BAGHDAD, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Thursday denied claims it sent Kurdish groups to infiltrate Iran, saying it is not involved in any campaign to escalate regional conflicts.KRG spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani called reports suggesting the region is arming and sending Kurdish parties into Iran completely false. He said the KRG and its political parties are committed to peace and stability.Hawramani also condemned attacks on the Kurdistan region, urging Iraq's federal government and the international community to protect Kurdish territory and civilians.Earlier in the day, Iran's Intelligence Ministry said its armed forces had heavily damaged positions and facilities of separatist terrorist groups near its western borders in a pre-emptive operation. The ministry accused the groups of trying to infiltrate Iran with U.S. and Israeli backing to carry out attacks in urban and border areas, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA.Tensions escalated after a joint U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran on Saturday, prompting Tehran to launch missile and drone attacks on Israeli and U.S. targets across the Middle East.The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella body for pro-Iranian militias, warned Thursday that European forces and interests could become legitimate targets if they support U.S.-Israeli operations.The group also claimed it shot down a U.S. MQ-9 drone over Iraq's Salahuddin province and conducted 29 drone and missile attacks on enemy bases in Iraq and the region over the past 24 hours. No further details on the targets or casualties were provided.

ABU DHABI, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates' banking and financial sector remains stable and resilient, Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) Khaled Mohamed Balama said Thursday, even as technical disruptions at a major bank caused long queues at some branches.Balama stated that banks, financial institutions, and insurance companies across the country continue to operate normally and provide services without interruption. He noted that the sector maintains strong capital and liquidity buffers, with a capital adequacy ratio of about 17 percent and a liquidity coverage ratio exceeding 146.6 percent -- both well above international regulatory requirements.He added that the UAE's banking systems, payment infrastructure, and financial institutions remain fully operational, and that the central bank continues to monitor developments closely to ensure financial stability.Meanwhile, some banking services have experienced technical issues. Local media reported that a technical problem at an Amazon data center in Abu Dhabi disrupted mobile banking services of First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) for several days. A Xinhua reporter observed long queues of customers withdrawing cash at a FAB branch in the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai on Thursday. Analysts say the disruptions appear to be technical in nature and have not affected the overall stability of the UAE's banking system.The UAE has been on heightened alert since a U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran began on Saturday, triggering a sharp escalation across the Middle East with waves of missile exchanges and mounting casualties.On Thursday, the UAE's Defense Ministry said its air defense systems intercepted six ballistic missiles and 125 drones, while one missile and six drones fell within UAE territory. The ministry added that the defense systems have detected a total of 196 ballistic missiles and 1,072 drones launched toward the country since Saturday.Iran's attacks since Saturday have caused three ...

TEHRAN, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Intelligence Ministry said Thursday the country's armed forces have heavily damaged a large part of the positions and facilities belonging to separatist terrorist groups near western borders through a pre-emptive military operation.The ministry said the groups sought to abuse the war conditions and infiltrate Iran through western borders with U.S. and Israeli support, with an aim to launch terrorist attacks in Iran's urban and border areas, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.Separately, Mohammad-Reza Rezaei, governor of Baneh border county in western Iran's province of Kurdestan, on Thursday rejected rumors of invasion against or infiltration into Iran from the shared border with Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.According to the Iranian Students' News Agency, the governor said that security is ensured along the county's border, and that Iranian armed forces are protecting borders round the clock and with full readiness.On Wednesday night, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi held a phone conversation with Bafel Jalal Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, a group based in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.The two discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation for common security and stability along the shared border.The developments came as the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran entered its sixth day. The operation has triggered a sharp escalation across the Middle East, setting off waves of missile exchanges, mounting casualties, and far-reaching political, security, and economic repercussions.

Iran's military says attacked US site in Kuwait with naval combat drone: media

TEHRAN, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday it had hit a U.S. oil tanker north of the Gulf with missiles, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.The American tanker was targeted by the IRGC's navy early Thursday and was reported to be burning, it said.According to Fars, the IRGC had earlier announced that, based on international rules and resolutions, Iran has full authority over vessel movements in the Strait of Hormuz during wartime, and all must comply.It added that Iran had also warned that commercial and military vessels belonging to the United States, Israel, European states and their supporters would not be allowed to pass through the strait.The development came as on Wednesday, the U.S. military sank Iran's IRIS Dena frigate off the coast of Sri Lanka in international waters, killing over 80 of its 130 crew members.Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Thursday on social media that the U.S. has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores, adding that Washington will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set.