Sunday, December 21, 2025

Latest News and Views from Iran and the World

Iranian deputy FM urges use of cross-border provincial capacities in talks with Herat governor

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, met with Herat Governor Mawlawi Noor Ahmad Islamjar on Wednesday, emphasizing the need to utilize provincial capacities on both sides of the Iran-Afghanistan border to expand trade and economic cooperation.

Persepolis sinking by 30 centimeters annually amid 5,000 illegal wells

Recent radar surveys and artificial intelligence analyses by Shiraz University reveal that parts of the Marvdasht Plain in southern Iran are sinking by more than 30 centimeters each year, a growing threat to the ancient site of Persepolis, a UNESCO World Heritage landmark.

Trump supports renewed Israeli attacks in Gaza

US President Donald Trump has defended Israel’s renewed air attacks in the Gaza Strip nearly three weeks into a ceasefire he helped broker.

Iran-Pakistan relations can evolve into strategic partnership: Security chief

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) has stressed that relations between Tehran and Islamabad have the potential to move beyond current cooperation and be elevated to the level of a lasting strategic partnership.

Israeli lawmakers call for release of convicted killers of Palestinians

Fifty-five Israeli ministers and members of parliament have urged President Isaac Herzog to pardon Jewish Israeli prisoners convicted of murdering Palestinians.

Israel kills dozens in Gaza attacks, Hamas delays handover of captive’s remains

The Israeli military has killed tens of Palestinians in attacks across the Gaza Strip after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered “powerful” strikes following an exchange of gunfire in southern Rafah, during which one Israeli soldier was wounded.

Fatemeh Rastegar makes history with Iran’s first-ever women’s boxing medal

Iranian boxer Fatemeh Rastegar made history by winning the bronze medal in the women’s +80 kg category at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain—marking the first medal ever achieved by a female Iranian boxer in an international competition.

UN accuses Russia of using drones to hunt civilians in Ukraine

Russian forces have used drones to hunt and displace civilians from their homes near the front line in Ukraine, Reuters has reported, citing a new UN inquiry presented to the General Assembly.

Israel kills three Palestinians in West Bank raid involving air strike

Israeli soldiers killed three Palestinians on Tuesday during a raid on an occupied West Bank village that involved air strikes.

Zelensky calls on Trump to pressure Xi to cut support to Russia

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged US President Donald Trump to pressure Chinese leader Xi Jinping to cut his support for Russia when the two leaders meet later this week.

Iran’s president calls for coherent ‘security architecture’ within ECO bloc

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged the ECO member states to establish and implement a coherent, stability-creating, endogenous, and development-oriented security architecture.

Russia says Ukraine drone attack targets Moscow for second night in row

Ukraine targeted Moscow with drone attacks for the second night in row, the Russian defence ministry and Moscow's mayor announced on Tuesday.

Iran’s Judiciary: Actor Pejman Jamshidi’s case still under preliminary investigation

Iran’s Judiciary Spokesman Asghar Jahangir has announced that the case involving actor and former footballer Pejman Jamshidi accused of sexual assault remains in the preliminary investigation phase, emphasizing that legal restrictions prevent the release of further details at this stage.

UN slams Israel for attack on peacekeeping troops in Lebanon

The United Nations and France have condemned an Israeli attack that hit UN peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon.

Pope Leo to visit several cities in Turkey, Lebanon on first trip abroad as pontiff

Pope Leo will visit eight cities and towns in Turkey and Lebanon in 2025, the Vatican announced on Monday. It will be his first trip outside Italy as pontiff, during which he is expected to make appeals for peace across the region.

Iran FM: No Access granted to sensitive nuclear sites during recent IAEA inspections

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi told Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee that the recent inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) did not include any access to facilities targeted during the conflict with the US and Israel.

US Colonel says Washington watered down report on Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing

A former United States colonel who worked on a team that compiled a report on the Israeli military’s killing of Al Jazeera journalist and US citizen Shireen Abu Akleh has accused the administration of former US President Joe Biden of softening its findings in favour of Tel Aviv.

Powerful earthquake hits Turkey, causing buildings to collapse

A strong earthquake shook western Turkey on Monday, causing at least three buildings that were damaged in a previous tremor to collapse, officials said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Iran establishes itself as a missile superpower through advanced precision and hypersonic technology

Iran’s missile force, leveraging modern aerospace technology, has become one of the most precise offensive forces in the world.

Hamas hands over remains of captive to Israel

Hamas has handed over the remains of another dead captive to Tel Aviv, hours after an Israeli drone attack in southern Gaza killed two Palestinians amid a fragile ceasefire.

President Pezeshkian says Iran, Oman enduring allies through regional challenges

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has emphasized the long-standing and friendly relations between Iran and Oman during a meeting with Oman's Minister of Interior, Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal Al Busaidi, in Tehran on Monday.

EU member states could borrow money to finance Ukraine: Politico

EU countries could be asked to raise tens of billions in joint debt to finance Ukraine if an initiative to use frozen Russian assets for a “reparations loan” fails, Politico has reported, citing diplomatic sources.

Chinese ambassador to Tehran urges diplomatic path on Iran nuclear issue

Chinese Ambassador to Iran Zhong Peiwu says Beijing, along with Russia and Iran, has submitted a joint letter to the UN opposing the reactivation of the so-called snapback mechanism.

Red gold harvest season in Iran

With the arrival of autumn, farmers in Iran's North Khorasan Province have begun harvesting saffron from their fields. North Khorasan ranks as the third-largest saffron producer in the country.

Iranian deputy FM: Iran believes in diplomacy, but not in imposed talks

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takhte Ravanchi has reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to diplomacy while stressing that Tehran rejects any form of imposed negotiation or unequal dialogue.