Iran

It could be difficult for Saudi Arabia and its allies to fully replace lost Iranian barrels once oil-related US sanctions on the latter come into effect from November, analysts tell Gulf News. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman told Bloomberg in an interview during the weekend that the kingdom …

India will buy 9 million barrels of Iranian oil in November, two industry sources said, indicating that the world’s third-biggest oil importer is to continue purchasing crude from the Islamic republic despite US sanctions coming into force on November 4. “Refiners have placed November nominations to lift 1.25 million tonnes …

Former US secretary of defense Chuck Hagel says the limited number of American troops in northeastern Syria can do nothing to drive Iranian forces out of the Arab country. “The US doesn’t even control half of Syria. You’ve got 2,000 [US] troops up in the northeast corner. I mean, come on, you’re …

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they have fired missiles at eastern Syria targeting the ringleaders of the deadly attack on a military parade in Ahvaz. A statement said “many terrorists” were killed or injured in the strikes. Iranian state television suggested that the missiles hit an area close to the border …

Clandestine nuclear dumping. Concealing atomic material near a rug-cleaning plant. Lying to international partners. Accusing Iran of all of the above, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu fired a new salvo Thursday in his campaign to prove that Tehran can’t be trusted and poses a massive threat to international security. In response, …

Iran’s president said on Thursday that the U.N. Security Council meeting chaired by President Donald Trump the previous day reflected America’s increasing isolation among the international community. “Nobody backed the United States, putting America into a unique historical and political isolation,” said Hassan Rouhani, speaking to reporters at Tehran’s airport …

The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has said Israel will be sorry if it continues to attack Syria’s army and its allies. Iran and Russia have both backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a seven-year war against rebels. But Israel, increasingly concerned that its enemy Iran may establish …

The deputy head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned U.S. and Israeli leaders on Monday to expect a “devastating” response from Iran, accusing them of involvement in Saturday’s attack on a military parade in the city of Ahvaz that killed 25 people. “You have seen our revenge before … You will …

Injured soldiers lie on the ground at the scene of an attack on a military parade that was marking the anniversary of the outbreak of its devastating 1980-1988 war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, Ahvaz, Khuzestan, September 22. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday that an unnamed U.S.-allied country in the …

Iran has written to fellow Opec members to complain that some countries are conducting oil production policy unilaterally, laying bare fissures in the group as officials prepare to meet in Algiers. While Iran avoids naming names, the letter is clearly aimed at Saudi Arabia, the largest producer in the Opec+ …

Gunmen have opened fire on an Iranian military parade in the south-western city of Ahvaz, killing at least 24 people, including civilians, and injuring more than 50, state media say. The attackers shot from a park near the parade and were wearing military uniforms, reports say. An anti-government Arab group, …

Iran said it will veto any Opec decision that harms the Islamic Republic and warned that some oil producers are trying to create an alternative suppliers’ forum that supports US policies hostile to the government in Tehran. Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said the agreement that the Organisation of Petroleum …

Israel attacked Damascus International Airport with missiles Saturday night, Syrian state media said, adding that air defenses shot down some of them. A war monitoring group said the attack targeted an arms depot for Iranian forces or Lebanon’s Hezbollah group. Explosions during the attack were heard across Damascus. The state …

By Sajad Abedi*   After the intensification of violence and unrest in Basra, the Joint Operations Command in Iraq, while calling this “turbulence,” instructed the country’s security forces to deal with the rigors of demonstrations in Basra decisively. Meanwhile, some security forces are said to have been deployed to Basra …

Iran is starting to store oil on its fleet of supertankers again as impending US sanctions force the Arabian Gulf country to revive a strategy it deployed under previous curbs. The build-up of crude in floating storage offshore Iran signals the effectiveness of the new sanctions imposed by US President …

Hassan Rouhani of Iran, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of TurkeyHassan Rouhani of Iran, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey by Seyed Hossein Mousavian* — As the military phase of the Syrian conflict reaches its final stages, the leaders of Russia, Iran, and …

Oil is expected to remain volatile this quarter, and the next, as different factors pull prices in opposite directions, analysts say. On the supply side, sanctions on Iranian crude exports, and deeper production losses in Venezuela, are expected to push prices upwards but increased output from Organisation of the Petroleum …

Giza Criminal Court sentenced four people to 14 years in prison over charges including deliberately murdering prominent Shia Muslim leader Hassan Shahata, and three other Shias in 2013. The case is known in media as the “Shia strife.” The defendants carried Molotov cocktails, sticks and bladed weapons, and headed to …

US President Donald Trump’s top two envoys were expected Thursday to press India not to buy Russian military equipment or Iranian oil, while seeking to bolster ties as China grows more assertive in the region. The “2+2” meeting in New Delhi of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense …

By Sajad Abedi*   Transformation in diplomacy, like the transformation of other international scenes of international relations, has not stopped at a specific point, and whenever the global structure of transformed diplomacy has changed. Throughout history, various forms of diplomacy have been observed between countries and governments. This development is …

Iran said Monday that it had agreed to a deal to deepen military cooperation with Syria, reaffirming its intention to remain in the country despite moves by the U.S. and its allies to contain Tehran’s military reach. Iran and Syria reached the deal following meetings Sunday between their defense ministers …

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Monday urged the remaining signatories to its 2015 nuclear agreement to act to save the pact, although France’s leader called again for broader talks on Tehran’s missile program and its role in the Middle East region. In a phone call to French President Emmanuel Macron, Rouhani said Iran wanted the Europeans …

Currency crises occur when central banks cannot defend the official exchange rates, and recently taking centre stage as two countries in the region saw their currencies depreciate greatly. The two currencies in question are the Iranian rial and the Turkish lira. So, what happened? Countries support their national currencies by …

Kuwait and Iraq will soon appoint consultants to study the development of shared oilfields, Kuwaiti Oil Minister Bakhit Al Rashidi said on Wednesday. Production from cross-border oilfields has long been a source of tension between the two Opec nations. In the build-up to Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait, Baghdad accused …

Iran’s oil minister said on Monday that France’s Total has officially left Iran after the United States threatened to impose sanctions on companies that do business in the country, Iranian state TV reported. “The process to replace [Total] with another company is underway,” Bijan Zanganeh was quoted as saying, adding …

China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) is expected to take the lead on a $5 billion (Dh18.36 billion) project to develop Iran’s share of the world’s biggest gas deposit, taking over from France’s Total SA, which halted operations after US President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on the country. State-owned CNPC, which …

Iran and four ex-Soviet nations, including Russia, agreed in principle on Sunday how to divide up the potentially huge oil and gas resources of the Caspian Sea, paving way for more energy exploration and pipeline projects. However, the delimitation of the seabed — which has caused most disputes — will …

Crude oil prices rose more than 1.0 per cent on Friday as US sanctions against Iran looked set to tighten supply, but futures contracts posted a weekly decline as investors worried that global trade disputes could slow economic growth and hurt demand for energy. Benchmark Brent crude oil settled 74 …

The European Union says the international community has an obligation to maintain economic relations with Iran, despite the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from a multilateral deal with the Islamic Republic that could hamper such relations. Referring to a 2015 deal between Iran and originally six world powers, EU foreign policy …

The first round of U.S. nuclear sanctions on Iran snapped back into place on Monday, and although it pales in comparison to a raft of penalties yet to come, experts say it sends a clear signal that Washington is willing to pummel the Iranian economy. President Donald Trump gave banks …

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard is expected to soon begin a major naval exercise that could demonstrate its ability to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial conduit for global energy supplies, US officials say. The exercise in the Persian Gulf could begin as soon as the next two days, …

Iranian lawmakers have given President Hassan Rouhani one month to appear before parliament to answer questions on his government’s handling of Iran’s economic struggles, state media reported on Wednesday. It is the first time parliament has summoned Rouhani, who is under pressure from hardline rivals to change his cabinet following …

A top-ranking commander of the Iranian special forces issued a direct threat to President Donald Trump over the outcome of war between the two countries. Major General Qassim Soleimani, who leads a special forces unit of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, has been quoted as stating that if the U.S. attacks …

Iranians on Monday shrugged off the possibility that a bellicose exchange of words between President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart could escalate into military conflict, but expressed growing concern America’s stepped-up sanctions could damage their fragile economy. In his latest salvo, Trump tweeted late on Sunday that hostile threats …

President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Iran of consequences “the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered,” if it threatens the United States. “NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE,” he said …

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared that al-Quds [Jerusalem] will remain the capital of Palestine, during a meeting with organisers and officials of Iran’s Hajj organisation in Teheran on Monday. “The satanic and filthy policy that the US has adopted regarding Palestine, and termed the ‘deal of the century’, …

A Belgian husband and wife of Iranian origin have been charged with plotting to bomb a rally held last week in France by an exiled Iranian opposition group, the Belgian authorities said on Monday. The suspects, identified only as Amir S., 38, and Nasimeh N., 33, were arrested on Saturday …

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude exporter, will raise security at its oil facilities after Bahrain blamed Iran for a fire at a pipeline that connects the two Arab allies. Iran denied that it was involved. The plan to step up security was reported by Al-Arabiya television Saturday, citing the …

A US Navy ship fired warning shots at an armed Iranian patrol boat Tuesday in the northern end of the Persian Gulf, according to two US defense officials. The Iranian boat is believed to have been operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to a defense official familiar with …

France wasted no time in rebuilding its economic ties with Iran since international sanctions were lifted as part of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. In early 2016 — just after the sanctions began to roll back — France made deals with Iran to sell Airbus commercial jets, return carmaker Peugeot …

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — European airplane manufacturer ATR said Thursday it sealed a $536-million sale with Iran Air for at least 20 aircraft, the latest aviation firm to strike a deal following Iran’s nuclear accord with world powers. ATR spokesman David Vargas confirmed the finalized deal for the 20 ATR …

The Levant News — IranAir may get its first new Boeing jetliner a year earlier than expected under a deal to take jets originally bought by cash-strapped Turkish Airlines, Iranian media and industry sources said. Iran had been expected to receive the first of 80 aircraft ordered from the U.S. …

The Levant News — Syrian peace talks in Kazakhstan closed on Wednesday without any substantive negotiations taking place, after rebels boycotted the meeting that took place as a deadly double suicide bombing marked the start of the civil war’s seventh year. The only concrete outcome from the third round of …

The Levant News – Describing China as a friend to both Saudi Arabia and Iran, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday he hopes both countries can resolve their differences through talks, ahead of a visit by the Saudi king to China. China has traditionally played little role in …