Saudi Arabia and the United States claimed yesterday they had evidence Iran was behind an attack on the kingdom’s oil facilities. Saudi military spokesman Col Turki al-Malki said Iranian weapons were used in Saturday’s strikes on the Khurais oilfield and the Abqaiq refinery – the world’s largest petroleum processing plant. However, he did not openly […]

Israelis are going to the polls on Tuesday for a second general election in just five months. What happens matters not only in Israel but also beyond. Here are five of the most important things to know. The winner will lead a regional superpower Israel has the strongest military in the Middle East (and is […]

A chronology of key events: 1902 – Ibn Saud takes control of Riyadh. Mecca: Islam’s holiest city Millions of Muslims make the pilgrimage to Mecca every year. Non-Muslims are prohibited from entering. 1912 – The Ikhwan (Brotherhood) is founded based on strict Wahhabi Sunni Islam, and provides key support for Ibn Saud. 1921-25 – After […]

DUBAI (REUTERS) – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have seized a vessel in the Gulf for allegedly smuggling 250,000 litres of diesel fuel to the United Arab Emirates, Iran’s semi-official Students News agency ISNA reported on Monday (Sept 16). “It was detained near Iran’s Greater Tunb island in the Persian Gulf…the crew have been handed over to […]

Saudi Arabia and Iran are at loggerheads. They have long been rivals, but it’s all recently got a lot more tense. Here’s why. How come Saudi Arabia and Iran don’t get along? Saudi Arabia and Iran – two powerful neighbours – are locked in a fierce struggle for regional dominance. The decades-old feud between them […]

Iran has dismissed the possibility of a meeting between the country’s president, Hassan Rouhani, and President Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly next week, Iran’s state-run news media reported. “Neither is such a plan on our agenda nor will such a thing happen,” Seyed Abbas Mousavi, a spokesman for the Iranian […]

SINGAPORE (REUTERS) – Saudi Aramco has told some clients that vessel loading has resumed following disruptions caused by the weekend’s attacks on Saudi oil facilities, two sources who received the notice told Reuters on Monday (Sept 16). The state company’s Oil Supply Planning and Scheduling (OSPAS) department said loading operations were in progress, the sources […]

When a young woman was admitted to Al Hussein hospital with a fractured spine and bruises on her body and face, doctors began to treat yet another case of traumatic injury. Everyone here was used to young patients arriving with devastating wounds. The hospital is located close to the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, whose streets […]

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – The White House on Sunday (Sept 15) did not rule out a potential meeting between President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, even after Washington accused Iran of being behind drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities. White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said the attacks on Saturday “did not help” prospects for […]

The leader of Gibraltar has attempted to de-escalate the crisis with Iran over the fate of a supertanker, saying it was “difficult to see” if Tehran had breached an agreement not to sell its oil to Syria. After the tanker was seized in July, Iran made assurances to a Gibraltar court that it would not […]