Fars province governor Mohamed Hadi Imanieh told state TV the attack occurred around 7:00 pm (1530 GMT). Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has ordered an investigation and vowed in a statement to bring those responsible to justice, according to IRNA.

"Vessels are being advised to transit as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible" to minimize the risk of seizure, US Fifth Fleet spokesperson Commander Tim Hawkins told AFP. The International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC), led by Washington, is "notifying regional mariners of appropriate precautions to minimize the risk...

TEHRAN, IRAN – Pretoria fully supports Tehran joining BRICS, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said at a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian. "South Africa is interested in Iran being accepted as a friendly country by the BRICS," Ramaphosa said as quoted by Mehr News. The South African...

Representatives from around 40 countries including China, Germany, India and the United States took part in last weekend's gathering in Jeddah, though Russia was not invited. "It makes sense for us to continue these talks, because they increase the pressure on Russia to realize that it has taken the wrong...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Agnes Pannier-Runacher, Minister for Energy Transition of the French Republic met and issued a joint communiqué: The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the French Republic acknowledge that energy is one of the main pillars of...

Dubai, UAE -- The General Department of Anti-Narcotics at Dubai Police apprehended 49.6 percent of the total number of suspects wanted for drug-related cases and promoting psychotropic substances across the UAE in the second quarter of 2023. During the same period, a total of 491 kg of drugs and 3,333,916...

Geneva, Switzerland -- The World Health Organization (WHO) is convening the Traditional Medicine Global Summit on 17-18 Aug 2023​ in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. Co-hosted by the Government of India, the Summit will explore the role of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine in addressing pressing health challenges and driving progress in...

Residents of the Damascus region heard the blasts which came from "the warehouses of pro-Iran militias" in a mountainous area east of the capital. During more than a decade of war in Syria, neighboring Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on Syrian territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah fighters, as...

Baghdad, Iraq--Iraq has restored access to the popular messaging app, Telegram, on Sunday after a week-long ban. The ban, which took effect on August 6, was enforced after concerns arose regarding breaches of national security. The government cited the leaking of state-owned private documents and the protection of citizens' personal...

Lahaina, a town of more than 12,000 and former home of the Hawaiian royal family, has been reduced to ruins, its lively hotels and restaurants turned to ashes. No emergency sirens were sounded, and residents have spoken of learning about the blaze because of neighbors running down the street yelling...

Many fans who had travelled to Doha to support the Atlas Lions last year found themselves deprived of free tickets promised to them by the Moroccan Football Federation. The tickets were sold on the black market at four or five times their face value, according to accounts gathered at the...

Tens of thousands of Israel's Arab minority fear they will bear the brunt of the government's judicial overhaul. The community has remained mostly on the margins of a raging debate over the sweeping changes as many Israelis have rallied weekly against the reform package. Arab citizens of Israel make up...

BEIRUT, LEBANON -The Lebanese army arrested 134 migrants near the northern border with Syria on Saturday after foiling their attempt to take a boat to Europe, it said in a statement. The group of would-be migrants -- made up of 130 Syrians and four Lebanese nationals -- were taken into custody...

Al-Sudairi, the current ambassador to Jordan, will also serve as consul general in Jerusalem, a new position announced amid speculation about possible future ties with Israel. The file for the Palestinian Territories has traditionally been handled by Saudi Arabia's embassy in Amman.

Tunis, Tunisia - At least two Tunisians including a baby died when their Europe-bound boat sank Saturday off the North African country's southeastern shores, the coastguard said, adding five others were missing. The vessel carrying 20 Tunisians went down at 2:00 am (0100 GMT) 120 meters (395 feet) from the beach...

The two projects -- in Texas and Louisiana -- each aim to eliminate one million tons of carbon dioxide per year, equivalent in total to the annual emissions of 445,000 gas-powered cars. It is "the world's largest investment in engineered carbon removal in history," the Energy Department said in a...

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and its forces regularly make incursions into Palestinian communities.

Hodeida, Yemen -- The United Nations said Friday it had successfully transferred more than one million barrels of oil from a dilapidated Yemeni tanker, removing the imminent risk of a spill. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres "welcomes the news that the ship-to-ship transfer of oil from the FSO Safer to the...

The number of new COVID-19 cases reported worldwide rose by 80 percent in the last month, the World Health Organization said, days after designating a new "variant of interest". The WHO declared in May that Covid is no longer a global health emergency, but warned the virus will continue to...

A highly anticipated report showed July consumer prices rose more than the previous month but less than feared, giving the US central bank room to take a lighter touch with monetary policy after more than a year of tightening.The data also showed closely watched core inflation was easing, while jobless...

Despite losing their last piece of territory in Syria in 2019, IS has maintained hideouts in the vast Syrian desert from which it has carried out ambushes and hit-and-run attacks. Its members in recent weeks have increased their attacks in Syria's north and northeast.

Based on the agreement, five Iranian prisoners in the US and five American prisoners in Iran will be exchanged," the official IRNA news agency reported, quoting an informed source. It reported that the deal with the US includes releasing an amount of $6 billion of Iranian money frozen in South...

In a collaborative bid to address the migrant crisis, Tunisia and Libya have announced a shared responsibility for hundreds of migrants stranded at their border. These migrants, primarily from sub-Saharan African countries, had been left in the desert area of Ras Jedir. The deal aims to provide shelter and essential...

Production limitations set by the OPEC + exporters "are continuing to offset concerns over demand," said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at Forex.com. Analysts have also cited the retreat in the dollar as a supporting factor for oil prices. Crude is denominated in the US currency.

United Nations, United States--The United States on Wednesday accused Sudan of having threatened to expel the United Nations mission from the war-torn country if the UN envoy, already in Khartoum's crosshairs, speaks before the Security Council on the atrocities of the conflict. During a session devoted to Sudan and South Sudan,...

It has been experiencing its fourth consecutive summer of drought, and temperatures in the country have been around 50 degrees Celsius. "Rising temperatures plus the drought, and the fact that the loss of diversity is a reality, is a wake-up call for Iraq and for the world," UN human rights...

The metal boat overturned in bad weather during the night of Thursday to Friday after setting off from the Tunisian port of Sfax, said a joint statement from the UN agencies for refugees, children and migration. The survivors -- a 13-year-old boy on his own, a woman and two men...

Moscow, Russia - Moscow accused Poland and Finland of threatening its security on Wednesday and vowed a response to multiplying "threats" on Russia's western frontier from NATO members. Poland, Ukraine's staunch ally and neighbor, has strengthened security on its border with Belarus after Minsk became a new base for Russian Wagner...

Dubai, UAE --  Granting the United Arab Emirates the status of a member of BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) will allow the association to push Western countries towards accepting changes in the system of international relations, especially with regard to trade and de-dollarization, an international affairs expert...

Tehran, Iran -- Oman has said it has been making efforts to facilitate regional and international cooperation by with the active participation of Iran. In a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart on Tuesday, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi referred to the recent talks between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi...

ABU DHABI, UAE -  The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) has signed a loan agreement with the Government of Tanzania worth US$105.4 million (AED387 million) to enhance energy security in the country. The project’s objective is to fully connect the Kagera administrative region with the national electricity grid, reducing...

Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to resume diplomatic relations and reopen their respective embassies following a China-brokered deal announced in March.

London announced the plan late Tuesday as part of its attempts to reduce illegal migration to the UK, a key political issue. The new UK-backed centre will "enrich existing expertise in both countries with respect to activities aimed at disrupting criminal networks organising illegal journeys", according to a statement from...

Tehran, Iran-- In a defiant posture toward the West, Russia has declared that it will continue to enhance military cooperation with Iran, despite what it termed as enemies' opposition to the ties between the two countries. Deputy Foreign Minister of Russian Federation Sergei Alexeyevich Ryabkov said that the military cooperation...

While living and hygiene conditions can be dire even in official displacement camps, the situation in informal settlements is sometimes worse, with no semblance of organisation and little or no humanitarian assistance. Tanya Evans of the International Rescue Committee said such informal camps "can be considered the 'forgotten camps' of...

Dramatic scenes have emerged since July 24 when Akbelen forest in the Milas district of the Aegean province of Mugla was occupied by villagers and activists trying to stop the trees from being felled by the mine's owner, an energy company close to the government. Mugla is home to three...

Russia, which was not invited to the summit, said that a resolution was possible if Ukraine "stopped the hostilities and terrorist attacks" and if Western countries stopped arms supplies to Kyiv. It also called on Ukraine to cede its occupied territories to Moscow.

The drop in exports was bigger than expected and the heaviest since a 17.2 percent plunge in January-February 2020, when the economy came to a standstill in the early weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic. Apart from a brief rebound in March and April, exports have been in constant decline since...

Moscow, Russia - Russia said Monday a peace settlement with Ukraine was only possible if Kyiv put down its arms, after talks were held in Saudi Arabia over the weekend without Moscow's participation. Representatives from around 40 countries including China, India, the United States and Ukraine took part in the peace...

Tokyo, Japan - Iran's foreign minister visited Japan on Monday for the first time since 2019, in a rare trip to a G7 member country by the Islamic republic's top diplomat. The purpose of the visit by Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to the current chair of the G7 was not announced, but reports...

"The situation in Ain al-Helweh camp has now calmed down," Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said referring to south Lebanon's restive Palestinian camp. "Security and intelligence services... have no information that the situation could spin out of control and spill over to other camps," he said.

The oil company's profits fell sharply to US$30.08 billion.

The twice-impeached Republican, who is seeking a return to the White House in 2024, has unleashed a stream of invective against those prosecuting him or running the case in which he faces charges over attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and defraud the United States. His latest target: US...

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia-- More than 40 representatives of countries from around the world gathered in Jeddah, pledging to continue holding consultations that could pave the way for peace in Ukraine and end the deadly war. A meeting was held in Jeddah for national security advisors and representatives from over 40...

Iraq's judiciary issued arrest warrants at the beginning of March for four men, including a former finance minister and staff members of former prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who Baghdad says all live outside the country. Haider Hanoun, the head of the Iraqi Commission for Integrity said that Interpol had issued...

Chad is a neighbor of Niger, where a coup late last month toppled one of the last pro-Western leaders in the Sahel region. The UAE's official news agency WAM included a photo of several desert-colored armored vehicles, with the Emirati and Chadian flags draped over two of them. Emirati firm...

TEHRAN, IRAN - Iran on Sunday appointed Mohammed Jafar Montazeri, who is under US and British sanctions, to head the Islamic republic's top court. Montazeri was named the supreme court chief after the "opinions of all the court judges" were taken into consideration, the judiciary's Mizan Online website said. The 75-year-old,...

The reform package has split the nation and triggered one of the biggest protest movements in Israel's history since being unveiled in January by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition, which includes extreme-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties. Demonstrators have kept up pressure on the Netanyahu government with weekly protests across...

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA- The Argentine government said it will use a loan from Qatar amounting to $775 million to make a payment to the International Monetary Fund as it awaits approval of a disbursement from the IMF for $7.5 billion. The credit operation would allow Qatar to lend Argentina Special Drawing...

BEIRUT, LEBANON - A Lebanese minister on Saturday sought to clarify comments condemned by Kuwait over aid money to rebuild Beirut's grain silos that were destroyed in a devastating port blast three years ago. The oil-rich Gulf state in 2020 said it was ready to rebuild the storehouses, which Lebanon had...