Sunday, January 4, 2026

Latest News and Views from Iran and the World

Iran to build yellowcake production plant: Atomic energy official

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization has announced plans to construct a yellowcake production plant as part of its ongoing uranium mining and processing operations.

Kremlin keeps mum on reported contacts between Putin and Trump

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated that he could neither confirm nor deny reports of contacts between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump on Ukraine.

Israeli soldiers complete withdrawal from Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor

Israeli soldiers have withdrawn from the militarised zone that cut Gaza in half, known as the Netzarim Corridor, to the buffer zone it created on the besieged Strip’s eastern border.

Baltic states disconnected from Russia’s power grid

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have disconnected their energy systems from Russia's electric power grid "another historic day for European integration", the Estonian Foreign Ministry confirmed.

Iran strongly condemns US-Israeli plan for forced displacement of Gazans as colonial conspiracy

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, has deplored the joint US-Israeli plot for the forced displacement of Gazans and ethnic cleansing in the besieged enclave as a colonial conspiracy, calling for the emergency meeting of the Islamic states’ foreign ministers to discuss the matter.

Oil minister: US will fail to reduce Iran oil exports to zero

Iran’s oil minister has dismissed the US policy of imposing maximum pressure to halt Iran’s oil exports as a failed strategy, asserting that reducing Iran’s oil exports to zero is an unattainable goal.

Riyadh condemns Netanyahu’s remarks on Palestinian relocation to Saudi Arabia

Riyadh has strongly condemned the recent statements of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who had called for the displacement of Palestinians to Saudi Arabia.

Iran to continue talks with E3, will never accept ‘dishonorable’ negotiations: Govt. spokesperson

Iran’s government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani has stated that Tehran will continue its talks with European countries, but will not submit to any “dishonorable” negotiations.

President Pezeshkian says Resistance Front will definitely achieve ultimate victory

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that Tehran is certain that the resistance front will achieve a final victory in the face of enemies.

Israeli air attack kills six in Lebanon amid fragile ceasefire

An Israeli air attack has killed six people and wounded two in eastern Lebanon amid a fragile ceasefire between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah.

Trump says has spoken to Putin about Ukraine war

US President Donald Trump says he has discussed the Ukraine war with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the phone, according to the New York Post. The Kremlin has yet to comment on the announcement.

Lebanon forms new government, first in over two years

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun has announced the formation of a new government after more than two years of an interim cabinet amid political wrangling and a major economic crisis.

Nine days into major Iran cinematic event

The 9th day of the 43rd International Fajr Film Festival, marking Iran's Islamic Revolution, took place on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at the festival's headquarters in Milad Tower in Tehran.

Iranian MP: Iran will not negotiate with US

A top Iranian lawmaker has said negotiation with the US is a red line for the Islamic Republic of Iran because Washington is not trustworthy.

Lebanese presidency dismisses US envoy’s remarks on Hezbollah

Lebanon’s presidency has distanced itself from comments made by US deputy special envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus, who stressed after a meeting with President Joseph Aoun, that Hezbollah’s participation in the next government was a “red line”.

Hamas, Israel launch fifth prisoner swap under Gaza ceasefire accord

Tel Aviv released dozens of Palestinian prisoners after the armed group Hamas freed three Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip.

Ayat. Khamenei reiterates support for Palestinians, downplays US threats against Iran

The Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei paid tribute to the martyrs of Gaza and their commanders, particularly Ismail Haniyeh, reaffriming the Islamic Republic’s support for the Palestinian cause.

US approves nearly $7.5bn arms sale to Israel

The US State Department approved a potential $7.41 billion foreign military sales to Israel, the Pentagon has announced.

US says ready to ‘double down’ on Russia sanctions

US President Donald Trump is prepared to intensify sanctions on Russia in order to push for an end to the war between Kiev and Moscow, according to his special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.

“No rush to do anything” in Gaza: Trump

President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he saw “no rush to do anything” in the Gaza Strip and insisted there would be no US “boots on the ground.”

Iran condemns Washington’s sanctions on ICC, says US shielding Israeli crimes

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Esmail Baqaei, has strongly condemned the United States for imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), slamming it as a blatant misuse of power intended to protect the Zionist regime from facing justice for its criminal actions.

Iran unveils new nuclear achievements in Isfahan, more underway in Yazd

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) inaugurated on Saturday several nuclear technology projects aimed at advancing Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Israel torturing Palestinian workers to death: Report

Palestinian workers arrested during the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023 were abused by Israeli prison guards, with some of them tortured to death or disappeared, according to testimonies collected by a Palestinian trade union.

Elon Musk warns US to lose next war ‘very badly’

The United States risks major defeat in the country’s next war unless it urgently reforms its outdated weapons programs, Elon Musk, who owns X and heads SpaceX and Tesla, has warned in a stark assessment of the nation’s defense capabilities.

British MPs slam ‘barbaric’ Netanyahu call for Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia

MPs from the UK Labour Party have condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for suggesting that Palestinians should establish a state in Saudi Arabia rather than their homeland.