Page 45 - Iran

Was Iran's former deputy defence minister a British spy?

Iran's former high-ranking defence minister and dual Iranian-British national Alireza Akbari was killed despite international warnings not to carry out the death sentence.Watch the video to know more

US, West seek to turn Ukraine conflict into 'war of attrition', says Iran

The Iranian Defence Minister stressed that Iran supports any diplomatic efforts that would result in the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine war

Iran's navy seizes oil tanker with 24 Indian crew members near Oman

Iran's navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker with 24 Indian crew members in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday heading to the US amid wider tensions over Tehran's nuclear programme, the latest-such capture in a waterway crucial for global energy supplies. The U.S. Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet identified the vessel as the Advantage Sweet. Satellite tracking data for the vessel from MarineTraffic.com showed it in the Gulf of Oman, just north of Oman's capital, Muscat, on Thursday afternoon. It had just come from Kuwait and listed its destination as Houston. The Advantage Sweet issued a distress call at 1:15 p.m. while in international waters as Iran seized the vessel, the Navy said. "Iran's actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability," the 5th Fleet said in a statement. Iran should immediately release the oil tanker. The Navy initially said Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seized the vessel, but an American naval aircraft

Iran slaps 'retaliatory' sanctions on EU, British individuals, entities

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has imposed sanctions on 17 individuals and four entities of the European Union and the UK for "supporting terrorism and fomenting violence and unrest in Iran"

India, Armenia, Iran hold 1st trilateral political consultations in Yerevan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India, Armenia and Iran held the first trilateral political consultations on Thursday in Yerevan.The three countries had a wide range of discussions, particularly on economic issues and regional communication.Trilateral cooperation in various fields was also discussed during the meeting.Informing of the consultations, the official Twitter account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia wrote, "First trilateral political consultations btw MFAs of #Armenia, #Iran & #India were held in Yerevan. Sides discussed, particularly economic issues & regional communications outlined prospects of deepening cultural & people to people contacts & trilateral coop in various fields."Armenia and India celebrated 30 years of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2022. Armenia and India maintain active political ties. Effective cooperation exists between the two nations within international bodies.After Armenia's independence in 1991, ...

Iran reportedly unveils new radar system for detecting low-altitude drones

The radar system also boasts features such as 3D target detection, tactical capability for rapid reaction operations, long endurance, and utilisation of modern techniques

Iran may consider extension of natural gas pipeline from Oman to India

Iran may consider an extension of the sub-sea natural gas pipeline from Oman to India, its Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Relation Mehdi Safari said in a statement on Friday. "Already, Iran is building this natural gas pipeline to Oman, which can be extended to India up to Porbandhar," Safari said while speaking at an interactive meeting organised by MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai on Thursday evening, it added. The deputy foreign minister was in Mumbai to promote the 'Iran Expo 2023' to be held from May 7-10 this year in Tehran and explore trade and investment collaborations across 11 major categories, MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai said in the release. Despite economic sanctions, India is among the top five trade partners of Iran, and both countries are strategic partners, the statement quoted the deputy foreign minister as saying. "Our export to India has grown 60 per cent in 2022, and in the last two months, it has grown 90 per cent. This implies diversification of tra

Iran 'successfully' tests kamikaze drone with 50-kg warhead: Official

An Iranian official said Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has successfully tested a homemade long-range, high-precision kamikaze drone equipped with a 50-kg warhead

Will Saudi-Iran accord have a domino effect and stabilize the Middle East?

It looks like the bloody war in Yemen, where the Iranians backed the rebel Houthis and Saudi Arabia the internationally recognized government, will come to an end

Iran says won't hesitate to give 'decisive response' to Israeli threat

Iran's envoy to the United Nations said Iran will not hesitate to give a "decisive response" to any threat from Israel, state media reported.

Saudi, Iranian FMs meet in China, signaling warming of ties after 7 years

The foreign ministers of long-time Middle Eastern rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran met in Beijing on Thursday, taking another step toward reconciliation after seven years of tension. The meeting came a month after the two countries agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies by May. The deal was brokered by Beijing. It represents a major diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf Arab states perceive the United States slowly withdrawing from the wider Middle East. It also comes as diplomats have been trying to end a long war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia are deeply entrenched. The rapprochement lowers the chance of armed conflict between the Mideast rivals both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region On Thursday morning, Saudi Arabia's state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV showed Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian shaking hands and sitting side by side. Iran's state TV said the two ministe

Suspected Iranian drone strike kills US contractor in Syria: Pentagon

A US contractor was killed and five US service members and one other US contractor were wounded when a suspected Iranian drone struck a facility on a coalition base in northeast Syria on Thursday, the Pentagon said. In a statement released late Thursday, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said US Central Command forces retaliated with precision airstrikes against facilities in eastern Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The Defence Department said the intelligence community had determined the unmanned aerial vehicle was of Iranian origin. The airstrikes were conducted in response to today's attack as well as a series of recent attacks against Coalition forces in Syria" by groups affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, Austin said. Overnight, videos on social media purported to show explosions in Syria's Deir Ez-Zor, a strategic province that borders Iraq and contains oil fields. Iran-backed militia groups and Syrian forces control the area, which also has

Iran seeks crude oil export to India, execution of Chabahar port project

Iran on Friday strongly pitched for faster implementation of the Chabahar port project as well as use of the facility by India to send various shipments saying the key transit hub will benefit both the countries. Iranian Ambassador Iraj Elahi also sought resumption of import of crude oil by India from Iran while citing New Delhi not succumbing under pressure by the Western powers to not continue procurement of petroleum products from Russia following the Ukraine crisis. India stopped procurement of crude oil from Iran after the US did not continue with sanction waivers to India and several other countries. "We believe that India is and was strong and powerful to stand against the pressure of the West... India is a rising power. India has a powerful economy. So India could easily resist pressure from the US and the West," the ambassador told a group of journalists. Citing India's resistance against pressure to not buy oil from Russia, Elahi hoped that New Delhi would soon start ...

We advocate dialogue to resolve differences: India on Iran-Saudi pact

Days after rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran signed a China-brokered agreement to revive diplomatic ties, India on Thursday welcomed the pact saying it has always advocated dialogue and diplomacy to resolve differences. The two countries announced the full-fledged restoration of their diplomatic relations, seven years after severing them following a bitter row. "We have seen the reports in this regard. India has good relations with various countries in West Asia. We have deep abiding interests in that region," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. He was asked to comment on the pact. "India has always advocated dialogue and diplomacy as a way to resolve differences," Bagchi said without mentioning China's role. India has been having good relations with both Saudi Arabia and Iran. Asked about the next round of China-India military talks, he said there was a commitment by both sides at the last diplomatic dialogue to hold the Corps Commander level talks at an early

Agreement with Saudi Arabia will help end Yemen's war, says Iran

Iran's mission to the United Nations says a breakthrough agreement with Saudi Arabia restoring bilateral relations will help bring a political settlement to Yemen's yearslong war, Iranian state media reported on Sunday. Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed Friday to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies after seven years of tensions that brought the two regional powerhouses to the brink of conflict and fuelled tensions across the region. Soon after exploding in 2014, Yemen's conflict turned into a proxy war between Saudi Arabia, which led a military coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognized government, and Iran, which has aided the country's Houthi rebels. Iran has long been accused by western governments and U.N. experts of providing weapons to the Houthis. Western militaries have repeatedly intercepted Yemen-bound ships carrying Iranian weapons in the Red Sea. Tehran has denied the accusations of arming the Houthis. China mediated the major diplomatic ...

Tunisia welcomes decision as Saudi Arabia, Iran move ahead to resume ties

Tunisia welcomed the decision by Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume diplomatic ties, the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said

Amid renewed Iran-Saudi ties, here are nations that could be impacted by it

A deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to resume diplomatic ties has wide-reaching effects across the Middle East and beyond, and reduces the chance of armed conflict between regional rivals. Here's a look at some of the countries that could be affected by the deal, struck this week in China: YEMEN: Both Saudi Arabia and Iran are deeply embroiled in Yemen's yearslong civil war. Saudi Arabia entered the conflict in 2015, backing the country's exiled government, while Iran has backed the Houthi rebels who in 2014 seized the capital, Sanaa. Diplomats have been seeking a way to end the conflict, which has spawned one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters and turned into a proxy war between Riyadh and Tehran. The Saudi-Iran deal may provide a boost to efforts to end the conflict. LEBANON: Iran long has backed the powerful Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah, while Saudi Arabia has backed the country's Sunni politicians. Easing tensions between Riyadh and Tehran could see the two push f

Iran, Saudi Arabia agree to reestablish diplomatic ties with China's help

Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed on Friday to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after seven years of tensions between the Mideast rivals. The major diplomatic breakthrough negotiated with China lowers the chance of armed conflict between the nations both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region. The deal, struck in Beijing this week amid its ceremonial National People's Congress, represents a major diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf Arab states perceive the United States slowly withdrawing from the wider Middle East. It also comes as diplomats have been trying to end a years long war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia are deeply entrenched. The two countries released a joint communique on the deal with China, which brokered the agreement. Chinese state media did not immediately report the agreement. Iranian state media posted images and video it described as being taken in China of the meeting. It showed Ali Shamkhani, the .

US applies more sanctions over Iran shadow banking, drone network

The United States on Thursday announced more sanctions against people and firms associated with Iran and with what it said was an illicit banking network used to conceal transactions. The U.S. said it placed the penalties on 39 firms linked to a shadow banking system that helped to obfuscate financial activity between sanctioned Iranian firms and their foreign buyers, namely for petrochemicals produced in Iran. The Treasury Department said the companies from Hong Kong to the United Arab Emirates made up a significant shadow banking' network that gave cover to sanctioned Iranian entities to disguise petrochemical sales with foreign customers. Today's action demonstrates the United States' commitment to enforcing our sanctions and our ability to disrupt Iran's foreign financial networks, which it uses to launder funds, Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a written statement that the U.S. will continue to disrupt attempts to evade

Iran blames US 'miscalculation, wrong policy' for nuclear talks impasse

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian blamed the US "miscalculation and wrong policy" for causing the current stalemate on the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal