Middle East

Iranian Navy announced that it has successfully test-launched short- and long-range missiles in a military exercise in the south of the country. In a military exercise dubbed as ‘brave martyrs of Ramadan’ in the north of the Indian Ocean and Sea of Oman on Thursday, the Navy has test-fired short- …

Nearly 80 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to violence and persecution, marking a near-doubling of global displacement in a decade, the UN said Thursday. By the end of 2019, one out of every 97 people in the world was living uprooted and displaced, according to …

Iran reports 120 new deaths from coronavirus over the past 24 hours, hitting the highest single-day death toll in more than two months. The spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health, Sima Lari, said in a press conference on Wednesday that the new deaths took Iran’s death toll to 9,185. She …

Iran, Russia and China have censured the US for imposing sweeping economic sanctions against Syria, which Washington says are designed to put more pressure on the war-ravage country’s economy and prevent Damascus from achieving victory in the fight against foreign-backed militants.  Speaking at a Security Council meeting on Tuesday, US …

Most Canadians want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to oppose Israel’s illegal plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, according to a new poll released ahead of a vote on Canada’s bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The poll, conducted by EKOS Research …

The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced, on Wednesday, the start of the second military operation in northern Iraq within two days, which it called “Tiger-Claw”, despite the Iraqi protest. “The operation (Tiger-Claw) has started, as commando units are currently in the Heftanin area,” the ministry said in a Twitter Tweet. …

An Egyptian astronomical institute revealed, today, that an earthquake hit an area in the red sea, 86 km east of Hurghada. In a statement, the National Institute for astronomical Research said that the earthquake occurred at 4 pm, with a magnitude of 5.2, at a depth of 10 km. In …

A World Trade Organization panel ordered Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to adhere to global intellectual property rules in a ruling on a dispute with Qatar which accuses Riyadh of blocking its broadcaster after the Gulf neighbors fell out in 2017. Doha filed its complaint in 2018, saying Saudi Arabia was …

U.N. human rights experts said on Tuesday that Israel’s plan to annex significant parts of the occupied West Bank would violate international law banning the taking of territory by force, and urged other countries to actively oppose it. A joint statement, signed by nearly 50 independent experts, also voiced dismay …

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that the Iranian government is determined to released the country’s frozen assets held abroad. He made the remarks in the economic committee of the administration. “Foreign policy officials and those from the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) are doing their best to unblock …

An Israeli court has sentenced a Palestinian minor to 10 years in prison over an allegation of a stabbing attack against Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem al-Quds last year. On August 15, 2019, Hammouda al-Sheikh, then 14, was shot and seriously wounded by Israeli soldiers at al-Silsila Gate of the al-Aqsa …

Government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Monday that Iran’s nuclear program could be considered as the most transparent program of any kind in the world, calling on IAEA’s Board of Governors to stand up to the US’ bullying. Utilizing political criteria in the mutual consideration of the duties and rights …

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says while the American regime is blatantly violating all norms of international law, its president is urging ordinary people to abide by “law and order” at a time that violent protests are sweeping through the US over police brutality and racial profiling of African Americans. Abbas …

An earthquake with a 5.7 magnitude shook Bingol province in eastern Turkey on Sunday, causing the collapse of a military observation tower which injured three people, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) said the epicenter of the quake was in the Karliova district of …

Saudi Arabia has announced that it will make a decision on whether to cancel this year’s Hajj within a week. The development comes as another major Muslim nation, Malaysia, said that it would prohibit its pilgrims form making Hajj over coronavirus fears. The Financial Times reported that a senior official …

At least three civilians were killed and another wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near al-Abbasiya roundabout in Syrian city of Daraa, New Agency SANA reported on Saturday night. According to the agency, an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by ISIS terrorists near al-Abbasiya roundabout in Daraa al-Balad neighborhood of …

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump still has a good chance of being re-elected thanks to his strong support base, despite his declining support in recent months. “The biggest mistake in human sciences is to predict, especially in fluid and grave conditions. …

Greek navy ship working under Operation Irini tried to check cargo vessel off Libyan coast, but was warned off by its Turkish military escort. A Turkish warship prevented the EU’s new naval mission enforcing the Libya arms embargo from checking a suspect freighter off the war-torn country’s coast, European sources …

Imprisoned Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul has received the Freedom Prize 2020 against a backdrop of a widening crackdown led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman against rights campaigners and intellectuals in the ultra-conservative kingdom. About 5,500 young people from 81 countries voted online in favor of Hathloul, and …

Ethiopia retracted from what had been agreed in Washington to settle the disagreement over the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) said the Egyptian government last Friday. In a series of talks held in Washington mediated by the U.S Treasury Department and the World Bank, Egypt, Ethiopia and …