Iran

Hezbollah says will respond with a surprise strike against Israel, but will avoid new war

Hezbollah will respond with a "surprise" strike against Israel after drones crashed in Lebanon, but a new war remains unlikely, the Iran-backed movement said, amid heightened fears of a full-scale…

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US – Iran summit possible within few weeks – Macron

Emmanuel Macron has said that a French diplomatic initiative could lead to a summit between the US and Iranian presidents “within a few weeks”. Macron made the announcement at a…

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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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Iranian foreign Minister in surprise visit to G7 meeting

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived Sunday in the French city of Biarritz, where a G7 summit of world leaders is taking place, for talks with his French counterpart…

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Intense Israeli air strike in Syria

Israel's military has said it thwarted an "imminent" Iranian attack involving killer drones after its fighter jets had attacked targets in Syria. The announcement came unusually quickly after the attack.…

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Iranian tanker Adrian Darya switches destination to Turkey, data shows

The Iranian tanker at the centre of a confrontation between the US and Iran has switched destination. According to date from the ship tracking website Marine Traffic, the ship is…

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G7 summit begins in shadow of trade friction, climate change, Iran and Brexit

The G7 summit has begun in the shadow of friction over trade, climate change and Iran likely which are likely to dominate the talks, not to mention protests planned around…

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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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Urgent need for ‘restraint and genuine dialogue’ in Middle East to avoid major confrontation

Briefing the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, the Chef de Cabinet of the Secretary-General, Maria Luiza Viotti, said that “restraint and genuine dialogue are urgently needed”,…

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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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New tensions between Russia, Iran and Turkey over Syria

Turkey has defied warnings from Russia, Iran and their local allies in Syria by seeking a deal with the United States and continuing to support insurgents as they clashed with…

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Analysis – The Iranian Flagged Tanker’s saga geopolitical implications on post Brexit Britain

The Iran-flagged Adrian Darya 1, previously named Grace 1, set course for Kalamata, Greece, with an estimated arrival on Aug. 25, according to ship tracking service MarineTraffic. It wasn't immediately…

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Ukraine high on agenda as Macron meets Putin

French President Emmanuel Macron will host his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a rare meeting on Monday before the start of the G7 summit in Biarritz. Macron is hoping to…

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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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Iran unveils upgraded missile defence system

Iran unveiled on Saturday what authorities said was a locally upgraded missile defence system with a range of 400 km (250 miles) and able to defend against cruise and ballistic…

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Iran warns Israel against aiding US mission in Strait of Hormuz

Iran has warned Israel against aiding a United States-led maritime mission in the Gulf, saying it reserved the right to confront such a "clear threat". The comments on Friday by…

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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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Developing Story: Iran seizes another foreign oil tanker ‘for smuggling fuel to Arab states’ – reports

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) seized a foreign oil tanker they say was smuggling fuel to some Arab states, Iranian news outlets reported on Sunday. A commander with Iran’s Islamic…

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UN chief warns “these extreme weather events are just the tip of the iceberg. And that iceberg is also rapidly melting.”

Global warming and rising political tensions are dangerous and avoidable, Secretary-General António Guterres told reporters on Thursday, previewing the UN’s upcoming Climate Action Summit, and spotlighting geopolitical hotspots. Briefing the press…

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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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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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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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Reports of an Israeli attack in southern Syria

Syrian state television said on Wednesday that Israel struck a strategic area in southern Syria overlooking the Golan Heights where Western intelligence sources previously said Iranian-backed militias are known to…

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Iran releases video of Stena Impero crew

Iran has released a video of what it said was the crew of the UK-flagged tanker Stena Impero. While the vessel was sailing under a UK flag, Stena Bulk is headquartered…

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New sanctions imposed against Chinese company for transporting Iranian oil

The U.S. is imposing new sanctions against a Chinese company for transporting Iranian crude, a move that widens the U.S. campaign of pressure on the Islamic republic amid weeks of…

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Hunt announces joint European mission on the Strait of Hormuz

Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, announced a joint European maritime mission on the Strait of Hormuz in the aftermath of a British tanker seizure in the Gulf. In a statement to…

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Strait of Hormuz incident: UK Foreign Secretary calls with French and German foreign ministers

The Foreign Secretary called both the French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, and the German foreign minister Heiko Maas to discuss the illegal detention of a British-flagged ship by Iranian…

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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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Oil gains as Gulf tanker seizure raises tensions

Oil prices rose on Monday amid high tensions in the Middle East after a British tanker was seized by the Iranian military at the end of last week. Brent crude…

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Crew of Stena Impero, reportedly safe (UPDATED)

UPDATE: Iran's seizure of a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz "constitutes illegal interference", the UK has said in a letter to the United Nations Security Council. EARLIER: The crew of…

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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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One British tanker released by Iran

One of the two British tankers seized by Iranian forces on Friday has been released and allowed to continue its journey. On the the incidents, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt…

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British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt confirms two vessels have been seized by Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz – Updated

Update: British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says two vessels have been seized by Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz. Hunt said Friday he will shortly attend an emergency government…

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