Iraq’s influential Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr, has indefinitely extended a ceasefire being observed by members of his Mehdi Army militia.

A Lebanese army helicopter hit by gunfire has had to make an emergency landing in the south of the country. 

Egypt has urged Israel to stop making threats against Lebanon, its foreign minister said on a visit to Beirut.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Two consecutive earthquakes measuring 5.7 and 3.5 on the Richter scale jolted the city of Dehloran in Iran’s western province of Ilam.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian and Turkish education ministers met here in Tehran on Wednesday in a bid to improve ties and enhance mutual cooperation in the field of culture and education.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran is to start construction on four 1 million barrel oil storage tanks in Kharg Island next month as part of a long term strategy to double the country’s crude reserves.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized Israel for not pursuing peaceful dialogue to resolve regional disputes and said it only understands the language of gun.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran, the second largest producer of petrochemicals in the Middle East is expected to outlay close to US$30 bln in the South Pars petrochem projects, according to a senior executive in the National Iranian Petrochemical Company (NIPC).

TEHRAN (FNA)- Azerbaijan’s national oil company, SOCAR, said on Monday it had begun exporting Azeri Light crude to Iran to compensate for export constraints imposed by a pipeline blast in Turkey and war in Georgia.

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Turkish energy minister’s trip to Iran to firm up energy deals between the two countries is expected to be delayed by two weeks until mid-September, an energy ministry source said on Thursday.