Middle East & Africa News: Iran, Arab World Updates

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Jakarta Post
Middle East and Africa

Failure to activate Hormuz fertilizer plan could trigger food crisis

Fertilizer shipments out of the Gulf region remained largely halted more than six months after the start of the conflict, the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute said in a note last month.

6 hours ago
Middle East and Africa premium

Indonesians urged to avoid nonessential travel in Saudi after deadly strikes

The Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh has urged Indonesians in Saudi Arabia to avoid nonessential travel and stay away from King Khalid International Airport after a series of deadly missile strikes hit the area over the weekend. ...

3 days ago
Middle East and Africa

One dead in new attack on Saudi airport, a day after Houthi strike kills 13

One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a new attack on Riyadh's international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. ...

3 days ago

The Latest

Middle East and Africa

Iran not seeking ceasefire as Trump steps up threats

The conflict has engulfed the Middle East and roiled energy markets since the February 28 US-Israeli strikes that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered the war, with Tehran on Tuesday vowing no crude exports would leave the Gulf if the bombardment continued.

7 months ago
Middle East and Africa

US targets Iran mine-laying as war causes oil market havoc

The United States said Tuesday it was striking Iranian ships capable of mining the crucial Strait of Hormuz and threatened escalation if Tehran presses ahead, as the Middle East war wreaks havoc on global oil markets.

7 months ago
Middle East and Africa

WHO warns of health risks from 'black rain' in Iran

The World Health Organization backs Iran's advice urging people to stay indoors due to toxic air from strikes on oil facilities.

7 months ago
Middle East and Africa premium

Indonesia still ‘free and active’, Prabowo claims

President Prabowo Subianto has claimed that Indonesia maintains its long-standing “free and active” foreign policy, underscoring that Jakarta will continue to avoid aligning with any country or bloc despite rising geopolitical tensions, in his first public statement since the US-Israel war on Iran began on Feb. 28.

7 months ago
Middle East and Africa

How many people have been killed in the US-Israel war on Iran?

Here are the death tolls from the war as reported by countries as of March 9, more than a week after it began. Reuters has not independently verified these deaths.   

7 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Netanyahu warns 'we are not done yet' in Iran

"Our aspiration is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny; ultimately, it depends on them. But there is no doubt that with the actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones -- and we are not done yet," Netanyahu said during a visit to the National Health Command Centre on Monday night, according to a statement published Tuesday.

7 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Iran vows to fight 'as long as needed' as Trump says war will end 'soon'

The remarks from one of Iran's top leaders, who also ruled out negotiations with Washington, came as Tehran launched a new wave of attacks on US-allied Gulf nations hours after Trump's assurances of a swift end to the rapidly widening conflict.

7 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Iran war poses 'existential questions' on international rules-based system : EU chief

Von der Leyen stressed that "there should be no tears shed for the Iranian regime".

7 months ago
Middle East and Africa

China says opposes any targeting of new Iran leader

China's foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters on Monday that Iran's decision to appoint the younger Khamenei was "based on its constitution".

7 months ago
Middle East and Africa premium

Indonesia calls for probe into Hormuz tugboat explosion

Indonesia has called on authorities in the United Arab Emirates and Oman to fully investigate last week’s explosion of the Mussafah 2 tugboat in the Strait of Hormuz involving five Indonesian nationals, as tensions escalate and attacks persist in the vital shipping lane. 

7 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Iran war sends oil prices soaring on supply fears

As Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed Iran's new leader, the benchmark price for a barrel of crude soared beyond $100 for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine four years ago, prompting swift reactions across the world. 

7 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Three Indonesian crew missing after tugboat sinks in Strait of Hormuz

There have been numerous attacks on ships navigating the strait since the US-Israeli war on Iran started on February 28.

7 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Iran names Khamenei's son Mojtaba as new supreme leader

In a lengthy statement, the assembly said that "after careful and extensive studies... in today's extraordinary session, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei (may Allah protect him) is appointed and introduced as the third leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, based on the decisive vote of the respected representatives of the Assembly of Experts."

7 months ago
Middle East and Africa

Iran names Khamenei's son as new supreme leader

On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV prayed "that the roar of the bombs may cease, the weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open".

7 months ago
Middle East and Africa premium

Indonesia says Muslim countries support mediation bid as military put on alert

Indonesia claims its offer to mediate in the United States-Israel war on Iran is being supported by fellow Muslim-majority countries, as its troops are being put high alert at home amid disruptions in the Middle East.

7 months ago
Middle East and Africa

US, Israel weigh sending special forces to seize Iran's nuclear stockpile

"At some point maybe we will. That would be a great thing," he told reporters during a briefing aboard Air Force One.

7 months ago
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.

7 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.

7 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.

7 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.

7 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."

7 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.

7 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. 

7 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.

7 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.

7 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.

7 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.

7 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.

7 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.

7 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.

7 months ago
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Today's ePost

Thu, October 15, 2026

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