Iran

A major earthquake strikes south-east Iran, reportedly killing at least 30 people in neighbouring Pakistan and shaking buildings as far away as India and the Gulf states.

The new American Secretary of State, John Kerry, urges the Syrian opposition to attend an international meeting, promising the US is not planning “simply to talk”, but is “confident” of results.

Iranian state television reports that a monkey was successfully sent into space on a manned rocket flight before returning to the ground intact.

Want a legacy? Then look abroad – for a chance to leave an impact on the world. But will America’s role be much more limited – as Obama’s new team seeks continuity, not change?

The US Navy denies it has lost any drones in the Middle East, following claims by Iran that a small unmanned aircraft was shot down over the Gulf.

Relations with Iran may sometimes determine the direction of Israel’s foreign policy, but the Gaza conflict is unlikely to be a dry run for an Israeli attack on its Middle Eastern rival.

Iran tried to shoot down an unmanned US surveillance drone in international airspace over the Gulf, the US claims, as tensions rise further between Tehran and Washington.

Documentary maker David Patrikarakos, one of the producers of tonight’s Dispatches on #NuclearWarGames, considers the foreign policy question becoming more urgent by the day.

Ben Affleck’s latest film is based on the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, but in an interview with Cathy Newman the actor and director says there are few Americans with an appetite for war with Iran.

Riot police clash with demonstrators and foreign exchange dealers in Tehran over the collapse of the Iranian currency, which has lost 40 per cent of its value against the dollar in a week.

With close ties to Iran and Lebanon, and with its physical proximity to regional powers like Egypt and Turkey, Syria is at the heart of a complex set of relations in the Middle East.

A host of leaders from the Middle East used the platform of the UN General Assembly to criticise Israel in a series of speeches.