Britain has not sent any representatives as mediators to Iran, a British source said after the semi-official Tasnim news site reported that a mediator had been sent to discuss the freeing of a British-flagged tanker seized by the Islamic Republic. "We are not aware of any representatives being sent as mediators to Iran," a British diplomatic source said

Boris Johnson promised to deliver Brexit on Oct. 31 after he was chosen by UK Conservative Party members to succeed Theresa May as Britain s prime minister on Tuesday. "We are going to energise the country. We are going to get Brexit done on October 31 and we are going to take advantage of all the opportunities it will bring," Johnson said in a speech after defeating rival candidate Jeremy Hunt.

The head of the UN s nuclear watchdog, Yukiya Amano, has died after suffering poor health for some time, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Monday, as international tensions run high over Iran s nuclear activities. The longtime Japanese diplomat, who was 72, held the IAEA s top job since December 2009. "The secretariat of the International Atomic Energy Agency regrets to inform with deepest sadness of the passing away of Director General Yukiya Amano," the IAEA said in a statement, without saying when he died. During his tenure, Amano oversaw the signing of a landmark deal in 2015 between Iran and six major powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- under which the Islamic republic agreed to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. But international tensions with Iran have been rising since US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of the deal in May 2018. Amano s third term as IAEA chief had originally been due to expire in November 2021, but he had been expected to announce his intention to step down early because of health reasons. The IAEA said its flag over its headquarters in Vienna had been lowered to half-mast.

Tensions in the Arab Gulf have escalated in recent months amid a deepening standoff between Iran and United States over Tehran s nuclear programme, with a string of incidents involving tankers and drones. Here is a recap: - Credible threat - On May 5, the United States says it is sending an aircraft carrier strike group and a bomber task force to waters near Iran in response to "indications of a credible threat by Iranian regime forces". The Pentagon also sends B-52 bombers to the region and, later, an amphibious assault ship and Patriot missile defence battery. US officials do not give more details on the threats, but the move comes amid heightened tensions over Iran s nuclear programme. Washington reimposed sanctions on Tehran last year after quitting a multilateral 2015 deal meant to control its nuclear drive. On May 8, Iran announces it will drop certain commitments under the agreement, including increasing enriched uranium and heavy water production. US President Donald Trump responds with new sanctions on Iran s steel and mining sectors. - Tanker sabotage - On May 12, the United Arab Emirates says four commercial oil tankers had been targeted by "acts of sabotage" in Gulf waters off its coast. Saudi Arabia says later two of its tankers suffered "significant damage" but no casualties or oil spill. The other vessels were Norwegian and Emirati. Washington and Riyadh blame Tehran, which denies involvement. A UAE investigation finds later that a "state actor" was likely responsible for the attacks, probably using limpet mines, but does not specifically blame Iran. - Tankers in flames - In the early hours of June 13, two fuel-loaded tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz towards the Indian Ocean are hit by mysterious blasts that cause major fires. One is a Norwegian vessel and the other is Japanese-owned. Their crews are rescued. The Strait is a vital corridor connecting the petroleum-rich states of the Middle East with markets around the world. Washington, London and Riyadh accuse Tehran of being behind the attacks, which it denies. - Rocket attacks on Iraq - On June 18, rockets strike an oil field in Iraq s Basra region, near a camp used by a company of US industrial conglomerate General Electric. It is the latest in a nearly week-long barrage of anonymous shelling attacks on American interests across Iraq. The incidents are not claimed, but largely originate from areas where Shia-dominated armed groups loyal to Tehran have free rein. - US drone downed - On June 20, Iran s Revolutionary Guards say they shot down a US drone which violated Iranian airspace. The Pentagon says the drone was in international airspace and denounces an "unprovoked attack". Trump says he approved a retaliatory strike the next day but cancelled it at the last minute. On June 24, he announces "hard-hitting" financial sanctions against Iran s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior Iranian military leaders. - Tankers seized and searched - On July 11, Britain says three Iranian military vessels had tried the previous day to "impede the passage" of a UK oil tanker in Gulf waters but were warned off by a British warship. Iran s Revolutionary Guards deny there was any confrontation, but warn that US and Britain will "strongly regret" the seizure in early July of a tanker off Gibraltar, a British overseas territory in the Mediterranean. On July 18, Iran s Guards say they have detained a "foreign tanker" and its crew for allegedly smuggling fuel. The tanker was seized south of the Iranian island of Larak, according to the Guards, who do not detail the name or provenance of the vessel. - US shoots down Iranian drone - On July 18, Trump says the US military has taken down an Iranian drone that came within 1,000 yards of one of its naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The USS Boxer "took defensive action" against the Iranian drone as it was "threatening the safety of the ship and the ship s crew," Trump says. Iran denies the claim and suggests American forces may have shot down their own drone by mistake. - UK-flagged tanker seized - On July 19, Iran s Guards seize British-flagged tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz for "failing to respect international maritime rules". Following the seizure, UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warns of "serious consequences" unless the situation is resolved. - Saudi to host US forces again - Tehran s arch-foe Saudi Arabia announces that it will host US troops on its soil in a joint move with Washington to "preserve the security of the region and its stability". Saudi Arabia has not hosted US forces since 2003, when they withdrew following the toppling of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Iran s Revolutionary Guards said Thursday they had detained a "foreign tanker" and 12 of its crew for allegedly smuggling fuel in the Gulf. The tanker was seized on Sunday "south of the (Iranian) island of Larak" in the Strait of Hormuz, the force s Sepahnews website said. The Guards did not detail the name or provenance of the vessel.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States is not pushing to topple Iran s leadership but is determined to stop it acquiring nuclear weapons. "We are not looking for regime change. We are not looking for that at all," Trump said during a cabinet meeting. "They can t have a nuclear weapon." The United States quit an international deal aimed at curbing Iran s nuclear program last year, hitting Tehran with crippling sanctions. Iran said last week that it had enriched uranium past the 3.67 percent limit set by the 2015 nuclear deal, and has also surpassed the 300-kilogram cap on enriched uranium reserves. Tensions have soared since Trump pulled out of the deal, with the US calling off air strikes against Iran at the last minute after Tehran downed an American drone, and Washington blaming the Islamic republic for a series of attacks on tanker ships. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned on Monday that the United States is "playing with fire." According to leaked diplomatic cables published at the weekend, Britain s ambassador to Washington believed Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal because it was associated with his predecessor Barack Obama. "The administration is set upon an act of diplomatic vandalism, seemingly for ideological and personality reasons -- it was Obama s deal," wrote the envoy, Kim Darroch, who resigned amid a storm triggered by the release of the sensitive documents.

Iran s judiciary confirmed Tuesday the arrest of French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah, after the French foreign ministry said she had been detained and denied contact with consular staff. "She is among suspects that have been recently arrested... now is not an appropriate time to give more information on this case," judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili told reporters, without specifying the accusations against her.

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, in an area frequently struck by quakes. The quake struck 26 km (14 miles) north of Kandrian, in New Britain, at a depth of 33 km. There were no immediate reports of damage. Nearby Indonesia s Moluccas islands were hit by scores of aftershocks on Monday after an earthquake killed at least two people, prompting hundreds of people to flee their homes.

At least 26 people, including several foreigners, were killed and 56 injured in a suicide bomb and gun attack claimed by Al-Shabaab Jihadist Movement on a popular hotel in southern Somalia, a top regional official said Saturday. A suicide bomber rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into the Medina hotel in the port town of Kismayo on Friday before several heavily armed gunmen forced their way inside, shooting as they went, authorities said. The siege lasted for almost 12 hours and only ended on Saturday morning after clashes with security forces. Three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans, one British and one Canadian were among the 26 people killed in the attack, president Ahmed Mohamed Islam of the semi-autonomous Jubaland region told a news conference. "There are also two wounded Chinese citizens," he added. AFP confirmed with family members that at least four of the dead had dual nationality. "The security forces are in control now and the last terrorist was shot and killed", Mohamed Abdiweli, a security official, said. "There are dead bodies and wounded people strewn inside the hotel," Abdiweli said. He said authorities believed four gunmen, who one witness described as wearing Somali police uniforms, were involved in the attack. Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda-linked group, claimed responsibility for the siege describing it as "a martyrdom attack" "There is chaos inside, I saw several dead bodies carried from the scene and people are fleeing from the nearby buildings," witness Hussein Muktar said during the assault. "The blast was very big," he added. The attack is the latest in a long line of bombing and assaults claimed by Al-Shabaab. Witnesses said among those killed were a well-known social media activist and a local journalist. "The relatives of local journalist Mohamed Sahal confirmed his death and I m getting that social media activist Hodan Naleyeh and her husband also died in the blast," witness Ahmed Farhan said. The Somali journalists union SJS confirmed the reporters deaths. "It is a very sad day for Somalian journalists," the union s secretary-general Ahmed Mumin said in a statement. According to several sources, most of those staying in the hotel were politicians and traders ahead of upcoming regional elections. "The whole building is in ruins, there are dead bodies and wounded who have been recovered from inside. The security forces have cordoned off the whole area," said witness Muna Abdirahman. Shabaab fighters have fought for more than a decade to topple the Somali government. The militant group emerged from Islamic Courts that once controlled central and southern Somalia and are variously estimated to number between 5,000 and 9,000 men. In 2010, the Shabaab declared their allegiance to Al-Qaeda. In 2011, they fled positions they once held in Mogadishu, and have since lost many strongholds. But they retain control of large rural swathes of the country and continue to wage a guerrilla war against the authorities. *This story was edited by Ahram Online

A major fire broke out at an electricity generating power station in the Moscow region on Thursday, the TASS news agency cited a source in the emergency services as saying. Footage circulating on social media showed huge flames leaping into the sky at the facility. An eyewitness quoted by the RIA news agency said the flames were 50 meters high. Firefighters were on their way to the scene, Russian news agencies reported.

Iran welcomes France s efforts to save the 2015 nuclear deal, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday as French President Emmanuel Macron s top diplomatic adviser visited Tehran for talks to help ease the crisis. Iran threatened on Monday to restart deactivated centrifuges and ramp up enrichment of uranium to 20% purity in a move away from the nuclear accord. Tehran has been pushing the European signatories to the accord to protect Iran from U.S. sanctions, which Washington re-imposed after leaving the pact last year. Iran s state news agency IRNA reported that Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi "welcomed France s role in reducing tension and implementing the accord." "The French are part of efforts ... to keep the nuclear deal alive," Mousavi was quoted as saying during the visit by Emmanuel Bonne, Macron s top diplomatic adviser.

Sweden s Supreme Court blocked the extradition of a former Chinese official wanted by Beijing on suspicion of embezzlement, ruling on Tuesday that he could face persecution if sent back to China. While there was reasonable suspicion Qiao Jianjun had committed crimes in China, there was a risk he would be persecuted because of his political activity and treated in violation of the European Convention, the court ruled. "Under these conditions, extradition cannot take place," Justice Council Petter Asp said in a statement. China had asked Sweden to extradite Qiao, also known as Feng Li, on suspicion of breach of trust and fraud relating to the embezzlement of the equivalent of around 100 million Swedish crowns ($11 million). He has also been charged with money laundering and immigration fraud in the United States, which is also seeking his extradition. "Now we have a precedent, that the court has found that China s handling of the juridical system and human rights is appalling and cannot be accepted, at least not by a Swedish court," Henrik Olsson Lilja, Qiao s lawyer, told Reuters. "China can not appeal this decision. There will be no extradition from Sweden." Qiao was arrested in Sweden in June last year under the Chinese extradition request. He was released last month, then re-arrested days later under the U.S. request. The European Convention and Swedish law both bar authorities from extraditing people to countries where they would face political or religious persecution, torture or the death penalty. Lilja said the U.S. case remained open, with the United States having until August 2 to say why it wants Qiao extradited. Qiao has been residing in Sweden since 2013 and applied for asylum in March. A decision is pending.

The European Union on Sunday strongly urged Iran to stop actions that would undermine a landmark 2015 nuclear deal, saying it was in touch with other parties to the deal and may set up a joint commission to look into the issue. "We are extremely concerned at Iran s announcement that it has started uranium enrichment above the limit of 3.67%," spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement. "We strongly urge Iran to stop and reverse all activities inconsistent with its commitments ... We are in contact with the other JCPoA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) participants regarding the next steps under the terms of the JCPoA, including a Joint Commission," she said. The JCPoA is the deal between Iran and the six powers.

Sudan s ruling generals and protest leaders reached an agreement on the disputed issue of a new governing body Friday, in a breakthrough power sharing accord aimed at ending the country s months-long political crisis. The landmark agreement came after two days of talks following the collapse of the previous round of negotiations in May over who should lead the new ruling body -- a civilian or soldier. "The two sides agreed on establishing a sovereign council with a rotating military and civilian (presidency) for a period of three years or little more," African Union mediator Mohamed El Hacen Lebatt told reporters. Sudan has been rocked by a political crisis since the ouster of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April on the back of widespread protests, with the generals who seized power resisting demonstrators demands to hand it over to a civilian administration. "We want to reassure all political forces and armed movements and all those who took part in the change... that this agreement is all inclusive and does not exclude anyone," deputy chief of the ruling military council General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said in a statement. Lebatt did not specify the exact make-up of the new ruling body, but prominent protest leader Ahmed al-Rabie told AFP that it would comprise of six civilians, including five from the protest movement, and five members of the military. The latest round of talks had resumed Wednesday after intense mediation by Ethiopian and African Union envoys, who had put forward a draft proposal to break the weeks-long deadlock. The blueprint proposes a three-year transition period, with the president of the new ruling body to be held by the military for the first 18 months and a civilian for the second. However, it was still unclear if both sides had signed off on the military holding the post first. Lebatt, however, said the two sides had agreed to postpone the forming of a new transitional parliament. Before talks collapsed in May the generals and protest leaders had agreed on forming a 300-member parliament, with two-third of lawmakers to be from the protest movement. Lebatt said that both sides have now also "agreed to have a detailed, transparent, national, independent investigation into all the regrettable violent incidents that the country faced in recent weeks," including the June 3 dispersal of protests. The ruling military council said it did not order the violent dispersal of the sit-in. For weeks the issue of forming the new ruling body has rocked Sudan, extending the political crisis triggered by the fall of Bashir. Prior to the start of the latest round of talks on Wednesday, Ethiopian mediator Mahmoud Drir had said that the thorny issue of the new governing body was "the sole point of disagreement" between the two parties. On Sunday, protest leaders managed to mobilise tens of thousands of supporters in the first mass protest against the generals since the dispersal of protests. On Thursday hundreds of students from several schools in three towns -- Madani, Gadaref and Sinnar -- staged spontaneous protests chanting "civilian rule, civilian rule", witnesses said. Earlier on Thursday a group of 235 fighters from a faction of a Darfur rebel group that is part of the protest movement were released as decided during the talks. *This story was edited by Ahram Online.

British Royal Marines and officials in Gibraltar have detained the supertanker Grace 1 suspected of carrying crude oil to Syria, in breach of European Union sanctions, the government of Gibraltar said. In a statement the government said it had reasonable grounds to believe that the Grace 1 was carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Banyas Refinery in Syria. "That refinery is the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria," Gibraltar s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said. EU sanctions against the government of Syria took effect in May 2011. "With my consent, our port and law enforcement agencies sought the assistance of the Royal Marines in carrying out this operation." The government published regulations on Wednesday to enforce the sanctions against the tanker and its cargo. Refinitiv Eikon mapping indicates the ship sailed from Iran, and if the cargo is confirmed to be Iranian crude, its attempted delivery to Syria could also be a violation of U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil exports. The mapping data shows the ship has sailed a longer route around the southern tip of Africa instead of via Egypt s Suez Canal. The Grace 1 was documented as loading fuel oil in Iraq in December, although the Iraqi port did not list it as being in port and its tracking system was switched off. The tanker reappeared near Iran s port of Bandar Assaluyeh fully loaded. Shipping data shows the ship is a 300,000-tonne Panamanian-flagged tanker managed by Singapore-based IShips Management Pte Ltd.

The African Union (AU) Wednesday condemned an air strike on a migrant detention centre in Libya that killed nearly 40 people and demanded "those responsible for the horrific crime be held to account." In a statement, the chairperson of the AU Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat called for "an independent investigation to be conducted to ensure that those responsible for this horrific crime of innocent civilians, be brought to account".

China said Tuesday it regrets Iran s decision to exceed a limit on enriched uranium reserves under a 2015 nuclear deal, but said US "maximum pressure is the root cause" of tensions. "We call on all parties to view this from a long term and overall perspective, exercise restraint and uphold the JCPOA (nuclear deal) together so that there won t be further escalation in the tense situation," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular press briefing.

Afghan security forces on Monday were battling Taliban gunmen who stormed a building in the capital, Kabul, after a bomb-laden truck exploded near the defence ministry at rush hour, injuring at least 100 people, including 35 children, officials said. For hours after the attack, sporadic gunfire and explosions could be heard in the area, cordoned off by special forces. At least three gunmen entered a building around the defence ministry after the blast, a government security official said. "Gunmen have entered a building and they are clashing with the Afghan forces after the powerful blast," said interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. "The target was the defence ministry s technical installation," the Islamist militants spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a statement. Afghan security officials said the truck loaded with explosives was detonated near the ministry s engineering and logistics department. About 100 wounded people were taken to hospital, said health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar, but there was no immediate word of fatalities. Thirty-five school children were wounded, said Nimatullah Hamdard, the director of a nearby private school. The blast sent a plume of black smoke rising over the city and shook buildings as the wail of ambulance sirens rent the air. Clustered in the area are military and government buildings, as well as an office of the Afghan Football Federation, whose spokesman, Shafi Shadab, said its chief, Yosuf Kargar, was among several members injured. The attack comes as U.S. special peace envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad holds a seventh round of peace talks with the Taliban Islamist militant group in Qatar, aimed at bringing an end to the 18-year war in Afghanistan. The talks, described by one U.S. official as a "make-or-break moment", have focused on issues ranging from counter-terrorism and withdrawal of foreign troops to an intra-Afghan dialogue and a comprehensive ceasefire.

Two suicide bombers attacked security forces in the Tunisian capital on Thursday, killing a police officer and wounding at least eight people including several civilians, the interior ministry said. One attack on the main street of Tunis wounded three civilians and two police personnel, the interior ministry initially said. "Five (are) wounded -- three civilians and two police officers", Interior Ministry spokesman Sofiene Zaag told AFP, before later saying that a police officer had died of his wounds. Body parts were strewn in the road around a police car on Habib Bourguiba avenue near the old city, according to an AFP correspondent. "It was a suicide attack, which took place at 10:50 (0950 GMT)," Zaag said. The second attack targeted a base of the national guard in the capital and wounded four security personnel, the ministry said. "At 11:00 am (1000 GMT) an individual blew himself up outside the back door" of the base, wounding four security personnel, Zaag said. Civil protection units and police rapidly deployed to Habib Bourguiba avenue, where the interior ministry is located. People initially fled in panic, before some crowded around the scene of the attack, expressing anger against the authorities. Shops and offices were closed by police. Tunisia has been hit by repeated Islamist attacks since the 2011 overthrow of longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. On October 29, 2018 an unemployed graduate blew herself up near police cars on Habib Bourguiba, killing herself and wounding 26 people, mostly police officers, according to the interior ministry. The Tunisian authorities said the suicide bomber had sworn allegiance to IS group. The attack was the first to rock the Tunisian capital for over three and a half years. In March 2015, Islamist gunmen killed 21 tourists and a policeman at the National Bardo Museum in Tunis. And in June that year, 30 Britons were among 38 foreign holidaymakers killed in a gun and grenade attack on a beach resort near the Tunisian city of Sousse. *This story was edited by Ahram Online

Former Israeli premier Ehud Barak announced the formation of a new political party Wednesday that will compete in the September elections and seek to end Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s "corrupt" rule. "We are creating a new party to put an end to Netanyahu s power," Barak, 77, told a Tel Aviv news conference. Denouncing Netanyahu s "corrupt" practises, he said Israel had "never experienced such dark days". The party s name would be revealed in "two weeks" at its official launch, he said. A former armed forces chief of staff, Barak succeeded Netanyahu as prime minister in 1999 and served as defence minister under him from 2009 to 2013 before retiring from politics. "I ve known you for 50 years... it s the end of the road for you," said Barak, addressing Netanyahu, who he once commanded in an elite army unit. Netanyahu, 69, is facing possible indictment for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in the months ahead and is reportedly seeking legislation that would result in him being granted immunity. He is up for re-election on September 17 after failing to form a coalition government following snap polls in April. Parliamentary speaker Yuli Edelstein said Tuesday he was considering cancelling the elections -- a proposal hailed by Netanyahu. "I appreciate the efforts of Mr. Edelstein to try to avoid new elections," Netanyahu wrote Wednesday on Facebook. His main challenger, former army chief Benny Gantz who heads the Blue and White centrist alliance, slammed the possibility of circumventing the September polls, saying "there is no turning back". Gantz added that if there was a possibility of forming a unity government without Netanyahu, his party would consider it.

The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday that "clear, scientific and convincing" evidence was required on recent attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf region. Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who was speaking in Moscow at a press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergie Lavrov that was broadcast on Al Arabiya TV, also called for de-escalation of tensions in the region.