September 10, 2024 7:18 PM

Blinken says Russia received missiles from Iran, warns of threat to European security

Russia has received ballistic missiles from Iran and will likely use them in Ukraine within weeks, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday, warning that cooperation between Moscow and Tehran threatens wider European security. Blinken, speaking at a news conference in London ahead of a visit to Kyiv alongside Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, said Washington had privately warned Iran that providing ballistic missiles to Russia would "constitute a dramatic escalation" and sa...

August 14, 2024 4:24 PM

Hamas to stay out of Gaza truce talks, Iran considers Israel attack

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas said on Wednesday it would not take part in a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks slated for Thursday in Qatar, dimming hopes for a negotiated truce that Iranian sources say could hold back an Iranian attack on Israel. The U.S. has said it expects indirect talks to go ahead as planned in Qatar's capital Doha on Thursday, and that a ceasefire agreement was still possible. However Axios reported that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a trip to...

August 13, 2024 11:29 AM

US prepared for possible significant attacks in Middle East by Iran, White House says

The U.S. has prepared for what could be significant attacks by Iran or its proxies in the Middle East as soon as this week, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday. Kirby said the U.S. had increased its regional force posture and shared Israel's concerns about a possible Iranian-backed attack after Iran and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas accused Israel of carrying out the assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran last month. "We share the same concerns and expect...

August 7, 2024 10:15 AM

US charges man with alleged ties to Iran in foiled assassination plot

A Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran has been charged in the United States in connection with a foiled plot to assassinate a U.S. politician or government officials, the Justice Department said on Tuesday. Asif Merchant, 46, sought to recruit people in the United States to carry out the plot in retaliation for the U.S. killing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' top commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020, according to a criminal complaint. Former President Donald Trump, who as president approved ...

August 1, 2024 2:18 PM

Iranians mourn Hamas leader Haniyeh’s assassination

Iranians turned out to mourn Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on Thursday, a day after he was assassinated in Iran's capital in an attack that has heightened fears of a direct conflict between Tehran and its arch-enemy Israel. State TV broadcast live images of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei leading prayers at Haniyeh's funeral at Tehran University, where thousands of mourners dressed in black chanted "Death to Israel" and "Death to America". His body will be flown to Qatar, where H...

September 16, 2024 4:50 PM

Iran orders ‘direct attack’ on Israel in retaliation for Haniyeh killing: Report

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has ordered Iran to strike Israel directly, in retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, New York Times reported, citing three Iranian officials, briefed on the order, including two members of the Revolutionary Guards. Khamenei gave the order at an emergency meeting of Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday morning, shortly after Iran announced that Haniyeh had been killed. Iran and Hamas have accused Isra...

July 31, 2024 12:16 PM

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh killed in Iran, Hamas says

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in the early hours of the morning in Iran, the Palestinian militant group said on Wednesday, drawing fears of wider escalation in a region shaken by Israel's war in Gaza and a worsening conflict in Lebanon. Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed the death of Haniyeh, hours after he attended a swearing in ceremony for the country's new president, and said it was investigating. There was no immediate comment from Israel. The Israeli military said it ...

July 19, 2024 4:13 PM

How Iran’s Khamenei elevated a little-known moderate to the presidency

When intelligence officials briefed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in May ahead of a snap presidential election, their report was grim: angered by economic hardship and crackdowns on social freedoms, most Iranians planned to boycott the vote and turnout would only be about 13%. That's when Khamenei decided to plan a carefully orchestrated election, setting the stage for a little-known but trusted moderate, Massoud Pezeshkian, to rise to the presidency in a race that would initiall...

July 10, 2024 10:12 AM

White House warns Iran against meddling in Gaza protests in US

The White House on Tuesday accused Tehran of trying to take advantage of Gaza-related protests in the U.S. and described such behavior as unacceptable, following a warning by the top U.S. intelligence official that Iran was trying to stoke discord in American society. The warning, issued earlier on Tuesday by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, said actors tied to Iran's government had posed as activists online, sought to encourage protests regarding Gaza and even provided demonstra...

July 5, 2024 12:03 PM

Iranians vote in run-off presidential race amid widespread apathy

Polls opened in Iran on Friday for a run-off presidential election that will test the clerical rulers' popularity amid voter apathy at a time of regional tensions and a standoff with the West over Tehran's nuclear programme. State TV said polling stations opened their doors to voters at 8 a.m. local time (0430 GMT). Polling will end at 6 p.m. (1430 GMT), but are usually extended until as late as midnight. The final result will be announced on Saturday, although initial figures may come out soon...