This is Beirut

U.S. Sanctions Lebanese Officials and Hezbollah Affiliates Over Alleged Obstruction of Disarmament Efforts

This is Beirut, 21/05 17:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on nine individuals in Lebanon accused of supporting Hezbollah and obstructing efforts to disarm the Iran-backed group, in a move Washington described as part of a broader campaign to reinforce Lebanese sovereignty and weaken Hezbollah’s influence over state institutions. The sanctions, announced ...

Khamenei Orders Iran’s Enriched Uranium Stockpile to Remain Inside Country: Report

This is Beirut, 21/05 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a directive that the country’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium remain inside Iran, according to two senior Iranian sources cited by Reuters on Wednesday. The directive directly challenges one of the key American and Israeli demands in the talks: the removal of Iran’s ...

UAE Urges Iraq to Prevent Attacks Launched From Its Territory 'Immediately'

This is Beirut, 20/05 18:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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The UAE demanded on Wednesday that Iraq "immediately" prevent further attacks from its territory, following an accusation by Abu Dhabi that a drone targeting a nuclear plant was launched from there. The foreign ministry, in a statement, called on "Iraq to prevent all hostile acts originating from its territory urgently and without ...

Iran Claims U.S. Seeking to ‘Start a New Round of War’ and Threatens ‘Forceful Response’

This is Beirut, 20/05 17:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Iran accused the United States on Wednesday of seeking to reignite the regional war, after President Donald Trump renewed threats of military action against Tehran while Washington continues tightening its naval blockade around Iranian shipping routes. The escalation came as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it had forced 90 commercial ...

Iran Guards Say Allowed 26 Ships to Transit Hormuz Since Tuesday

This is Beirut, 20/05 16:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy on Wednesday said they allowed over 25 vessels, including oil tankers, to transit the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours. Iran has largely blocked shipping through the strait, a vital global energy conduit, since the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel on February 28. Iran, which has been under ...

Iran Stages Mass Weddings for Couples Ready for War 'Sacrifice'

This is Beirut, 19/05 14:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iranian authorities held mass public weddings in Tehran for couples who signed up to a state-sponsored scheme declaring their readiness to sacrifice their lives in the war against the U.S. and Israel. The ceremonies conducted late on Monday involved hundreds of couples in several major squares in the capital, including more than 100 in the vast ...

Iran Says New Proposal to Washington Includes Ending Lebanon War

This is Beirut, 19/05 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iran said Tuesday that its latest proposal to the United States includes demands to end hostilities across the region, including in Lebanon, alongside sanctions relief, the release of frozen Iranian assets and the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade imposed on Tehran. In comments carried by Iran’s official IRNA news agency, Deputy Foreign ...

Israeli Strikes Continue in the Bekaa Valley and Across Southern Lebanon

This is Beirut, 18/05 14:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Israel launched a new series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on Monday, while Hezbollah has maintained attacks against Israeli forces in the south and continued launching drones toward northern Israel. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Monday that they had struck 30 Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon ...

Iran Says Responded to Latest U.S. Peace Proposal

This is Beirut, 18/05 13:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iran said Monday it had responded to a new U.S. proposal aimed at ending the war, adding that exchanges were continuing despite Iranian media reports describing Washington's demands as excessive. Washington and Tehran have been swapping proposals in an effort to end the conflict that broke out on February 28. The two sides have held a single ...

Iran Officially Announces New Body to Manage Strait of Hormuz: Top Security Council

This is Beirut, 18/05 12:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iran's top security body announced on Monday the formation of a new body to manage the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has effectively closed and wants to charge ships to traverse. On its official X account, the Supreme National Security Council shared a post for the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) saying it would provide "real‑time updates ...

'Staggering' Iran Toll Drives Up Global Executions: Amnesty

This is Beirut, 18/05 03:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Iran put to death over 2,150 people last year, a "staggering" increase that pushed recorded worldwide executions to their highest level since 1981, Amnesty International said Monday. Amnesty said it had confirmed the executions of at least 2,707 people globally in 2025. Of these cases, 2,159 were in Iran, a figure more than double that of 2024, ...

Trump Warns Iran ‘There Won’t Be Anything Left’ as US-Israeli Strike Preparations Intensify

This is Beirut, 18/05 03:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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U.S. President Donald Trump issued a new warning to Iran on Sunday evening, declaring that Tehran must move quickly toward a peace agreement or face devastating consequences. “For Iran, the clock is ticking, and they better get moving FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The ...

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