Page 46 - Iran

Crude oil advances as Iran warship in the Red Sea escalates tensions

Brent crude climbed as much as 2.6 per cent to top $79 a barrel, before paring some of that gains

Iranian warship Alborz enters Red Sea amid Houthi attacks on ships: Report

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

Maersk pauses Red Sea sailings after Houthi attack on container ship

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

Brics to grow as Saudi, Iran, UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia join ranks on Jan 1

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

Red Sea attacks: US sanctions money network tied to Yemen Houthi rebels

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

Biden orders strike on Iranian group after troops injured in drone attack

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

Israeli airstrike in Syria kills Iranian General Seyed Razi Mousavi

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

Israeli airstrike in Syria kills another Iranian general; toll rises to 3

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 adds domestically manufactured cruise missiles to its arsenal

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

Oil tanker MV Sai Baba with Indian crew comes under attack in Red Sea

The incident marks the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since October 17, CENTCOM said in its statement

Iran's foreign minister dismisses US claims of them backing Houthi rebels

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

Pentagon says Iranian drone struck chemical tanker in Indian Ocean: Report

The incident comes as the latest illustration of the growing regional tensions after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel

West accuses Iran of illegally testing missiles, transferring drones

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

Oil rises by more than 1% after Houthi militants attack on Red Sea tanker

Oil rose more than 1% on Monday as attacks by the Houthis on ships in the Red Sea raised concerns of oil supply disruptions.

Suspected cyberattack paralyses the majority of gas stations across Iran

Nearly 70% of Iran's gas stations went out of service on Monday following possible sabotage a reference to cyberattacks, Iranian state TV reported. The report said a software problem caused the irregularity in the gas stations. It urged people not to rush to the stations that were still operational. Israeli media, including the Times of Israel, blamed the problem on an attack by a hacker group dubbed Gonjeshke Darande or predatory sparrow. State TV quoted a statement by the Oil Ministry as saying more than 30% of gas stations remain in service. The country has some 33,000 gas stations. In recent years, Iran has seen a series of cyberattacks on its filling stations, railway system and industries. Surveillance cameras in government buildings, including prisons, have also been hacked in the past. In 2022, the Gonjeshke Darande group hacked a major steel company in the southwest of the country. A cyberattack on Iran's fuel distribution system in 2021 paralyzed gas stations across the

Iran waives visa requirements for Indian citizens, 32 other nations

Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Zarghami said the decision is aimed at boosting tourism arrivals and attracting more visitors from countries around the world

Gunmen kill 11 people, injure others in attack on Iranian police station

Suspected members of a separatist group killed 11 people and injured several others in a nighttime attack on a police station in southeastern Iran, state TV said Friday. The deputy governor of Sistan and Baluchistan province, Ali Reza Marhemati, said senior police officers and soldiers were killed in the 2 am attack in Rask town, about 1,400 kilometers (875 miles) southwest of Tehran. He said police killed several of the attackers in a shootout. State TV blamed the attack on Jaish al-Adl, a separatist group. In 2019, Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on a bus that killed 27 members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard force. In recent months, militants and small separatist groups in the predominantly Sunni region have attacked police stations as part of a low-level insurgency against the government.

Explosion rocks hydrocarbon refinery in Iran's special economic zone

Rescue teams have temporarily withdrawn from the spot due to the constant threat of further explosions. No casualties have been reported in the incident, according to IRNA report

Iran charges Swedish national Johan Floderus with spying for Israel

Iran on Sunday held the first hearing for a Swedish citizen who was detained last year on charges of spying for Israel, media reported. A report by Mizanonline.ir news website, which is affiliated with the country's judiciary, said that the prosecutor accused the man who was identified as Johan Floderus of having links with Israeli elements" and gathering information for Israel in the framework of projects through American, Israeli and European institutes that were active against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The prosecutor said Floderus had traveled to Israel, worked with Swedish intelligence and transferred money to Iran for projects aimed to toppling its government. He asked the judge to prosecute Floderus based on articles of Iranian law that carry penalties from six months to capital punishment. Judge Iman Afshari said a date for the next session will be decided later. The report also published images of Floderus and his lawyers in the courtroom. The report did not say anythin

Children of Narges Mohammadi to accept Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf

The children of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi are set to accept this year's Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf in a ceremony on Sunday in the Norwegian capital. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women's rights and democracy in her country, as well as fighting against the death penalty. Ali and Kiana Rahmani, Mohammadi's twin 17-year-old children who live in exile in Paris with their father, will be given the prestigious award at Oslo City Hall, after which they will give the Nobel Peace Prize lecture in their mother's name. Mohammadi, 51, was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize in October for her decades of activism despite numerous arrests by Iranian authorities and spending years behind bars. She is currently detained in a prison in Tehran. At a news conference in Oslo on Saturday, Kiana Rahmani read out a message from her mother, in which the imprisoned activist praised the role international media played in conveying the voice of dissenters, protesters and hu