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Azerbaijan Arrests 4 Over Attempted Assassination of Anti-Iran Lawmaker

A police officer stands in front of the house of MP Fazil Mustafa in Baku. (EPA Azerbaijan)
A police officer stands in front of the house of MP Fazil Mustafa in Baku. (EPA Azerbaijan)
    London, Baku – Asharq Al-Awsat
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Azerbaijan Arrests 4 Over Attempted Assassination of Anti-Iran Lawmaker

A police officer stands in front of the house of MP Fazil Mustafa in Baku. (EPA Azerbaijan)
A police officer stands in front of the house of MP Fazil Mustafa in Baku. (EPA Azerbaijan)

Azerbaijan arrested four people in connection with the attempted assassination of an anti-Iran lawmaker, who was shot and wounded last week, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

Representative Fazil Mustafa, who has been highly critical of Iran, was receiving treatment in a hospital after being shot in the attack.

Mustafa's assistant, Ajdar Aliyev, told Reuters the politician was feeling well and expected to return to his home, which he said was under police guard, in the coming days.

The interior ministry spokesman declined to give details of the arrested suspects, saying a statement would be released later.

However, Azerbaijani media reported that one of the detainees, Hasan Ramez, is the brother of Hossein Ramez who previously threatened the deputy from his residence in Iran.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador, Abbas Mousavi, in response to a memorandum sent by the Iranian embassy in protest against Azerbaijani media coverage about Iran.

Local Azertac news agency reported that the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, Aykhan Hajizada, disputed the claims made in the complaint.

Moreover, the Foreign Ministry handed the ambassador several articles published in Iranian media against Azerbaijan.

"Ambassador of Iran to Azerbaijan was informed that the insulting, false, defamatory and biased information about the Republic of Azerbaijan and its government officials regularly spread in the Iranian media, as well as well-known Iranian public and political figures' statements and speeches, undermine relations between our countries and further deepen misunderstandings," read the statement.

The misunderstandings arising in "our relations are constantly caused by the unilateral behavior and steps of the Iranian side, as well as the inadequate reciprocation by Iran of consistent and well-intentioned steps by Azerbaijan."

The Azerbaijani official urged the Iranian diplomat to "prevent the spread of false and biased information against Azerbaijan in Iranian media."

Relations between Azerbaijan and Iran had already been strained after an attack on Baku’s embassy in Tehran in January, which resulted in casualties.

Baku insisted it was a "terrorist attack," while Tehran claimed the attacker had "personal motives."

Relations between the two countries were also strained by military movements between Armenia and Azerbaijan around the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Tensions between the two oil-rich neighbors deepened after Azerbaijan sent an ambassador to Israel and opened an embassy there last week.

Last Friday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's statements regarding the agreement with his Azerbaijani counterpart on "forming a united front" against Iran. Baku denied making any statement against Tehran.

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World

Dockworkers Worldwide Strike Against Arms Shipments and to Demand Better Working Conditions

Demonstrators take part in a protest and strike called by dockworkers and seafarers' unions, in the port city of Piraeus, Greece, 30 October 2026. (EPA)
Demonstrators take part in a protest and strike called by dockworkers and seafarers' unions, in the port city of Piraeus, Greece, 30 October 2026. (EPA)
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Dockworkers Worldwide Strike Against Arms Shipments and to Demand Better Working Conditions

Demonstrators take part in a protest and strike called by dockworkers and seafarers' unions, in the port city of Piraeus, Greece, 30 October 2026. (EPA)
Demonstrators take part in a protest and strike called by dockworkers and seafarers' unions, in the port city of Piraeus, Greece, 30 October 2026. (EPA)

Dockworkers in Europe and beyond were striking on Friday as part of an international campaign against arms shipments and for better working conditions, unions said.

Unions in France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Türkiye and Morocco issued a joint call for an end to wars in the Middle East, including the war in Gaza, and “an end to the militarization of ports.”

“Ports must not be used for the transport of weapons, ammunition, military equipment and troops,” the statement said. “Dockworkers do not work for war!”

Organizers said more than 100 ports across several countries had joined the protests, which could disrupt operations in Europe, the Mediterranean region and North America.

In Greece, dockworkers’ unions called a strike at Piraeus, the country’s largest port. A separate seafarers’ strike over pay, working conditions and safety kept ships docked at several ports, disrupting ferry services.

Giorgos Gogos, president of the Dockworkers Union of Piraeus Port Authority, said: “We don’t want to participate in any war, all around the world. We don’t want our ports to be hubs of military material, transferred so as to kill people.”

In Türkiye, protesters gathered outside Istanbul's Haydarpasa port beneath a banner reading: “No to war, no to armament!”

In Italy, demonstrations were planned in key ports, including Genoa, Trieste and Gioia Tauro, to coincide with a nationwide general strike, according to the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB).

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated across Italy on Friday over high prices and other issues. But the general strike caused less transport disruption than anticipated after the government ordered transport workers back to work.

France’s CGT ports and docks federation called a one-day strike at major ports, including Le Havre, Marseille, Dunkirk and Rouen. The federation opposes what it calls “the militarization of port facilities” under European policies and the French government’s budget proposals, which it says threaten social protections.

The scale of disruption remained unclear. Organizers said participation would range from full-day strikes to shorter walkouts and demonstrations.

Supply chain management company C.H. Robinson warned clients of possible operational disruptions and shipment delays, with the impact varying by port, terminal and level of participation.

Experts expected the impact on global supply chains to be limited.

Marcus Baker, global head of marine, cargo and logistics at insurance broker and risk adviser Marsh, said a 24-hour strike was unlikely to significantly disrupt global trade, though it could affect perishable goods and time-sensitive shipments.

He said the action would further complicate supply chains already strained by Middle East tensions, climate-related events including El Niño, restrictions affecting the Rhine and Panama Canal, and shifting tariffs.

Judah Levine, head of research at online shipping marketplace Freightos, said the strike could worsen congestion at ports such as Genoa, where vessels already face waits of one to two days for a berth.

Ed Anderson, a professor of supply chain and operations management at the University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business, said the protests were unlikely to cause outright shortages.

“Just one day is not that much in terms of disruption,” he said.

World

Thousands of Students, Workers Protest in Italy Under Heavy Security

People take part in a demonstration during a general strike organized by the USB Piemonte union in Turin, Italy, 30 October 2026. (EPA)
People take part in a demonstration during a general strike organized by the USB Piemonte union in Turin, Italy, 30 October 2026. (EPA)
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Thousands of Students, Workers Protest in Italy Under Heavy Security

People take part in a demonstration during a general strike organized by the USB Piemonte union in Turin, Italy, 30 October 2026. (EPA)
People take part in a demonstration during a general strike organized by the USB Piemonte union in Turin, Italy, 30 October 2026. (EPA)

Thousands of students and workers took to the streets across Italy on Friday, calling for more school funding and relief from the soaring cost of living, amid a high police presence to avert possible clashes.

Friday's Italy-wide protest comes after weeks of demonstrations, led by students who have set up tent camps and occupied schools to make their demands heard, fueled by similar movements in nearby France and Spain.

A general strike called by Italy's USB trade union attracted thousands of workers to Friday's protests, including truck drivers, taxi drivers and farmers who have rallied in recent weeks over the spike in fuel prices and to oppose rising defense spending.

Marches were held in dozens of cities up and down the country, including in Bologna, Genoa, Naples, and Turin -- where a few minor skirmishes between protesters and riot police occurred at the start of the protest.

In Rome, university student Beatrice Chilelli told AFP students were "at a breaking point".

"They can't afford to pay exorbitant tuition fees, and rent... which weighs heavily on their parents' shoulders," said the 21-year-old, citing student housing in Rome that could reach 1,200 euros per month for a single room.

Thousands of people left Rome's central Termini train station, accompanied by two tractors and a taxi, making their way past the Colosseum as they waved flags, unfurled banners and shouted into megaphones.

An AFP photographer witnessed a heavy police presence outside the Economy Ministry, which the procession passed by.

"We need more houses, not bombs!" sang one group in the crowd, as a troupe of protesters gave a brief performance imitating terrified civilians in a Gaza bombing raid.

The Milan protest also began at the central train station, but then headed outside the city -- far from the center where young vandals had looted stores, destroyed property and clashed with police two weeks ago after another sanctioned cost-of-living demonstration.

"Let's reclaim our future" read one banner unfurled by students in Milan.

Police in riot gear blocked off streets, but no major clashes had been reported as of midday.

Besides students, the demonstrators at Friday's protest included teachers, workers and retired people, with one man in Rome bearing a sign that read "Pensioners - Pissed Off and Furious".

Many pro-Palestine flags were seen in the crowds in major cities.

Ahead of the demonstration, a spokesperson for the OSA student movement, 18-year-old Laura Teresi, told AFP she expected a "massive" mobilization that would empty out schools.

"We will take to the streets to denounce the rearmament policies of (Prime Minister Giorgia) Meloni's government and the rising cost of living, which is weighing ever more heavily on families, workers and students," she added.

The students will also protest against the "endless budget cuts to teaching", Teresi said.

- Law and order -

Following the October 17-18 weekend of clashes between youth and police in Milan, Meloni's hard-right government toughened laws on public gatherings while easing rules on detaining minors.

The government also last week agreed on a 175.2-million-euro ($195 million) aid package for truck drivers, farmers and fishermen hit by soaring fuel prices linked to the war in the Middle East.

Measures in favor of young people and families are also planned in the draft 2027 budget currently being discussed among the various governing parties, such as an annual bonus of 2,500 euros for workers under 30.

"I hope this can provide answers for young people in general... who feel that the state doesn't care about them," Meloni said at a press conference on Wednesday, stressing that these measures were "not for those who smash windows".

World

Qatari Delegation in Tehran for Talks

Iranians walk past billboards featuring Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on a street in Tehran, Iran, 28 October 2026, amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict. (EPA)
Iranians walk past billboards featuring Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on a street in Tehran, Iran, 28 October 2026, amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict. (EPA)
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Qatari Delegation in Tehran for Talks

Iranians walk past billboards featuring Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on a street in Tehran, Iran, 28 October 2026, amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict. (EPA)
Iranians walk past billboards featuring Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on a street in Tehran, Iran, 28 October 2026, amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict. (EPA)

A Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran on Friday for talks with Iranian officials, state media reported, as mediators press efforts to revive peace talks with the United States.

According to the IRNA state news agency, the delegation, headed by a senior adviser to Qatar's prime minister, came to discuss "bilateral relations... as well as regional developments" with senior Iranian officials.

Senior officials from several countries have flown to Tehran in recent days as fears rise of a return to hostilities in the Middle East war, which started eight months ago.

The reported Qatari visit came a day after Iranian media said Iran had received a letter from US Vice President JD Vance addressed to security chief Mohsen Rezaei.

The Wall Street Journal said the letter focused on a possible framework for negotiations rather than specific terms for a peace deal.

The New York Times reported that Vance "made the outreach in a letter sent last week via Qatari mediators and delivered Sunday to Gen. Mohsen Rezaei".

Qatar and Pakistan have been mediating efforts to revive peace talks following a ceasefire agreement in April. A Qatari delegation was also in Tehran on Sunday, according to a senior Iranian official.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed the war on the sidelines of a meeting in Moscow on Tuesday.

The Middle East war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed former supreme leader Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders in Tehran.

Iran retaliated with attacks on Israel and US assets across the region, while stopping ships using the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that normally carries around one-fifth of global oil consumption.

On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was discussing a plan with both mediators, Qatar and Pakistan, to end the war and reopen the waterway.

The US has meanwhile imposed a blockade on Iranian ports, further restricting Tehran's ability to export oil and conduct trade.

Tehran insists that Washington meet seven conditions for reopening the strait, including a ceasefire across the Middle East, unfreezing Iranian assets abroad, lifting sanctions on its oil sector and ending the US naval blockade.