Iran-U.S.-Israel tensions rise after strikes and threats of retaliation- 31 March
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is intensifying, with fresh strikes near Tehran, European calls for restraint, and Iran threatening to target U.S. fi...
Iran launched naval manoeuvre in its southern waters on Thursday as it concluded hosting the joint counter-terrorism drills of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy staged two-day drills in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea waters while its Ground Forces launched the final stage of the Sahand-2025 joint anti-terror exercise in which SCO special units participated
“The naval exercise codenamed ‘Shahid Nazeri’ after martyred commander of the elite units of the IRGC Navy takes place in the maritime theater of the Persian Gulf, the Hormuz Strait, the Sea of Oman, and the Iranian islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Siri,” IRGC announced in a statement.
It was staged one day after the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council’s joint summit with Italy in the Bahraini capital Manama on Wednesday backed the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) claim over three Iranian islands.
Tehran has categorically rejected Abu Dhabi’s claim on Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa in the Persian Gulf.
The Strait of Hormuz in which IRIB Navy is staging the wargame connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and is a key waterway for the transit of oil and natural gas to global markets.
Iran has at times warned that it could restrict the strait’s traffic during heightened tension.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation concluded its five-day Sahand-2025 anti-terrorism drills carried out in Iran’s East Azerbaijan Province on Thursday.
“The last day of the joint wargames focused on hostage release tactics as well as cross-border counterterrorism operation,” according to reports by DefaPress website which covers military and defence news.
Commander of the drills Brigadier General Vali Ma’dani said SCO member states Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Russia, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Kazakhstan, Iran, India and Belarus participated in the drills.
Representatives of neighbouring countries Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Iraq also took part as guest observers, he added.
In 2023, Iran became a full member of The Shanghai Cooperation Organization which is a Eurasian body of 10 member states.
As a regional organisation, it fosters political, economic, international security and counter-terrorism cooperation.
SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) has designated terrorism, separatism and extremism as “Three Evils” of the 10-member Eurasian political, economic and international security bloc.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S is in talks with the new Iranian regime. He said this in a post on his Truth Social account but warned that the U.S. will "Obliterate" Iran's electric and oil facilities if no deal is reached, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz closure.
NASA is aiming to launch its Artemis 2 mission on Wednesday (1 April), sending astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, officials confirmed. According to the Space Administration, the launch window is due to open at 23:24 GMT, with additional opportunities to 6 April if delays occur.
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is intensifying, with fresh strikes near Tehran, European calls for restraint, and Iran threatening to target U.S. firms in the region, raising fears of a broader escalation across the Middle East.
The war in Iran has rapidly upended regional security, triggering spillover across the Middle East and raising fears of wider economic disruption that could threaten globalisation.
The Israeli military said on Monday that Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, and an attack had also been launched from Yemen for the second time since the U.S.-Israeli war began on Tehran. It said two drones from Yemen were intercepted early 30 March but gave no further details.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum says around 25 kilometres of the TAPI gas pipeline have been laid in Herat province, as work continues on one of the region’s largest energy projects.
Three Armenian citizens have been charged following an alleged attempt to attack Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at St Anna Cathedral in Yerevan on 29 March. Analysts say the incident reflects rising tensions between the government and the Church ahead of upcoming elections.
A man previously convicted of spying on Türkiye has been arrested by Turkish and Syrian authorities after more than a decade on the run, Turkish security sources said on Monday.
Uzbekistan is hosting the fifth-anniversary Space Technology Conference - Central Eurasia (STC 2026), bringing together more than 400 delegates, 24 sponsors and representatives from 32 countries to discuss the region’s space industry and expand international cooperation.
Kazakhstan remains among the least dependent countries in Central Asia on Chinese capital, maintaining a diversified external debt structure and greater financial flexibility than its regional peers.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment