MINA, SAUDI ARABIA — Muslim faithful took part in the climactic ritual of the annual hajj pilgrimage on Wednesday, symbolically stoning the devil near Mecca. From dawn, crowds of pilgrims gathered in the valley of Mina, southeast of the holy city of Makkah, to throw pebbles at concrete pillars symbolising the devil. It reenacts the […]
MOUNT ARAFAT (SAUDI ARABIA) — With temperatures hitting 45C in Mecca this week, Saudi health workers have increasingly relied on drones to supply a vast array of medical clinics treating heat-stressed pilgrims during the hajj. The rituals at the hajj have been a constant for centuries. But technology is rapidly changing the experience for pilgrims […]
TEHRAN — Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on May 26 that regional countries would no longer be shields for US bases, in a written statement carried by state television. “What is certain in this regard is that the hands of time will not turn backwards, and the nations and lands of the region will […]
MINA — As dawn broke on Monday, pilgrims began flowing into the sacred site of Mina west of Mecca, marking the beginning of what is considered the most significant spiritual journey for Muslims around the world. Nearly 2 million Muslims are expected to perform Hajj in 2026 as Saudi Arabia continues to record rising pilgrim […]
RIYADH — To avoid the punishing sun, Inas Gamal abandoned her ambitious plan of spending the days ahead of the hajj praying in Mecca’s Grand Mosque and retreated to the comfort of an air-conditioned hotel room to perform her daytime prayers. Despite travelling all the way from Egypt for the annual pilgrimage, Gamal said it […]
TEHRAN — Iran warned Monday that, while some progress had been made, it was not yet close to striking a deal with the United States to end the Middle East war, after a weekend of mixed messages from Washington and Tehran. World oil prices tumbled on renewed optimism about an agreement, after top US diplomat […]
DUBAI — Iran’s top negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, told Pakistani army chief Asim Munir during talks in Tehran on Saturday that the U.S. was not an honest party in negotiations to end their war and Iran would not compromise on its national rights, state television reported. A regional mediation push led by Pakistan […]
MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA — More than a million Muslims are gathering in Mecca for the hajj pilgrimage overshadowed by the Middle East war, as animosity smoulders across the region despite a fragile ceasefire. This year’s rites, drawing worshippers from across the Islamic world including Iran, follow waves of Iranian attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia […]
TEHRAN — Pakistan’s army chief was due in Iran Thursday, Iranian media reported, with Islamabad mediating as the Islamic republic examines a new US proposal to end the Middle East war. The expected visit by Field Marshal Asim Munir, a powerful figure with a growing role in Pakistan’s foreign relations, comes a day after US […]
DUBAI — Tehran’s latest peace proposal to the United States involves ending hostilities on all fronts including Lebanon, the exit of U.S. forces from areas close to Iran, and reparations for destruction caused by the U.S.-Israeli war, state media reported on Tuesday. In Tehran’s first comments on the proposal, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said […]