Iran

IAEA Chief Tours Sensitive Iran Nuclear Plants

The UN nuclear chief toured two Iranian uranium enrichment plants that have been the focus of Western concern on Friday after Tehran said it was ready to address "doubts" about its ambitions. The visit to Iran by International Atomic Energy Agency director general Rafael Grossi comes after he warned "the margins for manoeuvre are beginning to ...

Mikati to Larijani: Iran Must Avoid Positions That Create Tensions

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati emphasized the importance of Iran “avoiding positions that could create friction between different Lebanese factions or favor one group over another.” During his meeting at the Governmental Palace with Ali Larijani, the advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mikati urged Tehran to ...

Ali Larajani's Security Team Resists Airport Check

The security team accompanying Ali Larijani, the advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, refused to undergo a mandatory security inspection at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport on Friday, citing diplomatic immunity. Brigadier General Fadi Kfouri, head of airport security, had ordered a thorough inspection of the ...

Musk Met Iran UN Ambassador on Defusing Tension Under Trump

Elon Musk, the tech billionaire closely allied with US President-elect Donald Trump, met Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in a bid to defuse tensions between Tehran and Washington, The New York Times reported Thursday. The newspaper quoted anonymous Iranian sources as describing the meeting between the world's richest person and Ambassador ...

US Sanctions Syrian Firm for Selling Oil to Fund Iranian Proxies

The US unveiled sanctions Thursday against 26 people, firms and ships allegedly associated with a Syrian conglomerate making hundreds of millions of dollars selling oil on behalf of Iran and its proxies. The US Treasury Department said in a statement that its designations were related to the Al-Qatirji Company, which it accuses of generating vast ...

Glaser: Qard al-Hassan Is Funded by Illicit and Illegitimate Activities Led by Terrorist Regimes

In an exclusive interview with This is Beirut, former Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing at the US Department of the Treasury, Daniel Glaser, explains how Hezbollah plays a role in Lebanon's economy beyond Qard al-Hassan, particularly concerning illicit activities or alternative financing. He also discusses how the US and international ...

Iran Informs UN Nuclear Chief of Commitment to Resolve 'Ambiguities'

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the visiting head of the UN nuclear watchdog on Thursday that his government was willing to resolve doubts about its atomic programme, ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump's arrival in office. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said achieving "results" in nuclear talks ...

Russia Takes Center Stage

How did this happen? It’s straightforward: genetically wired as a skilled chess player, Vladimir Putin now positions himself as the guarantor of cutting off the flow of arms, smuggling, and funds to Hezbollah via Syria. Holding the symbolic scissors over the lifeline of the pro-Iranian militia, he is offering his services to other stakeholders. ...

Khamenei’s Advisor Ali Larijani to Visit Syria on Thursday

Ali Larijani, the senior adviser to the leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Ali Khamenei, is expected in Syria, on Thursday. The announcement was made by the spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei. Baghaei said that Ali Larijani, who is also a member of the Expediency Council, “will depart for Damascus at the head of ...

UN Nuclear Chief in Iran to 'Reach Diplomatic Solutions'

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi arrived in Iran on Wednesday for discussions on Tehran's nuclear program, a week after Donald Trump's election as the new US president. During his first term in the White House from 2017 to 2021, Trump was the architect of a policy called "maximum pressure" levying against Tehran biting ...

CIA Official Charged for Leaking Israel’s Attack Plans on Iran

A CIA official has been charged with leaking classified documents that reportedly revealed Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran following a missile attack earlier this year, as reported by a New York Times report, quoting individuals familiar with the case, in addition to court documents. The official, Asif W. Rahman, was indicted last week ...

French-Iranian Relations: Between Rifts and Distrust 2/2

Building on long-standing cultural ties, France and Iran have maintained a difficult relationship following the rise of the Islamic Republic and the Iran-Iraq War. However, the issue of nuclear weapons will deepen the rift between the two countries. Second Rift: The Issue of Iran's Nuclear Program In the early 2000s, Iran was suspected of ...