Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Iran News

Iran Front Page offers a handpicked set of the latest news and views from Iran and the Middle East

Biden warns Netanyahu military operation in Gaza’s Rafah a “mistake”

US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that a major ground offensive in Gaza's Rafah would be a "mistake", as the two leaders spoke on the phone for the first time in a month amid growing tensions.

Officials say China to boycott Ukraine peace talks without Russia

China will boycott the negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict unless Moscow has a seat at the table, the Politico magazine has reported, citing officials familiar with the matter.

UN warns famine imminent in north Gaza

Half of the population in the Gaza Strip are experiencing "catastrophic" hunger, with famine projected to hit the north of the territory by May unless there is urgent intervention, a United Nations-backed food security assessment warned.

Iran celebrates 73rd anniv. of oil industry nationalization

Iran is commemorating the 73rd anniversary of its historic nationalization of the oil industry, a landmark event that reshaped the nation's trajectory.

World labor body says over half a million Palestinian jobs lost due to war

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has reported the Palestinian unemployment rate is set to soar to a staggering 57 percent in the first quarter of 2024, citing 507,000 job losses due to the Gaza war.

Afghanistan’s Taliban government accuses Pakistan of bombing civilians

Afghanistan’s Taliban government has accused Pakistan of killing eight civilians in an air raid on Monday. The group responded by opening fire on Pakistani targets, allegedly wounding seven people.

“Afghanistan has turned into major producer of methamphetamine”

An Iranian official says neighboring Afghanistan is now a major producer of methamphetamine in the region, voicing Tehran's readiness to tackle the problem.

Iran condemns Israel attack on Gaza hospital, warns of crimes

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani strongly condemned as “barbaric” Israel’s new attack on and the occupation of Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, and the “crimes of the Israeli forces” against the medical staff, patients and the wounded at the hospital.

Israeli soldiers storm Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital, killing and injuring several

Israel’s military forces have stormed al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza City with tanks and heavy gunfire, leaving several deaths and injuries, Palestinian officials have confirmed.

Gaza “graveyard” for most important principles of humanitarian law: EU top diplomat

The Gaza Strip has become a "graveyard" for the most important principles of humanitarian law, the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has stated.

Putin warns Russia-NATO conflict just one step from World War Three

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the West that a direct conflict between Russia and the NATO military alliance would mean the planet was just one step away from World War Three but stressed hardly anyone wanted such a scenario.

US officials say Ukraine almost run out of air defense missiles

Ukraine has told its western backers that munitions for some of its air defense systems could be almost used up by the end of March, the Washington Post has reported, citing American officials.

Biden angry after poll numbers drop over his handling of Gaza war: Report

US President Joe Biden began to shout and swear after learning that his poll numbers in the battleground states of Michigan and Georgia had dropped over his handling of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, according to NBC News.

Hamas says war not confined to Gaza

The Palestinian movement Hamas says Israel has come to face an “extensive front” far greater than the Gaza Strip and that the field battle is not confined to the besieged enclave.

Iranian border guard soldier killed in southeast by unknown assailants

A soldier with the Border Guard Unit in Iran’s southeastern city of Zabol was killed by armed assailants on Sunday night, the Information Center of Sistan and Baluchistan’s Border Guard Headquarters announced.

Cheshmeh Kileh bridge in Iran’s Tonekabon, a tourist spot for Nowruz

The Cheshmeh Kileh historical bridge in Iran’s northern Tonekabon city is a valuable cultural heritage asset.

EU: Rafah military operation must be avoided at all costs

Speaking at a joint news conference with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU does not want to see an Israeli invasion of Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah.

More than 13k children killed in Gaza since outbreak of war: UNICEF

Israel has killed more than 13,000 children in the Gaza Strip since October 7 while others are suffering from severe malnutrition and do not “even have the energy to cry”, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported.

Russia’s election commission says Putin set for landslide win in presidential election

Incumbent President Vladimir Putin is expected to win the presidential election, garnering over 87% of the votes, Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has reported.

Restoration efforts underway for firecracker-damaged Khaju bridge in Iran’s Isfahan

Following contamination by firecrackers on the last Wednesday of the year, the central part of Khaju Bridge in the southern Iranian city of Isfahan is undergoing cleaning and restoration by artisans.

Tehran air quality report reveals alarming figures

The Tehran Air Quality Control Company's recent disclosure highlights the capital city's troubling air quality situation. Since the start of the year, Tehran has endured 107 days of unhealthy air for sensitive groups and 12 days of unhealthy air for all demographics, posing serious health risks, says the company's report.

Military operations in Rafah will take “several weeks”: Israeli PM

A military operation in Rafah, southern Gaza, will take "several weeks", Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, adding he will push ahead with an offensive that has sparked international alarm and outrage.

Hamas says put forth realistic truce proposal in Gaza

A senior Hamas official has stated the Palestinian group has put forward a “realistic” ceasefire proposal in the Gaza Strip that involves the release of Israeli captives and the withdrawal of "occupation soldiers" from the besieged enclave.

Tehran Flower Market packed with cheerful folks ahead of Persian New Year

The Mahalati plant and flower market is the second biggest in the Iranian capital, Tehran. Every year on the threshold of the Persian New Year, Nowruz, the iconic market takes on a jovial mood.

Minister: Iran signs oil contract worth $13bn

The Iranian petroleum minister says the country has signed the biggest ever contract in the nation’s oil history worth $13 billion.