UAE

DUBAI, July 7 (Reuters) - Iran on Wednesday told Taliban and Afghan government representatives it stood ready to help end the crisis in Afghanistan, urging the country's people and politicians to make "difficult decisions" about its future.

Hosting a meeting of Afghan government representatives and a high-level Taliban political committee, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said "committing to political solutions is the best choice".

DUBAI, July 6 (Reuters) - President Hassan Rouhani apologised to Iranians on Tuesday over massive power outages during a heatwave that have drawn widespread criticism and triggered street protests.

Officials have blamed the blackouts on surging demand for power, along with low rainfall cutting hydroelectric output and illegal cryptocurrency mining farms accessing subsidised electricity.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran accused Israel on Tuesday of mounting a sabotage attack on a nuclear facility near Tehran last month, the country’s state-run news agency reported as authorities acknowledged for the first time that the mysterious assault had caused structural damage to the site.

06 July 2021; MEMO: The secretariat of the International Union of Muslim Scholars has decided unanimously to dismiss the former Grand Mufti of Egypt, Ali Gomaa; the chairman of the UAE Fatwa Council, Abdullah Bin Bayyah; and the religious consultant to the Court of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Farouk Hamadeh.

04 July 2021; MEMO: Israeli defence officials were checking whether Iranian forces were behind a possible attack on a cargo ship under partial Israeli ownership on Saturday on its way from Jeddah to the United Arab Emirates, Israel's N12 Television News reported.

DUBAI, July 3 (Reuters) - Iran may face a fifth wave of COVID-19 infections as the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus spreads through the Middle East's worst-hit country, President Hassan Rouhani warned on Saturday.

"There are concerns that the whole country may enter a fifth wave if enough care is not taken in following health protocols. Today, reports are that just 69% of the people are observing the precautions," Rouhani said in remarks broadcast on state TV.

DUBAI, July 3 (Reuters) - Iran denied on Saturday U.S. accusations that Tehran supported attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, and condemned U.S. airstrikes on Iranian-backed militants there, state media reported.

On Tuesday, the United States told the U.N. Security Council that it targeted Iran-backed militia in Syria and Iraq with airstrikes to deter the militants and Tehran from conducting or supporting further attacks on U.S. personnel or facilities.

DUBAI, June 30 (Reuters) - Israel's new foreign minister said on Wednesday his landmark visit to the United Arab Emirates was just the start of a road to wider peace in the Middle East, reaching out to Arab states still wary of normalising ties.

Yair Lapid, the first Israeli cabinet minister to visit the Gulf state since the countries forged ties last year, also reiterated Israel's concern about the Iran nuclear deal being negotiated in Vienna.

ABU DHABI, June 29 (NNN-AGENCIES) — When Israel’s Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, steps onto United Arab Emirates soil on Tuesday it will be a landmark moment for his country and the Arab world.

Lapid will become the first Israeli minister to pay an official visit to the Gulf state since Israel, the UAE and Bahrain signed a historic deal to normalise ties nine months ago.

During the two-day trip, Lapid will meet his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and inaugurate the Israeli embassy and consulate office in Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively.

DUBAI, June 28 (Reuters) - Iran said on Monday it has yet to decide whether to extend a monitoring deal with the U.N. nuclear watchdog which lapsed last week, amid Washington's warning that Tehran's failure to renew it would complicate talks to revive its 2015 nuclear accord.

"No decision has been made yet, either negative or positive, about extending the monitoring deal with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a televised weekly news conference.