Middle East & Africa News: Iran, Arab World Updates

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post
Middle East and Africa

Iran condemns US plans to announce new sanctions

Iran has denounced US plans to announce new sanctions that could put further strain on the Islamic Republic's economy and have an impact on its most important trading partners including China.

6 days ago
Middle East and Africa

US, Iran keep up hostile rhetoric ahead of new sanctions

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. Eastern time on Monday amid promises to reveal "the toughest sanctions in history" on Iran while also urging China to cooperate with Washington. ...

1 week ago
Middle East and Africa

Trump warns of economic consequences for any country that supports Iran

US President Donald Trump warned of economic consequences against any country that provided "any type of lifeline to Iran" as the US looks to resolve a war it began alongside Israel nearly six months ago. ...

1 week ago

The Latest

Middle East and Africa

President Masoud Pezeshkian's apology to Gulf states strains Iran's leadership

Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian's apology to Gulf states for a week-long blitz of their territory - and his pledge to rein in such attacks - quickly prompted pushback from hardliners in the Revolutionary Guards and clerical elite, forcing him into a partial climbdown.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Israel warns Lebanon of 'disastrous repercussions' as week's death toll nears 300

The United Nations warned on Saturday that the conflict was set to get "even worse," and that talks between Israel and Lebanon "must be pursued with urgency" to end hostilities.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Kuwait airport, Saudi Arabia targeted as Iran presses Gulf attacks

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait all reported new attacks, after loud explosions were heard in Dubai and Bahrain's Manama a day earlier.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Iran's UN envoy says 1,332 Iranian civilians killed in war

According to the ambassador, the US and Israel had deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure, while Iran had targeted military sites, not civilians.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Only Iran's 'unconditional surrender' can end war: Trump

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for "serious diplomatic negotiations" and warned of a "situation that could spiral beyond anyone's control."

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa premium

Indonesia ‘carefully assessing’ Board of Peace membership

Discussions about the Board of Peace are currently suspended, with authorities prioritizing the safety and evacuation of Indonesian nationals in areas affected by the United States-Israeli war on Iran, the Foreign Ministry said.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Investigation points to likely US responsibility in Iran school strike

Reuters was unable to determine more details about the investigation, including what evidence contributed to the tentative assessment, what type of munition was used, who was responsible or why the US might have struck the school. 

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Middle East war enters seventh day as Israel strikes Beirut

The Israeli military had earlier issued an unprecedented evacuation warning for the entire area -- "save your lives and evacuate your residences immediately" -- that sent residents fleeing in panic.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Trump wants say on Iran's next leader as war intensifies

Azerbaijan became the latest country drawn in the war, as it accused Iran of firing drones at its territory and ordered its southern airspace closed for 12 hours. Iran, which has a significant Azeri minority, denied it had targeted its neighbor.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa premium

Jakarta races to bring home pilgrims amid Mideast travel disruptions

Jakarta is scrambling to bring home thousands of umrah (minor haj) pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia after sweeping airspace closures linked to the United States–Israel war against Iran disrupted travel across the Middle East, though limited flights are still operating.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Middle East war spirals as Iran hits Kurds in Iraq

Iran's official IRNA news agency said 1,045 military personnel and civilians have been killed since the war began. The country is effectively cut off from the rest of the world, with the internet operating at around one percent of capacity.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Australia's Albanese says 'military assets' deployed to Mideast

Countries have rushed to evacuate their citizens from the Middle East this week after US-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and sparked a regional war.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Spain denies US claim of military cooperation on Iran as rift deepens

Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez defiantly repeated calls of "no to the war" on Wednesday after the weekend US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered the regional conflict, in his latest policy clash with Trump.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Pentagon sought fresh supply of 13 critical minerals before Iran attack

The request, the day before the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, is the latest example of Washington's push for more access to the materials used widely in warfare.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa premium

Indonesia renews mediator offer in Iran war

In a briefing with the country’s top political figures, President Prabowo called for ‘national elite solidarity’ against impacts of the United States-Israel war on Iran.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

At least 101 people missing after submarine attack on Iranian ship off Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said the country rescued 32 "critically wounded" sailors aboard the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which sank just outside the island's territorial waters, said.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

South Africa offers to mediate in Middle East conflict if asked

Late last week, Indonesia's foreign ministry said that President Prabowo Subianto was willing to travel to Tehran to carry out mediation if agreed by both parties.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

US orders non-emergency consular staff in Karachi, Lahore to leave Pakistan

The US State Department ordered non-emergency US government employees and the family members of US government personnel from US consulates in Lahore and Karachi to leave Pakistan due to "safety risks", the US embassy in Pakistan said in a statement.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

US says 2,000 targets hit as Iran retaliates across Gulf

Iran vowed to inflict a heavy price in retaliation. Drones struck adjacent the US consulate in Dubai, starting a fire but inflicting no casualties, and against the US military base at Al-Udeid in Qatar.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa premium

Pressure grows for Indonesia to quit Board of Peace amid US-Israel war against Iran

As the war against Iran launched by the United States and Israel rages on, pressure has been growing domestically for Indonesia to withdraw from the US-led Board of Peace, with Islamic communities and lawmakers questioning the body’s commitment to peace in the region.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Netanyahu says US-Israeli war on Iran 'not going to take years'

Netanyahu rejected the idea of the conflict lasting years, like previous wars in the region.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

US State Department orders 'non-emergency' staff to leave Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq

The department, in posts on X, said it had updated travel advisories for Bahrain and Jordan "to reflect the ordered departure of non-emergency US government personnel and family members of government personnel."

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Attack by two drones on US embassy in Saudi capital sparks 'limited' fire

In the aftermath, the US embassy issued shelter in place notifications for Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran and limited non-essential travel to any military installations in the region.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Rubio says Israel's strike plan triggered US attack on Iran

"We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn't preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties," Rubio told reporters.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Trump warns of longer Iran war as Riyadh, Beirut hit

Shortly after the United States urged Americans to flee all Middle Eastern nations from Egypt eastward, smoke rose above the US embassy in Riyadh after it was hit by two drones, a Saudi defense spokesman said, although there were no immediate reports of injuries.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa premium

Half a million Indonesians in limbo as Middle East conflict escalates

At least half a million Indonesians are stranded in the Middle East with limited options to escape, Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday, as the United States-Israeli war against Iran spread out across the region on its third day.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Major Saudi refinery, Kurdish and Israeli oil, gas fields shut amid Mideast strikes

The shuttering will likely add to supply anxieties as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of global oil consumption flows, grinds to a near-halt after vessels were attacked around it on Sunday.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

China calls for ceasefire, diplomacy to end Middle East conflict

One Chinese citizen was killed as a result of the conflict in Tehran, where Israel and the United States have been carrying out strikes in an operation that killed the Islamic republic's supreme leader.

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Israel strikes Beirut suburbs in response to Hezbollah attack

The Israeli military said that "in response to Hezbollah's projectile fire "Israeli forces had "begun striking targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organization across Lebanon".

5 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Israel hits Tehran again after killing Khamenei, leadership council takes over

US and Israeli strikes - and Iranian retaliation - sent shockwaves worldwide through sectors from shipping to air travel to oil, amid warnings of rising energy costs and disruption to business in the Gulf region.

5 months ago
Page: 11

Today's ePost

Sat, August 29, 2026

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.