Moscow, Russia -- Iran will be formally approved as a member of the regional Shanghai Cooperation Organization with China, Russia and Central Asian countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday."At the meeting of heads of state on July 4, the full membership of Iran will be approved," Lavrov said at...

Under a heavy police presence, Salwan Momika stomped on the Quran before setting several pages alight in front of Stockholm's largest mosque. Police in the Swedish capital had granted him a permit for the protest but said later they had opened a probe into the man over "agitation".

The UN's top tribunal said on Wednesday that Iran has taken Canada to the International Court of Justice for allowing victims of alleged terror attacks to claim damages from Tehran. Iran asked ICJ to make Canada overturn a law passed in the same year that allows victims to collect damages...

Tehran, Iran-- Qatar has renewed its willingness to boost economic cooperation with Iran, ramping up investment in order to strengthen the overall relations between the two countries.In a phone call on Tuesday with the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani voiced his...

MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA- If a landmark reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran has eased tensions in the Gulf, clouds have also lifted at the hajj pilgrimage, where Iranian visitors finally feel welcome again.Seven years of enmity between the Sunni and Shiite powers had made for a cool reception for Iranian pilgrims...

On Sunday, the Ukrainian embassy charged that "the current Israeli government" had "opted for a path of close cooperation with the Russian Federation". It noted a "near absence of Israeli humanitarian assistance to Ukraine" and a recent statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel needed to cooperate with Russia...

Tehran, Iran-- Qatar and Iran have agreed to bolster ties in the labor sector with the aim of raising capacities, exchanging experiences, developing a consultation mechanism between the two countries, exchanging experiences in the field of vocational and technical training and training centers.In this connection, the Qatari-Iranian Joint Committee in...

Iran said it was hoping indirect talks with the United States could lead to a "positive" outcome for a prisoner swap. Iran announced earlier this month that it was engaged in Oman-mediated talks with its arch-nemesis the United States over its nuclear deal and a possible prisoner exchange.

Tehran, Iran-- The future of relations between Iran and the United Arab Emirates is promising and in line with the interests of both nations, according to Iran's ambassador to the UAE."The two countries intend to find ways to have warmer and closer relations in light of developments in the region...

In spite of economic sanctions imposed by the Western governments against Iran, the country has seen its oil exports surge in May to 1.9 million barrels per day. According to its oil minister, the energy diplomacy and its strengthening relations with countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America have helped...

Tehran, Iran--Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations has rejected the claim by the United States and its allies about Russia’s use of Iranian drones in the Ukraine war.The mission in a statement on Friday said the "anti-Iran claims" are aimed to influence the six-month periodic report of UN Secretary-General...

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian's visit to the UAE followed stops in Qatar, Kuwait and Oman -- the latest in a flurry of diplomatic moves by Tehran as it seeks to reduce its isolation, improve its economy and project strength. He discussed "bilateral relations and ways to enhance cooperation" with UAE President Sheikh...

ran said last week it had been engaged in indirect negotiations with the United States through Oman, with nuclear issues, US sanctions and detainees on the agenda. The following day, Iran's nuclear negotiator said he had met with diplomats from three European countries in Abu Dhabi to discuss a number...

The peace deal has ignited debates on its potential to transform Middle East from a region hit by conflicts to a peaceful place. Dive into an in-depth analysis from TRENDS.

The bilateral peace agreement has sparked intensified debates about its potential to transform the Middle East from a conflict-ridden region to peaceful and prosperous place.

The agreement, to supply four million tons annually to the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), matches the terms of a November deal with China's Sinopec as the longest ever seen in the industry.

PARIS, FRANCE -  A major exiled Iranian opposition group on Tuesday expressed fury after Paris police refused to grant permission for a major rally next month, on the grounds it risked creating tensions and being the target of an attack.The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a coalition that includes...

Saudi-Iran peace deal will reduce tensions in the region and would solve some of the problems if not all, says US Secretary Antony J. Blinken in an interview.

Kazemi alleged that the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Belgium, Italy and Iran's arch-foe Israel were among the countries involved in inciting the protests, according to excerpts of an interview published by state media. Saudi Arabia, with which Iran has recently resumed diplomatic ties after a seven-year rupture,...

Tehran, Iran-- Looking to give a further boost to the relations between the two countries, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian arrived in Doha to discuss bilateral relations, as well as major regional and international developments, with high-ranking Qatari officials.Amir-Abdollahian left Tehran for Qatar’s capital late Monday on an official invitation...

Saudi-Iran peace deal will reduce tensions in the region and would solve some of the problems if not all, says US Secretary Antony J. Blinken in an interview.

According to Qatar's foreign ministry, Doha will reopen embassy in Abu Dhabi and its consulate in Dubai immediately. The UAE too will throw it embassy open in Doha. The UAE's Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, spoke to Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Qatar's Prime Minister and also its Foreign...

Tehran, Iran-- A free trade zone agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) will be signed before the end of the year, according to Russia's deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk."Now, indeed, the EAEU has come very close to concluding such an agreement with Iran. This issue was touched...

"Efforts are underway to reopen diplomatic and consular missions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, including the reopening of Iran's embassy in Riyadh and consulate in Jeddah," highlights Prince Faisal, adding that the Kingdom's embassy in Tehran will also reopen soon.

Paris, France -- President Emmanuel Macron's new special envoy for Lebanon heads to Beirut in the coming week as France seeks a new push to end a political crisis that has left the country without a president for over half a year, a diplomatic source said Sunday.Former foreign minister Jean-Yves Le...

DUBAI, UAE -  Yemen's government and Iran-backed Houthi rebels are locked in talks in Jordan to set the ground for a possible prisoner exchange, a Red Cross official told AFP on Sunday.Yemen's conflict began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following...

In a significant step towards reconciliation, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan conducted a landmark visit to Iran to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, focusing on regional security. This visit comes after both nations agreed to mend ties in a Chinese-brokered deal, following a diplomatic severance in...

Tehran, Iran-- In spite of the US sanctions against the Islamic Republic, Iran has seen a huge surge in the export of crude oil in 2023 to China, Syria, Venezuela, according to reports.According to media reports, Iranian crude shipments continued to rise in 2023 with higher shipments to China, Syria...

In Venezuela, Raisi and Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro announced that they signed 25 accords, across sectors ranging from education and health to mining. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said he and Raisi signed a "basic memorandum of these steps that we are going to continue developing" to increase exchange between the...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -  Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, is scheduled to visit Tehran on Saturday, according to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency. The visit is seen as a significant step in the ongoing diplomatic efforts between the two countries to mend their strained relations. The...

Tehran, Iran--Qatar and Iran are looking to boost monetary and banking cooperation that would propel all-round development of trade between the two countries.In this connection, the governors of the central banks of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Qatar held talks in Doha.Iranian central bank governor Mohammad Reza Farzin traveled...

The vote for the presidency, reserved for a Maronite Christian under Lebanon's delicate sectarian power-sharing system, pitted the Hezbollah-backed Sleiman Frangieh against financial official Jihad Azour, who has mainly been endorsed by Christian and independent legislators. But neither had the requisite support, with Azour garnering 59 votes and Frangieh 51...

A landmark deal in 2015, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program to guarantee that Tehran could not develop a nuclear weapon -- something it has always denied wanting to do.

Iran said it has continued indirect negotiations with the Unites States through the Sultanate of Oman over its nuclear deal and a possible prisoner swap. Iran's nuclear program has long been the subject of scrutiny from Western powers, resulting in sanctions that have crippled the country's economy.

Tehran, Iran-- Bilateral trade between Iran and Turkey is expected to vault to US$15 billion by 2025 on the back of deeper cooperation with the private sector.According to a senior official in Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) trade with Turkey will easily reach $15 billion in early March 2025 to...

Investment agreements between the two sides covered diverse sectors such as technology, renewables, agriculture, real estate, minerals, supply chains, tourism, and healthcare.

Iran's supreme leader urged continued cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, while warning against succumbing to "bullying" based on "unfounded claims". "Cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency within the framework of safeguards regulations should be maintained," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said during a meeting with Iranian nuclear scientists, experts and...

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in a lengthy phone call discussed ways to promote ties, state media reported. "The two sides discussed how to promote relations especially about ongoing negotiations and regional developments," IRNA state news agency quoted Raisi's deputy chief of staff Mohammad Jamshidi...

Russia is receiving materials from Iran to build a drone factory that "could be fully operational early next year," White House national security spokesman John Kirby warned. The White House released a satellite image of the location of the prospective plant in Alabuga special economic zone, some 900 kilometers east...

"At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, president of the state of Palestine Mahmud Abbas will pay a state visit to China from June 13 to 16," foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. Beijing has positioned itself as a mediator in the Middle East, brokering the restoration of ties between...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Israel is not happy with the restoration of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh and is actively seeking to disrupt it, Alireza Enayati, Iran's new ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said in an interview with Iran's al-Alam news network.“Many of our friends and brothers welcomed the restoration...

The strategic partnerships between the two sides seek to focus on peace, security, stability, integration, and economic prosperity in the Middle East.

Blinken spoke during a Gulf Cooperation Council ministerial meeting in the capital Riyadh following talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Dubai, UAE - Iran’s pivot to Russia and China has been driven by various factors, most notably the United States' withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on May 8, 2018, says a study published by Middle East Institute. Quoting Iran’s foreign ministry statement "the world is not...

Tehran, Iran-- With the restoration of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the talk in government circles in Tehran is now focused on cooperating with Riyadh on peaceful nuclear technologies.A hint of the potential cooperation between the two former adversaries came in a tweet by a media outlet considered...

WASHINGTON, US- The United States placed sanctions on Tuesday on several Chinese and Hong Kong firms it said were supplying Iran's ballistic missile program.The US Treasury said the Chinese companies shipped centrifuges for producing fuels, non-ferrous metals with potential military use, electronics and gyroscopes to already-sanctioned Iranian government bodies and private...

"We consider today an important day in the relations of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Alireza Bigdeli told a flag-raising ceremony. "The cooperation between the countries is entering a new era."

Blinken's trip will also focus on efforts to end conflicts in Sudan and Yemen, the joint battle against the Islamic State group and the Arab world's relations with Israel. His visit comes at a time of quickly shifting alliances in the Middle East, centered around a China-brokered rapprochement in March...

Iran's Revolutionary Guards unveiled an intermediate range ballistic missile capable of traveling at hypersonic speeds of up to 15 times the speed of sound, state television reported. President Ebrahim Raisi hailed the new missile's hypersonic capability, saying it would boost Iran's "power of deterrence" and "bring peace and stability to...

Iran is set to reopen its embassy in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday following a seven year closure, Tehran and a diplomatic source said, sealing a Chinese-brokered rapprochement deal announced in March. Riyadh severed relations with Tehran in 2016 after its embassy and consulate in Iran were attacked during protests.