The United States and European Union said yesterday that more work was needed to revive a 2015 agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, although Tehran reported progress after the latest diplomacy.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said yesterday that Tehran always welcomed dialogue with Saudi Arabia, but he did not confirm nor deny direct talks this month between the nations.

Four Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli police in annexed east Jerusalem, the Palestinian Red Crescent said Monday, after officers cordoned off a popular gathering spot for Ramadan crowds.

Syria will hold a presidential election on May 26 that is expected to keep Bashar al-Assad in power in the country devastated by a decade of civil war.

A train accident north of Cairo yesterday left 11 people dead and 98 others injured, Egypt’s health ministry said, in the latest rail calamity to hit the North African country.

Saudi and Iranian officials held direct talks this month in a bid to ease tensions between the two foes, a senior Iranian official and two regional sources said, as Washington works to revive a 2015 nuclear pact with Tehran and end the Yemen war.

A series of attacks in Iraq this week illustrates the increasingly dangerous tangle of local and regional rivalries confronting the country’s security in an election year, Iraqi security and government officials say.

Libya launched yesterday its coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination campaign for the general population in Tripoli, with the elderly and healthcare workers given priority in the conflict-hit North African nation.

The EU, Russia and Iran hailed progress at nuclear talks yesterday as discussions resumed in Vienna following an attack on one of Tehran’s nuclear sites.

Iran's state television on Saturday identified a man it said was behind a recent explosion and power outage at its main Natanz nuclear plant.

An explosives-packed drone slammed into Iraq's Arbil airport in the first reported use of such a weapon against a base used by US-led coalition troops in the country, officials said Thursday.

The Japanese owner of a megaship seized after blocking the Suez Canal has said it is negotiating with Egyptian authorities after they demanded $900 million in compensation for its release.