Latest News and Views from Iran and the World

UN Satellite Centre reveals 30% of Gaza destroyed or damaged

Satellite imagery shows that 30 percent of the Gaza Strip has been destroyed or damaged during months-long Israeli raids, according to the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT).

Pentagon confirms airstrikes against dozens of targets in Middle East

The United States begun a new bombing campaign in the Middle East aimed at what it called punishing Iran and affiliated militia groups for a series of drone and missile attacks on American military bases in the region.

Almost all Gaza’s children need mental health support: UNICEF

At least 17,000 children in the Gaza Strip have been left unaccompanied or separated from their families nearly four months into Israel’s military onslaught against the enclave, the United Nations children’s agency estimates. Nearly all children in the strip also require mental health support, UNICEF has announced.

Putin claims Russia has better weapons than NATO

Moscow’s modern weapons are more effective than the arms used by NATO member states, which have provided extensive military assistance to Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed.

ICC dismisses Russia’s objections to Ukraine’s lawsuit

The International Criminal Court has rejected Russia's objections on the admissibility of Kiev's lawsuit against Moscow under the Genocide Convention.

Turkey says detained 7 suspected of selling information to Israel’s Mossad

Turkish authorities arrested seven people suspected of selling information to Israel's Mossad intelligence service in connection with tracking and monitoring local targets, a Turkish security official has stated.

Snow covers Tehran, brings joy and relief

Heavy snow covered the Iranian capital Tehran on Friday, after a period of low precipitations in the city and across the country which alarmingly diminished the water reservoir levels in the mostly dry country.

President Raisi: Iran won’t initiate any war, but will decisively confront bullies

President Ebrahim Raisi says Iran will not start any war, but if any country or ‘oppressive force’ acts as a bully, the Islamic Republic will give a tough response.

US imposes sanctions on several Israeli settlers over West Bank violence

Washington has put sanctions on several Israeli settlers for attacking Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, accusing them of undermining stability and security in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Iran’s Zarif denies report on mediatory role to deescalate tensions with US

Former Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has rejected a report by the New York Times that the current administration in Iran has brought him back on board to help harness the spiraling tensions between Tehran and Washington.

Iranians enjoy skiing in Abali resort

The Abali ski slope located in Damavand city, near the Iranian capital Tehran, is open to skiers after several days of snowing across the country.

Report: Iranian military advisor killed in Israeli strike in Syria

An Iranian military advisor with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike on the southern outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus early Friday, according to reports.

Two killed in ‘inadvertent’ shooting in Iran’s Pakdasht، near Tehran

A shooting incident in Iran’s Pakdasht city, 55 km to the east of the capital Tehran, left two dead on Thursday, according to the police department’s information center.

Israel plans ground operation in ‘last refuge’ for Gaza’s displaced

The Israeli military plans to expand its ground assault into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where most Palestinians in the besieged enclave have been forced to seek shelter amid heavy bombardment of the rest of the enclave.

Intelligence Ministry: Iran identifies dozens of Mossad-linked spies in 28 countries

The Iranian Intelligence Ministry says it has identified dozens of anti-Iran spies linked to the Israeli espionage agency, Mossad, in 28 countries across the world.

Iran FM to EU’s Borell: Military coalitions in Red Sea to fail

The Iranian foreign minister, in a phone conversation with Josep Borrell, the European Union Foreign Policy Chief, says any military coalition in the Red Sea against Yemen will fail to acieve its declared goals.

Russia says Biden has made Americans complicit in Ukrainian POWs deaths

The United States and Americans are complicit in the deaths of the Ukrainian POWs who were killed last week when the Russian Il-76 military aircraft transporting them was shot down by Kiev, Moscow’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

Gaza death toll surges past 27,000

The Palestinian death toll from Israel's ongoing offensive against the besieged Gaza Strip jumped to 27,019, the Health Ministry in the enclave announced on Thursday.

EU mulls launching naval mission in the Red Sea in less than a month

The European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell has stated he expects the bloc’s foreign ministers to sign off on a naval mission protecting shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden when they meet on 19 February.

Putin says Russia to expand Ukraine’s ‘demilitarized zone’

Moscow needs to create a large “demilitarized zone” in Ukraine, the one that is big enough to ensure no longe-range weapons can strike Russian cities, President Vladimir Putin has stated.

Gaza economy needs decades to go back to pre-war levels: UN

The United Nations has said it will take decades and substantial international aid to rebuild the socioeconomic conditions in the war-torn Gaza Strip to pre-conflict levels.

Iran kicks off ceremonies to mark 45th anniversary of Islamic Revolution

Iran started celebrations marking the 45th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, known as the Ten-Day Dawn, or the Decade of Fajr.

PA president vows to resist Israeli plans to separate Gaza from Palestine

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has stressed that Israel will not be allowed to separate the Gaza Strip from the rest of the Palestinian territory.

Russia says disrupts no intl. bonds in cooperating with Iran, North Korea

Moscow does not break any international commitments by interacting with Tehran and Pyongyang, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing.

Yemen’s Houthis say struck US commercial ship in Red Sea

The Houthis in Yemen have targeted an American commercial vessel bound for Israel in their continued support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, subject to Israel’s onslaught.