Iran has conveyed a fresh proposal to the United States through Pakistani intermediaries, seeking an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and bring the ongoing war to an end, according to an Axios report.

With airspace across parts of the Middle East locked down and thousands of flights cancelled or delayed, King Khalid International Airport remains one of the few major hubs still operating.

Iran's supreme leader on Sunday likened recent anti-government protests to a "coup", warning that any US attack on the Islamic republic following Washington's military deployments in the Middle East would trigger a regional war.

Iran's top diplomat said Friday that his country's missile and defence capabilities would "never" be on the negotiating table, as US President Donald Trump appeared to cool on threats of a strike after a military build-up in the region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday held calls with the leaders of Israel and Iran, the Kremlin said, offering mediation amid protests in Iran that have raised fears of a military confrontation in the region.

Iran on Wednesday vowed fast-track trials for people arrested over a massive wave of protests, after US President Donald Trump threatened "very strong action" if the Islamic republic goes ahead with hangings.

US President Donald Trump urged Iranians on Tuesday to keep protesting against the country's theocratic leadership, telling them "help is on its way" as international outrage grows over a crackdown rights groups say has left at least hundreds dead.

Widespread jamming of the Starlink satellite internet service used by some Iranian opposition members is a likely first in peacetime but impossible to sustain nationwide, experts told AFP.

Israel's Mossad spy agency issued a direct call urging Iranians to press on with protests, saying it was supporting them "on the ground" as demonstrations spread in capital Tehran and other Iranian cities.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday seized an oil tanker in the Gulf carrying more than a dozen foreign crew members, state media reported.

Tehran, Iran -- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday proposed that Iran and its regional trading partners establish a shared currency to boost commerce amid crippling Western sanctions. Years of international sanctions, largely imposed by the United States over Tehran's nuclear programme, have severely weakened Iran's economy. The latest measures...

Islamabad, Pakistan - Pakistani and Afghan officials were due to meet in Qatar Saturday to seek a path back to calm, a day after Islamabad launched air strikes that killed at least 10 Afghanis following a brief truce. Kabul accused Islamabad of violating the 48-hour ceasefire, which had paused nearly...

Tehran, Iran -- As United Nations sanctions returned in full force on Sunday, Iranians felt the strain deepen, with prices soaring and the rial sinking to new lows. For Helia, a 33-year-old graphic designer in Tehran, the impact was already visible: the price tag on the furniture for her new...

The agreement was signed in Cairo by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, who hailed it as "an important step in the right direction".

Beirut, Lebanon - Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has thanked a senior Iranian official for his country's ongoing support in confronting Israel, the Lebanese militant group said on Thursday. For decades, Tehran has been the main backer of the Shiite Muslim group, which emerged badly weakened from last year's war with...

Iran's air defence network includes systems like the domestically built Bavar-373 and Khordad-15, designed to counter missiles and aircraft, in addition to Russia's S-300 air defense systems installed in 2016.

Top European diplomats told their Iranian counterpart on Thursday they were determined to reactivate UN sanctions if Tehran does not make progress on a nuclear deal, France's foreign ministry said.

"We have serious doubts over the enemy's compliance with its commitments including the ceasefire, we are ready to respond with force" if attacked again," Iranian armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi was quoted as saying.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shut down what he said was "speculation" that Tehran would come to the table and said it "should not be taken seriously.

Iran on Sunday threatened US bases in the Middle East after massive air strikes that Washington said had destroyed Tehran's nuclear program, though some officials cautioned that the extent of damage was unclear.

Western powers have repeatedly expressed concerns about the rapid expansion of Iran's nuclear programme, questioning in particular the country's accelerated uranium enrichment.

Trump said that he wanted a "complete give-up" by Iran in return for peace, without elaborating on the outcome he seeks. China accused Trump of "pouring oil" on the conflict.

Images verified by AFP, shot by a social media user from an overpass, showed near immobile traffic on a Tehran highway heading north with almost no vehicles in the opposite lane.

Israel's military said its air force hit Mashhad airport in Iran's far east, making it the longest-range strike of the conflict with the target "approximately 2,300 kilometers (1,430 miles) from Israel".

Following decades of enmity and conflict by proxy, it is the first time that Israel and Iran have traded fire with such intensity, with fears of a prolonged conflict engulfing the region.

Air raids sirens and explosions rang out across Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to the airwaves to warn he expected "several waves of Iranian attacks" in response.

The talks, which began in April, are the highest-level contact between the foes since the United States quit the 2015 nuclear accord during President Donald Trump's first term.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that Tehran has no objection to US companies operating in the country, including in the oil and gas sector.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Saturday, his ministry said, days before US President Donald Trump begins a regional tour.

Muscat, Oman - The United States and Iran went into detail about a potential nuclear deal Saturday at their third consecutive round of talks, hoping to strike an accord that would ease regional tensions. US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi again led the talks, which...

Western countries including the United States have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons - an allegation Tehran has consistently denied, insisting that its programme is for peaceful civilian purposes.

"I sent them a letter just recently, and I said: you have to make a decision, one way or the other, and we either have to talk and talk it out or very bad things are going to happen to Iran," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Iran will conduct a "thorough assessment" before responding to US President Donald Trump's letter urging nuclear talks and warning of possible military action if Tehran refuses, the foreign ministry said Thursday. "The letter was received last night and is currently being reviewed," ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told the official IRNA...

Tehran, Iran - Hidden behind imposing brick walls in the heart of Tehran, a brewery that used to make Iranian beer has been transformed into a hub for contemporary art. The ambitious restoration of the derelict Argo factory has made it "one of the most beautiful buildings of Tehran", said...

Tehran, Iran - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday dismissed a proposal by the United States to displace Palestinians from the war-devastated Gaza Strip, saying it "will go nowhere". Khamenei made the remarks during a meeting in Tehran with Ziyad al-Nakhalah, leader of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad....

In 2015, Iran struck a landmark deal with the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia to regulate its nuclear programme in return for the easing of international sanctions. However, in 2018, during his first term, Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the agreement and reinstated heavy sanctions...

Tehran, Iran - Iran will consider any request from its Syrian ally for troops to help tackle a sweeping rebel offensive in the north, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday. "If the Syrian government asks us to send forces to Syria, we will study their request," Araghchi said in an...

Araghchi said the "necessary measures" were taken when the attack unfolded, adding that he had been in contact with military officials and that "messages were also exchanged with different parties" whom he did not name. The foreign minister emphasised in his remarks that the Islamic republic has the "right to...

Iran unlikely to escalate situation with Israel, say experts, as UN chief says destruction in Gaza is "shocking". Netanyahu faces opposition to his policies as relatives of Israeli hostages interrupt his speech.

Israel has intensified its attacks against Lebanon striking emergency services and professionals - a possible war crime. Several hospitals in Lebanon shut down after severe damage from violent Israeli attacks.

Ayatollah's rare address in Arabic follows Iran's second-ever direct attack on Israel; rallies held in Jordan and Bahrain in support of Hamas, Hezbollah.

Oil prices shoot up as Biden suggests that Israel might target Iranian oil facilities, while GCC Arab states, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, reassure Iran of neutrality in the conflict between Tehran and Israel.

An Israeli strike on Beirut Friday killed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah that has been armed and financed by the Islamic republic for years."We have not received any request in this regard from any side, on the contrary, we are informed and are sure that...

Rarely seen in public, Nasrallah enjoyed cult status among his supporters and was the only man in Lebanon with the power to wage war or make peace.

A blast caused by a gas leak at an Iranian coal mine has killed at least 51 people, state media said Sunday, in one of the country's deadliest work accidents in years. "The number of dead workers increased to 51" in the explosion at the Tabas mine in eastern Iran,...

The vessel had departed from Iraq and was destined for a port near Athens, carrying 150,000 metric tons of crude oil, according to the European Union's Red Sea naval mission, Aspides. The EU naval force, formed in February to protect merchant vessels from attacks by the Houthis, warned last week...

Iran's army in May similarly said it had found no evidence of criminal activity in the crash that also killed Raisi's foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. "The case of the crash of Ayatollah Raisi's helicopter has been fully completed by the regulatory and security institutions," Fars reported.

Expectations of US interest rate cuts weakened the dollar, while oil prices tumbled as weak Chinese demand expectations offset turmoil in the Middle East, according to traders. Gold rose to a record high of $2,500.16 an ounce as investors snapped up the haven investment in the face of an increasingly likely...

Biden called King Abdullah II of Jordan, which helped down Iranian drones and missiles in an earlier showdown in April, while Blinken called top officials in Qatar and Egypt, the key intermediaries seeking a ceasefire in the 10-month Israel-Hamas war.

Khamenei, who has the final say in Iran's political affairs, said after Haniyeh's death that it was "our duty to seek revenge for his blood as he was martyred in the territory of the Islamic republic of Iran". The Hamas leader was in Tehran for the inauguration ceremony of newly...