The U.S. aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, deployed in operations against Iran, is expected to temporarily pull into port after a fire on board, Reuters reported citing U.S. officials.

The carrier, America’s newest and the world’s largest, is currently located in the Red Sea. It is expected to temporarily go to Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete, according to the report.

The warship has been deployed for nine months, including taking part in operations against Venezuela in the Caribbean ⁠prior to arriving in the Middle East.

The officials, who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, did not say how long the Ford was expected to remain in Crete.

One of the officials said nearly 200 sailors were treated for smoke-related injuries when the fire broke out in the ship’s main laundry area. The fire took hours to bring under control and had an impact on roughly 100 sleeping berths.

After the fire initially broke out, the U.S. military had said that there was no ⁠damage to the ship’s propulsion plant and the aircraft carrier was fully operational.

The Ford, ⁠with more than 5,000 sailors aboard, has more than 75 military aircraft, including fighter aircraft like the F-18 Super Hornets.

Saudi Arabia will host a foreign ministerial meeting involving a number of Arab and Islamic countries in Riyadh on Wednesday, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

“On March 18, talks between the foreign ministers of Arab and Islamic countries will be held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The parties plan to discuss coordinating their actions to ensure security in the Middle East,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a press release.

Iran’s judiciary said Wednesday it executed a man it accused of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, Associated Press reported.

AP reported citing a statement from the Iranian judiciary’s media outlet that the executed man was identified as Kourosh Keyvani, who is the first publicly announced execution for spying during the current war.

Iran said he “provided images and information on sensitive locations” to the Mossad.

According to Fars news agency, the man was arrested during the 2025 Iran-Israeli conflict near the western suburbs of Tehran.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said on ‌Wednesday that Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib was “eliminated” in a strike ⁠overnight, Reuters reports.

There has been no confirmation from Iran regarding Khatib’s reported death.

Katz said he and Israeli Prime Minister ‌Benjamin ⁠Netanyahu had authorized the military to kill any other senior ⁠Iranian official being targeted without the need ⁠for additional approval, according to Reuters.

The report comes after Iranian state media confirmed Tuesday that Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was killed in an airstrike.

A Swedish citizen was executed in Iran on Wednesday, Sweden’s foreign minister said in a statement, Reuters reported.

“The person, who was no named in the statement, was arrested in Iran in June of last year and Sweden has repeatedly raised the case with Iranian officials,” Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said.

“The death penalty is an inhumane, cruel and irreversible punishment. Sweden, together with the rest of the EU, condemns its application in all circumstances,” Stenergard said.

China will continue mediating to push for a ceasefire ‌and an end to fighting in the Middle East, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, adding ⁠the war should never have happened and had no reason to continue, Reuters reported citing a foreign ministry statement.

Wang Yi made the remarks ‌on ⁠Wednesday during a meeting in Beijing with the UAE presidential special envoy to ⁠China, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, in which he also voiced support ⁠for the UAE in safeguarding its sovereignty ⁠and security, according to Reuters. 

The U.S. and Israel launched what they described as a pre-emptive strike against Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran was developing a nuclear weapon and posed a threat—an allegation Iran has denied. In response, Iran launched counterattacks, firing missiles and drones at Israel, as well as at U.S. assets and other targets across the Middle East.

Armenian Ambassador to Uruguay Mariam Gevorgyan has met with Gabriela Verde, Vice Minister for Education and Culture and the current caretaker minister.

The embassy said in a press release that the parties discussed the progress of programs being implemented between the two countries in the fields of education and culture, as well as prospects for the further development of bilateral cooperation.

The Armenian resort town of Tsaghkadzor will host matches of the Europe zone Group IV of the 2026 Davis Cup from June 15–21.

The press service of the Armenia men’s national tennis team said that the national teams of Albania, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Malta, and San Marino will arrive in Armenia for the tournament.

The composition of the Armenian Davis Cup team for this year’s event will be published later.

The 2026 Davis Cup is the 114th edition of the Davis Cup, a tournament between national teams in men’s tennis. 

The Davis Cup was last held in Armenia in 2008.

The tournament will be held at the Main Sports Complex of Tsaghkadzor.

In 2025, the construction and renovation of 504.5 kilometers of roads funded by the state budget was completed, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Davit Khudatyan said on Wednesday.

“During 2025, with funds from the state budget, a total of 504.5 kilometers of roads were built, reconstructed, renovated, and overhauled in Armenia, of which 135 kilometers are interstate roads, around 200 kilometers are republican roads, and approximately 170 kilometers are provincial roads,” Khudatyan said at a parliamentary committee hearing on his ministry’s 2025 performance report under the 2021–2026 government action plan.

He added that the section of the North-South road corridor from Ashtarak to Gyumri is now fully completed, and an opening ceremony will be held there soon. According to the minister, this road is of vital importance for Armenia. Construction works on this section were fully completed last year.

Referring to another section of the North-South corridor, from Kajaran to Agarak, which is 32 kilometers long, Khudatyan said that active construction work is ongoing. Two planned tunnels for this section have already been excavated. In addition, 15 bridges are planned, with work on 14 of them currently underway.

In a few days, Armenia will launch the second program to extend the operating life of its Metsamor nuclear power plant by an additional 10 years, until 2036, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Davit Khudatyan said on Wednesday.

The plant’s lifespan was previously extended by 10 years in 2016, until 2026.

“In just a few days, the second extension program will begin, which will extend the plant’s operating life by an additional 10 years. A budgetary loan of 63.2 billion AMD has been allocated from the state budget to the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant,” Khudatyan said at a parliamentary committee hearing on his ministry’s 2025 performance report under the 2021–2026 government action plan.

At the same time, he reaffirmed that the government continues discussions with various countries and companies regarding the construction of a new nuclear reactor. The Armenian government has decided to replace the current plant with a modular nuclear power plant.

“During this year, or at the beginning of 2027, we will choose the specific model, after which we will move to the next phase,” the minister noted.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan earlier said that the government is evaluating offers from the United States, Russia, China, South Korea, and France for the construction of a modular nuclear power plant.