Whilst emphasising that a report that the White House is considering…

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Emergency talks in Brussels about Iranian situation

Foreign ministers from France, Germany and the UK were to meet the EU in Brussels later on Monday to discuss Iran’s recent threat to breach commitments of the 2015 nuclear…

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Israel doesn’t exclude possibility of Iranian attack

An Israeli cabinet minister warned on Sunday of possible direct or proxy Iranian attacks on Israel should the stand-off between Tehran and Washington escalate. The United States has increased economic…

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UPDATED: Four commercial vessels sabotaged in UAE… reports of explosions at Fujairah port denied

Four commercial vessels have been targeted by "sabotage operations" near territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE foreign ministry said the sabotage attempt occurred in the Gulf of…

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Iranian commander says US military in Gulf a target

A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander said the U.S. military presence in the Gulf used to be a serious threat but now represented a target, the Iranian Students' News Agency…

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U.S. warns merchant ships of possible Iranian attacks

Iran could target U.S. commercial ships including oil tankers, the U.S. Maritime Administration said on Friday, as a senior Iranian cleric said a U.S. Navy fleet could be “destroyed with…

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US increases military presence in the Middle East as Iran tensions escalate

The US is sending a Patriot air defence missile system and a warship to the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran. The USS Arlington, which transports amphibious vehicles and…

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EU rejects ‘ultimatums’ from Iran over nuclear deal

The EU has rejected any "ultimatums" from Iran, according to a joint statement released by the EU, France, Germany, and the UK. Iran said Wednesday that it planned to cease…

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B-52 bombers being deployed to Middle East amid rising tension with Iran

The U.S. military announced that B-52 bombers will be part of additional forces being sent to the Middle East to counter what the Trump administration says are "clear indications" of…

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As tension mounts between Washington and Tehran… Iran says it will stop complying with parts of nuclear deal

Iran’s president declared on Wednesday that the country would stop complying with two of its commitments under the Iranian nuclear deal, pushing the growing confrontation between Washington and Tehran into…

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The US to send “unmistakable message” to Iran

John Bolton, President Donald Trump's national security adviser, announced the United States is sending a carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Middle East to send a…

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‘Extremist militias’ control Libyan capital – UAE

"Extremist militias" controlling the Libyan capital, Tripoli, were "derailing" the search for a political solution to the country's crisis, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said…

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Emirates sees pace of growth slowing

Emirates President Tim Clark said on Monday the airline’s last financial year has not been easy and that the company is not growing at its previous pace due to political…

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