Middle East

Ghalibaf: Iran's New Strongman Running War Effort

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker and a veteran of the Revolutionary Guards, has emerged as the highest-profile political figure in the Islamic republic after the killing of its leaders. A pillar of the Iranian establishment for some three decades and one of the Islamic republic's most prominent non-clerical figures, Ghalibaf, ...

Ship Traffic Down 95% in Strait of Hormuz

Just a trickle of cargo ships and tankers—most of them Iranian—have made it through the Strait of Hormuz since Iranian forces effectively blocked the crucial trade route in the Middle East war. Here are facts and figures about vessels that have passed through the 167-kilometre (104-mile) long strait since the war broke out with US-Israeli ...

Trump to Postpone Strikes on Iran Power Plants After ‘Productive’ Talks

Trump announced on Monday that the United States and Iran have engaged in what he described as “very good and productive” talks over the past two days, aimed at achieving a comprehensive resolution to ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Citing the constructive tone of the discussions, Trump said he has ordered a temporary five-day ...

Israel Army Confirms Own Artillery Fire Killed Civilian On Northern Border Sunday

The Israeli military on Monday said its own artillery fire killed an Israeli civilian a day earlier near the northern border with Lebanon, where its forces are fighting Hezbollah. After opening an investigation, the military said "the initial findings suggest that the Israeli civilian was killed by IDF artillery fire conducted to support IDF ...

Iraqi PM Says Accelerating Withdrawal of Anti-Jihadist Coalition Forces

Iraqi leader Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said he would accelerate the dismantling of a US-led international anti-jihadist coalition, in an interview with an Italian newspaper published Monday. The prime minister's comments come as the country finds itself unwillingly drawn into the conflict in the Middle East, which began with Israeli and US strikes ...

Iraqi Pro-Iran Group Extends Pause in U.S. Embassy Attacks

An Iran-backed armed group announced on Monday that it would continue its five-day pause on attacking the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. Since the start of the war in the Middle East, pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for near-daily attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted these ...

Israel to 'Advance Targeted Ground Operations' in Lebanon: Army Chief

Israel's military will expand its ground operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah, its army chief said Sunday, warning that the offensive against the group was still in its early stages. Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader ...

Lebanon PM Says Iran Guards Commanding Hezbollah Operations in Lebanon

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Sunday that members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards are commanding Hezbollah's operations in the group's ongoing war against Israel. In an interview with the Al Hadath network, Salam once again lashed out at Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into the Middle East war by firing rockets on ...

Iranian Missiles Sow Panic, Destruction in Israeli Towns

Sheltering from an Iranian missile attack on his town in southern Israel on Saturday, 17-year-old Ido Franky heard "terrifying" blasts like nothing he had experienced before. An Iranian missile hit Franky's town of Arad, hours after another struck Dimona -- home to a nuclear facility -- wounding dozens and leaving entire apartment ...

Israel, U.S. Attack Iran's Natanz Nuclear Facility, Prompting Russian Criticism

The United States and Israel struck Iran's Natanz nuclear facility on Saturday, the Islamic republic's atomic energy organisation said. "Following the criminal attacks by the United States and the usurping Zionist regime against our country, the... Natanz enrichment complex was targeted this morning," the organisation said in a statement carried ...

More Than 20 Countries 'Express Their Readiness' to Resolve Hormuz Crisis

More than 20 countries on Saturday said they would contribute to efforts ensuring safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz, condemning Iran's closure of the vital waterway. "We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas ...

More Than 20 Countries 'Express Their Readiness' to Resolve Hormuz Crisis

More than 20 countries on Saturday said they would contribute to efforts ensuring safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz, condemning Iran's closure of the vital waterway. "We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and ...