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Vance Says Progress Made as U.S.-Iran Deal Awaits Trump Green Light

This is Beirut, 16:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Washington and Tehran are close to agreeing to a deal to extend their ceasefire in the Middle East war, but the potential breakthrough still hangs on President Donald Trump's approval. Trump remained notably silent into Friday morning, despite U.S. sources telling AFP a deal just needed his sign-off, underscoring ...

Iran Guards Kill Two Kurds in Hiding After Protests: Rights Groups

This is Beirut, 14:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards have killed two Kurdish activists in the west of the country who went into hiding following anti-government protests in January, two rights groups said on Friday. Iranian media confirmed the incident, which took place on Thursday, but said that the men were armed, had been instigators of "riots," and were killed by ...

U.S. Blacklists Tankers and Firms Linked to Iran’s Military Oil Network

This is Beirut, 10:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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The United States announced on Thursday that it had imposed a new round of sanctions targeting Iran’s military-linked oil trade, despite Washington and Tehran reaching a tentative agreement to extend their ceasefire and ease restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, eight vessels involved ...

Iran Condemns U.S. Ceasefire 'Violations' After Strikes in South

This is Beirut, 28/05 12:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iran condemned on Thursday what it called violations by the United States after its strikes on the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, while vowing to defend its sovereignty. The ministry's spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran would "take all necessary measures to defend its national sovereignty" and condemned what he called "the threatening ...

IRGC Downplays Chances of Renewed War With U.S. Amid Fragile Iran Ceasefire Talks

This is Beirut, 27/05 12:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official said Wednesday that the likelihood of renewed war with the United States remains low, while warning that Tehran remains fully prepared to respond militarily to any new attack. “The possibility of war is low because of the enemy’s weakness,” Mohammad Akbarzadeh, deputy ...

Iran Media Says Negotiators Seek $24bn Asset Release in U.S. Deal

This is Beirut, 26/05 14:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iranian media said Tuesday that Tehran's negotiators were seeking the release of around $24 billion in frozen assets abroad as part of a process aimed at ending the war with the United States. The report by Tasnim news agency came as a top Iranian delegation was in Qatar and after Tehran said it was finalizing a 14-point framework for a deal on ...

Iran Executes Man Over Cooperation with Israeli Spy Agency

This is Beirut, 26/05 13:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iranian authorities on Tuesday executed a man after convicting him of cooperation with and espionage for Israel's Mossad spy agency, the judiciary said. "Gholamreza Khani Shakarab was executed on charges of intelligence cooperation and espionage in favor of the Zionist regime," the judiciary's Mizan Online website reported, adding that his ...

U.S. Says Iran Deal Still Possible, as Trump Tempers Expectations

This is Beirut, 25/05 09:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal to end the war with Iran could materialize on Monday, as President Donald Trump tempered expectations. The United States and Iran have observed a ceasefire since April 8 while mediators push for a negotiated settlement, although Iran has imposed controls on Gulf shipping and the U.S. has blockaded ...

Iran Chief Negotiator Vows 'Crushing' Response if U.S. Resumes Attacks

This is Beirut, 23/05 15:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iran's chief negotiator on Saturday warned of a "crushing" response if U.S. President Donald Trump resumed attacks on the country, saying Tehran had rebuilt its armed forces during the six-week-long ceasefire in the Middle East war. "Our armed forces have rebuilt themselves during the ceasefire period in such a way that if Trump commits another ...

Iran Weighs Peace Proposal, Accuses U.S. of 'Excessive Demands'

This is Beirut, 23/05 12:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Tehran accused the United States of "excessive demands," Iranian media said on Saturday, as U.S. media reports raised the prospect that Washington was mulling new strikes and leaders of the Islamic republic considered the latest peace proposal. Pakistan's powerful army chief arrived in Tehran on Friday to bolster mediation, and U.S. President ...

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)

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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 ...

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