Page 48 - Iran

Iran Prez, Saudi Crown Prince hold 1st call since ties mended, discuss war

The leaders engaged in the discussion on Wednesday, emphasising "the need to end war crimes against Palestine," Iranian presidential political affairs aide

Israel-Gaza war: Death toll up as conflict expands to bordering nations

Israel has reported attacks from other bordering nations as well as internal conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in neighbouring countries as death toll rises and supplied diminish in Gaza

No specific information on role of Iran in latest Hamas attack: White House

The White House said Tuesday that there is no specific information about the role of Iran in the latest terrorist attack against Israel by Hamas, but it is complicit in a broad sense for funding the military wing of the militant group. We have said since the beginning that Iran is complicit in this attack in a broad sense because they have provided the lion's share of the funding for the military wing of Hamas. They have provided training.They have provided capabilities. They have provided support and they have had engagement and contact with Hamas over years and years, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters Tuesday. All of that has played a role in contributing to what we have seen. Now, as to the question of whether Iran knew about this attack in advance or helped plan or direct this attack, we do not, as of this moment I'm standing here at the podium, have confirmation of that. We are talking to our Israeli counterparts on a daily basis about this question, he .

Israel-Hamas war: Tea exporters worry conflict spillover to Iran

Tea export volumes to Israel are insignificant. But any repercussions on Iran, one of the top buyers of Indian tea, will impact the industry, exporters apprehend

Iran, Hezbollah had no role in Israel incursion, will help if needed: Hamas

A senior Hamas official on Monday said only a small number of top commanders inside Gaza knew about the wide-ranging incursion launched into Israel, but that allies like Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah will join the battle if Gaza is subjected to a war of annihilation. Ali Barakeh, a member of Hamas' exiled leadership, spoke to The Associated Press in his Beirut office as Israel bombarded Gaza and vowed a total blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory. The surprise attack on Saturday caught Israel's vaunted military and intelligence services completely off guard, as hundreds of Hamas gunmen poured through holes blown in the border fence and rampaged through several towns, killing hundreds of soldiers and civilians, and capturing scores of others. Barakeh said the attack was planned by around a half dozen top Hamas commanders in Gaza and that even the group's closest allies were not informed in advance about the timing. He denied reports that Iranian security officials helped plan the .

As Israel-Hamas war escalates, crude oil traders are focused on Iran

The energy minister of the United Arab Emirates, a key OPEC member, was clear on Sunday that the conflict wouldn't affect the group's decision-making

Iran unlawfully detaining human rights activists, including Narges: UN

Iran is cracking down on protesters, unlawfully detaining human rights activists, including new Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, and carrying out an alarming number of executions, the UN independent investigator on human rights in the Islamic Republic said in a report circulated Friday. The wide-ranging report by Javaid Rehman, covering the period from October 2022 through July, was written before the announcement early Friday that the Nobel Peace Prize had been awarded to Mohammadi, a longtime campaigner for women's rights even from her current cell in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. Rehman, a Pakistani-born professor of international human rights law at Brunel University in London, singled out Mohammadi among lawyers and human rights defenders imprisoned for their work in the report to the General Assembly. He was highly critical of the excessive and lethal use of force unleashed by Iranian authorities in reaction to nationwide protests following the 2022 death of Mahs

Indian pharma exports to Iran decline thanks to its lower rupee reserves

Indian pharma exports to Iran have declined from $205.1 million in FY20 to $59.14 million in FY23. Iran's rupee reserves have depleted as India ceased oil imports from the country in mid-2019

US should ease sanctions to showi t wants to return to nuclear deal: Iran

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said Wednesday that relations with the United States can move forward if the Biden administration demonstrates it wants to return to the 2015 nuclear deal, and a first step should be easing sanctions. Raisi told a news conference that the Americans have reached out through several channels saying they wish to have a dialogue, but we do believe that it must be accompanied by action. So talk alone is not going to do it, Raisi said. But action on sanctions can be a solid foundation for continuing discussions. The Iranian leader added: We have not left the table of negotiations. Raisi reiterated that the American withdrawal from the 2015 agreement, aimed at reining in Iran's nuclear programme, trampled on US commitments including on sanctions. Then-President Donald Trump had unilaterally pulled the US out of the accord in 2018, restoring crippling sanctions. Iran began breaking the terms a year later, including by enriching uranium to higher levels, and

Iran's prez urges US to demonstrate it wants to return to 2015 nuclear deal

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said Tuesday that his country will never give up its right to have peaceful nuclear energy and urged the United States to demonstrate in a verifiable fashion that it wants to return to the 2015 nuclear deal. Addressing the annual high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly, Raisi said the American withdrawal from the deal trampled on US commitments and was an inappropriate response to Iran's fulfilment of its commitments. Then-President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the US out of the accord in 2018, restoring crippling sanctions. Iran began breaking the terms a year later and formal talks in Vienna to try to restart the deal collapsed in August 2022. Iran has long denied ever seeking nuclear weapons and continues to insist that its programme is entirely for peaceful purposes points Raisi reiterated Tuesday telling the high-level meeting that nuclear weapons have no place in the defensive doctrine and the military doctrine of the country. But UN

Iranian prez denies sending drones, other weapons to Russia to use in war

Iran's president on Monday denied his country had sent drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine, even as the United States accuses Iran of not only providing the weapons but helping Russia build a plant to manufacture them. "We are against the war in Ukraine," President Ebrahim Raisi said as he met with media executives on the sidelines of the world's premier global conference, the high-level leaders' meeting at the UN General Assembly. The Iranian leader spoke just hours after five Americans who had been held in Iranian custody arrived in Qatar, freed in a deal that saw President Joe Biden agree to unlock nearly USD 6 billion in frozen Iranian assets. Known as a hard-liner, Raisi seemingly sought to strike a diplomatic tone. He reiterated offers to mediate the Russia-Ukraine war despite being one of the Kremlin's strongest backers. And he suggested that the just-concluded deal with the United States that led to the prisoner exchange and assets release could "help build trust"

Iranian fans flock Cristiano Ronaldo's hotel after he arrives in Tehran

Hundreds of soccer fans stormed into a hotel in Tehran on Monday, hoping for a glimpse of star player Cristiano Ronaldo after he arrived with his Saudi teammates ahead of a game. Chanting Ronaldo, Ronaldo, the fans pushed past police, filling the corridors and public spaces of the Espians Palace Hotel. Ronaldo arrived on his first visit to Iran with the Saudi football club Al Nassr, which is set to play Iran's Persepolis in Tehran on Sept. 19. The return game will be played in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Nov. 27. Ronaldo was the first of several big-name players to accept lavish contracts to play for Saudi teams. The oil-rich kingdom is spending billions of dollars to try to transform itself into a sports and entertainment powerhouse. The Asian Champions League games are made possible by the restoration of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia following an agreement brokered by China earlier this year. The longtime rivals had severed ties in 2016 after an angry crowd

UN watchdog slams Iran for barring inspectors from monitoring programme

The UN nuclear watchdog harshly criticised Iran on Saturday for effectively barring several of its most experienced inspectors from monitoring the country's disputed programme. The strongly worded statement came amid longstanding tensions between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is tasked with monitoring a nuclear programme that Western nations have long suspected is aimed at eventually developing a nuclear weapon. Iran insists the program is peaceful. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the IAEA, said Iran had withdrawn the designation of "several experienced Agency inspectors," barring them from taking part in the monitoring of its programme. "Iran has effectively removed about one third of the core group of the Agency's most experienced inspectors designated for Iran, he said. Grossi went on to strongly condemn this disproportionate and unprecedented unilateral measure, saying it constitutes an unnecessary blow to an already strained relationship between the

Iran warns Israel that it will face retaliation for its airstrike on Syria

Iran's foreign minister condemned Wednesday an Israeli airstrike on the international airport of the Syrian city of Aleppo, saying such attacks would eventually face retaliation. Hossein Amirabdollahian made his comments during a news conference in the Syrian capital, Damascus, where he was beginning a two-day visit. On Monday, an Israeli airstrike damaged Aleppo's airport, putting the runway out of service. The airport has been targeted several times this year, including two attacks in March that also put it out of service. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. Often the strikes target Syrian military forces or Iranian-backed groups. Tehran has been a main backer of the Syrian government since a 2011 uprising turned into full-blown civil war. It has sent thousands of Iran-backed fighters to Syria, helping to tip the balance of power in the favour of .

Brics: All you need to know about the global partnership and latest updates

The members countries announced the expansion of the grouping by adding six new countries - Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - into the fold

Tanker believed to hold sanctioned Iran oil begins offloading near Texas

An American-owned oil tanker long suspected of carrying sanctioned Iranian crude oil began offloading its cargo near Texas late Saturday, tracking data showed, even as Tehran has threatened to target shipping in the Persian Gulf over it. The fate of the cargo aboard the Suez Rajan has become mired in the wider tensions between the US and the Islamic Republic, even as Tehran and Washington work toward a trade of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets in South Korea for the release of five Iranian-Americans held in Tehran. Already, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has warned that those involved in offloading the cargo should expect to be struck back. The US Navy has increased its presence steadily in recent weeks in the Mideast, deploying the troop-and-aircraft-carrying USS Bataan and considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz to stop Iran from seizing additional ships. Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press

PM Modi, Iran President discuss ways to realise Chabahar port's potential

The two leaders reiterated their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, including to realise the full potential of Chabahar Port as a connectivity hub

PM Modi speaks to Iranian president Raisi to discuss bilateral ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and discussed matters of bilateral and regional importance, according to a statement. The two leaders reiterated their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, including realising the full potential of Chabahar Port as a connectivity hub. Modi highlighted that the India-Iran relationship is underpinned by close historic and civilisational connections, including strong people-to-people contact. The two leaders also discussed cooperation at multilateral forums, including expansion of BRICS, and looked forward to their meeting on the margins of the forthcoming BRICS summit in South Africa.

Would welcome steps that Iran takes to de-escalate nuclear threats: Blinken

He, however, also clarified that the process of bringing back US citizens detained in Iran is a "completely different" matter

Water Wars: Conflict Between Iran and Afghanistan

Afghanistan and Iran are locked in a water dispute over the Helmand River, a critical source of drinking water, irrigation and fishing for both countries.