This is Beirut

Israel Says Lebanese Operatives Eliminated Were Tied to Iran’s Unit 840

This is Beirut, 12/09 13:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Two Lebanese nationals, Qassem Salah al-Husseini and Mohammed Shuaib, were identified by the Israeli army Friday as key operators of several cells tied to Unit 840, the special operations branch of Iran’s Quds Force. On Friday, the Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, wrote on X that the two men, killed last month in Lebanon, ...

UNGA 2025 and the Middle East

David Hale , 12/09 10:30 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Syria Iran Ukraine United States Israel Palestine

This month brings world leaders together to mark the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly. Their formal speeches in front of the assembly vary in interest, as many contain more pious platitudes than meaty information. The real work of interest often happens behind-the-scenes, as world leaders meet bilaterally or in small groups ...

Iran says Enriched Nuclear Material 'Under Rubble' of Facilities Hit During Israel War

This is Beirut, 12/09 09:13 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Abbas Araghchi Iran nuclear

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that enriched nuclear material remained "under the rubble" of facilities damaged during the recent war with Israel. "All of our material is... under the rubble of the bombed facilities," said Araghchi in a televised interview, adding that Iran's Atomic Energy ...

Why Qatar and Turkey Are Seen as 'Next in Line' for Conflict with Israel

Salam El Zaatari, 11/09 11:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Iran Israel Turkey Qatar United States

The Israeli airstrike on September 9, 2025, against Hamas leaders in Doha shocked the Middle East, not only for its audacity but also for its symbolism: Israel was willing to strike inside the territory of a US ally, Qatar, long considered a safe haven for Hamas’ political leadership. The strike has since fueled speculation that Qatar, and by ...

Iran Says Agreed New Cooperation Framework with UN Nuclear Watchdog

This is Beirut, 09/09 22:53 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Iran IAEA Rafael Grossi Iran Nuclear Program

Iran agreed to a new cooperation framework with the UN nuclear watchdog on Tuesday, after it suspended cooperation following the war with Israel in June. The agreement was signed in Cairo by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, who hailed it as "an important step in the right ...

Iran's Foreign Minister to Meet IAEA Chief in Egypt

This is Beirut, 09/09 09:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

IAEA Iran Egypt Nuclear

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet on Tuesday with United Nations nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi in Egypt, the first such meeting since Tehran suspended cooperation with the agency two months ago. "During a trip to Cairo, a meeting will be held with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency to conclude ...

At the UN, the Snapback Reshuffles the Iranian File

Mario Chartouni, 08/09 19:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

UN Security Council Europe Iran nuclear snapback

At the end of August, the United Kingdom, France and Germany (the E3) officially triggered the snapback mechanism outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which governs the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA). This unprecedented procedure in the multilateral system stipulates that all previous UN ...

Iran’s Nuclear Defiance: Diplomacy on Hold, Escalation on Standby

Salam El Zaatari, 04/09 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran Washington Israel United States Donald Trump

By every measure that counts, Iran is once again daring the West to call its bluff. Less than three months after US and Israeli airstrikes tore into its nuclear facilities, Tehran has chosen defiance over accountability—expelling inspectors, hiding its enriched uranium stockpile and openly daring the international community to stop it. Europe ...

Iran Has Accelerated Production of Highly Enriched Uranium

This is Beirut, 03/09 18:30 - Reading : less than a minute

Iran IAEA Iran Nuclear Program

Iran boosted its sensitive stockpile of highly enriched uranium just before a 12-day war with Israel broke out, a confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seen by AFP on Wednesday showed. The UN nuclear watchdog's quarterly report said that Iran has an estimated 440.9 kilograms enriched to up to 60 percent as of 13 ...

Ofek 19, the New Israeli Spy Satellite

This is Beirut, 03/09 15:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Hamas Iran United States Hezbollah

Israel announced on Wednesday that it had launched a new spy satellite into orbit, called Ofek 19. According to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, “This is also a message to all our enemies, wherever they may be: we are watching you constantly and under all circumstances.” For his part, Israeli President Isaac Herzog declared that “Israel ...

U.S. Sanctions Network Smuggling Iranian Oil as Iraqi Oil

This is Beirut, 02/09 18:50 - Reading : less than a minute

United States U.S. Department of Treasury U.S. Sanctions Iran

The United States Department of Treasury announced on Tuesday new sanctions aimed at cutting off revenue to Iran for its destabilizing activities in Iraq, the Middle East, and beyond. “The sanctions target a network of companies and vessels led by Waleed al-Samarra’i, an Iraqi and Saint Kitts and Nevis dual citizen, accused of smuggling ...

Xi Tells Iran President China Opposes 'Use of Force... to Resolve Differences'

This is Beirut, 02/09 15:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

China Iran Masoud Pezeshkian Xi Jinping

President Xi Jinping told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday that China supported Iran's right to civilian nuclear energy and opposed the use of force to resolve differences, state media reported. "The use of force is not the right way to resolve differences. Communication and dialogue are the right path to achieving lasting ...

Iran