USA

Iran University Suspends Three Students for Burning Flag

A major Iranian university has suspended three students for burning the national flag during recent anti-government protests, local media reported Thursday. Student demonstrations erupted on Saturday at several major universities in the capital, Tehran, with campuses in other cities joining in the days that followed. Pro- and anti-government ...

USS Gerald Ford Leaves Crete as Iran Talks Begin: AFP

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, sent to the Mediterranean this week in a military build-up to put pressure on Iran, left a naval base in Crete Thursday, an AFP photographer said. Its departure came as a new round of indirect talks between the United States and Iran on the latter's nuclear program, mediated by Oman's ...

Iran Could Offer Billion-Dollar Energy Deal Ahead of Nuclear Talks - Report

Iran is reportedly preparing a major economic offer aimed at persuading the United States to pursue a diplomatic agreement instead of a military strike. The proposal, according to the Financial Times, could include significant investment opportunities in Iran’s oil, gas, and mineral sectors. The source said the plan appears tailored to ...

Report: Hezbollah Reassures State of Conditional Neutrality

As Washington and Tehran resume high-stakes negotiations in Geneva on Thursday, described by diplomats as a “last opportunity” to prevent escalation, Lebanon finds itself once again navigating the fault lines of a potential regional confrontation. According to senior Lebanese political sources cited by Nidaa Al-Watan, Hezbollah has conveyed ...

Syria Confirms Mass Escape from Al-Hol Camp for Relatives of Jihadists

Syria's interior ministry confirmed on Wednesday the mass escape of relatives of suspected Islamic State group jihadists from the Al-Hol camp last month following the withdrawal of Kurdish forces who had overseen the facility. "When our forces arrived, they found cases of collective escapes due to the camp having been opened up in a ...

Iran Rejects U.S. Claims on Missile Programme as 'Big Lies'

Iran's foreign ministry on Wednesday dismissed US claims about its missile programme as "big lies", after President Donald Trump said Tehran was developing missiles that can strike the United States. "Whatever they're alleging in regards to Iran's nuclear programme, Iran's ballistic missiles, and the number of ...

Trump: Top General Doesn’t Oppose Iran War

U.S. President Donald Trump pushed back on reports that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine had cautioned against a prolonged military campaign against Iran, insisting his top general does not oppose potential military action. “Numerous stories from the Fake News Media have been circulating stating that General Daniel ...

Israeli Minister Says Army to Occupy All Gaza if Hamas Does Not Disarm

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday that Palestinian Islamist group Hamas may soon be given a deadline to lay down its weapons. "We estimate that in the coming days, Hamas will be given an ultimatum to disarm and completely demilitarise Gaza," Smotrich said in an interview with public broadcaster Kan. "If it does not ...

Nouri al-Maliki Says He Will Not Withdraw Bid for Iraq's Premiership

Iraq's candidate for the premiership, Nouri al-Maliki, told AFP on Monday that he will not withdraw his candidacy after US threats to cut all support if he returns to the post. But Maliki sought to reassure Washington by saying he backed a state monopoly on arms, claiming an understanding is possible with pro-Iran armed factions that have long ...

Iran May Activate Regional Allies if U.S. Launches Major Strikes

Iran could direct allied armed groups to target U.S. interests worldwide if President Donald Trump authorizes large-scale military action against Tehran, according to U.S. and Western officials cited by The New York Times. The newspaper reported that while no specific attack plans have been identified, intelligence services have detected an ...