Tehran

Iran's increasingly vulnerable leadership takes a hit after Assad's fall

The theocracy already faces major levels of internal dissent and economic pain

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 ..

Attack on police in restive southeastern province of Iran kills 10 officers

An attack on an Iranian police convoy Saturday in the country's restive southern province of Sistan and Baluchestan killed at least 10 officers, authorities said. Details remain scarce over the attack in Gohar Kuh, some 1,200 kilometres southeast of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Initially, reports simply described an attack by miscreants without more information. But shortly after, Iranian state media said 10 officers had been killed. HalVash, an advocacy group for the Baluch people of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, posted photos and video of what appeared to be a disabled truck painted with the green stripe used by Iranian police vehicles. One graphic photo shared by the group showed what appeared to be the corpses of two police officers in the front seat of the truck. HalVash said the attack appeared to target two security force vehicles and all those riding in them were killed. The truck appeared to have only damage from bullets, rather than any explosive being used. The state-

Israel says strikes on Iran concluded, US denies involvement; top updates

Multiple explosions were heard in the Iranian capital Tehran but there was no immediate confirmation of casualties. Israel did not elaborate on the exact nature of its strikes

President Pezeshkian urges US to begin new era of relations with Tehran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged the US to begin a new era in its relations with Iran. While criticising the US military presence in Iran's neighbourhood, the US sanctions against Iran, and the killing of Iranian top Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020, Pezeshkian said during his speech at the UN General Assembly, We can go beyond these limits and begin a new era. The new era begins by recognising Iran's security concerns as well as joint work on joint issues. He said his message addresses all governments that follow unconstructive strategies toward Iran. Pezeshkian said despite the bitterness of years of sanctions, Iran has achieved strong will and self-confidence and is ready to work with the world, Iran is ready to have economic, political and security equal-base cooperation for building a better world with world powers and neighbours. He said Iran expects that the world does not answer Iran's message for cooperation by imposing more sanctions, Implementations of (world) ...

Methane leak-triggered explosion in Iran coal mine kills 32: Report

A methane leak sparked an explosion at a coal mine in eastern Iran, killing at least 19 people and injuring another 17, Iranian state television reported Sunday. The report said the deaths happened at a coal mine in Tabas, some 540 kilometers (335 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran. Authorities were sending emergency personnel to the area after the blast late Saturday, it said. Around 70 people had been working there at the time of the blast. Oil-producing Iran is also rich in a variety of minerals. Iran annually consumes some 3.5 million tons of coal but only extracts about 1.8 million tons from its mines per year. The rest is imported, often consumed in the country's steel mills. This is not the first disaster to strike Iran's mining industry. In 2013, 11 workers were killed in two separate mining incidents. In 2009, 20 workers were killed in several incidents. In 2017, a coal mine explosion killed at least 42 people. Lax safety standards and inadequate emergency services i

War with Israel in new phase after top militant killings: Hezbollah leader

Hezbollah's leader warned Thursday that the conflict with Israel has entered a "new phase," as he addressed mourners at the funeral of a commander from the group who was killed by an Israeli airstrike this week in Beirut. Meanwhile in Tehran, Iran's supreme leader prayed over the body of Hamas' political leader, who was killed in a presumed Israeli assassination. The back-to-back killings have increased fears of an escalation into a wider war, leaving the region waiting to see how Iran and ally Hezbollah will respond. Iran has vowed retaliation against Israel for the strike that killed Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday in the Iranian capital of Tehran. Israel has not denied or confirmed responsibility for the killing. Israel did confirm it carried out the strike Tuesday in Beirut that killed Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur, along with an Iranian military adviser and at least five civilians. Israel said Shukur was behind a rocket attack days earlier that hit a soccer field in the

Bomb smuggled into Tehran guesthouse months ago killed Hamas leader: Report

An explosive device hidden in a heavily guarded complex where Ismail Haniyeh was known to stay in Iran was what killed him, according to a Times investigation

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in 'Israeli raid' in Iran

Just a day before his assassination, the Hamas chief on Tuesday attended the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian

In first address, Iran's Prez-elect Pezeshkian vows to serve all Iranians

At the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, president-elect Masoud Pezeshkian expressed his commitment to overcoming challenges and providing prosperity for all Iranians

Iran votes to replace Prez killed in chopper crash, but apathy remains high

Iranians were voting Friday in a snap election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash last month, as public apathy has become pervasive in the Islamic Republic after years of economic woes, mass protests and tensions in the Middle East. Voters face a choice between hard-line candidates and a little-known politician who belongs to Iran's reformist movement that seeks to change its Shiite theocracy from within. As has been the case since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women and those calling for radical change have been barred from the ballot while the vote itself will have no oversight from internationally recognised monitors. The voting comes as wider tensions have gripped the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. In April, Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israel over the war in Gaza, while militia groups that Tehran arms in the region such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthi rebels are engaged in the fight

US, allies clash with Tehran, Moscow over Iranian nuclear programme at UNSC

The United States and its key European allies clashed with Iran and Russia over Tehran's expanding nuclear programme, with the US vowing to use all means necessary to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran in a UN Security Council meeting on Monday. The US, France, Britain and Germany accused Iran of escalating its nuclear activities far beyond limits it agreed to in a 2015 deal aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, and of failing to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran and Russia accused the US and its allies of continuing to apply economic sanctions that were supposed to be lifted under the deal, and insisted that Tehran's nuclear programme remains under constant oversight by the IAEA. The clashes came at a semi-annual meeting on implementation the nuclear deal between Iran and six major countries the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Under the accord, Tehra

Tehran to host FMs meet of ACD to deepen Intra-Asian cooperation: Iran

The meeting will witness the presence of Foreign Ministers and senior officials from 35 countries, along with heads of regional and multilateral Asian organizations

'Unusual temperatures, gas levels seen in days before Turkey earthquakes'

Unusually high land temperatures and levels of greenhouse gases in the air were observed in Turkey days before two earthquakes struck the country on February 6, 2023, a new research has found. Analysing satellite data from November 1, 2022 to February 10, 2023, Mehdi Akhoondzadeh from the University of Tehran, Iran, said that monitoring the ground and atmosphere for unusual physical and chemical parameters -- known as earthquake precursors -- could be part of an early warning system for earthquakes. The earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria were each of at least 7.6 magnitude and about nine hours apart. The death toll is said to be more than 50,000 and the earthquakes were the deadliest ones in modern history. Even though researchers are aware of earthquake precursors, it has so far been difficult to conclusively identify a pattern of such "red flags" that could foretell an impending earthquake, said the author of the study published in the Journal of Applied Geodesy. This is becau

Iran's Khamenei presides over funeral for President Raisi and others

Iran's supreme leader presided over a funeral on Wednesday for the country's late president, foreign minister and others killed in a helicopter crash. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began the service at Tehran University, the caskets of the dead draped in Iranian flags with their pictures on them. On the late President Ebrahim Raisi's coffin sat a black turban signifying his direct descendance from Islam's Prophet Muhammad. In attendance were top leaders of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, one of the country's major centres. Also on hand was Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, the militant group that Iran has armed and supported during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war raging in the Gaza Strip. Before the funeral, an emcee led the crowd in the chant: Death to Israel! I come in the name of the Palestinian people, in the name of the resistance factions of Gaza ... to express our condolences, Haniyeh told those gathered. He also recounted meeting Raisi in Tehran during Ramadan, the holy Muslim fasti

Mourners begin funerals for Iran's prez, others killed in chopper crash

Mourners in black began gathering Tuesday for days of funerals and processions for Iran's late president, foreign minister and others killed in a helicopter crash, a government-led series of ceremonies aimed at both honouring the dead and projecting strength in an unsettled Middle East. For Iran's Shiite theocracy, mass demonstrations have been crucial since millions thronged the streets of Tehran to welcome Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution. An estimated 1 million turned out in 2020 for processions for the late Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was slain in a US drone strike in Baghdad. Whether President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and others draw the same crowd remains in question, particularly as Raisi died in a helicopter crash, won his office in the lowest-turnout election in the country's history and presided over sweeping crackdowns on all dissent. Prosecutors already have warned people over showi

President Ebrahim Raisi declared dead: What's next for Iran's leadership

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and others, were confirmed dead on Monday, a day after their helicopter crashed in the mountainous northwest

India to sign 10-year agreement with Iran to manage Chabahar Port

Chabahar Port will serve as a vital link connecting India to Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the broader Eurasian region

Khamenei tacitly acknowledges that Tehran hit little in attack on Israel

Iran's supreme leader on Sunday dismissed any discussion of whether Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel hit anything there, a tacit acknowledgment that despite launching a major assault, few projectiles actually made it through to their targets. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments before senior military leaders didn't touch on the apparent Israeli retaliatory strike on Friday on the central city of Isfahan, even though air defenses opened fire and Iran grounded commercial flights across much of the country. Analysts believe both Iran and Israel, regional archrivals locked in a shadow war for years, are trying to dial back tensions following a series of escalatory attacks between them as the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip rages on and inflames the wider region. Khamenei, 85, made the comments in a meeting attended by the top ranks of Iran's regular military, police and paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, a powerful force within its Shiite theocracy. Debates by

Oil, LNG prices to shoot up if Iran blocks Strait of Hormuz amid conflict

Oil and LNG prices are likely to shoot up if Iran is to block Strait of Hormuz, through which countries like India import crude oil from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and UAE, leading to a spike in inflation, analysts said on the Iran-Israel conflict. The Iran and Israel conflict has escalated over the last few days. Iran first launched drone and rocket attacks on Israel, which retaliated by firing a missile. Crude oil prices have hovered around USD 90 per barrel since the conflict. In a note, Motilal Oswal Financial Services said while de-escalation efforts will likely control the crisis, oil and LNG prices will spike in case Iran completely or partially blocks the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow sea passage between Oman and Iran. It is about 40 km wide at the narrowest point, with 2 km of navigable channels for incoming and outgoing ships. It is the key route through which crude oil is exported by Saudi Arabia (6.3 million barrels per day), the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq (3