Page 10 - Us-iran Tensions

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Russia requests UNSC meeting after US, Britain strike Houthis in Yemen

A spokesman for Yemen's Houthis said there was no justification for the US-British attack and said the Iran-backed group will continue targeting ships heading towards Israel

RAF conducted 'targeted strikes' against Houthi rebel sites: UK PM Sunak

Sunak noted that Houthis in recent months have conducted a series of "dangerous and destabilising attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea

Saudi Arabia calls for restraint after US-British airstrikes on Yemen

The group has been attacking commercial ships it says are linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports

We must retaliate for suspected Israeli strike in Beirut: Hezbollah leader

The leader of the Lebanese militia Hezbollah said on Friday that his group must retaliate after a presumed Israeli strike hit a Beirut neighbourhood this week, killing a senior Hamas official, or else all of Lebanon would be vulnerable to Israeli attack. Hassan Nasrallah appeared to be making the case for a response to the Lebanese public, even at the risk of escalating the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. But he gave no indication of how or when the militants would act. The strike that killed Hamas' deputy political leader, Saleh Arouri, threatened months of efforts by the United States to prevent the war in Gaza from spiralling into a regional conflict. Nasrallah said it was the first strike by Israel in the Lebanese capital since 2006. We cannot keep silent about a violation of this seriousness, he said, because this means that all of our people will be exposed (to targeting). All of our cities, villages and public figures will be exposed. The repercussions of silence are

Iran vows revenge after biggest attack since 1979 revolution: Report

Iran's powerful Guards described Wednesday's attack as a cowardly act 'aimed at creating insecurity and seeking revenge against the nation's deep love and devotion to the Islamic Republic'

Airstrike in Baghdad kills Iran-backed militia leader, tensions escalate

An airstrike on the logistical support headquarters of an Iran-backed militia in central Baghdad on Thursday killed a high-ranking militia commander, militia officials said. Thursday's strike comes amid mounting regional tensions fuelled by Israel-Hamas war and fears that it could spill over into surrounding countries. The Popular Mobilization Force - a coalition of militias that is nominally under the control of the Iraqi military - announced in a statement that its deputy head of operations in Baghdad, Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, or Abu Taqwa, had been killed as a result of brutal American aggression. It was not immediately clear who had carried out the strike. Officials with the US military and embassy in Baghdad did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The strike killed two people and wounded five, according to two militia officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly. One of the officials said al-Saidi was driving in

US again renews protection for Mike Pompeo and top aide over Iran threats

The Biden administration has once again renewed taxpayer-funded protection for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and one of his top aides, who have been the target of persistent threats from Iran. The State Department notified Congress late last month that the threats against Pompeo and Trump administration Iran envoy Brian Hook remain serious and credible and continue to warrant government-provided security details. The notifications are dated Dec. 19 but were not transmitted to Congress until December 22. They were obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday. Tensions in the Middle East have soared since the outbreak of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza and escalated further Wednesday after dozens of people were killed in blasts in Iran at a memorial service for Iran Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a US airstrike in Baghdad on January 3, 2020. Pompeo and Hook were the public faces of the US maximum pressure campaign against Iran afte

US forces shoot down ballistic missiles in Red Sea, kills Houthi rebels

The US military said Sunday it shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired toward a container ship by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Hours later, four boats tried to attack the same ship, but US forces opened fire, killing several of the armed crews, the US Central Command said. No one was injured on the ship. The Singapore-flagged MAERSK HANZGHOU reported they had already been hit by a missile Saturday night while transiting the Southern Red Sea and requested assistance, CENTCOM said in a statement. The USS GRAVELY and USS LABOON responded to the call for help, and the Denmark-owned vessel was reportedly seaworthy and no injuries were noted, the statement added. This is the 23rd illegal attack by the Houthis on international shipping since Nov. 19, CENTCOM said. In another statement, CENTCOM said the same ship issued an additional distress call about a second attack by four Iranian-backed Houthi small boats. The attackers fired small arms weapons at the MAERSK HANZGHOU,

Iran executes four accused of sabotage, links to Israel's Mossad

The executions took to five the number of people put to death this month in a decades-long shadow war that has seen Iran accuse Israel of attacks on its nuclear effort

US shoots down 12 'Iran-backed' Houthi attack drones, 5 missiles in Red Sea

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari termed the attacks "acts of terror" directed by Iran

Iran increasing production of highly enriched uranium: Atomic watchdog

Iran has increased the rate at which it is producing near weapons grade uranium in recent weeks, reversing a previous slowdown that started in the middle of this year, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report to member states. Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in the report that Iran in recent weeks had increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023," according to an IAEA spokesperson Sunday. Iran had previously slowed down the rate at which it was enriching uranium to 60 per cent purity. Uranium enriched at 60 per cent purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent. The UN nuclear watchdog said its inspectors had verified the increased rate of production since the end of November at facilities in Natanz and Fordow to about 9 kilograms per month, up from 3 kilograms per month since June and representing a return to earlier levels of production. Enriching uranium

US orders strikes on Iran-backed group after attack on its troops in Iraq

President Joe Biden ordered the United States military to carry out retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three US service members were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said one of the US troops suffered critical injuries in the attack that occurred earlier Monday. The Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups, under an umbrella of Iranian-backed militants, claimed credit for the attack that utilized a one-way attack drone. Iraqi officials said US strikes targeting militia sites early Tuesday killed one militant and injured 18. They came at a time of heightened fears of a regional spillover of the Israel-Hamas war. Iran announced Monday that an Israeli strike on the outskirts of the Syrian capital of Damascus killed one of its top generals, Razi Mousavi, who had been a close companion of Gen Qassem Soleimani, the former head of Iran's elite Quds Force. Soleimani was sla

Iran army demonstrates its military might as Gaza, Red Sea conflicts grow

The Islamic Republic has consistently denied all allegations of involvement in the attacks on commercial shippers, which have escalated since the conflict in Gaza began October 7

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

US intelligence suggests Iran 'deeply involved' in Red Sea attacks on ships

On Tuesday, a senior US military official said the Iranians are operating in the Red Sea when asked whether Iran is helping the Houthis select targets

US presses Israel to shift from combat as Iranian-backed attacks escalate

The top two US military leaders are travelling to Tel Aviv to advise the Israeli government on how to transition from major combat operations against Hamas in Gaza to a more limited campaign and prevent a wider regional war. Their trip comes as Iranian-backed militants on Saturday launched a wave of attack drones against ships in the Red Sea and said they would continue until Israel's aggression ends. One of the American warships assigned to the Ford carrier strike group, the destroyer USS Carney, successfully engaged 14 one-way attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, US Central Command said in a statement. Britain reported that a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting commercial ships. It was the latest in a series of attacks threatening commercial and US Navy ships in the Red Sea that have escalated after Israel intensified its response to the Hamas' strike against Israel on October 7. Israel is stinging from the deadliest attack ever

Oil rises after Iran-backed Houthi attack on ship, weak sentiment weighs

A cruise missile launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen struck a commercial chemical tanker, causing a fire and damage but no casualties in the latest such attack to heighten safety risks for tankers

US conducts airstrikes against Iran-backed groups in Syria to retaliate

The Pentagon and US officials say US fighter aircraft conducted airstrikes on locations in eastern Syria involving Iranian-backed groups, likely causing casualties and destroying weapons stored at the two targets that were struck a training facility and a safe house. A defense official said that the training facility also served as a weapons storage and that the safe house, located in the Bulbul district of Mayadin, functioned as a headquarters for Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated groups in the area. The official said Revolutionary Guard-related personnel were present at the time of the strikes and likely were hit, but the Pentagon had not confirmed whether they were killed. The defense official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to provide additional details of the strikes. The US has conducted three strikes over the last two weeks against Iranian-tied weapons depots in Syria to retaliate for the more than 50 rocket and drone attacks that ...

US conducts airstrikes in Syria in retaliation for attacks on its troops

The US military conducted airstrikes on two locations in eastern Syria involving Iranian-backed groups, hitting a training location and a weapons facility, according to the Pentagon and US officials. It marks the third time in a bit more than two weeks that the US has retaliated against the militants for what has been a growing number of attacks on bases housing US troops in Iraq and Syria. In a statement, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes targeted sites near Abukama and Mayadin and were used by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as well as Iran-backed militias. The President has no higher priority than the safety of US personnel, and he directed today's action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests, Austin said. A U.S. official said one site also included weapons storage. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of a military operation. The militant groups, many operating under the umbrella of t