Saturday, December 27, 2025

Latest News and Views from Iran and the World

Turkey arrests four over cartoon depicting Abrahamic prophets

Police in Turkey have detained four people over a cartoon published by the satirical magazine LeMan, which critics say appeared to depict Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses shaking hands in the sky as missiles fell below in a war-like scene – a claim the magazine dismisses.

Serious damage done to Iran’s nuclear facilities: Govt. Spokeswoman

The spokesperson for the Iranian government has confirmed that the country’s nuclear sites have sustained serious damage in the recent Israeli and American military attacks.

American lawmakers push against US-backed Israeli blockade of Gaza aid

US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib led 19 members of Congress in a letter to the Donald Trump administration to urge it to stop the Israeli government's starvation of Gaza and killing of Palestinians.

Kayhan editor-in-chief brands advocating talks with US as “treason or foolishness”

In a strongly worded editorial published in Kayhan newspaper on Tuesday, Hossein Shariatmadari, the paper’s editor-in-chief and a prominent conservative commentator, condemned calls for negotiations with the US, labeling such efforts as either “treason” or “sheer foolishness.”

68 Iranian athletes killed in recent conflict, sports ministry says

Sixty-eight Iranian athletes lost their lives during the recent 12-day conflict with the US and Israel, according to Seyed Ghani Nazari, Deputy Minister for Legal, Parliamentary, and Provincial Affairs at the Iranian Ministry of Sports and Youth.

US agencies warn Iranian hackers may still target American entities, networks

Several U.S. agencies have warned that hackers affiliated with Iran may still target American entities and networks despite the current ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

Israeli army officers admit shelling hungry Palestinians at Gaza aid points: Haaretz

Israeli military officials have admitted that they fired on Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid at distribution points in the Gaza Strip, including with artillery shells, even when the civilians posed no threat to the forces, according to a report by Haaretz newspaper.

Kim pays rare public tribute to North Korean soldiers killed in Russia-Ukraine war

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has paid tribute to his country's soldiers killed during Russia’s war with Ukraine, resting his hands on their repatriated coffins in a rare public acknowledgment that his armed forces have suffered fatalities in the conflict.

935 killed, over 5,600 injured in 12-day US-Israeli conflict, Iranian gov’t says

Iran’s government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani announced that 935 people were killed and 5,646 injured during a recent 12-day conflict, according to figures released by the Ministry of Health. Among the fatalities were 140 women and children.

Saudi Public Investment Fund’s profits plunge 60 percent in 2024

Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund's net profits has plunged 60 percent in 2024, reflecting inflation and lower energy prices along with struggles to complete some of the kingdom’s flagship giga-projects.

Iranian FM: US must assure no military action before new nuclear talks resume

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has stated that Tehran will only consider re-entering nuclear negotiations if the US guarantees it will not resort to military action during the talks.

US formally orders lifting of Syria sanctions

United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to dismantle a web of sanctions against Syria, a move that will likely unlock investments in the war-torn country more than six months after the overthrow of

Iranian Armed Forces spokesman: Ceasefire was never an option

Spokesman for the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi has said the Islamic Republic of Iran has never considered the notion of a ceasefire with Israel as an option.

Israel says eying ties with Syria and Lebanon after Iran war

Tel Aviv is interested in establishing formal diplomatic relations with Syria and Lebanon, but the status of the Golan Heights is non-negotiable, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has stated.

Iranian musician Bamdad Bayat dies at 40

Bamdad Bayat, famous Iranian composer, arranger, and pianist, and the son of legendary musician Babak Bayat, has passed away at the age of 40.

President Pezeshkian deplores IAEA’s double standards

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on the United Nations nuclear agency to avoid double standards and uphold the rights of all member states without discrimination.

Poll: Iranians see ceasefire agreement with Israel as strategic victory

The results of a recent poll show that most Iranian citizens view the ceasefire agreement in the recent 12-day war with Israel with optimism and a strategic perspective, interpreting it as a sign of military superiority and a diplomatic success for the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Iran says IAEA should avoid political approaches

Esmaeil Baqaei, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, has stressed the need for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to perform its technical duties and desist from political attitudes.

Israel planned but failed to assassinate Ayatollah Khamenei, government heads: Iranian official

A senior advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has revealed that Israel had plotted to attack a high-level meeting of Iranian officials—including heads of government—and later target the Leader himself, but the scheme was successfully thwarted.

Trump denies he is talking with Iran, slams Obama-era agreement

US President Donald Trump stated on Monday that he has made no offers to Tehran and is not personally engaged in any talks with Iran.

Iran demands end to aggression as precondition for nuclear talks with US

Iran has said that the United States must clearly renounce any further military aggression if it seeks to resume nuclear negotiations.

Intercepted Iranian communications downplay damage from US attack on nuclear sites: Washington Post

Intercepted Iranian communications downplayed the extent of damage caused by U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, the Washington has Post reported, citing four people familiar with classified intelligence circulating within the U.S. government.

Iran demands UN action over Israeli attack on Evin Prison

Iran’s Untied Nations Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani has urged the UN Security Council to condemn Israel’s strike on Tehran’s Evin Prison and to hold the perpetrators accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law.

Tehran’s nuclear enrichment ‘will never stop’: Iran’s envoy

Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, has stressed that that Tehran’s nuclear enrichment “will never stop” because it is permitted for “peaceful energy” purposes under the the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

US Senator says Congress will soon vote on new Russian sanctions after talks with Trump

After holding a discussion with U.S. President Donald Trump, Senator Lindsey Graham stated that the U.S. president was ready for the Senate to vote on a bill to impose new sanctions on Russia.