Middle East

Iran has successfully test-launched its most advanced Khorramshahr-class ballistic missile called Kheibar, a medium-range precision-guided missile that can carry a 1,500 kg warhead. The Khoramshahr 4 missile was unveiled Thursday morning in the presence of Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani during an event marking the 41st anniversary of …

The leader of Turkey’s anti-immigrant Victory Party has endorsed opposition presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, potentially boosting the challenger as he seeks to defeat incumbent President Tayyip Erdogan in the upcoming runoff vote. The head of the nationalist party, Umit Ozdag, who won 2.2 percent of the vote in the May …

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has secured the endorsement of Turkey’s third-placed presidential election candidate, Sinan Ogan, ahead of Sunday’s runoff vote. Ogan’s 5.2% of vote prevented Erdogan from winning outright for the first time in 20 years last week. On Friday, Ogan, called by some analysts a potential “kingmaker,” said …

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi has appointed Brigadier General Ali Akbar Ahmadian as the new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). In a decree issued on Monday, Raeisi, who also serves as the SNSC head, hailed 10 years of service by the body’s former secretary Ali Shamkhani and appointed …

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Swiss Ambassador to Tehran Nadine Olivieri Lozano over her country’s interference in the internal affairs of the Islamic Republic. The Ministry said in a statement issued on Sunday that Ambassador Lozano had been summoned on the grounds that Switzerland had made “unconventional and …

The Lebanese army said on Saturday it had arrested a prominent Al Qaeda leader in Deir Ammar town, northeast of the city of Tripoli. It identified the arrested man only as “T.M.” and said in a statement that the arrest took place on Friday. “T.M. is one of the most …

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has warned of the enemies’ efforts to stoke tensions between Iran and its neighbors. Ayatollah Khamenei touched on Iran’s long borders with many and sometimes important and influential countries, saying the policy of the government to communicate with its neighbors is …

Turkish citizens based abroad began voting on Saturday in Turkey’s presidential runoff election between the incumbent Tayyip Erdogan and his challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who aims to bring an end to the president’s two-decade rule. The runoff election will be held in Turkey on May 28 after Erdogan fell just short …

The Arab League has welcomed Syria’s readmission to the 22-member organization, saying the presence of Damascus in ongoing meetings in the Saudi port city of Jeddah ushers in a new era in the Arab world. Hossam Zaki, the assistant secretary general of the Arab League, made the statement ahead of …

Syria on Monday called on Arab countries to invest in the war-torn nation, now again a member of the Arab League. The appeal from Syria’s economy and trade minister came during an economic conference in Saudi Arabia, ahead of a league summit in the Kingdom. The 22-member Arab League agreed …

The Iraqi President, Abdul Latif Rashid, received an official invitation to participate in the next Arab summit that will be held in Saudi Arabia within days, according to a statement issued by the Iraqi Presidency. The statement illustrated that the invitation was sent from the King of Saudi Arabia, Salman …

The United Arab Emirates has invited Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to attend the COP28 climate summit it is hosting at the end of this year, Syrian state news agency SANA reported on Monday. The invite was extended by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.

Turkey’s High Election Board says incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has garnered 49.4% of votes in the Sunday presidential election, falling short of the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff. With 99% of ballot boxes opened, High Election Board head Ahmet Yener said on Monday Erdogan’s main rival Kemal …

The Israeli occupation forces have fatally shot two Palestinian men and injured seven others in a raid on the Balata refugee camp near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, amid the regime’s relentless aggression against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Information Center said on Saturday that the …

Turkey will hold its crucial presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday, as a united opposition in the country is in a close race with incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The upcoming elections take place while experts consider it unlikely that Sunday’s vote will be definitive. Many expect the process will …

A Palestinian man has been martyred in a fresh Israeli drone strike in the northern sector of the besieged Gaza Strip, raising the overall death toll to 31 on the third day of assassinations in the coastal enclave. Palestinian official news agency Wafa, citing medical sources at Indonesian Hospital in …

A new Israeli airstrike into the besieged Gaza Strip has left at least three Palestinians martyred and 10 injured as a surge in Israeli violence persists. According to Press TV, on Friday, the Israeli airstrike hit an apartment in Gaza City’s Al-Nasr neighborhood. Earlier in the day, Israeli warplanes bombed …

A bipartisan group of American lawmakers have introduced a bill that will prohibit the United States from normalizing diplomatic relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government and levy further sanctions on the regional countries resuming their ties with Damascus, amid Washington’s indignation about Syria’s readmission to the Arab League. The …

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz has invited Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad to attend an Arab League summit scheduled to be held in Jeddah next week. Syrian media reported on Wednesday that the May 19 summit “will enhance joint Arab action to achieve the aspirations of the Arab peoples.” Saudi Ambassador …

Top diplomats from Iran, Turkey, Russia and Syria have wrapped up their landmark summit on the Syrian conflict in Moscow, underscoring the Arab country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and setting up a roadmap to improve strained ties between Damascus and Ankara. The Foreign Ministers made the remarks in a final communiqué …