Middle Orient

Syrian archaelogists have uncovered a 2nd century necropolis and statues in the central town of Palmyra, along with several skeletons, museum director Walid Assaad told AFP on Thursday.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is scheduled to pay a several-hour visit to Tehran following his attendance in the upcoming summit of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia early next week.

The Moroccan Foreign Trade Minister discussed future trade and business cooperation with Iranian Commerce Minister Massoud Mir Kazemi on Thursday.

Iran’s new Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari blamed misunderstanding for the fall of the $22 billion deal to export five million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India.

A report from the UN nuclear watchdog agency on Thursday found Iran to be generally truthful about key aspects of its nuclear history.

Iran on Thursday said it will not set any deadline for India to join the gas pipeline that also includes Pakistan and hoped New Delhi will not buckle under US pressure to dump the multi-billion dollar project for a rival pipeline from Turkmenistan.

Iran appears to be pushing ahead with its third major liquefied natural gas project, known as Iran LNG, with the assistance of European companies.

Iran on Thursday said it has arrested more suspects in a nuclear espionage case, a day after a former nuclear official was accused of handing over atomic secrets to Britain.

Iranian Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari said on Friday it was too early to say what action OPEC might take when it meets in early December, leaving the door open for a possible production rise to cool prices.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to pay a daylong visit to Bahrain prior to his participation in the upcoming summit of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.