BEIJING, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the BRICS bloc to be a peacemaker in the Middle East conflict, in an address to a summit of member countries in New Delhi on Saturday.
China will work with other BRICS members in that role, as the war "does not serve the common interests of the international community", state-run CCTV quoted Xi as saying.
By Sarita Chaganti Singh, Shivangi Acharya and Saurabh Sharma
NEW DELHI, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Iran and the United Arab Emirates signed up to a joint statement from the BRICS group of nations that called for restraint in the Middle East war on Saturday, in what was seen as a sign of diplomatic progress between the countries divided by the war.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also met the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi on the sidelines of the first day of the New Delhi summit, in the countries' highest-level meeting since the start of the conflict.
Houthi fighters on Sunday said they used drones and missiles to attack a military base in southern Saudi Arabia as renewed fighting with Yemen's government forces forced growing numbers of civilians to flee.
The attack at the southern Sharurah base targeted "weapons depots and command and control centres that are managing the aggression against our nation and people", Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree wrote on X.
A chilling new documentary about Israel's AI-assisted killing of civilians in Gaza by two Israeli directors won a special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday.
"NAZA", by Oscar-winning Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, had been tipped by some critics for the top Golden Lion prize for best film after a record-breaking 25-minute ovation at its premiere on Thursday.
Receiving the award, Abraham said that in the 10 days since the festival began, "Israel killed six Palestinian children in Gaza at least".
Sept 12 (Reuters) - An understanding between Iran and Oman does not provide for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz but establishes the basis on which it could reopen, an Iranian source told the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Saturday.
The source said the arrangement would be a step towards Iran exercising sovereignty over the strait and that its reopening depended entirely on the United States meeting Tehran's conditions.
(Reporting by Dubai newsroom, Editing by Louise Heavens)
By Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis and Matt Spetalnick
WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - A lightning offensive by the Iran-aligned Houthis has put the militants in a position to control a crucial Middle East waterway, creating a major new problem for U.S. President Donald Trump as his war with Iran grinds on in its seventh month.
Sept 12 (Reuters) - A meeting between Iran and Gulf states planned for Monday in Oman will be a chance to discuss issues including the Strait of Hormuz, but is not expected to yield a signed agreement over the blockaded waterway, a senior Iranian official said on Saturday.
Iran has been negotiating for months with Oman, which controls the opposite bank of the strait, over a deal that would govern transport through it. Oman has long said its negotiations are supported by other Arab countries in the Gulf.
By Sarita Chaganti Singh
NEW DELHI, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The BRICS group of nations unanimously adopted a joint declaration on Saturday, expressing "deep concern" over the war in the Middle East and urged maximum restraint, advocating for a "multilateral approach" that respects national viewpoints.
The declaration, adopted on the first day of the BRICS leaders' annual summit in New Delhi, comes at a time when U.S. and Iran have resumed tit-for-tat strikes against each other, after a pause in fighting for much of August.
DUBLIN, Sept 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran was probably responsible for an aerial attack on Saudi Arabia that shut down its East-West pipeline, one of the kingdom's main routes for exporting crude while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
"I think they are, probably they are," Trump told reporters in Dublin when asked if Iran was responsible for the attack on the vital oil conduit.
The U.S. president also said that he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom he described as a "good friend."
NEW DELHI, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The BRICS group of countries has agreed on a joint declaration, which is unlikely to name any country but will condemn unilateral war by any country, four sources told Reuters on Saturday.
The bloc, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, is holding its annual summit in New Delhi this weekend.
