Iraqi state television has aired footage of what it said was a raid in Syria that reportedly killed Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Iran's police chief Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari said on Saturday that about two million pilgrims have arrived in Iraq through the four Iranian border points to participate in the ceremony of Arbaeen on October 19.

In what Tehran calls a "dangerous adventure", two separate explosions, possibly caused by missile attacks, hit an Iranian oil tanker operated by the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) near the Saudi port city of Jeddah.

Commander of Iran's General Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri said on Wednesday that Iran is very interested in maintaining the security of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and strongly avoids any conflict with any country in any part of the world.

Iran’s oil minister criticized the US on Wednesday for using oil and gas as a raw material weapon against the Iranian nation.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the US has no business and is not welcome in the region and must leave it, stressing that the security of the Persian Gulf can be ensured only by neighbors not outsiders.