The mysterious sabotage against oil tankers in UAE waters adds to the existing tensions between Tehran and Washington, as well as between Iran and Gulf countries, and may have been designed to provoke escalation in the region, although it is unclear who orchestrated the attack, experts told Sputnik

The Syrian ceasefire guarantor states, Russia, Turkey and Iran,are close to reaching an agreement that would establish the long-awaited Syrian constitutional committee, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday Iran will not hold talks with the United States on the nuclear deal, Press TV reported

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday he hoped rumors about the deployment of 120,000 US troops to the Middle East are untrue

Media reports that the US government is planning to deploy more than 100,000 troops to the Middle East to defend against Iran is fake news, President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday

Iran's dependence on oil export income has dropped to below 30 percent, from previously comprising 80 to 90 percent of government revenues, Iranian First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri said on Tuesday

Oil production in OPEC countries decreased from 30.034 million barrels per day to average 30.031 million barrels in April after Iran, Saudi Arabia and Angola started producing less crude, according to figures in the monthly oil market report published Tuesday by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began their talks in Russia's Black Sea resort city of Sochi

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived on Tuesday in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov