This is Beirut

Skyward Conflict: Israel and Iran Fuel Soaring Aviation Expenses

Christiane Tager, 02/07 19:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

During the Israeli airstrikes on Tehran that started on June 13, airlines steered clear of Iranian airspace and several strategic zones in the Gulf. Over the 12 days of war, more than 3,000 flights were cancelled each day, according to Flightradar24. Those that managed to take off were forced into long detours, north, east or south, to avoid the ...

Iran Ends Cooperation with UN Nuclear Watchdog after Israel, US Strikes

This is Beirut, 02/07 17:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran IAEA Nuclear

Iran on Wednesday officially suspended its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, a move triggered by the unprecedented Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities. Last month's 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel has sharply escalated tensions between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency. On June 25, a day ...

Israel Captures Iran-Linked Militant Cell in Southern Syria

This is Beirut, 02/07 14:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Israel Iran

Israel's military said on Wednesday it had apprehended members of an Iranian-backed "terrorist cell" in southern Syria, where state TV reported three were arrested by Israeli troops. Since the December overthrow of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes, primarily on military sites, and sent troops ...

Reuters: Iran Prepared to Mine Strait of Hormuz Following Escalation with Israel

This is Beirut, 02/07 10:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hormuz Strait Iran Mines

The Iranian military loaded naval mines onto ships in the Persian Gulf last month, fueling concerns in Washington that Tehran might try to block the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli strikes, Reuters reported on Monday, citing two US officials. According to these sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the operation took place after ...

Echoes of Iran: The Forgotten Golden Age of Persian Pop Music

Bélinda Ibrahim, 01/07 19:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Tehran Iran Music Golden Age

At the dawn of the 1960s and 1970s, Iran entered one of its most culturally vibrant eras. Amid rapid transformation, young Iranians eagerly embraced electric guitars and Western harmonies, seamlessly fusing them with the poetry and melodies of Persian tradition. Psychedelic rock bands thrived in Tehran’s underground clubs, drawing inspiration ...

French Diplomat Visits Two French Detainees in Iran

This is Beirut, 01/07 18:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran France Human Rights Jean-Noel Barrot

A French diplomat on Tuesday visited two French nationals detained in Iran, Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, the foreign minister said, after their families demanded proof that they were alive after Israeli strikes. "We obtained a visit today from our chargé d'affaires in Iran," Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told ...

Disarming Hezbollah Is Here, Lebanon’s Peace with Israel Is Next

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 01/07 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Iran Lebanon Hezbollah United States

Now that the leaders of Lebanon are certain that Israel and America would not shy away from using force against Iran when need be, and now that they are sure that the bark of China and Russia in the Middle East is louder than their bite, Beirut is finally moving on Hezbollah’s arms. Lebanon’s normalization with Israel will come next. Druze ...

Tehran Downplays Quick Resumption of US-Iran Talks

This is Beirut, 01/07 05:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran United States Nuclear

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday ruled out a quick resumption of talks with the United States and said Tehran will first need assurances it will not be attacked again. Araghchi, in an interview with CBS Evening News, was asked about US President Donald Trump's remarks that nuclear negotiations with Iran could resume as early ...

Iran Unleashes 'Wave of Repression' after Israel War

This is Beirut, 30/06 22:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran Human Rights Iran Human Rights

Iranian authorities have arrested hundreds of people and executed dozens in a wave of repression following the 12-day war with Israel, activists say, accusing the Islamic republic of using fear to compensate for weaknesses revealed by the conflict. Campaigners have been detained on the street or at home, executions expedited, prisoners ...

Hezbollah’s Arms and the US Ultimatum: Lebanon Faces Critical Decisions

Natasha Metni Torbey, 30/06 20:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanon USA Israel Hezbollah Thomas Barrack Iran

The question of Hezbollah’s weapons cannot be resolved solely within Lebanon. As an ideological, military and political extension of Iran, Hezbollah’s arsenal is intrinsically linked to broader regional dynamics, especially the power balance between Tehran and Washington. Experts agree that local initiatives will be ineffective unless ...

Iran Defends IAEA Break, Accuses Agency Chief of Bias

This is Beirut, 30/06 15:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Iran Rafael Grossi France IAEA nuclear

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, that Tehran halted cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog due to what he called the agency chief's "destructive" behavior towards the Islamic republic, his office said Monday. "The action taken by parliament members... is a natural response to the unjustified, ...

What’s Next, the Scope of Negotiations?

Charles Chartouni, 30/06 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran Israel United States Syria Donald Trump

The truce finalized by US President Donald Trump should presumably pave the way to the end of the war and tentatively usher in a peace agreement. Otherwise, the restoration of the status quo ante and the rehabilitation of the older scripts of negotiations are highly questionable. The viability of the truce depends largely on the alternative ...

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