Middle East

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani invited Saudi Arabia and other nations in the Persian Gulf to join a "Coalition for Hope" but Saudi State Foreign Affairs Minister Adel al-Jubeir skipped the speech.

U.S. officials "appreciate the work of the UN Secretary General, UN Envoy Pedersen, Turkey, Russia, and the members of the Small Group in achieving this result," but made no mention of Iran's role.

Iran's upcoming "Hormuz Peace Endeavor" would include an invitation for potential cooperation with Saudi Arabia as a gesture to work together in the world's most important maritime oil chokepoint.

Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani also labeled an American-led coalition currently stationed to protect commercial interests in the area "a new means for plundering the region."

"If the Americans think of any conspiracy, we will respond from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean," a top Iranian military official said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters "it was Iran" that attacked Saudi Arabia over the weekend, breaking with the Pentagon, which said it was "not going to get ahead of the Saudi investigation."

Experts tell Newsweek why Japan hasn't signed on to a U.S.-led military buildup against Iran in the Persian Gulf and why Tokyo remains a potential player for peace between Washington and Tehran.

Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi rebel movement held rival press conferences as Iran continued to deny any involvement in attacks on the kingdom's oil sites.

"The Americans need hotbeds of tension in Syria only to justify their illegal presence on the territory of a sovereign state and to satisfy their geopolitical ambitions by any means," a senior Russian military official said.

The U.S. has yet to provide evidence to back up claims it was Iran, not Yemen's Houthi movement that was behind an attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin advised Saudi Arabia to make the same "wise state decision" as Iran and Turkey in buying his country's advanced missile defenses.

President Donald Trump argued that Iran lied about its June attack on a U.S. drone and may also be untruthful about a recent attack against Saudi oil sites.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for drone attacks at the world's largest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia, military and government spokespersons said Saturday.

"It is great news for America," the right-wing host said of Trump's national security advisor's ouster.

"We love Jason, so he's always additive to the team," Trump said of Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt's resignation. "But the plan's in a great place." 

Russia has expressed support for the sovereignty of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon following attacks attributed to Israel against regional partners of Iran.

The head of Iran's aerospace sector said that "the Russians and the Chinese have given us proposals" for fighter jets about a year before a U.N. arms embargo is set to expire.

"I'm not sure I'm ready to call the crisis over yet, but so far so good," Defense Secretary Mark Esper said.

An influential Iraqi faction has called for a U.S. military exit from the country as the leaders of Hezbollah and Israel swapped threats over a series of suspected Israeli strikes across the Middle East.

Israeli forces openly claimed attacks over the weekend in Syria and the Palestinian-administered Gaza Strip and were blamed for two more operations in Lebanon and Iraq.

Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces opened fire on a surveillance aircraft as they threatened to turn on the U.S. in the wake of strikes widely attributed to Israel.

The Federation of American Scientists has released the U.S. Army's 52-card playing deck featuring two jokers all detailing Iran's weapons arsenal.

Iran said its defense industry's achievements "prevented arrogant powers from undertaking any daring and adventurous action" as Bahrain and Australia joined the U.S. and U.K. in in the Persian Gulf.

Another mysterious blast has hit Iraq as speculation mounts as to Israel's potential role in what may be an expansion of its campaign against alleged Iran-associated sites in neighboring Syria.

As a deal between Russia and Turkey neared collapse in Idlib, a separate Turkish attempt to enhance its influence in the country at the expense of another U.S. ally has apparently made progress.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry announced "the cancellation of all approvals for aviation in Iraqi airspace" after a suspicious explosion at a military base, the U.S.-led coalition agreed to comply.

The information minister of Yemen's exiled government warned that any support for a southern separatist takeover in Aden "brings down the justifications for the intervention" of the Saudi-led coalition.

Just hours before a judge in U.K.-ruled Gibraltar ordered the release of Iran's Grace 1 supertanker, the Iranian navy commander warned an "Islamic maritime resistance" was being formed.

Iran's foreign minister warned that "the threats are coming from the U.S. and its Western allies who are pouring weapons in the region."

The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council and Saudi-backed presidential guards have engaged in deadly clashes, threatening to open a new front in an already war-torn nation.