Middle East - Persian Gulf

US President Donald Trump made a u-turn on his campaign against the Iran-backed Houthi militia after huge financial losses and American casualties became impossible to justify, according to the New York Times.

President Donald Trump plans to announce that the US will begin officially referring to the Persian Gulf as the “Arabian Gulf,” the Associated Press reported — a move condemned by Iran as a politically motivated affront to its national identity and historical legacy.

The White House said on Monday that a top Houthi missile expert was killed in US strikes, as President Donald Trump warned that that military action against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen would continue until the group no longer threatens maritime security.

Tehran has condemned the US and UK military strikes against the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen, rejecting US President Donald Trump's warning against its support for the militant group which it continues to say acts independently of Iran.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani discussed Iran’s regional influence, Iraq’s energy independence, and US business investments during a call on Tuesday, the US State Department said.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf are due to attend the funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut on Sunday.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Wednesday told the visiting leader of potential mediator Qatar that Tehran expected more of the same hostile US policy under President Donald Trump.

US Navy and Coast Guard vessels rescued five Iranian and two Indian mariners from their sinking Iranian commercial ship, the M/V Shayesteh in the Persian Gulf.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the Islamic Republic does not seek conflict but faces external pressures from countries he accuses of fueling instability.

The Lebanese government has banned Iranian flights landing in Beirut twice in the last week for fears that Israel may shoot them down, according to AFP.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that if Tehran's enemies strike the country's nuclear facilities, the country's youth will be ready to simply rebuild, after reports about possible Israeli attack on the country’s nuclear program this year.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's trip to the Middle East will heavily focus on countering the destabilizing activities of Iran and its proxies, as well as securing the release of hostages held by Hamas, the State Department announced.

Iran and Oman have taken significant steps to boost bilateral trade, including resolving key banking issues and eliminating trade tariffs, the head of the Iran-Oman Joint Chamber of Commerce said on Sunday.

Reviving the so-called maximum pressure campaign on Iran will likely define US President Donald Trump’s strategy toward Washington's arch-foe in the Middle East from day one, Middle East policy expert Patrick Clawson told Iran International.

The sudden departure of Bashar al-Assad from Damascus to Moscow exposed deep divisions between Iran’s government and its people. While state loyalists viewed the event as disastrous, many ordinary Iranians rejoiced in it with renewed hope.

Just days after Israel admitted it had killed Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last summer, its intelligence service has revealed that the operation was nearly scuppered after a technical glitch in the site of the killing.

Iran’s defense minister announced a surprise series of military drills starting Saturday to show the Islamic Republic would not crumble easily like Bashar al-Assad's Syria.

Despite Iran's allied militias facing major losses across the region, the IRGC's commander spoke of their victory, while implying that Iran does provide weapons to its armed allies in the Middle East.