Iran's powerful Guards described Wednesday's attack as a cowardly act 'aimed at creating insecurity and seeking revenge against the nation's deep love and devotion to the Islamic Republic'
The Houthis vowed in early December to target any Israel-bound ship in the Red Sea, regardless of its ownership
Investigators believe suicide bombers likely carried out an attack on a commemoration for an Iranian general slain in a 2020 US drone strike, state media reported on Thursday, as Iran grappled with its worst mass-casualty attack in decades and as the wider Mideast remains on edge. A purported claim of responsibility circulated online attributed the attack to the Islamic State group, though it could not be immediately verified by The Associated Press. Wednesday's attack in Kerman killed at least 84 people and wounded another 284. It targeted a ceremony honouring Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, held as an icon by supporters of the country's theocracy and viewed by the US military as a deadly foe who aided militants who killed American troops in Iraq. A report by the state-run IRNA news agency, later aired by state television, quoted an unnamed informed source" for the suicide bombing information. The outlets quoted the official as saying that surveillance footage from the
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi warned the attackers that they would pay a 'heavy price'. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet
Two explosions in quick succession near the grave of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani killed and injured hundreds of people. Watch the video for the latest updates
On Dec 31, Iran-backed Houthis attacked a Maersk ship in the Red Sea. US helicopters from USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely thwarted the attack. Here's all you need to know
Iranian state TV and state-run IRNA news agency quoted emergency officials for the casualty figures, which rose rapidly in the hours after the explosions
Brent crude climbed as much as 2.6 per cent to top $79 a barrel, before paring some of that gains
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea since November to show their support for the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in its war with Israel
The attack was the latest by Houthi militants in Yemen, who have been targeting vessels in The Red Sea to show their support for Palestinian Islamist group Hamas fighting Israel in Gaza
Current members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in August invited six other nations to become part of their group, pairing some of the planet's largest energy producers
The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on a group of money exchange services from Yemen and Turkey alleged to help provide funding to Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who have been launching attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the southern Red Sea including a drone and a missile that were shot down Thursday by the US military. Included in the sanctions are the head of a financial intermediary in Sana'a, Yemen, along with three exchange houses in Yemen and Turkey. U.S. Treasury alleges that the people and firms helped transfer millions of dollars to the Houthis at the direction of sanctioned Iranian financial facilitator Sa'id al-Jamal. The sanctions block access to U.S. property and bank accounts and prevent the targeted people and companies from doing business with Americans. Thursday's action is the latest round of financial penalties meant to punish the Houthis. Earlier this month, the U.S. announced sanctions against 13 people and firms alleged to be providing tens of millions
President Joe Biden has ordered retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three US servicemembers injured in a drone attack in Northern Iraq. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said one of the US troops suffered critical injuries in the attack that occurred earlier on Monday. The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack. Biden, who is spending Christmas at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, was briefed on the attack on Monday and ordered the Pentagon to prepare response options. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and national security team quickly drew up plans and presented him with options in a call and Biden directed strikes against three locations utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups. The latest attack on US troops follows months of escalating threats and actions against American forces in the region since the Octo
An Israeli airstrike on Monday in a Damascus neighbourhood killed a high-ranking Iranian general, Iranian state media said. The killing of Seyed Razi Mousavi, a long-time adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria, comes as clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border between Hezbollah and Israel continue to intensify with fears of the Israel-Hamas war sparking a regional spillover with Iran-backed groups. The Israeli strikes killed two other generals earlier this month in Syria. Israel struck the Sayida Zeinab neighbourhood, located near a Shiite Muslim shrine, Iran's official news agency IRNA and Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. IRNA described Mousavi as a close companion of Gen. Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force who was slain in a US drone strike in Iraq in January 2020. Neither the Israeli military nor Syrian state media immediately issued a statement about the attack. Though IRNA didn't prov
An Israeli airstrike Monday in a Damascus neighbourhood killed a high-ranking Iranian general, Iranian state media said. The killing of Razi Mousavi, a long-time adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria, comes as clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border between Hezbollah and Israel continue to intensify with fears of the Israel-Hamas war sparking a regional spillover with Iran-backed groups. The Israeli strikes killed two other generals earlier this month in Syria. Israel struck the Sayida Zeinab neighbourhood, located near a Shiite Muslim shrine, Iran's official news agency IRNA and Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. IRNA described Mousavi as a close companion of Gen. Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force who was slain in a US drone strike in Iraq in January 2020. Neither the Israeli military nor Syrian state media immediately issued a statement about the attack. Though IRNA didn't provide other
Iran's navy on Sunday added domestically produced sophisticated cruise missiles to its arsenal, state TV reported. The TV said both Talaeieh and Nasir cruise missiles have arrived at a naval base near the Indian Ocean in the southern Iranian port of Konarak, some 1,400 kilometers (850 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran. Navy chief Adm. Shahram Irani said the Talaeieh has a range of more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and called it "fully smart. Irani said the cruise missile is capable of changing targets during travel. He said the Nasi has a range of 100 kilometers (62 miles) and can be installed on warships. Last month, a container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire came under attack from a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean, as Israel wages war on Iran-backed Hamas in the Gaza Strip. From time to time Iran announces the test firing, production and commissioning of new military equipment that cannot be independently verified. The country says it has a stock of
The incident marks the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since October 17, CENTCOM said in its statement
The White House, citing newly released intelligence, said Friday that Iran was "deeply involved" in the planning of the Houthi attacks and has supplied weapons, financial support and training
The incident comes as the latest illustration of the growing regional tensions after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel
The Western powers in the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran accused Tehran on Monday of developing and testing ballistic missiles, transferring hundreds of drones to Russia, and enriching uranium to an unprecedented 60 per cent level for a country without a nuclear weapons programme all in violation of a UN resolution endorsing the deal. Iran and its ally, Russia, dismissed the charges by Britain, France and Germany, strongly supported by the United States, which pulled out of the agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018. The six-party agreement was aimed at ensuring that Iran could not develop atomic weapons. Under the accord, Tehran agreed to limit enrichment of uranium to levels necessary for the peaceful use of nuclear power in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. The sharp exchanges came at the Security Council's semi-annual meeting on the implementation of its resolution endorsing the 2015 nuclear deal. Both Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Iravan