Dubai

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.

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.

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.

DUBAI, June 27 (Reuters) - Iran has drones with a range of 7,000 km (4,375 miles), Iranian state media cited the top commander of the Revolutionary Guards as saying on Sunday, a development which may be seen by Washington as a threat to regional stability.

Tehran's assertion comes as Iran and six major powers are in talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal that former U.S. President Donald Trump exited three years ago and reimposed sanctions.

DUBAI, June 27 (Reuters) - The speaker of Iran's parliament said on Sunday Tehran will never hand over images from inside of some Iranian nuclear sites to the U.N. nuclear watchdog as a monitoring agreement with the agency had expired, Iranian state media reported.

"The agreement has expired ... any of the information recorded will never be given to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the data and images will remain in the possession of Iran," said Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran likely conducted a failed launch of a satellite-carrying rocket in recent days and now appears to be preparing to try again, the country’s latest effort to advance its space program amid tensions with the West over its tattered nuclear deal.