Iran

Top events that shaped the world

The year 2022 is coming to an end and a lot has happened that shaped the world in the year. Let's have a look at some of these significant events

Iran 'successfully' tests kamikaze drone with 50-kg warhead: Official

An Iranian official said Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has successfully tested a homemade long-range, high-precision kamikaze drone equipped with a 50-kg warhead

Will Saudi-Iran accord have a domino effect and stabilize the Middle East?

It looks like the bloody war in Yemen, where the Iranians backed the rebel Houthis and Saudi Arabia the internationally recognized government, will come to an end

Iran says won't hesitate to give 'decisive response' to Israeli threat

Iran's envoy to the United Nations said Iran will not hesitate to give a "decisive response" to any threat from Israel, state media reported.

Saudi, Iranian FMs meet in China, signaling warming of ties after 7 years

The foreign ministers of long-time Middle Eastern rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran met in Beijing on Thursday, taking another step toward reconciliation after seven years of tension. The meeting came a month after the two countries agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies by May. The deal was brokered by Beijing. It represents a major diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf Arab states perceive the United States slowly withdrawing from the wider Middle East. It also comes as diplomats have been trying to end a long war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia are deeply entrenched. The rapprochement lowers the chance of armed conflict between the Mideast rivals both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region On Thursday morning, Saudi Arabia's state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV showed Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian shaking hands and sitting side by side. Iran's state TV said the two ministe

Suspected Iranian drone strike kills US contractor in Syria: Pentagon

A US contractor was killed and five US service members and one other US contractor were wounded when a suspected Iranian drone struck a facility on a coalition base in northeast Syria on Thursday, the Pentagon said. In a statement released late Thursday, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said US Central Command forces retaliated with precision airstrikes against facilities in eastern Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The Defence Department said the intelligence community had determined the unmanned aerial vehicle was of Iranian origin. The airstrikes were conducted in response to today's attack as well as a series of recent attacks against Coalition forces in Syria" by groups affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, Austin said. Overnight, videos on social media purported to show explosions in Syria's Deir Ez-Zor, a strategic province that borders Iraq and contains oil fields. Iran-backed militia groups and Syrian forces control the area, which also has

Iran seeks crude oil export to India, execution of Chabahar port project

Iran on Friday strongly pitched for faster implementation of the Chabahar port project as well as use of the facility by India to send various shipments saying the key transit hub will benefit both the countries. Iranian Ambassador Iraj Elahi also sought resumption of import of crude oil by India from Iran while citing New Delhi not succumbing under pressure by the Western powers to not continue procurement of petroleum products from Russia following the Ukraine crisis. India stopped procurement of crude oil from Iran after the US did not continue with sanction waivers to India and several other countries. "We believe that India is and was strong and powerful to stand against the pressure of the West... India is a rising power. India has a powerful economy. So India could easily resist pressure from the US and the West," the ambassador told a group of journalists. Citing India's resistance against pressure to not buy oil from Russia, Elahi hoped that New Delhi would soon start ...

We advocate dialogue to resolve differences: India on Iran-Saudi pact

Days after rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran signed a China-brokered agreement to revive diplomatic ties, India on Thursday welcomed the pact saying it has always advocated dialogue and diplomacy to resolve differences. The two countries announced the full-fledged restoration of their diplomatic relations, seven years after severing them following a bitter row. "We have seen the reports in this regard. India has good relations with various countries in West Asia. We have deep abiding interests in that region," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. He was asked to comment on the pact. "India has always advocated dialogue and diplomacy as a way to resolve differences," Bagchi said without mentioning China's role. India has been having good relations with both Saudi Arabia and Iran. Asked about the next round of China-India military talks, he said there was a commitment by both sides at the last diplomatic dialogue to hold the Corps Commander level talks at an early

Agreement with Saudi Arabia will help end Yemen's war, says Iran

Iran's mission to the United Nations says a breakthrough agreement with Saudi Arabia restoring bilateral relations will help bring a political settlement to Yemen's yearslong war, Iranian state media reported on Sunday. Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed Friday to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies after seven years of tensions that brought the two regional powerhouses to the brink of conflict and fuelled tensions across the region. Soon after exploding in 2014, Yemen's conflict turned into a proxy war between Saudi Arabia, which led a military coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognized government, and Iran, which has aided the country's Houthi rebels. Iran has long been accused by western governments and U.N. experts of providing weapons to the Houthis. Western militaries have repeatedly intercepted Yemen-bound ships carrying Iranian weapons in the Red Sea. Tehran has denied the accusations of arming the Houthis. China mediated the major diplomatic ...

Tunisia welcomes decision as Saudi Arabia, Iran move ahead to resume ties

Tunisia welcomed the decision by Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume diplomatic ties, the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said

Amid renewed Iran-Saudi ties, here are nations that could be impacted by it

A deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to resume diplomatic ties has wide-reaching effects across the Middle East and beyond, and reduces the chance of armed conflict between regional rivals. Here's a look at some of the countries that could be affected by the deal, struck this week in China: YEMEN: Both Saudi Arabia and Iran are deeply embroiled in Yemen's yearslong civil war. Saudi Arabia entered the conflict in 2015, backing the country's exiled government, while Iran has backed the Houthi rebels who in 2014 seized the capital, Sanaa. Diplomats have been seeking a way to end the conflict, which has spawned one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters and turned into a proxy war between Riyadh and Tehran. The Saudi-Iran deal may provide a boost to efforts to end the conflict. LEBANON: Iran long has backed the powerful Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah, while Saudi Arabia has backed the country's Sunni politicians. Easing tensions between Riyadh and Tehran could see the two push f

Iran, Saudi Arabia agree to reestablish diplomatic ties with China's help

Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed on Friday to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after seven years of tensions between the Mideast rivals. The major diplomatic breakthrough negotiated with China lowers the chance of armed conflict between the nations both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region. The deal, struck in Beijing this week amid its ceremonial National People's Congress, represents a major diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf Arab states perceive the United States slowly withdrawing from the wider Middle East. It also comes as diplomats have been trying to end a years long war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia are deeply entrenched. The two countries released a joint communique on the deal with China, which brokered the agreement. Chinese state media did not immediately report the agreement. Iranian state media posted images and video it described as being taken in China of the meeting. It showed Ali Shamkhani, the .

US applies more sanctions over Iran shadow banking, drone network

The United States on Thursday announced more sanctions against people and firms associated with Iran and with what it said was an illicit banking network used to conceal transactions. The U.S. said it placed the penalties on 39 firms linked to a shadow banking system that helped to obfuscate financial activity between sanctioned Iranian firms and their foreign buyers, namely for petrochemicals produced in Iran. The Treasury Department said the companies from Hong Kong to the United Arab Emirates made up a significant shadow banking' network that gave cover to sanctioned Iranian entities to disguise petrochemical sales with foreign customers. Today's action demonstrates the United States' commitment to enforcing our sanctions and our ability to disrupt Iran's foreign financial networks, which it uses to launder funds, Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a written statement that the U.S. will continue to disrupt attempts to evade

Iran blames US 'miscalculation, wrong policy' for nuclear talks impasse

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian blamed the US "miscalculation and wrong policy" for causing the current stalemate on the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal

Iran's currency hits new low amid anti-government protests

Iran's currency fell to a record low against the dollar on Sunday, with nationwide anti-government protests now in their fifth month. A breakdown in negotiations to restore Tehran's nuclear deal has also hurt the value of the rial. Traders in Tehran were exchanging the rial at around 600,000 to the dollar on Sunday, after the currency plunged further from 500,000 rials for USD 1 on Wednesday. Iran's currency was trading at 32,000 rials to the dollar at the time of the 2015 nuclear accord that lifted international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for tight controls on Iran's nuclear programme. It was trading at 100 rials to the dollar in 1979 when the Islamic Revolution the West-back monarchy of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Iran's statistics centre said last week that the inflation rate reached 53.4 in January. It was 41.4 in January 2021, two years ago. Iran has been gripped by nationwide protests since September. Demonstrations broke out following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amin

Iran just shy of a nuclear bomb, enriched uranium at 84% purity: IAEA

The development comes as Iran is increasingly isolated from the West and nuclear talks with world powers remain suspended

Delhi Metro clears pre-qualification tender process for Bahrain Metro

Delhi Metro has qualified for the pre-qualification tender process for an international consultancy project to construct the phase-1 of Bahrain Metro, the DMRC said on Monday. The DMRC is bidding for this project which involves construction of around a 30-km network with 20 stations, officials said. In view of this, the Delhi Metro on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BEML Limited, the DMRC said in a statement. As a part of this MoU, the BEML will be responsible for manufacturing and supplying of rolling stock and the DMRC will provide expertise in the fields of project development, budgeting and facilitating development of contractual obligations for the Bahrain Metro Project, it said. The MoU was signed by Saleem Ahmed, Executive Director (Last Mile Connectivity), Delhi Metro and D S Ganesh, General Manager (Marketing), BEML in the presence of Vikas Kumar, Managing Director, DMRC and Amit Banerjee, Chairman and Managing Director, BEML. "The Delhi Metro has qualif

Iran sees widespread protests in weeks over govt's execution of two men

Protesters in Iran marched through the streets of multiple cities overnight in the most widespread demonstration in weeks amid the monthslong unrest that's gripped the Islamic Republic, online videos purported to show Friday. The demonstrations, marking 40 days since Iran executed two men on charges related to the protests, show the continuing anger in the country. The protests, which began over the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the country's morality police, have since morphed into one of the most serious challenges to Iran's theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Videos showed demonstrations in Iran's capital, Tehran, as well as in the cities of Arak, Isfahan, Izeh in Khuzestan province and Karaj, the group Human Rights Activists in Iran said. The Associated Press could not immediately verify the videos, many of which had been blurred or showed grainy nighttime scenes. In Iran's western Kurdish regions, online videos shared by the Hengaw .

China, Iran urge Afghanistan to end work related restrictions on women

China and Iran have urged mutual neighbour Afghanistan to end restrictions on women's work and education. The call came in a joint statement Thursday issued at the close of a visit to Beijing by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during which the two sides affirmed close economic and political ties and their rejection of Western standards of human rights and democracy. Since taking over Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban has banned women and girls from universities and schools after the sixth grade and forced out those in elected offices and other prominent positions. The two sides ... called on the Afghan rulers to form an inclusive government in which all ethnic groups and political groups actually participate, and cancel all discriminatory measures against women, ethnic minorities and other religions," the statement said, adding that the US and its NATO allies should be responsible for the current situation in Afghanistan." The US had backed Afghanistan's elected government ..

We will resume talks soon to normalise ties with Saudi Arabia: Iranian FM

Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks on Sunday at a joint press conference with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani following their meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran