Middle East

Middle East

Qatar PM sees ‘a bit of progress’ on Gaza truce

Gaza mediator Qatar yesterday said there was some progress in talks in Doha this week aimed at securing a new truce in the Israel-Hamas war.

7h ago

Death toll from blast at Iran's Bandar Abbas port rises to 40

The death toll from a powerful explosion at Iran's biggest port of Bandar Abbas has risen to at least 40, with more than 1,200 people injured, state media reported on Sunday, as firefighters worked to fully extinguish the fire

9h ago

Hamas open to long Gaza truce but not to disarming

Hamas is open to a years-long truce with Israel in Gaza but is not willing to lay down its arms, an official said yesterday, as leaders of the Palestinian Islamist militant group met mediators in Cairo for ceasefire talks.

1d ago

Progress made in nuclear talks

The United States and Iran reported progress in their latest round of nuclear talks yesterday and agreed to meet again next week as they pursue a deal that could help ease soaring Middle East tensions.

1d ago

Huge blast at key Iran port kills 18, hurts hundreds

A powerful explosion ripped through a key port in southern Iran yesterday, killing five people and injuring more than 500, state media said.

1d ago

Iraqi politicians oppose Syrian leader’s possible visit to Baghdad

Several powerful pro-Iran Iraqi politicians have in recent days voiced opposition to a potential visit by Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Iraq for the upcoming Arab League summit.

1w ago

Hunger in Gaza / ‘Deprivation by design’: UN 92 killed by Israel in two days

Israeli strikes killed at least 92 people in the Gaza Strip in the last 48 hours, the health ministry said yesterday, as UN said the tiny Palestinian territory is being subjected to “deprivation by design”.

1w ago

Iran, US end talks in Rome

Iran and the United States yesterday agreed to hold another round of talks next week over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, Iranian state TV reported, as they ended their second round of negotiations in Rome over their decades-long standoff.

1w ago

deterioration of ties with US

Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday called for Asian nations to unite in resisting geopolitical confrontation, unilateralism and protectionism, as he aims to consolidate ties with some of China’s closest neighbours amid a deterioration of relations with the US.

1w ago

Medicine critically low due to Gaza aid block

Medicine stocks are critically low due to the aid block in Gaza, making it hard to keep hospitals even partially operational, the World Health Organization said yesterday.

2w ago

Iran vows ‘good faith’ in nuke talks with US

Iran said yesterday it was giving high-level nuclear talks with the United States today “a genuine chance”, after President Donald Trump threatened bombing if discussions failed.

2w ago

37 more Gazans killed in Israeli strikes

At least 37 people, including a journalist, were killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza yesterday as French President Emmanuel Macron said that he strongly opposes any displacement of Palestinians or annexation in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

2w ago

‘Everything gets mowed down’

Israeli troops flattened farmland and cleared entire residential districts in Gaza to open a “kill zone” around the enclave, according to a report published yesterday that quoted soldiers testifying about the harsh methods used in the operation.

2w ago

Wave of Israeli strikes kill at least 46 in Gaza

A wave of Israeli strikes on Gaza yesterday targeted residential buildings and makeshift tents sheltering forcibly displaced families, killing at least 46 people.

3w ago

Iran rejects US’s direct talks offer

Iran’s top diplomat has dismissed direct negotiations with the United States as pointless over nuclear talks, his office said yesterday.

3w ago

Iran VP fired over Antarctica trip

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian yesterday dismissed his deputy for parliamentary affairs over a costly trip to Antarctica, as the country grapples with hyperinflation amid a biting economic crisis.

3w ago

Israel ‘deliberately’ attacked Gaza aid workers

A video recovered from the cellphone of an aid worker killed in Gaza alongside other rescuers shows their final moments, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, with clearly marked ambulances and emergency lights flashing as heavy gunfire erupts.

3w ago

Israel expands Gaza ‘security zone’

Israel announced the launch of a new ground offensive in Gaza City yesterday, with rescuers saying military operations had killed at least 30 people across the Palestinian territory since dawn.

3w ago