Gulf

Egypt’s Sisi visits Saudi Arabia amid financial pressure, regional realignment

RIYADH (Reuters) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Saudi state news agency SPA said, as Cairo seeks financial inflows to ease pressure on its currency…

Read More Here

Saudi Arabia to invite Syria’s Assad to Arab leaders summit

RIYADH/BEIRUT, April 2 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is planning to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to an Arab League summit that Riyadh is hosting in May, three sources familiar with…

Read More Here

Women in Iran to be prosecuted ‘without mercy’ for not wearing veils

April 1 (Reuters) - President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday that the hijab was the law in Iran after a viral video showed a man throwing yoghurt at two unveiled…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Russia’s MTS Bank guarantees UAE clients’ funds after licence withdrawn

MOSCOW, March 31 (Reuters) - Russia's MTS Bank on Friday guaranteed the safety of existing customers' funds in the United Arab Emirates for six months and said it would continue…

Read More Here

UAE president names son Abu Dhabi crown prince, brothers to top roles

Abu Dhabi succession moves to next generation in Gulf-wide trend Analysts see further consolidation of power in Abu Dhabi UAE has emerged as a key regional player By Yousef Saba…

Read More Here

Saudi, Iranian foreign ministers to meet during Muslim holy month

March 27 (Reuters) - Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, have agreed to meet during the ongoing Muslim holy month of…

Read More Here

After Iran, Saudi Arabia to re-establish ties with Syria

Saudi Arabia, Syria cut ties more than a decade ago Agreement on reopening embassies follows Saudi-Iran deal BEIRUT/RIYADH, (Reuters) - Syria and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reopen their embassies…

Read More Here

EU imposes further sanctions on Iran for human rights violations

The European Union on Monday imposed a new package of sanctions against Iran, its sixth, in response to human rights violations, adding eight individuals and one entity to its list.…

Read More Here

20th anniversary of the Iraq War: quotes from the conflict and its aftermath

At dawn on 20 March 2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom began with 295,000 US and allied troops invading Iraq across its border with Kuwait. 70,000 members of the Kurdish Peshmerga militia…

Read More Here

Iran proposes locations to Saudi Arabia for FM meeting

DUBAI, March 19 (Reuters) - The Iranian government has proposed to Saudi Arabia three locations for a meeting at foreign minister level, Iran's foreign minister said on Sunday, citing the…

Read More Here

Syria’s Assad arrives in United Arab Emirates in official visit

DUBAI, March 19 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al Assad arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday for an official visit, accompanied by his wife Asma al Assad,…

Read More Here

Kuwait court voids 2022 legislative polls, reinstates disbanded parliament

KUWAIT, March 19 (Reuters) - Kuwait's Constitutional Court on Sunday voided results of legislative elections held in the Gulf Arab state last September and ruled that the previous disbanded parliament…

Read More Here

U.S. grapples with forces unleashed by Iraq invasion 20 years later

Invasion led to diminished US influence in Mideast Toppling of Saddam emboldened Iran, unnerved Gulf Arabs Limit on US troop numbers enabled communal strife Islamic State filled vacuum left by…

Read More Here

Saudi investment in Iran could happen ‘very quickly’ after agreement – minister

By Rachna Uppal RIYADH, March 15 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's finance minister, Mohammed al-Jadaan, said on Wednesday that Saudi investments into Iran could happen "very quickly" following an agreement. "There…

Read More Here

Pardons issued in Iran for 22,000 people arrested in demonstrations after Mahsa Amini’s death

Some 22,000 people arrested in the recent Iran protests that swept the Islamic Republic have been pardoned, according to the country's head of judiciary. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi was quoted as…

Read More Here

EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Tochal mountain, Iran

An aerial view of the Tochal mountain near Tehran, Iran. Photo: EPA-EFE/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Read More Here

Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to resume ties, re-open embassies

March 10 (Reuters) - Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations after talks in Beijing between officials from the two rival Middle East powers, Iranian state media…

Read More Here

Qatar Airways to boost flights by 21% as demand rebounds

Qatar Airways announced plans for sharp growth on Tuesday, as the travel industry recovers from the pandemic. Announcing objectives at the ITB tourism fair in Berlin, the Gulf carrier said…

Read More Here

Pentagon chief makes unannounced trip to Iraq as 20-year anniversary of invasion nears

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made an unannounced trip to Iraq on Tuesday in a visit an official said was aimed at showing that Washington was committed to keeping its…

Read More Here

Saudi Arabia deposits $5 bln in Turkey’s central bank

DUBAI, March 6 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement with Turkey to deposit $5 billion in the country's central bank through the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), the…

Read More Here

Khamenei says poisoning of schoolgirls in Iran is an “unforgivable crime”

DUBAI, March 6 (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader said on Monday that poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls in recent months is an "unforgivable" crime amid spread of suspected poisoning across the…

Read More Here

Kuwait re-appoints Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah as PM

KUWAIT, March 5 (Reuters) - Kuwait's crown prince re-appointed Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah as prime minister and asked him to nominate a cabinet, state news agency KUNA reported on Sunday,…

Read More Here

Protests break out in Iran over schoolgirl illnesses

(Reuters) - Worried parents protested in Iran's capital Tehran and other cities on Saturday over a wave of suspected poison attacks that have affected schoolgirls in dozens of schools, according…

Read More Here

UN nuclear watchdog chief cites ‘great expectation’ in talks with Iran

March 4 (Reuters) - The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday talks were ongoing with Iran on two sets of important matters, including the science sector, and there…

Read More Here

Iran releases Spanish woman after three months in jail over protests

A Spanish woman imprisoned in Iran since November on espionage charges after she was arrested during anti-government protests in November has been released, the Spanish Foreign Minister said on Sunday. An activist who works for a…

Read More Here

Iran says it has developed long-range cruise missile

DUBAI, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Iran has developed a cruise missile with a range of 1,650 km (1,025 miles) a top Revolutionary Guards commander said, in a move likely to…

Read More Here

FATF watchdog: Qatar should make improvements in fight against financial crime

DOHA, Feb 25 (Reuters) - A global financial crime watchdog on Friday said Qatar's technical compliance with its standards was very strong but the Gulf state needed to make improvements…

Read More Here

Vatican establishes diplomatic ties with Oman, widening outreach to Islam

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican and Oman established diplomatic ties, marking a further widening of the Holy See's official relations with the Arab Muslim World. In a joint statement,…

Read More Here

Oman opens airspace, joining Saudi in Israeli airline corridor

DUBAI, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Oman's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Thursday said the Gulf Arab state's airspace will be open for all civilian carriers, a move that would enable…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Libyan warlord Haftar visits Abu Dhabi defence fair

Commander of the Libyan National Army, Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar (C), tours the 16th edition of International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) and the 7th edition of the Naval…

Read More Here

IAEA finds uranium enriched to 84% in Iran, near bomb-grade -diplomats

Agency in discussions with Iran on recent findings, it says Diplomats say it found uranium enriched to highest level yet Unclear whether new level was a blip or on purpose…

Read More Here

Arab states need new approach towards Syria, says Saudi foreign minister

DUBAI, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said consensus was building in the Arab world that isolating Syria was not working and that dialogue with Damascus was needed…

Read More Here

Overnight protests rock Tehran, other Iranian cities

Feb 17 (Reuters) - Protests rocked Iran again overnight after a seeming slowdown in recent weeks, with marchers calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, online video posts purportedly…

Read More Here

China set to seal mega Qatari LNG deal

China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) is close to finalising a deal to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from QatarEnergy over nearly 30 years from the Middle Eastern exporter's massive North…

Read More Here

Opposition groups rally in France, in solidarity with protesters in Iran

Thousands of opponents of Iran's ruling authorities rallied for a second day in Paris on Sunday (February 12) to pressure European Union states to list Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a…

Read More Here

Online hackers interrupt state TV coverage as Iran marks 44th anniversary of revolution as

Feb 11 (Reuters) - The Islamic Republic marked the 44th anniversary of the Iranian revolution on Saturday with state-organised rallies, as anti-government hackers briefly interrupted a televised speech by President…

Read More Here

Iran reveals an underground air force base

(Reuters) - Iran revealed an underground air force base, called "Eagle 44" and the first of its kind large enough to house fighter jets, the official IRNA news agency said.…

Read More Here

Saudi minister warns sanctions, underinvestment may cause energy shortages

DUBAI, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman warned on Saturday that sanctions and underinvestment in the energy sector could result in a shortage of energy…

Read More Here

Veterinarian helps pets survive in war-torn Yemen

Yemeni Adeeb Saleh poses with his cat inside the 'Vet for Pet' clinic in Sanaa. In the nearly eight years war-torn Yemen where millions of people are in the brink…

Read More Here

Iran’s Supreme leader pardons large number of security-related prisoners linked to protests

(Reuters) - Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pardoned "tens of thousands" of prisoners, including many arrested in recent anti-government protests over security-related charges, state media reported on Sunday. "Prisoners…

Read More Here

Iran, Russia link banking systems amid Western sanctions

ran and Russia have connected their interbank communication and transfer systems to help boost trade and financial transactions, a senior Iranian official said on Monday, as both Tehran and Moscow are chafing under Western…

Read More Here

People die as strong quake hits northwest Iran

DUBAI, Jan 28 (Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 struck northwest Iran near the border with Turkey on Saturday, killing at least three people and injuring more than 300,…

Read More Here

Azerbaijan strongly protests to Iran after fatal embassy shooting

A gunman shot dead a security guard and wounded two other people at Azerbaijan's embassy in Iran on Friday, in an attack Baku branded an "act of terrorism" that it…

Read More Here

Qatar should not be dragged into EU corruption scandal, minister tells CNBC

(Reuters) - Qatar's foreign minister said his country should not be dragged into a cash-for-influence corruption scandal at the European Parliament with investigations still ongoing, rejecting allegations of Doha's involvement…

Read More Here

Iran warns EU against listing Revolutionary Guards as terrorist entity

DUBAI, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Iran warned on Thursday that the European Union would "shoot itself in the foot" by listing the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist entity, Foreign Minister…

Read More Here

Magnitude 5.6 earthquake strikes northwestern Iran -EMSC

DUBAI, Jan 18 (Reuters) - A 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit northwestern Iran on Wednesday, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). The quake's epicentre was close to the town of…

Read More Here

French President Macron: Iran’s latest execution is heinous and barbaric act

PARIS, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The execution of British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari is a heinous and barbaric act, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday. Macron said he stood in solidarity with Britain which…

Read More Here

UAE’s Jaber says COP28 should be practical, leave no one behind

By Rachna Uppal and Yousef Saba ABU DHABI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates wants the COP28 climate conference it is hosting this year to be practical and…

Read More Here

Qatar, UAE energy ministers say gas will be needed for long time

By Yousef Saba and Rachna Uppal ABU DHABI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The world will need natural gas for a long time and more investment is required to ensure supply…

Read More Here

Factbox: Alireza Akbari: the British-Iranian executed by Tehran

Jan 14 (Reuters) - Iran has executed British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari, the judiciary's Mizan news agency reported on Saturday, after sentencing the former Iranian deputy defence minister to death on…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Iran executes British-Iranian national, UK condemns ‘barbaric’ act

Alireza Akbari was a former Iranian deputy defence minister Arrested in 2019, he was accused of spying for Britain UK's Sunak calls it 'a callous and cowardly act' Britain had…

Read More Here

Man United, Tottenham, Liverpool takeover targets for Qatar fund – Bloomberg News

English Premier League clubs Manchester United Plc, Tottenham Hotspur, or Liverpool FC are being targeted by Qatar Sports Investments over a potential acquisition, Bloomberg News reported on Monday.Nasser Al-Khelaifi, chairman…

Read More Here

Germany says it wants to increase pressure on Iran after latest executions

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday condemned Iran for using the death penalty against demonstrators, and his spokesperson said Berlin wanted to crank up pressure on the Iranian authorities with…

Read More Here

Iran hangs two men accused of killing security agent during protests

(Reuters) -Iran hanged two men on Saturday for allegedly killing a member of the security forces during nationwide protests that followed the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini on Sept.…

Read More Here

Qatar to require all travelers from China to have a COVID test

(Reuters) - Qatar will from Tuesday require travellers arriving from China to provide a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 48 hours of departure, Qatar's state news agency QNA said…

Read More Here

Dubai scraps 30% alcohol tax

DUBAI, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Dubai has suspended a tax of 30% on alcohol and dropped a licence fee previously needed to buy alcohol in the commercial and tourism hub,…

Read More Here

Iran’s clerical leaders to grapple with deepening dissent in 2023

By Parisa Hafezi (Reuters) - Nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini have ushered Iran into a new era of deepening crisis between…

Read More Here