Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, made the announcement at a joint press conference in Tehran. The two allies have both been heavily hit by US sanctions.

Baghdad is hoping to revive talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia following the deadly confrontation in Yemen. Diplomatic ties between Tehran and Riyadh have been non-existent for years.

At least five people were killed when a 6.0 magnitude earthquake shook southern Iran. The quake's epicenter was in a comparatively sparsely populated area.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is going all in on nuclear power, both at home and abroad, marking a shift from his predecessor's undecided approach.

Smuggling is a huge part of the Iranian economy. All kinds of products change hands illegally in Iran, from contraband items like alcohol and satellite dishes, to washing machines, phones and car parts. However, little is known about these people who operate in the shadows. We're joined by Ershad Alijani from the FRANCE 24 Observers, who presents a special report on the issue.

When it comes to the nuclear talks between Iran and the West, no country watches as closely as Israel. Conflict Zone talks to Israel's former defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, who says the nuclear agreement was a mistake and a missed opportunity.

Iran's arrest of prominent filmmakers is part of an escalating clampdown on protesters. Human rights groups fear more backlash as Iranian women defy the regime's hijab laws in a social media campaign.

The US president will also visit Saudi Arabia, where he will have talks with Saudi officials and attend a summit of Gulf allies. Iran's nuclear program is set to be high on the agenda during his stay in Israel.

Israel and the US will declared a "united stand" on Iran and signed a joint agreement pledging to prevent Tehran from building nuclear weapons.

The meeting between the leaders of the three regional powers Russia, Iran and Turkey aims at bolstering their relations. The summit comes shortly after Russian gas giant Gazprom announced a cooperation deal with Tehran.

Vladimir Putin works his Middle East connections. For his first international outing since the war in Ukraine, he went to Iran to meet with supreme leader Ali Khamenei and Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Iran and Russia are seeking closer ties in the face of Western sanctions. Also on the agenda: negotiations over blockaded imports of Ukrainian grain and the situation in Syria.

Around 5,000 people every day are crossing the border from Afghanistan into Iran. While Tehran is deporting thousands every week, many are still setting out on the perilous journey that often begins in the city of Herat.