Iran

April 29, 2025 12:01 PM

Death toll in Iran’s Bandar Abbas port blast rises to 70

The death toll from a major explosion in Iran's most important container port of Bandar Abbas rose to at least 70, with over 1,200 injured, state media said on Monday, as firefighters battled a blaze that Iranian officials said was now under control 48 hours after the start of the fire. Saturday's blast took place in the Shahid Rajaee section of the port, Iran's biggest container hub. Efforts to put out the ensuing blaze have continued since with sporadic fires breaking out due to wind and ...

April 28, 2025 9:08 AM

Death toll from Iran’s port blast rises to 40, over 1,000 injured

The death toll from a massive explosion at a port in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province has climbed to 40, with over 1,000 people reported injured, Iran's IRIB news agency said. The blast on Saturday triggered a major fire, with 197 of the injured individuals requiring hospitalisation, according to Hormozgan Governor Mohammad Ashouri Taziani. The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined, Xinhua news agency reported. In response to the tragedy, the Iranian government de...

April 25, 2025 9:18 PM

Tehran offers to mediate between India and Pakistan following Pahalgam terror attack: Iran FM

In the wake of the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam earlier this week, Iran has expressed its readiness to help foster better understanding between India and Pakistan. Citing its longstanding cultural and civilizational ties with both nations, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is willing to mediate during this challenging time. "India and Pakistan are brotherly neighbours of Iran, enjoying relations rooted in centuries-old cultural and civilizational ties. Like our ...

April 19, 2025 8:00 AM

Iran says nuclear deal is possible if Washington is realistic

Iran believes reaching an agreement on its nuclear programme with the United States is possible as long as Washington is realistic, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday on the eve of a second round of talks with the Trump administration. "If they demonstrate seriousness of intent and do not make unrealistic demands, reaching agreements is possible," Araqchi told a news conference in Moscow after talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of Russia. Iran had noted the United Sta...

March 27, 2025 4:41 PM

Iran ready for indirect talks with US, Khamenei aide says

Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said on Thursday Tehran has not closed all doors to resolve its disputes with the United States and is ready for indirect negotiations with Washington. Tehran has so far rebuffed U.S. President Donald Trump's warning it to make a deal or face military consequences. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the message deceptive and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said talks are impossible unless Washington changes its "maximum pressure" pol...

March 16, 2025 10:13 AM

Who are Yemen’s Houthis and why are they under attack by the US?

U.S. President Donald Trump has launched the biggest military operation in the Middle East since taking office against Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis after they resumed Red Sea shipping attacks. The strikes, which have killed at least 24 people so far, could last for weeks according to one U.S. official and come as Trump ramps up sanctions pressure on Tehran. WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE HOUTHIS? In the late 1990s, the Houthi family in the far north of Yemen set up a religious revival movement fo...

March 12, 2025 4:13 PM

China, Russia, Iran to hold nuclear talks in Beijing on Friday

China will hold a meeting on Friday in Beijing with Russia and Iran on the Iranian "nuclear issue", its foreign ministry said, with both nations sending their deputy foreign ministers. Ties between Iran and Russia have deepened since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, with a strategic cooperation treaty signed in January. Both have good relations with China. China's Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu will chair the meeting, Mao Ning, a spokesperson of its foreign ministry, told a regular press...

February 5, 2025 5:34 PM

Iran is willing to give Trump diplomacy ‘another chance’, senior Iranian official says

Iran is ready to give the United States a chance to resolve disputes between the arch foes, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, a day after President Donald Trump restored his "maximum pressure" campaign on the country. The official said Tehran disagreed with "any displacement of Gazans, but Iran-U.S. talks are a separate matter", referring to Trump's remarks that the U.S. would take over war-ravaged Gaza and create a "Riviera of the Middle East" after resettling Palestinians e...

January 14, 2025 10:17 AM

Iran, European powers to resume nuclear talks: Senior diplomat

Iran and three European powers -- France, Britain and Germany -- have agreed to restart discussions on lifting sanctions and Tehran's nuclear program, a senior Iranian diplomat said. Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy Foreign Minister, announced this on social media platform X as a new round of talks began in Geneva between Iran, the three countries, and the European Union. The talks are expected to cover a range of issues, including how the countries relate to each other, as well as problems in ...

January 7, 2025 4:20 PM

France says conditions of citizens held in Iran akin to torture

The situation of three French citizens held in Iran is worsening with some being detained in conditions similar to torture, France's foreign minister said on Tuesday, adding that future ties and any lifting of sanctions would depend on their fate. French officials have toughened their language towards Iran in recent weeks, notably over the advancement of its nuclear programme and regional activities, but also the detention of European citizens in the country. President Emmanuel Macron said on ...