TEHRAN, Iran, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The navy commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Iran has the capability and is powerful enough to confront regional powers as well as the United States.
Adm. Mahmoud Shiyari, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, made the claim Monday. Shiyari told the semi-official Fars news agency Iran today "has reached the level of capability and self-confidence ... to the extent of confrontation with a regime like the United States."
On Sunday, Iran's outgoing Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said his country ranks sixth in the world in the production and manufacturing of missiles.
Vahidi told Fars, Iran is the first country in the Middle East for missile production but gave no specific details to back his claims.
"Indigenizing the technology for building solid fuel missiles, designing and manufacturing surface-to-surface long range Sejill missiles ... increasing precision of medium range missiles with pinpoint capabilities ... designing and manufacturing different marine cruise missiles ... as well as designing and manufacturing various air defense systems are among efforts which have enabled us to reach this point," Vahidi told the news agency.
According to Wikipedia, since 2005, Iran’s nuclear program has become the subject of contention with the Western world due to suspicions that Iran could divert the civilian nuclear technology to a weapons program.
This has led the UN Security Council to impose sanctions against Iran on select companies linked to this program, thus furthering its economic isolation on the international scene.
Iran has the largest proven natural gas reserves in the world and the fourth largest proven petroleum reserves
GIBRALTAR, England, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The British frigate HMS Westminster arrived Monday at Gibraltar Harbor amid diplomatic tension between Britain and Spain over the territory, officials said.
The Westminster and two other naval ships, departed Aug. 12 from Portsmouth and are ultimately bound for the Persian Gulf region for military exercises.
A crowd of locals living in Gibraltar gathered at the quayside, waving British flags, Britain's The Telegraph reported.
"I feel very emotional, very patriotic," local Andrea Jones said. "It means a lot to us Gibraltarians to have naval ships here during these troubled times."
Britain and Spain are in the midst of a territorial dispute over Gibraltar, a 2.6-square-mile promontory off southern Spain under British rule since 1713.
The current row began with a dispute about fishing when Spain objected to the construction of a breakwater. Britain said the structure is needed to restore fish stocks depleted by Spanish fishermen.
In recent weeks, Spain has imposed border controls for vehicles entering and leaving Gibraltar, including a $66 toll.
Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Union Commission told Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Monday that it's illegal for Spain to impose a fee for crossing the Gibraltar border, The Telegraph reported.
Barroso asked Spain to "respect the law of the European Union.
"The commission hopes that these two member states hold dialogue as members of the European Union. It also falls to them to find a solution and overcome obstacles," said EU spokesman Olivier Bailly.
MANILA, Philippines, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The death toll in the collision of a ferry and cargo ship off the Philippines rose to 52 Monday with more bodies brought from the sunken ferry, officials said.
Philippine navy divers led the search effort of the M/V St. Thomas Aquinas which sank last Friday night after a collision with the cargo ship, the Sulpicio Express Siete, in the Mactan Channel about two miles northwest of Cebu City, capital of Cebu province.
There were a total of 870 passengers and crew aboard the two vessels when the collision occurred.
CNN, quoting the Philippine Coast Guard, said the latest confirmed death toll stood at 52, while another 68 remained missing. The rest had been rescued.
On Monday, the divers managed to enter the compartments of the ferry and retrieve more bodies, the Philippines News Agency reported. Philippines navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic said another team of divers was expected to arrive later Monday to help with the search effort.
CNN reported the St. Thomas Aquinas was coming from nearby Butuan City and the Sulpicio was leaving Cebu for Davao on Mindanao Island. The report said before going down, the passenger ferry managed to send out a distress signal, which was picked up by the Coast Guard.
CAIRO, Egypt, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The Cairo Criminal Court Monday ordered the prison release of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, pending an investigation into corruption charges.
The ousted leader will remain in custody, though, for separate charges of murder and corruption, Ahram Online reported.
Mubarak and his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, are to go to trial for charges they took more than $14.3 million in public funds to build private villas, al-Masry al-Youm reported.
According to Wikipedia, Egypt has a developed energy market based on coal, oil, natural gas and hydro power.
In 2013, the state-owned Egyptian General Petroleum Co (EGPC) said the country will cut exports of natural gas and tell major industries to slow output this summer to avoid an energy crisis and stave off political unrest, Reuters has reported.
NEW DELHI, India, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A moving express train ran over a group of pilgrims crossing rail tracks Monday in India's Bihar state, killing at least 37 people, authorities said.
The victims, who were to visit a nearby Hindu temple, had gotten off another train and were trying to reach the other side by walking over the rail tracks when they were struck by the oncoming Rajyarani express train, a police official told the Hindustan Times.
The incident occurred in the remote Saharsa district in the eastern state.
The report said at least 30 more people were injured. They were taken to a local hospital, where an unknown number were reported to be in critical condition.
Various reports said the incident triggered angry protests by residents of the district, who set fire to some of the Express train's coaches as well as two other stationary trains. They also attacked the railroad station, forcing railway officials and workers to flee the scene.
JINAN, China, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- A Chinese court Sunday ordered a former high-profile Communist Party leader to stand trial next week on corruption charges.
The Jinan Intermediate People's Court scheduled trial for Bo Xilai on Aug. 22 in open court, China’s Xinhua news agency said.
Bo stands accused of bribery, graft and abuse of power for allegedly routinely pocketing bribes. CNN said the circumstances of the alleged payoffs remained murky; however, sources said they likely stem from Bo's years as mayor of the port city of Dalian and his relationship with business tycoon Xu Lin, who has not been seen in public for more than a year and is believed to be under arrest.
Bo, 64, lost his position in the party's politburo and his powerful job as party chief in the large city of Chongqing after his arrest.
SANAA, Yemen, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- The British, French and German embassies in Yemen were reopening Sunday after shutting down in response to terrorism threats, officials said.
The embassies in Sanaa announced complete, temporary closures on Aug. 4.
The U.S. Embassy has remained closed.
Officials said recently that the U.S. Embassy would open soon, but provided no other details, the National Yemen Newspaper reported.
Following the closure of the embassies, the Yemeni government doubled its security presence in the area near the embassies, airports and other national security interests.
At the time of the closures, which took place during Ramadan, U.S. officials said the Yemeni branch of al-Qaida was responsible for the terrorism threats in the region.
According to Wikipedia, Yemen's economy is weak compared to most countries in the Middle-East, mainly because Yemen has very small oil reserves.