GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - Internet privacy company Proton announced Wednesday a new VPN Observatory, tracking demand for its services to detect attacks on free speech in countries like Russia and Iran before they hit the headlines. Switzerland-based Proton said its new observatory would document spikes in sign-ups to its virtual private networks...

Amnesty International expressed concern over the crackdown launched by Iran against women deemed to have violated the Islamic republic's dress rules. Iran was roiled by months of unprecedented protests triggered by custody death of Mahsa Amini in September last year, who had been arrested by the morality police for breaking...

Tehran, Iran - Iranian authorities have arrested several followers of the Bahai faith accused of spying for Tehran's arch-foe Israel, local media in the Islamic republic reported on Tuesday. The Bahais, Iran's largest non-Muslim religious minority, are not recognised by the state and often targeted over alleged ties to Israel --...

Tehran, Iran – The clothing industry in Iran which employs around two million people grew by 17 percent last year compared to the previous year, a senior Iranian official said on Monday.  “Currently, at least 100,000 production units have been registered in the garment industry,” the Director General of the...

They venerate fire as a supreme form of purity. Alongside water, air and earth, the elements must not be contaminated by human activity.

Baghdad, Iraq -- Demonstrators marched in the Iraqi and Iranian capitals Friday to denounce Sweden's permission for protests that desecrate the Quran, as Stockholm withdrew staff from its Baghdad embassy. Hundreds of people gathered in Baghdad's Sadr City after Friday prayers, chanting "Yes, yes to Islam, yes, yes to the Quran",...

The wind catchers, called badgirs in Persian, are just one of the engineering marvels inhabitants have developed in this ancient city in central Iran -- where temperatures reach well over 40 degrees celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in the summer. And, unlike energy-guzzling air-conditioners, they're cost and carbon-free.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes also targeted positions of the Syrian army's elite Fourth Division near the airport in the town of Dimas. One Syrian pro-regime fighter and two foreign, Iran-affiliated combattants were killed in the strikes, the Observatory said.

Avoided by western tourists, Iran is turning to wealthy Arab states and other nearby countries to bolster its sanctions-hit economy. It is also drawing visitors from Russia and China. Owing to the thaw in relations with Saudi Arabia, Iran is now interested in closer ties with the Arab world.

Designated by the UN as one of the five countries in the world most touched by some effects of climate change, Iraq is experiencing its fourth consecutive summer of drought.

Dubai, UAE - The United States has announced plans to bolster its military presence in the Middle East in response to Iran's recent actions involving the seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels in key waterways. Reuters reported on Monday.  The Pentagon will be sending additional F-35 and F-16 fighter...

Dubai, UAE - Indian officials are concerned about China's growing influence in the Middle East and how it will impact India's national interests in the region, an article carried by Middle East Institute says.  “The difference in strategies being employed by India and its partners in the Middle East, including...

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani has described the three-day trip as "a new turning point" which could bolster economic and trade ties with African nations. He also said on Monday that Tehran and the three African countries share "common political views".

Tehran, Iran-- After years of frosty relations between the two countries, Egypt and Iran are set to restore ties with the visit of Iranian tourists to the North African country. According to the Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Issa, Iranian tourists will soon travel to the country through...

The Iraqi prime minister said the decision to pay for Iranian gas imports with oil corresponds with the mechanism agreed with the US in order not to violate the sanctions. Gas is crucial for Iraq's electricity generation, but US sanctions on Iranian oil and gas impose restrictions on how Baghdad...

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - A powerful alliance of pro-Iran factions in Iraq called on Sunday on Baghdad to pressure the United States to unlock pending payments to Tehran for crucial gas imports. Iraq, ravaged by decades of conflict and international sanctions, relies on gas imported from its eastern neighbor for a third...

TEHRAN, IRAN -  Four assailants were killed on Saturday after blasting their way into an Iranian police compound, leaving one officer dead in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan near the Pakistani border, state media said. "Four unidentified armed individuals attacked and entered police station Number 16 of Zahedan", the capital of...

Tehran, Iran--Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has claimed that health tourism in the country has attracted patients from neighboring countries and even Central Asian states who prefer to get medical care in Iran rather than in Europe. Raisi made the remarks on Friday as he inaugurated Ghadir Major Hospital in the...

The new British sanctions regime will expand existing penalties imposed by creating new criteria under which individuals and entities can be hit. They include any Iranian activities "undermining peace, stability and security in the Middle East and internationally", and the "use and spread of weapons technologies from Iran".

BEIRUT, LEBANON - The vice-governors of Lebanon's central bank plan to resign unless politicians swiftly name an incoming governor, two senior officials at the crisis-hit country's top financial body told AFP on Thursday. The term of embattled three-decade chief Riad Salameh ends this month with no successor in sight, setting the...

Al-Jaber, head of the UAE national oil company ADNOC, told ministers from countries of the OPEC oil producers' grouping the industry must "urgently decarbonize its operations and take collective action to eliminate operational emissions".

Tehran, Iran-- Iran has signed oil contracts worth $40 billion with domestic and foreign companies during the last 20 months. Speaking at the second ministerial session of the 8th OPEC International Seminar entitled “Investments, finance and inclusive petroleum growth strategies” at the Austrian capital, Iran’s oil minister Javad Owji said...

Baghdad, Iraq-- Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid has emphasized the need for reinforcing partnership with Iran in the fields of trade and energy. The president made the remarks during a meeting with an Iranian delegation headed by deputy foreign minister Bagheri Kani in Baghdad. Rashid accentuated the imperative of reinforcing...

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization -- which on Tuesday welcomed Iran as its ninth member -- encompasses a vast stretch of the globe from Moscow to Beijing and includes around half the world's population when observer and "dialogue partner" nations are included. Created in 2001 to discuss security and economic matters,...

KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT -  Kuwait reinvited Iran on Monday to talks on their sea borders after Tehran said it was ready to start drilling in a disputed gas field in the resource-rich Gulf. Kuwait insisted it held "exclusive rights" to the maritime field along with Saudi Arabia, after the neighboring countries...

The kingdom had already condemned Wednesday's incident in which an Iraqi citizen living in Sweden stomped on the Muslim holy book and set several pages alight. The foreign ministry summoned the ambassador on Sunday to urge Sweden "to stop all actions that directly contradict international efforts seeking to spread the...

France has been rocked by a major wave of violent street protests sparked by the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old of Algerian origin, identified only as Nahel M., in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday. The government has deployed tens of thousands of security forces and made hundreds...

Tehran, Iran-- Iran has earned revenue to the tune of $54 billion last year from the export of oil, according to US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimate. OPEC members earned about $888 billion in net oil export revenue last year. That’s what the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates in...

Citing a military source, Syrian state news agency SANA said that Israel carried out air strikes near the government-held city of Homs. The air strikes hit "some points in the vicinity of the city". Israel, during more than a decade of war in Syria, has launched hundreds of air strikes,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.