Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia can play a key role in the Middle East as it has good relations with Iran and the Arab world, he told Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV in an interview broadcast Sunday. He also said Iran’s missile program should be dealt with as a separate matter to its...

Turkish foreign minister on Saturday said his country is not afraid of any sanctions against it.  “If Turkey were afraid of sanctions, we would not have started this operation [in northern Syria]. This is a vital national security issue for us,” Cavusoglu told Germany’s public...

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was heading to Iran Sunday following a request from the United States and Saudi Arabia for him to try to defuse rising tensions in the Gulf. Khan's office said his visit was part of an initiative "to promote peace and security in the region", and that he...

France and Cyprus are conducting naval maneuvers off Cyprus as the east Mediterranean island nation is embroiled in a tense dispute with Turkey over offshore gas drilling. Two French frigates heading to Syria plan to take part in "routine" exercises in Cypriot waters this weekend, a French...

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi has ordered the formation of an investigation panel into deadly protests that left dozens dead and injured thousands this month.  In a Saturday statement, Abdul-Mahdi said the committee will seek to bring those responsible for the death of...

Iran vowed on Saturday not to let an attack on one of its oil tankers off the coast of Saudi Arabia to go unanswered, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported. Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said clues had been uncovered as to who was behind what he...

Iraq's deadliest wave of protests since the 2003 ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein has made the country vulnerable to a battle for influence between its two main competing allies, the United States and Iran, analysts say. The anti-government protests that erupted on October 1 echoed the...

Waving flags and snapping selfies, thousands of Iranian women on Thursday attended a football match freely for the first time in decades, after FIFA threatened to suspend the country over its controversial stadium restrictions. Elated female fans wore the national green, white and red flag...

Either all Gulf countries enjoy security, "or they will all be deprived of it," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Thursday in an opinion piece in the Kuwaiti Al Rai newspaper. Saudi Arabia, which is locked in several proxy wars in the region with arch foe Iran, has blamed...

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that Iran could have taken the step to develop nuclear weapons but will not because their use is "haram", or forbidden in Islam. "Although we could have taken steps on this path, based on Islamic ruling we firmly and bravely said we won't...

Calm prevailed in Iraq on Wednesday after a week of anti-government protests left dozens dead, prompting the United States to call on the country's government to exercise "maximum restraint". In Baghdad -- the second most populous Arab capital -- normal life has gradually resumed since...

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday the US military becoming involved in the Middle East was the "worst decision ever made" and that he was ensuring the safe return of troops. Trump has faced a bipartisan storm of criticism since a surprise announcement by the White House on Sunday...

Iraq had its calmest night since anti-government protests began more than a week ago over corruption and unemployment. At least 110 people have been killed and more than 6,000 wounded, in the capital Baghdad and the south, since the security forces started cracking down on the...

 Thousands of Iranian women fans are to attend a football match freely Thursday for the first time in decades, after FIFA threatened to suspend the country over its controversial male-only policy. The Islamic republic has barred female spectators from football and other stadiums for...

Iran’s foreign minister was quoted on Tuesday as signalling his country would be willing to sit down to discuss regional issues with Saudi Arabia, but that Riyadh had to stop “killing people”. Saudi Arabia, which is locked in several proxy wars in the region with arch foe Iran, has blamed...

Israeli minister and former member of Knesset (Parliament) along with dozens of Jewish settlers on Tuesday forced their way into East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque complex accompanied by Israeli police, read a statement. "More than 230 extremist Jews stormed Al-Aqsa today accompanied by...

 Sanctions have led to Iran's oil industry falling behind but Iran will resist, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said on Tuesday, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency. "The conditions in Iran are in a way that once every few years the oil industry receives a deadly blow...

Since they erupted a week ago, deadly protests in Iraq have been tracked closely in Iran where they are seen as a plot to undermine ties between the neighbours. Tehran has close but complicated relations with Baghdad, holding significant clout among its Shiite political groups. The two...

The United Arab Emirates will lift a ban on its citizens travelling to Lebanon from Tuesday, UAE state news agency WAM said Monday, as a Lebanese delegation visits Abu Dhabi seeking support for its ailing economy. The UAE's close Gulf ally Saudi Arabia said in February it was lifting its...

Iraq's president Barham Salih in a televised speech Monday condemned attacks on both protesters and the media, and urged security forces to preserve the rights of all Iraqis. He also called for ministerial changes and urged parliament to enact reforms, including electoral reform, to address...