Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei rules out the possibility of war between the United States and Iran despite heightened tensions between the two sides, saying Washington knows engaging in such a conflict would not be in its interest.

President Hassan Rouhani commended Iranian Sunni Muslims for playing an active role in the country’s political and social arenas, reiterating that his administration protects the rights and dignity of all ethnic and religious groups.

Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that 71 years ago an illegitimate entity called the Zionist regime of Israel was born which is today the origin of all humanitarian crises in the region, posing a real threat to international peace and security.

The disciplinary trial of the New York City police officer who put Eric Garner, an unarmed black man, in a fatal chokehold began on Monday, nearly five years after widely seen video of the death sparked a national outcry about policing tactics.

Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, has expressed his "support and admiration" for New Zealand's Muslim community as he visited the two mosques where 51 worshippers were massacred in March.

Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq's Affairs Jeanine Hennis Plasschaert described her recent visit to Iran as successful, and added that the UN seeks Tehran's continued help to establish peace and security in the Arab country.

A senior Palestinian official has said she was denied a United States travel visa, amid worsening relations between the two sides.

A Saudi cargo ship believed by Spanish arms control groups to be laden with European weapons has left the port of Santander and set sail for Genoa, Italy.

The UN has warned that unless it can raise $60m by the end of the month, it won't be able to provide food assistance to more than one million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in June.

Iran has called on the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen to uphold the UN-brokered ceasefire agreement that was signed in Sweden last December.