Author: Steven Sahiounie

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has blasted the Israeli regime and its incessant atrocities as the main factor behind expansion of tensions and conflict across the West Asia region. The top diplomat made the remarks during a telephone conversation with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi on Friday. The remarks concerned the regime’s October-present genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, escalated deadly attacks in the occupied West Bank, intensified deadly aggression against Lebanon, and assassination of senior resistance figures throughout the region. As a case in point, Araghchi cited the regime’s constituting the biggest obstacle to conclusion of truce agreement that could bring…

Former Iranian acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani has become a member of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations. In a decree on Saturday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei appointed Bagheri Kani as a member of the council. Bagheri Kani became Iran’s interim foreign minister after his predecessor Hossein Amir-Abdollahian died in a tragic helicopter crash along with President Ebrahim Raeisi and six others on May 19. The Strategic Council on Foreign Relations was established in 2006 as per a decree by Ayatollah Khamenei. According to its website, it is a leading think tank and advisory body…

Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Mohammad Mustafa, held a phone conversation today with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan that discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian territories. The conversation focused on the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank. They also reviewed the outcomes of a recent meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. Mustafa and Prince Faisal emphasized the continued coordination between the State of Palestine and Saudi Arabia to halt the Israeli aggression and the humanitarian crisis…

Russia is not considering exchanging its territory following the attack on the Kursk Region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with RT television. “It is very hard to tell what goal and intent they were pursuing. But political analysts are discussing it now. And even [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky said, he sometimes makes Freudian slips, that they will need this for future exchanges. That’s why they are taking prisoners and want to seize square kilometers. It’s so simple-minded and naive. We do not discuss our territory with anyone. We do not negotiate about our territory,” the minister…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday discussed Israel’s ongoing “genocide” in Palestinian territories, as well as other global and regional issues, in a phone call. “President Erdogan highlighted the importance of the international community increasing pressure on Israel in the face of the crimes against humanity, committed by Israel on the Palestinian territories, Gaza in particular,” the country’s Communications Directorate said on X. During the discussion with bin Salman, Erdogan emphasized the need to stop Israeli attacks and human rights abuses as well as to secure a lasting cease-fire. He also underscored…

More than half of Libya’s oil production, or about 700,000 barrels per day, was offline on Thursday and exports were halted at several ports as a standoff between rival political factions over the central bank and oil revenue threatens to end a four-year period of relative peace. Libya’s National Oil Corp, which controls the country’s oil resources, said on Thursday that the average oil output stood at 591,024 barrels on Wednesday Aug. 28. Libya pumped about 1.18 million bpd in July. Total losses in the past three days following the oilfields closures were at 1,504,733 barrels, worth about $120 million, NOC added. The crisis…

An Indian tax agency has found that British insurer Aviva breached local regulations capping commissions to sales agents with a system of fake invoices and clandestine cash payments, according to a notice seen by Reuters. In an attempt to grow operations, Aviva’s India business paid about $26 million between 2017 and 2023 to entities who purportedly provided marketing and training services, according to the tax notice sent to Aviva, dated Aug. 3. But the vendors, who did not perform any work, were actually a front for channeling funds to Aviva’s agents, said the Directorate General of GST Intelligence, which is…

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has promised to unveil a plan that will make America the world cryptocurrency capital.

The Russian economy is growing at a faster pace than projected, with GDP expected to soar 3.9% this year, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov announced on Friday.

Elon Musk believes that the X social platform will be subjected to the same attacks in the United States as in Brazil, if Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris wins the upcoming presidential election. “The attacks this year on free speech are unprecedented in the 21st century. It will happen in America too if Kamala [and her running mate Tim] Walz gain power,” Musk said on his X page. Previously, Brazil Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes ruled to immediately suspend the operation of the X social platform in the country. The ruling was reportedly issued after Musk refused to appoint…