Page 29 - Iran

Iran Army refutes reports about IRGC infiltration to kill Hamas' Haniyeh

The statement by IRGS also accuses the criminal government of the United States of supporting the attack

US General arrives in Middle East as Iran prepares for attack on Israel

Three US and Israeli officials said that they expect Iran to launch an attack on Israel as early as Monday

US military destroys Iranian-backed Houthi cruise missile in Yemen

A suspected missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels struck a container ship travelling through the Gulf of Aden, authorities said on Sunday, likely the first assault by the group since Israeli airstrikes targeted them. The Houthis have offered no explanation for the two-week pause in their attacks on shipping through the Red Sea corridor, which have seen similar slowdowns since the assaults began in November over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But the resumption comes after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, the Houthis' main benefactor, amid renewed concerns over the war breaking out into a regional conflict. The attack on Saturday happened some 225 kilometers (140 miles) southeast of Aden in a stretch of the Gulf of Aden that has seen numerous Houthi attacks previously. A security official on the vessel said a missile struck the vessel, but no fires, water ingress or oil leaks have been observed, according to a statement from the British military'

Iran says short-range projectile killed Hamas' Haniyeh, vows retaliation

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said a short-range projectile was behind the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and accused the United States of supporting the attack which it blamed on Israel, state TV reported. The televised statement, which reiterated a call for retaliation, said a rocket with a seven-kg warhead was used to target the residence of Hamas' political leader in the capital Tehran on Wednesday, adding it caused heavy devastation. It didn't share details of the residence's location. Haniyeh was in Iran to attend the inauguration of newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The action was designed and carried out by the Zionist regime and supported by the US, said the Guard's statement. It added that the warmongering and terrorist Zionist regime will receive harsh punishment in the suitable time, place, and capacity. Israel has not confirmed or denied its role in the killing of Haniyeh, but Israel earlier pledged to kill him and other Hamas leaders ove

Hamas chief's killing: Iran's Khamenei orders strike on Israel, reports NYT

In a major escalation in the region, the New York Times reported that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered its troops to carry out direct strikes against Israel

For Iran, calibrating response to Israeli strikes leaves no room for error

Two back-to-back strikes in Beirut and Tehran, both attributed to Israel and targeting high-ranking figures in Hamas and Hezbollah, have left Hezbollah and Iran in a quandary. Analysts agree that both strikes hit too close to home to pass without a response, and were serious security breaches for Iran and Hezbollah. Calibrating that response to restore deterrence without sparking an even more damaging escalation may be the most delicate balancing act in nearly a year of teetering on the brink of a regional war. Tuesday's rare strike in Beirut's southern suburbs killed a top Hezbollah commander who Israel says was responsible for a missile strike on a soccer field in the town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, killing 12 children and teenagers. Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the attack. While the target of the strike in Beirut was a military figure, it hit a densely populated urban neighborhood on the outskirts of the capital where Hezbollah has many of it

Killing of Hamas chief in Iran sparks fears of retaliation, conflict

Haniyeh was killed by a missile that hit him directly in a state guesthouse where he was staying

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards have been killed in Tehran. Watch the video to know the details.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in 'Israeli raid' in Iran

Just a day before his assassination, the Hamas chief on Tuesday attended the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian

Who was Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, killed in an Israeli attack in Iran?

A prominent Palestinian political figure, Ismail Haniyeh was in Tehran at the inauguration of Iran's new president and met with Iran's Supreme Leader

Russia, Iran, and China seek to shape US election by recruiting Americans

Some US citizens have been helping foreign govts seed, promote and add credibility to narratives that serve the foreign actors' interests, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said

Iran's new prez Pezeshkian vows balance with all, warns US against pressure

Iran's newly elected president said his government will create "balance in relations with all countries in line with national interests and the prerequisites for peace but stressed to the United States that his country will not respond to pressure. Masoud Pezeshkian penned My Message To The New World in the country's state-owned Tehran Times late Friday, praising the latest presidential election that demonstrated remarkable stability and vowing to uphold promises I made during my campaign. ' Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon and longtime lawmaker, bested hard-liner former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili to clinch July 5's runoff election to replace President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May. He said in his message his administration would prioritise strengthening relations with our neighbours and urged Arab countries to use all diplomatic leverages to push for a lasting cease-fire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that started October

Oil tanker held by Iran for over a year reaches international waters

An oil tanker held by Iran for over a year after being seized amid tensions between Tehran and the United States reached international waters on Thursday, tracking data showed. The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Advantage Sweet travelled through the Strait of Hormuz, where it was seized in April 2023 by Iran's navy while carrying USD 50 million worth of oil from Kuwait for Chevron Corp. The strait is the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20 per cent of the world's oil passes. Tracking data analysed by The Associated Press showed the Advantage Sweet had been unloaded while in Iranian custody and that the vessel listed as its destination Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates, which has been the first port of call for other ships leaving Iranian detention. Iran did not acknowledge the ship's departure. It came after an Iranian court earlier on Thursday ordered the US government to pay more than USD 6.7 billion in compensation over a Swedish company stopping its supply o

Iran encourages Gaza war protests in US to stoke outrage, distrust

The Iranian government is covertly encouraging American campus protests over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza in a bid to stoke outrage ahead of the fall election, the nation's top intelligence official said on Tuesday. Using social media platforms popular in the US, groups linked to Tehran have posed as online activists, encouraged campus protests and have provided financial support to some protest groups, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said in a statement. "Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in their foreign influence efforts, seeking to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions," Haines said. This effort noted by the top US intelligence official is the latest evidence that America's adversaries are harnessing the internet to warp domestic debates and widen political divides ahead of the election. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it was important to warn Americans to help them "guard against efforts by foreign

Hope & scepticism in Iran

A reformist becoming President will test the nation

In first address, Iran's Prez-elect Pezeshkian vows to serve all Iranians

At the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, president-elect Masoud Pezeshkian expressed his commitment to overcoming challenges and providing prosperity for all Iranians

Iran holds runoff presidential election to replace late President Raisi

Iranians began voting on Friday in a runoff election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash last month, as public apathy has become pervasive in the Islamic Republic after years of economic woes, mass protests and tensions in the Middle East. Voters face a choice between the hard-line former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and longtime parliament member who has allied himself with moderates and reformists within Iran's Shiite theocracy. An initial round of voting June 28 saw no candidate get over 50 per cent of the vote, forcing the runoff. It also saw the lowest turnout ever for an Iranian election, leaving turnout Friday a major question. There have been calls for a boycott, including from imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, though potential voters in Iran appear to have made the decision not to participate last week on their own as there's no widely accepted opposition movement operating

Iran's Presidential election heads to 2nd round amid voter apathy, tensions

The first round of voting, held on June 28, saw none of the initial candidates securing the required majority of over 50 per cent of the vote

As Iran votes for new President, rise in gasoline prices may spark protests

As Iran's runoff presidential election nears, comments by an official in the campaign of reformist Masoud Pezeshkian raised the possibility of his government increasing government-set gasoline prices a move that has sparked nationwide protests in the past. While still tentative, economists long have warned Iran needs to overhaul its system of subsidies, estimated to cost the Islamic Republic tens of billions of dollars a year. In 2019, a similar hike triggered mass demonstrations and a bloody crackdown that grew even more intense after the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. On Saturday, Pezeshkian campaign head Ali Abdolalizadeh told journalists that his possible presidency would see price hikes for fuel and other items handled without any outcry. Don't worry, petrol at any ... price, you will see that it would be allowed with calmness and cooperation by the people, Abdolalizadeh said. Hard-liners immediately accused Pezeshkian of planning to increase fuel prices by a ..

Saeed Jalili, hard-line former negotiator, seeks Iran's presidency

Hard-line Iranian presidential candidate Saeed Jalili may have been Tehran's top nuclear negotiator for years, but he won no plaudits from Western diplomats sitting across the table as he repeatedly lectured them on everything while offering nothing. As the weaving of Iranian carpets progresses in millimeter, precise, delicate and durable manner, God willing, this diplomatic process will also proceed in the same way, Jalili said then. Those hours of lecturing in 2008 stalled talks as hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei advanced the country's nuclear programme. That put pressure on the West that eventually eased with Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which lifted sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Now Jalili, 58, stands on the precipice of being elected as Iran's next president as he faces a runoff election Friday against the little-known reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon. With Iran's nuclear programme enriching urani