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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 ...

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 ...

Israel Strikes Tyre After Declaring 'Combat Zones' in South Lebanon

This is Beirut, 28/05 09:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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The Israeli military said on Thursday it had begun new strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure around the southern Lebanese city of Tyre after issuing an evacuation warning to its residents. Israel the previous day had declared all areas south of Lebanon's Zahrani River - an area roughly 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the border and including Tyre - ...

U.S. Military Conducts New Strike in South Iran

This is Beirut, 28/05 04:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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The U.S. military shot down four Iranian drones and struck a control center in the southern city of Bandar Abbas, an American official said Wednesday, describing the actions as "purely defensive." "Today, U.S. Central Command Forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz," ...

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 ...

Iran Supreme Leader Says Region Will 'No Longer Serve as Shields' for U.S. Bases

This is Beirut, 26/05 11:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Tuesday that regional countries would no longer be shields for U.S. bases in a written statement carried by state television. "What is certain in this regard is that the hands of time will not turn backwards, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for ...

Iran Warns Deal With U.S. Not Yet Close, Despite Some Progress

This is Beirut, 25/05 13:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Iran warned Monday that, while some progress had been made, it was not yet close to striking a deal with the United States to end the Middle East war, after a weekend of mixed messages from Washington and Tehran. World oil prices tumbled on renewed optimism about an agreement, after top US diplomat Marco Rubio suggested a deal could be reached ...

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 ...

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