Page 6 - Us Iran Tensions

Iran withdraws resolution to ban attacks on nuclear sites after US pressure

Iran decided at the last minute Thursday to withdraw a resolution prohibiting attacks on nuclear facilities that it had put forward along with China, Russia and other countries for a vote before an annual gathering of the UN nuclear watchdog's member nations. Western diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the US has been heavily lobbying behind the scenes to prevent the resolution from being adopted. The US has raised the possibility of reducing funding to the International Atomic Energy Agency if the resolution was adopted and if the body moved to curtail Israel's rights within the agency, the diplomats said. In 1981, the provision of assistance to Israel under the IAEA's technical assistance programme was suspended as a result of an Israeli strike on a nuclear reactor in Iraq. At the time, the attack was strongly condemned in resolutions by the UN Security Council, the IAEA General Conference and the IAEA Board of Governors. The ...

US considers ban on wholesale shopping, other visa curbs for Iranians

The Trump administration already has denied visas for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and his large delegation to attend a high-level UN meeting this month and is now considering ramping up restrictions on several other delegations that would severely limit their ability to travel outside New York City. Potential travel and other restrictions could soon be imposed on the delegations from Iran, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and, perhaps surprisingly, Brazil, which has held a traditional place of honour during the high-level leaders gathering at the UN General Assembly that begins September 22, according to an internal State Department memo seen by The Associated Press. While the potential restrictions are still under consideration and the circumstances could change, the proposals would be another step in the Trump administration's crackdown on visas, including a wide-ranging review of those already holding legal permissions to come to the US and those seeking entry to head to the UN meeting. The

UN nuclear watchdog official to visit Iran soon, no inspections planned

The deputy head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog will visit Iran in a bid to rekindle soured ties, the Islamic Republic's foreign minister said on Sunday. There will be no inspection of Iran's nuclear facilities during the visit by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) scheduled for Monday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. The visit would be the first following Israel and Iran's 12-day war in June, when some of its key nuclear facilities were struck. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on July 3 ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the IAEA, after American and Israeli airstrikes hit its most-important nuclear facilities. The decision will likely further limit inspectors' ability to track Tehran's programme that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels. As long as we haven't reached a new framework for cooperation, there will be no cooperation, and the new framework will definitely be based on the law passed by the Parliament, Araghch

Iran appoints moderate leader Ali Larijani as top security council chief

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has appointed veteran politician Ali Larijani as the new secretary for the country's highest security body, the Supreme National Security Council, state media reported on Tuesday. The decree, reported by the state-run IRNA news agency, marks Larijani's return to a post he previously held for two years from 2005 to 2007. He replaces Gen. Ali Akbar Ahmadian, who had been in the role since 2023 Larijani, 67, a moderate conservative, has served as an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in recent years. Khamenei holds the final say on all state matters in the country. He also served as parliament speaker from 2008 to 2020, when Pezeshkian worked as his deputy. The appointment is seen as a sign that Iran's theocracy is seeking to shift from a hardline course toward a more moderate one. It came a day after Iran announced the creation of a new defence council to handle defensive plans and improve the armed forces' capabilities, following att

Scott Anderson captures US' hubris, Iran's revolution in exceptional detail

For most Americans, the hostage crisis was the revolution's defining event

Iran, European nations to hold first nuclear talks since Israel ceasefire

Iran said Monday it would hold renewed talks this week with European nations over the country's nuclear program, with discussions to be hosted by Turkey. The talks, to be held in Istanbul on Friday, will be the first since a ceasefire was reached after a 12-day war waged by Israel against Iran in June, which also saw the United States strike nuclear-related facilities in the Islamic Republic. A similar meeting had been held in the Turkish city in May. The discussions will bring Iranian officials together with officials from Britain, France and Germany known as the E3 nations and will include the European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. The topic of the talks is clear, lifting sanctions and issues related to the peaceful nuclear programme of Iran," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in his weekly briefing. He said the meeting will be held at the deputy ministerial level. Under a 2015 deal designed to cap Iran's nuclear activities, Iran agreed to toug

Iraq confirms drone attack 'findings' without naming who targeted its bases

Drones used to attack military bases in Iraq during the recent Israel-Iran war were manufactured outside Iraq but were launched inside its territory, according to the decisive findings of an investigation published on Friday. The report of an investigative committee formed under the directive of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani did not identify who was behind the attacks that targeted radar and air defense systems last month. The attacks on several military bases, including some housing US troops, damaged radar systems at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, and at Imam Ali Base in Dhi Qar province. Iraqi army spokesperson Sabah Al-Naaman said the investigation had reached decisive findings. He said the drones used were manufactured outside Iraq but were launched from locations inside Iraqi territory. All drones used in the attacks were of the same type, indicating that a single actor was behind the entire campaign, he said. Al-Naaman said the investigation had identified the entiti

US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites: Report

The report said that US officials believe the attack on Iran's Fordow nuclear facility was successful in setting back enrichment capabilities there by as much as two years, citing two current official

Iran's President was injured while escaping Israeli 'assassination' attempt

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian was allegedly suffered minor injuries in an Israeli missile strike on a high-level security meeting in Tehran, prompting a probe into a suspected Israeli spy network

Iran's President was injured while escaping Israeli 'assassination' attempt

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian was allegedly suffered minor injuries in an Israeli missile strike on a high-level security meeting in Tehran, prompting a probe into a suspected Israeli spy network

'Attempt to damage ties': Iran denounces social media post on Kashmir

The clarification came in response to an account on X ('Daily Iran News') -- with 400,000 followers and falsely linked to Iran -- claiming Kashmir belongs to Pakistan and Taiwan to China

Iran open to nuclear talks if US guarantees no further military strikes

Iran's foreign minister said Saturday that his country would accept a resumption of nuclear talks with the US if there were assurances of no more attacks against it, state media reported. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a speech to Tehran-based foreign diplomats that Iran has always been ready and will be ready in the future for talks about its nuclear programme, but, assurance should be provided that in case of a resumption of talks, the trend will not lead to war. Referring to the 12-day Israeli bombardment of Iran's nuclear and military sites, and the US strike on June 22, Araghchi said that if the US and others wish to resume talks with Iran, "first of all, there should be a firm guarantee that such actions will not be repeated. The attack on Iran's nuclear facilities has made it more difficult and complicated to achieve a solution based on negotiations. Following the strikes, Iran suspended cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, which led to the departure of ...

Pentagon confirms Iranian missile struck Qatar air base in Tehran's attack

The Pentagon on Friday acknowledged that an Iranian ballistic missile hit Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in June during an Iranian attack after President Donald Trump downplayed the assault. The statement from Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell follows The Associated Press publishing satellite images Friday showing damage from the attack. Parnell said the strike did minimal damage to equipment and structures on the base. He added: Al Udeid Air Base remains fully operational and capable of conducting its mission, alongside our Qatari partners, to provide security and stability in the region. Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show the geodesic dome visible at the Al Udeid Air Base on the morning of June 23, just hours before the attack. The US Air Force's 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, which operates out of the base, announced in 2016 the installation of the $15 million piece of equipment, known as a modernized enterprise terminal. Photos show a satellite dish inside of the dome, known

Satellite images show Iran strikes hit US communications dome at Qatar base

An Iranian attack on an air base in Qatar key to the US military likely hit a geodesic dome housing equipment used by the Americans for secure communications, satellite images analysed Friday by The Associated Press show. The US military and Qatar did not immediately respond to requests for comment over the damage, which so far has not been publicly acknowledged. The Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar's capital, on June 23 came as a response to the American bombing of three nuclear sites in Tehran and provided the Islamic Republic a way to retaliate that quickly led to a ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump ending the 12-day Iran-Israel war. The Iranian attack otherwise did little damage likely due to the fact that the US evacuated its aircraft from the base home to the forward headquarters of the US military's Central Command ahead of the attack. Trump also has said Iran signalled when and how it would retaliate, allowing American and Qatari air ..

Satellite images show Iran strikes hit US communications dome at Qatar base

An Iranian attack on an air base in Qatar key to the US military likely hit a geodesic dome housing equipment used by the Americans for secure communications, satellite images analysed Friday by The Associated Press show. The US military and Qatar did not immediately respond to requests for comment over the damage, which so far has not been publicly acknowledged. The Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar's capital, on June 23 came as a response to the American bombing of three nuclear sites in Tehran and provided the Islamic Republic a way to retaliate that quickly led to a ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump ending the 12-day Iran-Israel war. The Iranian attack otherwise did little damage likely due to the fact that the US evacuated its aircraft from the base home to the forward headquarters of the US military's Central Command ahead of the attack. Trump also has said Iran signalled when and how it would retaliate, allowing American and Qatari air ..

Mar-a-Lago drone threat? Khamenei's former aide says Trump may be a target

Former Khamenei adviser Mohammad-Javad Larijani has hinted that US President Donald Trump 'can no longer sunbathe at Mar-a-Lago' - warning a drone could hit him - amid tense US-Iran ties

As wars rage in Gaza, Iran and Ukraine, is the UN struggling for relevance?

The UN faces growing criticism for its limited role in major conflicts, as Gaza, Iran and Ukraine expose the body's structural weaknesses and crisis of legitimacy

1,060 people killed in war with Israel, death toll could rise: Iran govt

Iran's government has issued a new death toll for its war with Israel, saying at least 1,060 people were killed and warning that the figure could rise. Saeed Ohadi, the head of Iran's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, gave the figure in an interview aired by Iranian state television late Monday. Ohadi warned the death toll may reach 1,100 given how severely some people were wounded. During the war, Iran downplayed the effects of Israel's 12-day bombardment of the country, which decimated its air defences, destroyed military sites and damaged its nuclear facilities. Since a ceasefire took hold, Iran slowly has been acknowledging the breadth of the destruction, though it still has not said how much military materiel it lost. The Washington-based Human Rights Activists group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from multiple rounds of unrest in Iran, has said 1,190 people were killed, including 436 civilians and 435 security force members. The attacks wounded anothe

Iran's Prez Pezeshkian says he's open to talks with US despite strikes

Pezeshkian claimed the Trump administration authorised Israeli attacks on Iran that began on June 13

A true crisis of the commons: Climate change demands global consensus

In the IAEA report on Iran in May, its director-general flagged concerns of his inspectors on certain issues, including what it describes as the "rapid accumulation of enriched uranium"