Tehran

Syria and the Domino Effect

Benjamin Netanyahu has warned in his speech announcing the ceasefire in Lebanon: "Assad is playing with fire." Less than a week later, the Syrian regime is collapsing on all fronts. This time, Turkey is taking the lead. Erdogan has successfully brought together a diverse coalition of militias, from Islamists to Kurds, for the operation. His goal: ...

Iran's Foreign Minister to Visit Damascus in Support of Assad

Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said Sunday he will leave Tehran for Damascus to deliver a message of support for Syria's government and armed forces, state media said, after a lighting advance by rebels. Araghchi will head afterwards to Ankara for consultations with Turkish officials. Tehran has been a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar ...

What’s Behind the Syrian Rebels' Push to Retake Aleppo ?

Rebel forces opposing President Bashar al-Assad have launched their biggest offensive in years this week, controlling a majority of Syria's second city of Aleppo according to a monitor. Government forces offered little resistance, the war monitor said, and the army admitted that rebels had entered "large parts" of the city. Syrian ...

Iran's Nuclear Ambitions "Threaten Us All", Says MI6 Chief

Iran's nuclear ambitions pose a major global security threat even after setbacks dealt to Hamas and Hezbollah, the UK's foreign intelligence chief said Friday. "Iran's allied militias across the Middle East have suffered serious blows," Secret Intelligence Service chief Richard Moore said in a speech in Paris. "But the regime's nuclear ambitions ...

Iran to Meet UK, France and Germany for Nuclear Talks

Iran is set to meet on Friday with France, Germany and the United Kingdom for talks on its nuclear programme after the three governments joined with the United States to have Tehran censured by the UN atomic watchdog. Last week's chiding prompted a defiant response from Tehran, but its officials have since signalled willingness to engage with ...

Pragmatism Is Not a Sign of Weakness

In late August 1982, Beirut bore witness to the aftermath of the Israeli Army's "Operation Peace for Galilee," initiated on June 6, 1982. Following the prolonged siege of the Lebanese capital, approximately 12,000 Palestinian fighters, including Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), alongside senior officials ...

Iran to Launch ‘Advanced Centrifuges’ in Response to IAEA Censure

Iran said Friday it would launch a series of "new and advanced" centrifuges in response to a resolution adopted by the IAEA that censures Tehran for what the agency called lack of cooperation. "The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran issued an order to take effective measures, including launching a significant series of new and ...

Iran Says Western Resolution Will ‘Weaken’ Interaction With IAEA

A resolution tabled by Western countries to censure Iran's nuclear program at the International Atomic Energy Agency "will weaken and disrupt" interactions between the UN body and Tehran, it warned ahead of the vote on Thursday. Paris, Berlin, London and Washington have formally submitted a text condemning Iran for alleged lack of cooperation ...

US-Iran Relations: What Awaits Tehran?

Iran faces mounting questions about how best to navigate its relationship with US President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his expected return to the White House on January 20, 2025. Tensions remain high following his first term (2016–2020), which was marked by the assassination of Quds Force Commander General Qassem Suleimani, one of Iran's most ...

Canada Foils Iranian Plot to Assassinate Former Minister

Canadian authorities recently foiled an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Irwin Cotler, a former justice minister who has been a strong critic of Tehran, Cotler's organization said Monday. The 84-year-old was justice minister and attorney general from 2003 to 2006. He retired from politics in 2015 but has remained active with many associations ...

Iran Hopes for Nuclear Talks 'Without Pressure' Under Trump

Iran said Monday it hoped talks on its nuclear program would be conducted "away from political pressure and considerations" ahead of a UN nuclear agency board meeting this week. "All our efforts and our emphasis in our talks were to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to do its technical work away from the destructive and evil ...

Mojtaba Khamenei: The Shadow Prince of the Islamic Republic

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was chosen as his father's successor in September at a secret meeting of the Assembly of Experts, according to Israeli media outlet Yedioth Ahronot. The Assembly of Experts, whose members are 88 clerics elected by direct universal suffrage, is responsible for electing the next ...