Iran accused the United States yesterday of interference for saying its election was neither free nor fair as political factions traded blame for the record low turnout and high number of invalid ballots.

Iran’s President-elect Ebrahim Raisi said yesterday he will not allow nuclear negotiations for the sake of negotiations, in his first news conference since winning election last week.

The Omani Ministry of Health confirmed on Monday 2529 new cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) during the past 24 hours, bring the total number of positive Covid-19 cases to 250572.

Syrian government shelling on the rebel-controlled enclave of Idlib Monday killed at least nine people, including four civilians, a war monitor reported.

The head of Libya’s unity government yesterday said he had reopened the main coast road across the frozen front line, a gesture of progress in the fragile peace process, but eastern forces said the road remained closed.

Israeli police detained 11 Palestinians during a raid of Deir al-Asad town in the Galilee region in the 1948 territories.

Ultraconservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi was declared the winner yesterday of Iran’s presidential election, a widely anticipated result after many political heavyweights were barred from running.

Iran's Ebrahim Raisi was elected president with just under 62 percent of the vote, according to figures released Saturday by Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli.

Oman will reimpose a curfew and suspend all commercial activities from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m. following a spike in Covid-19 cases, the country's Supreme Committee for Combating Coronavirus said on Saturday.

Congratulations poured in for ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi Saturday on winning Iran's presidential election as his rivals conceded even before official results were announced.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) cancelled a deal yesterday to receive soon-to-expire Covid-19 vaccines from Israel after an initial Israeli shipment showed an expiration date sooner than had been agreed, the PA health minister said.

Iranians voted yesterday in a presidential election in which cleric Ebrahim Raisi is seen as all but certain to coast to victory.