Author: Steven Sahiounie

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron will work to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East on his first trip to the US in the role, London has said. Cameron, who became the UK’s top diplomat last month in a surprise pick by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, will travel to Washington, DC on Wednesday, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said in a statement on Sunday. Cameron, who previously served as prime minister, will meet with Blinken and both Democratic and Republican members of Congress, with a focus on supporting Ukraine in its battle against Russia, according to the FCDO. Source:…

Recep Tayyip Erdogan to also attend 44th Gulf Cooperation Council Summit on Tuesday during 2-day visit Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will leave for Qatar’s capital Doha on Monday on a two-day visit for high-level talks, according to the Communications Directorate. Erdogan and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani will co-chair the ninth meeting of the Türkiye-Qatar Supreme Strategic Committee. The meeting will review Türkiye-Qatar relations in all aspects and the possibilities for further deepening cooperation. The leaders are expected to exchange views on regional and global issues, including Israeli attacks on Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories. Erdogan…

This marks the first visit by a Cuban president after late leader Fidel Castro, who visited Iran 22 years ago. During his historic visit to Tehran, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel was welcomed warmly by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a ceremony at the Saadabad Historical and Cultural Complex on Monday. At the airport, the Cuban president was welcomed by Iran’s Minister of Health and Medical Education Bahram Einollahi at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport. This marks the first visit by a Cuban president after late leader Fidel Castro, who visited Iran 22 years ago. Both nations have signed documents and memoranda of understanding in an…

Speaking in a joint meeting with Director General of Turkish State Railways Hasan Pezük and General Manager and Chairman of Turkey’s RAILWAYS Company Ufuk Yalçın, Iran’s Deputy Roads Minister Miad Salehi said that transporting one million tons of freight via rail between Tehran and Ankara is on the agenda. During the meeting, the two sides agreed to exchange 200 train cars from Razi Border with the aim of transporting one million tons of freight through rail networks between Iran and Turkey in the next year. Turkey would embark on reconstructing its rail network infrastructure and also remove the problems caused by the reduced water level in Turkey’s…

More than 184,000 tons of non-oil goods, valued at over $101 million, were exported from the Jolfa Customs Office in the first eight months of the previous year (March 21 to November 22, 2022), Mohammad Khalili said. Dried nuts, oil derivatives, construction paint, tiles and ceramics were among the main products exported from the customs office in this period, he stated. Turkey, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iraq, Russia, Georgia, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan were the main countries that imported products via the Jolfa Customs Office, he added. In return, more than 171,000 tons of non-oil commodities, valued at over $507 million,…

The maritime transport situation between Iran and Russia has witnessed considerable growth, especially in recent months, the director general of logistics and transit affairs at Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization said, adding that the Iranian side has considered an eighty percent discount on the tariff of ro-ro ships for accelerating the transport of goods between the two countries. Highlighting the maritime transit capacities between Iran and Russia, Khosro Saraei emphasized that maritime transport between the two countries has witnessed considerable growth in recent months using multimodal transportation. Elsewhere in his remarks, Saraei pointed to visits by Russian delegations to Iran’s northern and southern…

Speaking in the International Conference of Iran’s Sea-Based Economy with a focus on the INSTC, the director general of the PMO Office of transit, logistics and agreements pointed to the latest situation of negotiations with some countries to invest in the INSTC and added, “Since the development of all-out ties with the neighboring states is one of the priorities of the administration of President (Ebrahim) Raisi, constructive talks have been held with the Persian Gulf littoral states and they have shown their interest in using Iranian land to access northern countries.” Concurrently, expert-level talks are being held with the Russian side, so…

Outside a morgue in Khan Younis, resident Samy al-Najeila carried the body of a child. He said he and his sons were preparing to evacuate their home, “but the occupation didn’t give us any time”. Their three-floor building was completely destroyed – “the whole block was totally destroyed”. “Five people are still under the rubble. God help us,” said al-Najeila. Outside a Gaza City hospital, a dust-covered boy named Saaed Khalid Shehta dropped to his knees beside the bloodied body of his little brother, Mohammad, one of several laid out after people said their street was hit by air strikes.…

Pope Francis has said on Sunday that he is sad that the truce in the Gaza Strip had broken, and hoped that those involved reach a new ceasefire agreement as soon as possible. He said the end of the ceasefire meant “death, destruction, misery”, stressing that Gaza lacked even essential supplies. On his official account on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Vatican official said that ‘in Israel and Palestine the situation is serious.’ “I hope that all those involved may reach a new ceasefire agreement as soon as possible and find solutions other than weapons, trying to take courageous paths…

More than 600 foreign nationals and Palestinians with dual nationality in Gaza are expected to be permitted entry into Egypt on Sunday. A list was published by Palestinian border officials bearing the names of those who would be allowed to exit the besieged enclave. More than 300 people on the list are from the US and Canada. There are also a number of Germans, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks and Filipinos. The Rafah border crossing has been opened for almost 900 foreign nationals and those with dual nationality since Israel restarted attacks on Gaza on Friday, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination…