Iran

TEHRAN, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 shook the Iranian town of Laft off the coast in the south of the country on Sunday afternoon.

According to the Iranian Seismological Center, the shock took place at 15:36 p.m. local time (1206 GMT) at a latitude of 26.8 degrees north and a longitude of 55.9 degrees east, and at a depth of 18 km.

TEHRAN, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has called for a "serious" approach of the negotiating sides in the upcoming nuclear talks for a "good deal," Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.

"I believe that if the opposite sides enter the Vienna talks with a serious and positive approach, it will be possible to achieve a good agreement in a short time," Amir Abdollahian was quoted as saying.

11 Nov 2021; MEMO: The commander of the Air and Missile Forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, today threatened to "destroy the Zionist entity in the event of any attack on Iran", the Palestinian Information Centre reported.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Thousands of Afghan refugees are fleeing the Taliban into neighboring Iran every day and the trend could eventually become a crisis for Europe, a top aid official said Wednesday.

Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, visited refugees this week around Kerman province in eastern Iran close to the Afghanistan border. He warned that Europe could be affected if the influx into Iran continues.

TEHRAN, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran's army intercepted two U.S. drones and warned them to stay aloof from the zones where it was carrying out the Zolfaqar-1400 military drills, the army's media bureau said in a statement on Tuesday.

The U.S. aircraft, including MQ-9 and RQ-4 drones, intruded into the country's Flight Information Region and Air Defense Identification Zone during the drills, according to the statement.

The drones were approaching to gather intelligence, but they changed their course and flew away after receiving decisive warnings, it said.

TEHRAN, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his German counterpart Heiko Maas have called for removing barriers to enhancing bilateral ties and cooperation in diverse international issues, an Iranian Foreign Ministry report said Tuesday.

During the telephone conversation, Amir Abdollahian drew upon the historical ties between Tehran and Berlin and underlined the significance of their expansion.

08 Nov 2021; MEMO: Iran says the United States should provide guarantees that it will not abandon the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers if talks to revive the agreement succeed, Reuters reports.

06 Nov 2021; MEMO: The foreign ministers of Russia and Iran discussed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, in a phone call today, Anadolu reports.

A statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry said Sergey Lavrov and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian voiced their expectations from Vienna talks aimed at reviving the nuclear deal, which are resuming on Nov. 29.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s military began its annual war games in a coastal area of the Gulf of Oman, state TV reported Sunday, less than a month before upcoming nuclear talks with the West.

The report said navy and air force units as well as ground forces were participating in a more than 1 million square-kilometer (386,100 square-mile) area east of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Nearly 20% of all oil shipping passes through the strait to the Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean.

TEHRAN, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- One Iranian soldier was killed on Friday in Iran's northwestern West Azerbaijan province during a border patrol, a semi-official website reported on Saturday.

Conscript serviceman Reza Hedayati was hit by bullet fire on Friday morning around Mount Bolfat, an area "used as a transit point by terrorists," Jame Jam Online which affiliated with state TV wrote.

Hedayati was transferred to a medical center, and died of severe injuries, the outlet added.