Muscat/Tehran, Sep 14: A meeting between Iran and Gulf states scheduled to take place in the Omani city of Salalah on Monday has been postponed, according to a social media post by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi on Sunday.

“In the interests of consensus the regional meeting set for tomorrow in Salalah has been postponed,” Al Busaidi said on X.

“We remain committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation in our region,” he added.

Confirming the meeting’s deferral in an interview with Iran’s official news agency IRNA, Mohammad Ali Bak, director general of the Persian Gulf at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said it was postponed to another date at some regional countries’ requests and based on a joint decision by Iran and Oman.

The official stressed that Iran is in close consultations with Oman to ensure the necessary arrangements and coordination regarding the appropriate time for holding the meeting, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei announced on Friday that Gulf littoral states’ foreign ministers were scheduled to meet in Oman on Monday to exchange views on regional issues, including the Iran-Oman talks on designating safe routes in the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking to media on Saturday, Baghaei said the gathering would “hopefully” be attended by foreign ministers from Gulf states as well as Iran and Iraq.

Meanwhile, Iraq announced on Sunday a phased reopening of three major border crossings with neighbouring Iran, following administrative and technical reviews to enhance security and streamline border movement.

According to a statement by the Security Media Cell (SMC), affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, the decision was made under the directives of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to upgrade organisational and technical infrastructure at the Shalamcheh, Mandali, and al-Sheeb border crossings.

Under the schedule, passenger travel through the al-Sheeb and Shalamcheh border crossings resumed at 6 am on Sunday, while commercial trade activities at Shalamcheh will resume on Monday, followed by Mandali on Tuesday and al-Sheeb on Thursday, the statement said.

The SMC emphasised that trade and passenger movement with Iran at the Zurbatiyah and al-Munthiriya crossings have remained unaffected and continue to operate around the clock.

New Delhi, Sep 14: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India are broadening a strategic and economic partnership that serves as “an effective model of cooperation within BRICS,” a new report has said.

The partnership is built on a foundation of historic ties, shared interests and major projects that promote trade, investment and logistics connectivity between markets, the report from Gulf Today said.

“The growing UAE-India partnership, reflected in expanding trade, increasingly integrated logistics corridors and cooperation in investment and innovation, provides a practical model of the UAE’s role within BRICS,” the report said.

Further, the partnership also proves UAE’s commitment to exchanging expertise and perspectives and building more integrated and sustainable economic partnerships.

Bilateral trade reached $101.25 billion in FY26, marking the second consecutive year in which trade between the two countries exceeded $100 billion. The UAE and India have set a target to raise bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2032.

The partnership is being advanced through initiatives such as Bharat Mart, the Virtual Trade Corridor and cooperation under the India‑Middle East‑Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).

“These initiatives are helping strengthen supply chain integration and create new routes for trade and investment flows between the two countries and global markets,” the report noted.

The UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), operational since 2022 was hailed as the first agreement of its kind concluded by the UAE. The agreement has bolstered the flow of goods, services and investment and expanded opportunities for the private sector in both countries.

United Arab Emirates and China were the largest destinations within BRICS, together accounting for 88.50 per cent of India’s electronics exports to the grouping.

The number of Indian companies registered as active members of Dubai Chamber reached 85,841 by the end of June 2026 after 7,579 new Indian firms joined in the first half of the year, marking a year‑on‑year increase of 15 per cent, another report said.

In a major operation, the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested two drug peddlers found selling Nitrazepam tablets. Acting on a tip-off received by Unit 6 on September 9, a Crime Branch team laid a trap and apprehended the two accused near the Trombay Transport Office—located on the southbound service road of the Panvel-Sion Highway in Trombay, Mumbai. Authorities seized 21,000 Nitrazepam tablets—weighing a total of 12.81 kg and valued at ₹64,05,000—which the accused were intending to sell illegally for recreational use. The arrested individuals have prior cases registered against them under the NDPS Act; specifically, a case has been registered against both under Sections 8(c), 22(c), and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985. The arrested men are aged 44 (resident of Shivaji Nagar, Govandi, Mumbai) and 50 (resident of Kausa, Mumbra, Thane district).

This operation was carried out by a team from Unit 6 under the guidance of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Anil Kumbhare, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Krishnakant Upadhyay, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Datta Nawathe, and Assistant Commissioner of Police (D-East) Dharmapal Bansode. The team comprised Police Inspector Bharat Ghonge (In-charge, Unit 6), Police Inspector Sushant Sawant, Woman Sub-Inspector Chaudhary, Woman Sub-Inspector Mashire, Police Sub-Inspector Desai, Police Havaldars Wankhede, Khedkar, Bhalerao, and Chamgar, Police Constables Panchal, Shaikh, Bodhare, and Sasane, and Woman Police Constable Khotod.