Middle East

Iran denies requesting meeting with US, state media reports

US President Donald Trump's Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff said he would meet with Iranian diplomats "next week or so."

 Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaee speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, October 21, 2024.

Iran's president accuses Israel of assassination attempt, says Tehran open to dialogue with US

 Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Ilam, Iran, June 12, 2025.

Two crew wounded, two missing after second attack on ship off Yemen

 Greek-flagged bulk cargo vessel Sea Champion is docked to the port of Aden, Yemen to which it arrived after being attacked in the Red Sea in what appears to have been a mistaken missile strike by Houthi militia, February 21, 2024.

GHF slams Reuters over 'false, so-called' document of Gazan relocation, 'deradicalization plan'

 Palestinians collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 5, 2025.

The hit that wasn’t: When Saddam Hussein offered to kill Khomeini and the Shah said no

This decision, made quietly, cautiously, and with the best of intentions, reshaped the fate of a nation and the entire region.

 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L) who became Iran's first Supreme Leader after the Islamic Revolution and Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who offered the Shah of Iran to dispose of the cleric

Rabbi Hier: ‘This is a phenomenal time to bring Azerbaijan into the Abraham Accords’

Ahead of Netanyahu’s White House visit, a leading US rabbi urges adding Azerbaijan to the Abraham Accords as a key ally to deter Iran and spark wider Muslim participation.

Flag of Azerbaijan

Why does the BRICS meeting matter for the Middle East? - analysis

The group of countries is concerned about escalation in the Middle East, saying they "condemn the military strikes againstIran ... which constitutse a violation of international law."

 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends the BRICS Summit, at the Museum of Modern Art (MAM) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil July 6, 2025.

'It struck us like lightning': Crew of Greek ship hit off Yemeni coast safe, vessel risks sinking

Sunday's assault off the southwest coast of Yemen was the first such incident reported in the vital shipping corridor since mid-April.

 A bridge crane damaged by Israeli air strikes is pictured in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen July 31, 2024.

'The tide may finally be turning': Hezbollah under pressure as US envoy arrives - analysis

Syria Envoy Tom Barrack has moved quickly to increase US ties to the new Syrian government. He has travelled around the region and is the US Ambassador to Turkey as well.

 Tom Barrack speaks with members of the press at Trump Tower in New York City, U.S. January 10, 2017.

Admitting defeat? Why Hamas officials say the terror group 'lost control' of Gaza - analysis

Why would a high-ranking member of the Hamas terrorist group suddenly decide to leak these key details on the same day that ceasefire talks are ongoing?

Palestinian Hamas terrorists keep guard on the day Hamas handed over deceased hostages in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip February 20, 2025.

France concerned over citizen missing in Iran, minister says

French media reported that the man was an 18-year-old who had been on a cycling trip in the region but went missing a few days after Israeli planes struck targets in Iran.

People demonstrate in solidarity with anti-government protests in Iran near the Iranian embassy in Paris, France, January 6, 2018.

'No stopping a civil war against Hamas,' Gaza militia chief Abu Shabab tells KAN

This follows an earlier interview with Army Radio, where Abu Shabab denied working with Israel but added that he hadn't ruled out cooperating with the IDF on aid distribution in the future.

 Gaza militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab with the backdrop of the Gaza Strip.

Twelve Turkish soldiers killed by gas exposure during cave search in Iraq

The incident took place during a mission to locate the remains of a Turkish soldier killed by the PKK. Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM party will meet with Erdogan to discuss a peace process with the PKK.

An Iraqi federal police officer stands outside a tunnel, which was used by Islamic State terrorists, in Mosul, Iraq, February 4, 2017.

'Security situation has completely collapsed': Hamas has lost 80% of its control over Gaza- report

“Let’s be realistic here, there’s barely anything left of the security structure. Most of the leadership, about 95%, are now dead,” the Hamas official told the BBC."

 Members of Hamas with the backdrop of the Gaza Strip, amid reports that Hamas has lost control of much of its territory.