Iran yesterday defended its “right” to enrich uranium despite growing Western concern that Tehran may be seeking nuclear weapons, and as talks with the United States were delayed.

Israel said it carried out a strike in Syria against "an extremist group" that attacked members of the Druze community, following through on a promise to defend the minority group as deadly sectarian violence spread near Damascus.

Gaza mediator Qatar yesterday said there was some progress in talks in Doha this week aimed at securing a new truce in the Israel-Hamas war.

The death toll from a powerful explosion at Iran's biggest port of Bandar Abbas has risen to at least 40, with more than 1,200 people injured, state media reported on Sunday, as firefighters worked to fully extinguish the fire

Hamas is open to a years-long truce with Israel in Gaza but is not willing to lay down its arms, an official said yesterday, as leaders of the Palestinian Islamist militant group met mediators in Cairo for ceasefire talks.

A powerful explosion ripped through a key port in southern Iran yesterday, killing five people and injuring more than 500, state media said.

The United States and Iran reported progress in their latest round of nuclear talks yesterday and agreed to meet again next week as they pursue a deal that could help ease soaring Middle East tensions.

Several powerful pro-Iran Iraqi politicians have in recent days voiced opposition to a potential visit by Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Iraq for the upcoming Arab League summit.

Iran and the United States yesterday agreed to hold another round of talks next week over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, Iranian state TV reported, as they ended their second round of negotiations in Rome over their decades-long standoff.

Israeli strikes killed at least 92 people in the Gaza Strip in the last 48 hours, the health ministry said yesterday, as UN said the tiny Palestinian territory is being subjected to “deprivation by design”.

US strikes on a fuel port in Yemen killed at least 74 people yesterday, Houthi-run media said, one of the deadliest days since the United States began its attacks on the Iran-backed militants.

Lebanon reported two dead in separate Israeli strikes on the country’s south yesterday, as Israel’s military said it had killed a Hezbollah operative, despite a ceasefire between the two sides.

Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday called for Asian nations to unite in resisting geopolitical confrontation, unilateralism and protectionism, as he aims to consolidate ties with some of China’s closest neighbours amid a deterioration of relations with the US.

Medicine stocks are critically low due to the aid block in Gaza, making it hard to keep hospitals even partially operational, the World Health Organization said yesterday.

Iran said yesterday it was giving high-level nuclear talks with the United States today “a genuine chance”, after President Donald Trump threatened bombing if discussions failed.

At least 37 people, including a journalist, were killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza yesterday as French President Emmanuel Macron said that he strongly opposes any displacement of Palestinians or annexation in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israeli troops flattened farmland and cleared entire residential districts in Gaza to open a “kill zone” around the enclave, according to a report published yesterday that quoted soldiers testifying about the harsh methods used in the operation.

A wave of Israeli strikes on Gaza yesterday targeted residential buildings and makeshift tents sheltering forcibly displaced families, killing at least 46 people.

Iran’s top diplomat has dismissed direct negotiations with the United States as pointless over nuclear talks, his office said yesterday.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian yesterday dismissed his deputy for parliamentary affairs over a costly trip to Antarctica, as the country grapples with hyperinflation amid a biting economic crisis.