Iran
Russia oil and gas revenues up 40% in May on Iran war pressures
Russia’s oil and gas revenues are expected to jump 39% year on year in May to about RUB700bn ($9.8bn), buoyed by higher global crude prices driven by the conflict involving Iran, according to Reuters calculations published on May 20.
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COMMENT: Did Trump ruin the Abraham Accords?
Trump has seemingly ruined his much hyped Abraham Accords after backing Israel's war on Iran. Now what?
Iran's fertility rate falls to 1.35 as births drop below 900,000
Iran's fertility rate has fallen to 1.35 children per woman, well below the replacement level, with annual births dropping below 900,000 for the first time, the Health Ministry has said.
Iranian stocks edge higher as Tehran reopens bourse after 80-day war shutdown
Tehran Stock Exchange resumed operations with 42 major listed companies, representing about 35% of total market capitalisation, still suspended because of direct war damage or exposure through subsidiaries
Why Afghanistan dreams of opening up Wakhan Corridor, the mountain valley that connects three worlds
Likely once trodden by Alexander the Great and Marco Polo, its potential is fascinating.
Cuba armed with Russian and Iranian drones discussed strikes on US soil, leaked files show
Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones from Russia and Iran since 2023 and held internal discussions about potential strikes on the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay, American naval vessels and possibly Key West, Florida, Axios reported.
Iraqi SIM card trade emerges in Iran's western border regions
A market for Iraqi SIM cards has emerged in towns along Iran's western border as internet restrictions push traders and residents towards foreign mobile networks to reach messaging apps blocked inside the country.
BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: PKK renames itself Apoist Movement Management
Scores of names can be traced back to the 1970s Revolutionaries of Kurdistan.
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Iran's Ghalibaf handed China portfolio in signal of deepening Beijing tilt
Iran has placed parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in charge of relations with China, in a move described as a step to deepen ties with Tehran's most important strategic partner, academic Mohammad Marandi has said.
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Drone strike sparks fire at UAE's Barakah nuclear plant as IAEA voices concern
A drone strike has sparked a fire on the perimeter of the UAE's Barakah nuclear power plant, prompting the IAEA to express "grave concern", though authorities said radiation levels remain normal and operations were unaffected.
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COMMENT: The Oslo playbook returns to the Middle East
Norway has become the only NATO country still talking to Tehran. It is doing so for reasons that are partly diplomatic, partly mercantile, and with echos of the original Oslo accord of the 1990s.
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Iran's digital economy loses up to IRR7 quadrillion in 70 days of internet disruption
Iran's digital economy has suffered losses of between IRR3 quadrillion and IRR7 quadrillion ($1.66bn to $3.88bn) over roughly 70 days of internet disruption.
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Saudi Arabia floats non-aggression pact with Iran modelled on Helsinki accords
Saudi Arabia is discussing with allies a non-aggression pact between Middle Eastern states and Iran, modelled on the 1975 Helsinki Final Act.
Energy, Iran dominate final Trump-Xi Beijing summit
The emphasis on energy security and trade deficit reduction suggests a move towards a more transactional, stabilised partnership that prioritises domestic growth over ideological confrontation.
Iraq’s Al-Zaidi government gains parliamentary approval
The Iraqi parliament voted to grant confidence to the government of Ali Falih Al-Zaidi, approving both its ministerial programme and 14 cabinet ministers during a parliamentary session attended by 270 lawmakers,
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Tehran water consumption hits 3bn litres a day as Iran braces for crisis summer
Daily water consumption in Tehran has reached nearly three billion litres before the start of summer, with reservoirs at just 22% of capacity, as Iran braces for an early heatwave amid post-conflict strain on infrastructure.
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Iran defends seizure of US tankers as legal under international law
Iran's judiciary has defended the seizure of American oil tankers in Iranian waters as legitimate under domestic law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said on May 14.
Panama Canal cashes in on Hormuz crisis it cannot control
With Hormuz largely shut and the Cape of Good Hope adding 14 days to voyages, the waterway has become the primary functioning maritime artery of the Western hemisphere — but its own management is not yet counting the money.
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Iran's vice president criticises continued internet restrictions her own government put in place
Iran's Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Zahra Behrouz-Azar has criticised continued restrictions on international internet access.
Iran claims anti-radiation missiles blinded US destroyers in Hormuz during Operation Project Freedom clash
Claim and counter claim are flying between Washington and Tehran about what happened during the 48 hours that Operation Project Freedom was in effect. Iranian state media claims it used a sophisticated anti-radar missile to blind three US warships.