World

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that his country will never abandon Iran.

According to BBC Persian, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a joint press conference in Tehran on Monday following their meeting.

Abbas Araghchi stated that both nations agree there is no military solution to the issues in the Middle East.

He identified the prospect of a US-Iran war and the imposition of a naval blockade as sources of instability in the region.

The Iranian Foreign Minister mentioned that he had discussed the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf with his Russian counterpart.

Araghchi expressed deep concern regarding attacks on Iranian and Russian vessels in the Caspian Sea, as well as on port facilities located there.

During the press conference, Sergey Lavrov indicated his agreement with the points raised by the Iranian Foreign Minister, describing their discussions as highly productive.

Lavrov emphasized that strategic cooperation between Iran and Russia is on the rise.

The Russian Foreign Minister stated, "Russia remains fully committed to the joint strategic agreement between the two nations, and Russia will never cease its cooperation with Iran."

Following riots and looting in France over the past few days, authorities have imposed nighttime curfews in several cities, including parts of Paris.

According to the Paris police, a curfew will be in effect from 11:00 PM to 6:00 AM (local time) in the Place de la République and the Les Halles shopping area—locations where protesters had gathered in recent days.

Unauthorized public gatherings have also been banned in several other parts of the city center.

Partial curfews have been announced for cities in southern France—such as Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice, and Lyon—as well as for the northern city of Lille and various other towns. These restrictions include limitations on the movement of young people and prohibitions on public gatherings in certain areas.

Earlier, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez acknowledged that, in some cities, the police had lost control of the situation. He faced sharp criticism from opposition leaders regarding the preparedness to handle the law-and-order crisis.

The protests began last month, with students demanding better school facilities. Over time, the demonstrations expanded to include other issues, such as the rising cost of living. The number of protesters grew as trade unions and various activist groups joined the movement.

According to authorities, more than 2,500 people have been arrested so far. News agency AFP reports that approximately 1,000 police officers have been injured while attempting to bring the unrest under control.

Following a crisis meeting held on Monday, the Prime Minister announced that local mayors are being granted the authority to impose curfews as they deem necessary.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Monday that a general election would be held early.

The next general election in Spain was originally scheduled for the summer of 2027, but the country will now hold the election on November 29, 2026.

The move follows nationwide protests sparked by a case involving an 87-year-old woman whose rent was suddenly increased. In response, the government had drafted several proposals to address the housing crisis.

Pedro Sánchez's government had introduced key proposals to tackle the housing crisis, but they failed to secure parliamentary support and were rejected.

The woman's rent had been raised from 500 euros to 2,650 euros.

Although it was later reduced to 1,650 euros, the amount still exceeded her monthly pension of 1,350 euros by 300 euros. The incident triggered protests across the country.

Pedro Sánchez has served as Spain's Prime Minister since 2018. However, most polls predict that the Conservative Party will secure the highest number of seats in the upcoming election.

Thousands of supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, currently imprisoned in Pakistan, are marching towards the capital, Islamabad.

This march by supporters of Imran Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), began on Sunday from the city of Lakki Marwat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—located approximately 275 kilometers from Islamabad.

The objective of this protest, led by Tehreek-e-Insaf, is to pressure the government into releasing Imran Khan.

Meanwhile, concerns regarding the health of 73-year-old Imran Khan are mounting. His family claims that he has lost most of the vision in his right eye due to a lack of timely medical treatment provided by the prison authorities.

More than 100 cases have been registered against Imran Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician. Last year, he was sentenced to 17 years in prison in a corruption case. However, Khan has consistently maintained that these cases are politically motivated.

This march towards Islamabad was originally scheduled for last week but was postponed to pave the way for talks between the government and PTI.

However, the negotiations between the two sides failed to yield a result, and the march resumed following the ensuing deadlock.

Speaking on India-Russia relations, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated that the foundation of the ties between the two nations has been strong since the 1950s.

At the 62nd Munich Security Conference, Jaishankar noted that the scope of India-Russia relations has expanded with the changing times.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said, "India and Russia have historically shared excellent relations, particularly since the 1950s. That history has not been forgotten... For us, the Soviet Union was a country that stood by us in many ways when our security and territorial integrity were under threat."

Without explicitly naming Pakistan, he remarked, "At a time when most countries in the world preferred to support a military regime in our neighborhood, Russia was a country with which we maintained very good relations."

Describing the Russia-Ukraine war as an "unfortunate conflict," he said, "Our stance on this conflict has been absolutely clear: we want to see it come to an end. This will require dialogue and diplomacy; talks are essential in this matter."

S. Jaishankar stated that India has engaged in discussions with both countries in an effort to bring the war to a halt.

The US has withdrawn all its bomber aircraft from Britain's RAF Fairford airbase. This is the same British military base where counter-terrorism police are investigating an incident that occurred on September 27.

A US official confirmed on Sunday that all American bomber aircraft stationed at the airbase have been sent back to their home bases. However, the US has not provided an official reason for the withdrawal of the aircraft.

This US decision follows the September 27 incident, when police were alerted after reports of three suspicious vehicles near the Gloucestershire-based RAF Fairford airbase.

Initially, five individuals were arrested on suspicion of "terrorism-related offenses" in connection with the incident; however, they were later released on police bail. Subsequently, a sixth person—a British-Iranian national—was also arrested and later released on bail.

Whitehall sources have not ruled out the possibility that Washington's decision to withdraw its bomber aircraft was taken in response to the incident at Fairford airbase.

According to reports, the decision was made at a military and operational level rather than a political one. The US military had informed its British counterparts of the decision. However, the UK Ministry of Defence has not commented on the matter.

A few days after the incident, Andy Burnham stated that there were "strong indications" of Iranian involvement in the matter, though he did not share detailed information to substantiate this claim.

On the other hand, Iran has categorically denied any involvement in the incident.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs summoned the Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan on Saturday.

The Ministry stated that India has lodged a strong protest regarding the "facilitation of illegal cross-border infiltration from Pakistan."

The Ministry dismissed the allegations made by Pakistan concerning an incident on the International Border in the Ferozepur sector of Punjab on October 2, 2026, terming them baseless and malicious.

In an official statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, "Pakistan was informed that three individuals had intruded into Indian territory. Despite repeated warnings from the BSF to return to Pakistan, they continued to advance towards the border fence. The BSF was compelled to take action against them as they posed a serious security threat."

India took this step a few hours after Pakistan had summoned the Indian Acting High Commissioner in Islamabad.

Pakistan had claimed that personnel from the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) had "killed two Pakistani nationals" in the Bedian sector along the International Border on October 2, 2026.

According to BBC News Persian, Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for attacks on Aramco oil facilities in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.

Citing news agencies, reports indicate that the Houthis used ballistic missiles and drones in these attacks.

The Houthis stated that the attack was carried out in retaliation for strikes launched by Saudi Arabia against Sana'a and other areas of Yemen.

Earlier, an eyewitness told the news agency Reuters that smoke and fire were seen near an Aramco oil facility in Riyadh early Saturday morning.

Saudi officials have not yet confirmed the attack on the Aramco oil facilities; meanwhile, Aramco has also not issued a response.

The military coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government has accused Houthi rebels of carrying out a drone attack on a power distribution station in Medina.

According to the BBC's Arabic service, a statement issued by Major General Turki Al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, said that the attack on the power distribution station in Medina took place at 5:11 AM on September 29, 2026.

The coalition stated that it reached this conclusion after investigating the incident and analyzing the wreckage of the drone used in the attack.

The statement noted that while the attack disabled a power transformer, it did not affect power transmission.

The Saudi coalition claimed that the targeted unit was part of the system supplying electricity to the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.

Pakistan's Foreign Office stated that Pakistan strongly condemns the attack carried out by Houthi militias on the power distribution station in Medina on September 29, 2026.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said, "The attack on this civil electricity infrastructure, which supplies power to the Prophet's Mosque, is a grave provocation and a cause for deep concern and anguish for millions of Muslims worldwide."

The statement emphasized that "the sanctity of the Two Holy Mosques and the safety of worshippers and pilgrims must be respected at all times."

Qatar has also condemned the attack.

Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs described it as a serious assault on the sanctity of Islam's holy sites and a clear attempt to inflame Muslim sentiments.

It stated that the attack demonstrated a total disregard for civilian lives and constituted a blatant violation of Saudi Arabia's sovereignty.

It further noted that the act also represented a serious violation of the rules of international law. The ministry stated that such irresponsible actions must be stopped immediately.

US President Donald Trump has stated that he might ask European nations to release a portion of their diesel reserves.

Amid a diesel shortage, Trump is considering banning diesel exports from the US.

Trump's remarks follow a call by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for Europe to keep such reserves ready and release them if necessary.

Bessent stated that the burden of rising prices should not be placed on American farmers, truck drivers, and businesses.

The US has warned of a potential ban on diesel exports amidst rising prices driven by the conflict involving Iran.

This issue remains significant for American voters ahead of the US midterm elections.

On Thursday, the UK held discussions with European partners regarding the release of diesel reserves in the event of a potential ban.

The US is a key global supplier of diesel, exporting between 1.2 million and 1.5 million barrels daily.

Experts have warned that banning diesel exports could exert further upward pressure on prices in other countries.