Page 2 - Iran

Syrian army launches counterattacks to curb insurgency; Iran offers help

The Syrian military rushed reinforcements to the northwest and launched airstrikes Sunday in an attempt to push back insurgents who seized the country's largest city of Aleppo, as Iran pledged to help the government counter the surprise offensive. Iran has been a key political and military ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the country's long-running civil war, but it was unclear how Tehran would support Damascus in the latest flareup that began Wednesday. Insurgents led by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a two-pronged attack on Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib that day, before moving toward neighbouring Hama province. On Sunday, government troops created a strong defensive line in northern Hama, as they attempted to stall the insurgents' momentum, according to Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Meanwhile, jets pounded the cities of Idlib and Aleppo, killing at least 15 people, according to a group that operates in ..

Iran plans to install new uranium-enrichment centrifuges, says IAEA report

More enrichment capacity means Iran can enrich uranium more quickly, potentially increasing the nuclear proliferation risk

Former British soldier convicted of passing on sensitive info to Iran govt

A former British soldier whose audacious escape from a London prison spurred a dayslong search was convicted on Thursday of passing on sensitive information to the Iranian intelligence service. Daniel Khalife, 23, was found guilty by a jury in Woolwich Crown Court on violations of Britain's Official Secrets Act by collecting information useful to an enemy Iran. He was cleared of a charge of planting fake bombs in his military barracks. Prosecutors said Khalife played a cynical game by claiming he wanted to be a spy after he had delivered a large amount of restricted and classified material to Iran, including the names of special forces officers. Khalife testified that he had been in touch with people in the Iranian government but that it was all part of a ploy to ultimately work as a double-agent for Britain, a scheme he said he got from watching the TV show Homeland. The former soldier snuck out of a London prison in September 2023 while awaiting trial on the spying charges. Hesp

Iran seeks help from India to shed FATF's blacklisted country tag: Official

Iran has sought technical help from India through the Eurasian Group (EAG) so that it can be excluded from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) blacklist by compliance of norms, a senior central government official said here on Tuesday. India has assured support to Iran on sharing technical knowledge and expert advice through the EAG, he said. Earlier this year, Iran retained its place on the FATF's blacklist over international banking and related rules. Talking to reporters in Indore, Vivek Aggarwal, Additional Secretary of Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, said, "At present, Iran is on the blacklist of the FATF." Agarwal is attending the 41st plenary meeting of the EAG in Indore as the Head of the Indian Delegation (HOD). The five-day meeting of the EAG, involving nine member countries including India, began on Monday. "Since Iran has joined the EAG as an observer, it has sought technical cooperation from the EAG regarding compliance with FATF standards," he said.

Iran to hold nuclear talks with three European powers in Geneva on Friday

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei later said the deputy foreign ministers of Iran, France, Germany and Britain would take part in the talks

Iran braces for Trump takeover with economy buckling from sanctions

As Trump prepares for a second term as US president, all eyes are on whether he will revive his so-called maximum pressure policy against Iran that came to mark his first spell

UN nuclear agency's board condemns Iran again for failing to cooperate

The UN nuclear watchdog's board on Thursday condemned Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the agency, the second time it has done so in just five months. The International Atomic Energy Agency also called on Tehran to provide answers in a long-running investigation into uranium particles found at two locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites. Nineteen members of the IAEA broad voted for the resolution, while Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed it, and 12 abstained and one did not vote, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-doors vote. The resolution was put forward by France, Germany and Britain, supported by the United States. It comes at a critical time, ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House. Trump's first term in office was marked by a particularly tense period with Iran, when the US president pursued a policy of maximum pressure against Tehran. In 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew

Iran defies pressure, increases stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium: UN

Iran has defied international demands to rein in its nuclear programme and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, according to a confidential report by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog seen on Tuesday by AP. The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said that as of October 26, Iran has 182.3 kilogrammes of uranium enriched up to 60 per cent, an increase of 17.6 kilogrammes since the last report in August. Uranium enriched at 60 per cent purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent. The IAEA also estimated in its quarterly report that as of October 26, Iran's overall stockpile of enriched uranium stands at 6,604.4 kilogrammes, an increase of 852.6 kilogrammes since August. Under the IAEA's definition, around 42 kilogrammes of uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity is the amount at which creating one atomic weapon is theoretically possible -- if the material is enriched further, to 90 per ...

Iran's uranium stockpile enriched to near weapons-grade levels, says UN

Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels in defiance of international demands, according to a confidential report by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog seen Tuesday by The Associated Press . The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said that as of Oct. 26, Iran has 182.3 kilograms (401.9 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%, an increase of 17.6 kilograms (38.8 pounds) since the last report in August. Uranium enriched at 60% purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. The IAEA also estimated in its quarterly report that as of Oct. 26, Iran's overall stockpile of enriched uranium stands at 6,604.4 kilograms (14,560 pounds), which represents an increase of 852.6 kilograms (1,879.6 pounds) since the last report in August. Under the IAEA's definition, around 42 kilograms (92.5 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity is the amount at which creating one atomic weapon is theoretically possibl

UK hits Iran with new sanctions for supplying ballistic missiles to Russia

The U.K. government hit Iran with new sanctions Monday for sending ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia to support the war against Ukraine. The Foreign Office said it will freeze assets for Iran's national airline and its state-owned shipping company that helped transfer weapons. It will also sanction the Russian cargo ship Port Olya-3 that delivered the missiles from Iran. Iran's attempts to undermine global security are dangerous and unacceptable," Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement in advance of announcing the sanctions at the U.N. Security Council. Alongside our international partners, we were clear that any transfer of ballistic missiles from Iran to Russia would face a significant response." The announcement comes on the eve of the 1,000th day of the war in Ukraine and the day after U.S. President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use missiles supplied by Washington to strike deeper inside Russia. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at the G20 summit in ..

Elon Musk meets Iran's UN envoy as Trump prepares for January takeover

US-Iran relations: Iranian diplomats described the discussions with the tech entrepreneur as 'positive' and 'good news'

Mike Waltz expert on threats posed by China, Russia, and Iran: Trump

US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said his NSA pick Mike Waltz brings with him expertise on the threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and global terrorism. "I am honoured to announce that Congressman Mike Waltz (R-FL) is hereby appointed to serve in my Cabinet as my National Security Advisor," Trump said declaring the appointment. "Mike retired as a Colonel, and is a nationally recognised leader in national security, a bestselling author, and an expert on the threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and global terrorism," he said. "Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda, and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!" he said. Waltz serves as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He represents Florida's Sixth Congressional District. "Mike is the first Green Beret to have been elected to Congress, and .

Iran obsesses over destroying Israel instead of building itself: Netanyahu

Netanyahu criticised Iran's recent ballistic missile attack on Israel, which cost Iran approximately $2.3 billion

Trump ramps up support for Israel, pressure on Iran with top job picks

Promising he could put a stop to the region's warfare, Trump cast the Biden-Harris administration as demented warmongers and said his election would mean peace in the world again

Militant attack on Pakistani border leaves 5 Iranian security forces dead

A militant attack near the Pakistani border with Iran left five Iranian forces dead, the state-run IRNA news agency reported on Sunday. The report said the dead were ethnic Baluch members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard's volunteer Basij force and were killed in Saravan city in Sistan and Baluchistan province. Saravan is some 1,400 km (870 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier in the day, state TV reported that Revolutionary Guard forces killed three terrorists and arrested nine others in a military operation. The report did not specify which group the suspects belonged to. Last month, unknown gunmen killed four people, including the chief of the Revolutionary Guard in the province. In September, gunmen killed four border guards in Sistan and Baluchistan province in two separate attacks. The militant group Jaish al-Adl, which seeks greater rights for the ethnic Baluch minority, claimed responsibility for

Soldier with Yemen's exiled govt opens fire on Saudi troops killing two men

A soldier for Yemen's exiled government opened fire on Saudi troops as they exercised in eastern Yemen, killing two of them and wounding another in a rare insider attack during the kingdom's nearly decadelong war there, officials said Saturday. The assault in eastern Hadramawt province comes as a yearslong cease-fire between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi rebels largely has held despite the militants' ongoing attacks against shipping in the Red Sea corridor. While the Houthis did not claim the attack, at least one Houthi official praised it as being the beginning and an indication of a harsh future awaiting the invaders. Meanwhile, US warplanes carried out new strikes targeting Houthi positions that lasted into early Sunday morning, the American military said. The strikes come after the militants likely shot down yet-another American reconnaissance drone over the country. The attack on the Saudi troops took place Friday night in Seiyun, a city some 500 kilometers (310 miles) east o

News updates: Had Cong given priority to rural India, we would have less poverty, says Nitin Gadkari

Catch all the latest news updates from around the world here

US charges Iranian citizen over alleged pre-election plot to kill Trump

The Justice Department has charged an asset of the Iranian regime who was tasked by the regime to direct a network of criminal associates

FBI thwarts Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump; 3 people charged

The FBI thwarted an Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump, the Department of Justice said on Friday as it charged an Iranian national and arrested two American citizens for involvement in a plot to murder the Republican president-elect. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) charged Farhad Shakeri, 51, an asset of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who is believed to reside in Iran. Two individuals, Carlisle Rivera, 49, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, were arrested from Brooklyn and Staten Island in New York on Thursday. According to statements made by Shakeri in recorded interviews, he was tasked by the Iranian regime on October 7 to devise a plan to kill Trump, who was re-elected as the president of the US earlier this week. However, Shakeri claimed he did not intend to carry out the plan within the deadline set by the IRGC. Shakeri, who was deported to Iran in 2008 after serving 14 years in prison for a robbery conviction, said he was also instructed to surveil two

Iran's currency falls to all-time low as Donald Trump claims US presidency

Iran's currency, the rial, fell on Wednesday to an all-time low as former President Donald Trump was on the verge of clinching the US presidency again. The rial traded at 703,000 rials to the dollar. In 2015, at the time of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, it was at 32,000 to USD 1. On July 30, the day that Iran's reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in and started his term, the rate was 584,000 to USD 1. Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018, sparking years of tensions between the countries that persist today. The slide comes as Iran's economy has struggled for years under crippling international sanctions over its rapidly advancing nuclear program, which now enriches uranium at near weapons-grade levels. Pezeshkian, elected after a helicopter crash killed hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi in May, came to power on a promise to reach a deal to ease Western sanctions. However, Iran's government has for weeks been trying to downplay the effect