Author: Steven Sahiounie

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on the telephone Wednesday with his United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart to extend condolences for a flood disaster. “Erdogan expressed his sympathy for the flood disaster that took place in the UAE” during the call with Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to a post on X by Türkiye’s Communications Directorate. The Emirati National Center of Meteorology said Tuesday that the UAE saw its heaviest downpour in the last 75 years this week. Weather conditions caused disruptions in transportation to and from airports across the UAE. The National Committee for Emergency Management urged residents…

Israel’s leader has denounced suggestions that areas in Gaza are facing famine after six months of war. Netanyahu “rejected the claims by international organisations about famine in Gaza”, his office said. A United Nations-backed report last month said northern Gaza could be hit by famine any time between mid-March and May, and more than 70 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million population face “catastrophic hunger”. Last week, Samantha Power, the director of the US Agency for International Development, said famine was already occurring in northern Gaza. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees defines famine as a situation where a substantial proportion of the…

After failing to condemn or take action against the Israeli attack on Iran’s embassy in Syria, the White House is working on a comprehensive sanctions list targeting Tehran. The United States is planning to impose yet another set of sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran, spurred by Tehran’s latest response to the blatant Israeli attack on Iran’s embassy in Syria. US President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, made the announcement during a press briefing on Tuesday, stating that the US is “coordinating with allies and partners, including the G7, and with bipartisan leaders in Congress, on a comprehensive response.”…

Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Fayssal Mikdad, on Wednesday stressed Syria’s firm stance in support of Iran against the Zionist continued attacks, and Syria’s condemnation of the heinous aggression that targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus. Mikdad, receiving Mr. Kazem GHARIB ABADI, Vice-President of the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran for International Affairs, said that Iran has the right to self-defense against practices of the occupation entity that violate the international law and Vienna diplomatic convention. The Syrian Minister welcomed cooperation between the judiciary bodies in Syria and Iran, affirming the need for intensifying efforts to boost this cooperation…

The foreign minister of Iran called on Japan and the other members of the Group of Seven (G7) to focus their efforts on the establishment of a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, describing the Israeli war on the Palestinian enclave as the root cause of regional crises. In a telephone conversation on Tuesday, Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Japanese counterpart Yoko Kamikawa talked about a range of issues, including Iran’s recent retaliatory operation against the Zionist regime’s military targets, the necessity of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and the significance of maritime security in the region. The top Iranian diplomat highlighted…

Dubai, a world-renowned megalopolis in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been brought to a standstill by an unusually powerful downpour that has hit the typically arid region. Other parts of the country have also been battered by the natural disaster and at least one death has been reported. The UAE government has reported that the country has faced the largest amount of rainfall since local meteorologists began keeping records 75 years ago. With the rain having started on Monday night, by Tuesday evening Dubai was grappling with more than 142mm, over 5.5 inches, of precipitation – the amount that…

The parliament of Georgia has approved the first reading of a foreign agent bill that sparked mass protests in Tbilisi. In a vote on Wednesday that was held without the opposition taking part, 83 lawmakers voted for the controversial draft law, with no votes against. Protests against the bill have been held outside the parliament building since Monday. People have been gathering near the service entrance since midday (9:00 a.m. GMT – TASS), and a large protest is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. local time (4:00 p.m. GMT – TASS) on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has said she would…

The Presidency expressed its denunciation over statements made by US Representative to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, in which she affirmed that “the full membership of Palestine in the United Nations would not help to reach a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.” Greenfield voiced its rejection over gaining Palestine full state membership at the United Nations. The official spokesman for the Palestinian Presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said that the stability of Palestine is the only gateway that leads to stability in the region and the world, noting that the State of Palestine obtained membership in the United Nations General Assembly as…

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says the Islamic Republic’s retaliatory strikes on the Israeli-occupied territories presented a new definition of the balance of power in the West Asia region. Amir-Abdollahian made the statement in a message to Army Chief Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi on the occasion of National Army Day on April 17 as he praised Iran’s defense capabilities and deterrence power in its recent retaliatory operation against the illegal entity. In a multi-pronged attack, dubbed Operation True Promise, Iran launched late on Saturday hundreds of drones and missiles at the occupied territories in response to the regime’s aggression…

Russia has an ongoing dialogue with both Iran and Israel, advocating for a rapid de-escalation in communication with the two countries, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “You know that Russia maintains close contact, we have very constructive working contact with Tehran <…>. We are in contact with Israel, too. The contact is also constructive,” he said. “We have an ongoing dialogue, highlighting the need to ensure de-escalation as soon as possible. We also call on all countries of the region to exercise reasonable restraint,” the Russian presidential spokesman stressed. Peskov mentioned a recent phone call between Russian Foreign Minister…