TEHRAN (FNA)- Cuban President Raul Castro Ruz met on Wednesday, in Havana, with Ali Akbar Mehrabian, Iranian President’s special envoy and Minister of Mines and Industries. The Iranian official brought a salutation message for the Cuban Head of State and Revolution leader Fidel Castro on behalf Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran’s Ambassador to Sana’a Mahmoud Hassan-zadah met with Yemen’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mohi al-Din al-Dhabi on Wednesday. During the meeting, the two diplomats discussed aspects of bilateral cooperation between Iran and Yemen and ways of strengthening ties and cooperation.

TEHRAN (FNA)- The historic and brotherly ties between Iran and Pakistan will strengthen with the passage of time, a Pakistani official said. According to a handout on Wednesday, Punjab Chief Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian Consul General Saied Kharazi at Chief Minister’s …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran accused the BBC of plotting to recruit spies and stir a new revolution by launching a Persian-language satellite channel. BBC Persian, which will go on air next week, will be used by British intelligence for “espionage and psychological warfare”, according to Iranian officials. The channel, which has …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s special envoy and Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary, Saeed Jalili, arrived in Ankara yesterday to hold official talks. Jalili attended a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and was later received by President Abdullah Gul. According to media reports, Jalili …

TEHRAN (FNA)- Crude oils from the Middle East were at premiums to their benchmarks on concern that supplies would be limited after Iran said it would cut February shipments to Asia. Oman crude oil for March loading was at a premium of 13c a barrel to its official selling price, …

TEHRAN (FNA)- OPEC is not considering holding an extraordinary meeting next month, Libya’s envoy to the oil producers’ cartel said Wednesday. “So far we are not talking about another meeting,” said Libya’s OPEC representative, Shukri Ghanem. Iranian OPEC delegate Mohammad Ali Khatibi had on Monday said that the Organization of …

Serbian President Boris Tadic has sent a letter of protest to the United Nations and European Union asking them to protect the Serb population in Kosovo from what he said were deliberate attacks by “the Kosovo government and Albanian extremists”. Two Kosovo Serbs were attacked by a group of Albanians …

Supplies of Russian gas via Ukraine to Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia were reduced or halted on Tuesday because of a dispute between Moscow and Kiev, raising concerns about Russia’s credibility as a supplier and its readiness to use its energy muscle to push political aims. Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom …

Macedonia’s government has renamed a main highway after the ancient conqueror Alexander the Great, whose ethnic origin is one part of the thorny 17-year dispute between Macedonia and its southern neighbour Greece over Macedonia’s name. Government spokesman Shefik Duraku told local Alfa TV that “Alexander of Macedon” will be the …