Central Asian forecasters dismiss Iran 'acid cloud' rumours
Reports of so-called “acid clouds” moving from Iran towards Central Asia are not supported by scientif...
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has expressed his country’s agreement with Tehran’s plans to host the summit meeting of the Caspian Sea littoral states in 2026.
“The date coincides the International Caspian Sea Day,” official IRNA news agency quoted Lavrov saying at a joint press conference with his Kazakh counterpart in Moscow on Thursday.
The International Caspian Sea Day is an occasion observed every 12th of August by the five littoral states Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan.
On this day, the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Caspian Sea and the Environment from Pollution was signed in Tehran and came into force.
As the largest inland body of water which accounts for about 44 percent of the total lake waters of the world, the Caspian Sea is facing environmental challenges including shrinking water levels, industrial pollution due to increasing oil exploration and endangered wildlife species.
To overcome these challenges, the five littoral states have been required to protect the sea’s ecosystem in this geo-politically and geo-economically strategic transit route of Eurasia.
In the latest development, Iran’s Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali was quoted saying that the first ever conference of governor generals of the Caspian Sea littoral provinces will convene in the northern Gilan Province on Nov. 18-19, 2025.
“We are in contact with Caspian Sea states to secure their agreements to convention of the summit in Iran,” he said on the sidelines of the Provincial Diplomacy Conference in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
According to Jalali, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to participate in the Caspian summit next year in Tehran.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Welcome to our live coverage as the conflict involving Iran enters its 11th day. Tensions in the region remain high as the United States and Iran exchange increasingly sharp warnings over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil supplies.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
Reports of so-called “acid clouds” moving from Iran towards Central Asia are not supported by scientific data, national hydrometeorological services in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan say, adding there is no threat to the region.
A senior delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has been holding meetings with Georgian government officials, opposition leaders and security authorities this week, as international observers attempt to gauge the country’s political climate following last year’s contentious elections.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told Masoud Pezeshkian, his Iranian counterpart, that violations of Turkish airspace by Iran could not be justified “for any reason whatsoever.”
The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan has approved a new programme aimed at developing educational courses and training sessions for young parents.
Kazakhstan has evacuated 8,585 citizens from Middle Eastern countries as regional tensions escalate. Authorities are coordinating air and land evacuations while analysts warn the crisis could reshape security and energy risks across the Caspian region.
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