Iran

Apocalypticism and War Ending 

The paradoxes of the Islamic summit are blatant and quite equivocal. One wonders what elicited this mobilization after two years of apathy and diplomatic inaction. An early summit could have spared Gaza and its population the tragedies brought about by the apocalyptic vision of Hamas, the cynicism of its handlers and leaders and their ruinous ...

The Deception of the Obstructionist Axis: Did You Say ‘Resistance’?

A textbook example of deceit and blatant bad faith — that’s how one could describe the speech delivered late last week by Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Sheikh Naim Qassem. With a straight face, he called on Saudi Arabia to “open a new page in its relations with the resistance,” and he added, almost innocently, that “the weapons of the ...

UN Security Council Rejects Bid to Stop Iran Sanctions “Snapback”

The U.N. Security Council on Friday voted down a resolution that sought to prevent the automatic reimposition of sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program, just days before world leaders gather for the annual U.N. summit. The draft, introduced by South Korea, fell short of the nine votes needed. Only China, Russia, Pakistan, and Algeria backed ...

UN Security Council Votes on Reimposing Iran Nuclear Sanctions

  The United Nations Security Council will vote Friday on reimposing deep economic sanctions on Iran over its resurgent nuclear program. Britain, France and Germany -- signatories to a 2015 deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) intended to stop Tehran obtaining nuclear weapons -- allege that Iran has broken its ...

Iran Withdraws Draft Resolution to Ban Attacks on Nuclear Facilities

Iran late Thursday withdrew a draft resolution at the UN nuclear watchdog that called to ban attacks against nuclear facilities after its war with Israel, citing reported US pressure for the last-minute change. In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a 12-day war that saw Israeli and US strikes on ...

UN Security Council to Vote on Reimposing Sanctions Against Iran

The UN Security Council will vote Friday on whether to reimpose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, the Council's presidency said, after Britain, France, and Germany triggered the process that led to the vote. The three European countries, signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) intended to stop Tehran from obtaining ...

US Designates Four Pro-Iranian Militias as 'Foreign Terrorist Organizations'

The US State Department issued a statement on Wednesday designating four pro-Iranian militias as “terrorist organizations.” The four groups are Harakat al-Nujaba, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya and Kata’ib al-Imam Ali. The State Department also stressed that “Iran continues to provide support enabling these ...

Iran Dismisses US Criticism of Missile Programme as 'Nonsense'

Iran on Wednesday dismissed as "nonsense" US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's criticism this week of the Islamic republic's missile program as an "unacceptable risk". "He was speaking nonsense," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told journalists, adding the United States was "not supposed to comment on the defensive capabilities of a ...

Iran Eyes Positive Response from European Powers to IAEA Agreement

Iran said Wednesday it expects European powers who triggered a snapback of UN sanctions to respond positively to its signing of a new cooperation agreement with the UN nuclear watchdog. The statement came as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi prepared to speak by telephone on Wednesday with his British, French and German counterparts. "We have ...

India and Iran Join Belarus-Russia Military Drills

India, Iran and other Moscow allies from Asia and Africa have joined the Russia-Belarus Zapad military drills, Russian state media reported on Tuesday, citing the Kremlin. "The coalition force includes task forces and military contingents from the armed forces of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of India ...

Al-Sharaa’s High-Stakes Test in New York: Iran Wagers on His Downfall

Even as Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government implements the army’s plan to enforce the decision that all weapons be held exclusively by the state—monitoring progress monthly—and follows up on Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons as well as displaced Syrians in preparation for their return, concern over border demarcation remains strong ...