This is Beirut

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

Salam El Zaatari, 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 ...

Lebanon, UNIFIL, and the Return of Sovereignty and Peace

David Hale , 01/09 18:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon UNIFIL Israel Hezbollah Iran

There was a real possibility earlier this summer that the United States was going to veto the renewal of the UNIFIL mandate in August. Ultimately, a wiser course prevailed, when the UN Security Council extended UNIFIL's mandate "for a final time" last week until the end of 2026. This step is a positive one for everyone concerned except ...

Iran and the Sanctions’ Reinstatement: From Balance to Isolation

Paul Guillot, 01/09 15:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Banks Europe Iran Economy Sanctions

Three months after the “twelve-day war” with Israel, Iran is struggling to keep its economy afloat under severe US sanctions. With mounting military pressure, the return of European sanctions and the continuing collapse of its currency, the Islamic Republic has never been more vulnerable. Fragile Growth Despite decades of international ...

Seeking Regional Leaders with Sadat’s Vision

Michel Touma, 01/09 08:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hamas Hezbollah Israel Lebanon Iran

Clothes do not make the man – a saying that fits today’s leaders of Iran’s radical factions, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Tehran’s proxies in Iraq and Yemen. They issue routine inflammatory statements and adopt media stances that are often exaggerated, sometimes bordering on the absurd. In response to the upheavals sweeping the region, they ...

Putin and Modi in China for Summit Hosted by Xi

This is Beirut, 31/08 14:44 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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President Xi Jinping gathered the leaders of Russia and India, among dignitaries from around 20 Eurasian countries, on Sunday to kick off a showpiece summit aimed at putting China at the front and center of regional relations. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit is being held in the northern port city of Tianjin until Monday, days before ...

Hezbollah: The Voice of Its Master

Marc Saikali, 28/08 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Gulf Middle East Tehran Turkey Lebanon Iran

Hezbollah and its weapons, a never-ending tale. Same story, on repeat. Giving up the arsenal? Never. Without it, there is no arbitrary power, no rent to collect. And like any loyal client, Hezbollah clings to its dealer: Iran. Each time an Iranian leader takes the stage or embarks on a “diplomatic” tour, the pattern is predictable. Days ...

Iran Says Return of IAEA Inspectors Not Full Resumption of Cooperation

This is Beirut, 27/08 23:01 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Iran said Wednesday that the return of UN nuclear inspectors did not represent a full resumption of cooperation, which was suspended in the aftermath of June attacks by Israel and the United States. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency began work at the key nuclear site of Bushehr in southwestern Iran, the nuclear watchdog's ...

Salam Arrives in Cairo

This is Beirut, 26/08 21:05 - Reading : less than a minute

Nawaf Salam lebanon Egypt Cairo Joe Saddi Ghassan Salameh Beirut Iran Israel

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam arrived in Cairo on Tuesday at the head of a Lebanese delegation for an official visit to Egypt. According to information obtained by al-Markazia news agency, the visit will focus on launching the Lebanese-Egyptian Business Council and on holding talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on regional and bilateral ...

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