Security

Iran's deputy defense minister says the country is currently among the world’s top five producers of anti-armor missiles, while enjoying a vast capacity for manufacturing Cruise missiles and other defense hardware.

The new commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has given an assurance that Iran’s support for the Palestinian resistance forces will continue unabated after the US assassination of his predecessor.

Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri has called on the Islamic nations to join hands and raise their voices against a “cruel” plan that the US president has unveiled for Palestine, known as deal of the century.

An Iranian official says the country has confiscated over 798 tonnes of narcotic and psychedelic drugs in the first ten months of the current Iranian year.

Iran’s former defence minister says the January 8 missile attack that the IRGC launched on the US airbase of Ain al-Assad in Iraq has killed at least 70 American forces and injured 200 others.

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi says the recent missile attacks by the IRGC against a US base in Iraq proved Tehran's might to the regional countries.

A senior Iranian lawmaker says human error was proved to be the cause of the recent Ukrainian plane crash and the possibility of a cyberattack has been ruled out.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi says the Islamic Republic reserves the right to target any other country – including the friendly state of Iraq – if they are used for conspiracy and attack against Iran.

An Iranian deputy foreign minister has highlighted the strategic consequences of the American assassination of top Iranian commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani, saying the tragic event has opened a new chapter in the history of the region.

Iran Minister of Sport and Youth Masoud Soltanifar says the Asian Football Confederation’s decision to ban Iran from hosting football matches has been made under the influence of anti-Iran media, and that the Iranian government guarantees the security of football teams visiting Iran.

A top Iranian security official says Tehran has been probing into hacking or cyber-attacks as possible factors surrounding the January 8 crash of a Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran.

Commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh says had the IRGC made a public notification immediately after downing the Ukrainian passenger plane, “the whole country’s defence system would be crippled.”

Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri says the Islamic Republic is not interested in escalation of tensions in the region, but is ready to give a crushing response to any act of aggression.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the only ones who celebrated the assassination of senior Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani were the US president and the ISIS terrorist group.

A video has been released by the Iranian police showing the UK ambassador to Tehran among the protesters who had gathered in an “illegal” rally in front of a university in Tehran.

British Ambassador Rob Macaire, who was briefly arrested last night, says he did not attend a protest gathering outside Amirkabir University of Technology on Saturday evening.

Protest rallies and vigils were held on Saturday night in various Iranian cities after the real cause of the Wednesday crash of a Ukrainian passenger plane was revealed.

A senior Iranian military official has appeared in the country’s parliament to brief lawmakers on the accidental shoot-down of a Ukrainian plane which crashed near Tehran last Wednesday.

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps will be attending a closed-door session of the Iranian Parliament on Sunday over a series of recent incidents, including the unintentional downing of a passenger plane near Tehran that was shot down by friendly fire, an MP has said.

Commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Amir-Ali Hajizadeh has, in a press conference, outlined the details of an “unintentional” downing of the Ukrainian passenger plane, which crashed in Tehran Wednesday.

Leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says his grief over the Wednesday crash of the Ukrainian passenger plane in Tehran has become deeper after learning the real cause of the tragic incident.

A report says Leader of Iran’s Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has been notified of the accidental shoot-down of the Ukrainian plane on Friday, two days after its crash in Tehran, and urged that the information must be reported to public candidly.

The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, in a statement, admitted that its air defence system has “unintentionally” hit the Ukrainian passenger plane that crashed near Tehran early Wednesday, killing all the 176 people on board.

Iran’s Defence Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami has called for an immediate end to the presence of American forces in the region.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps says its recent missile attack on a US base in Iraq was not aimed at killing American troops but sought to damage the US war machine.