Monday, December 29, 2025
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Iran, Kyrgyzstan raise concerns over Western inference in region 

The remarks came after Ali Akbar Ahmadian met his Kyrgyz counterpart Marat Imankulov in Bishkek on Friday on the sidelines of a regional meeting on Afghanistan.

Both sides raised the alarm that ‘certain Western countries’ are financing terrorist groups in Afghanistan and are seeking to step up their activities in Central Asia.

The two top security officials also discussed ways to increase cooperation in various political, security and military areas, especially in the fight against terrorist groups, including Daesh.

Ahmadian left Tehran for Bishkek at the head of a delegation on Thursday to take part in the 6th Summit of Secretaries and Advisors of National Security of regional countries upon an invitation by his Kyrgyz counterpart.

Iranian police investigating mobile phone retail store scheme 

The police have arrested one of the senior members of the Tehran-based Kourosh Company and are searching for the fugitive owner of the company, Amirhossein Sharifian.

The economic division police said the company’s offices were shut down and all of the properties of the main convict were confiscated after the arrangements with the judiciary.

The company ran widespread advertisement campaigns to sell the phones at about $400, half of the actual price, claiming it has certain backchannels that can remove ‘the extra costs.’

The customers have filed lawsuits against the company.

Iran has banned imports of iPhones through legal channels and does not register iPhone 14 and newer models, classifying them as unnecessary tools wasting the country’s foreign currency.

Iran beach soccer team stun European champions Spain

Spain started a fiery first period by scoring a goal only seconds into the match and doubled and then tripled the lead minutes later.

Iran fought hard to bounce back, but managed to pull only one back before the first period was over.

Iran’s aggressive style in the second period and Mohammad Mokhtari’s goal drew them closer to the European giants, but Spain’s Kuman and Jose Arias widened Iran’s deficit again.

However, Iran relentlessly fought back and even took the lead after Reza Amiri’s stunning bicycle kick. However, Spain leveled the game before the final whistle.

The Iranian side clinched a hard-fought 3-1 victory in the penalty kick-outs and will take on Argentina on Saturday.

Iran beach footballer scores impressive kick goal against Spain

Several Arab states ‘increasingly restricting’ US action against Iran: Report

US Warplanes

In a report, the Politico magazine cited an anonymous US official as saying that some Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, imposed limitations on the United States’ use of its military bases within their territories for conducting strikes against Iran and resistance groups.

“Amid a rising civilian death toll in Gaza, several Arab countries, particularly those ‘attempting a detente with Iran,’ are ‘increasingly restricting’ the US and partners from conducting self-defense operations from their soil,” the official stated.

“This includes limits on retaliatory strikes against attacks in Iraq, Syria, and the Red Sea,” the official added.

The American online magazine stopped short of disclosing the name and exact number of the Arab countries involved in restricting the US access in the region.

According to Politico, the official said that the specific reason the UAE is undertaking such action is that “They don’t want to appear like they’re against Iran and they don’t want to appear too close to the West and Israel for public opinion reasons.”

The US forces and several of Washington’s partners have recently ramped up their terrorist attacks and strikes in the West Asia region in support of the Israeli regime, which has since early October waged a genocidal war against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Nearly 29,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and over 68,000 others injured since the Israeli regime launched its US-backed onslaught on Gaza on October 7, 2023.

The resistance groups in the region have in response staged scores of retaliatory strikes against the US occupation bases, leaving at least three soldiers dead and dozens of others wounded.

Yemen has also declared an open war against US and British interests since the two countries launched a military campaign against the Arab country in support of Israel.

Iran has on numerous occasions asserted that it has no affiliated groups involved in what the US claims to be “proxies” in the region and that resistance groups in West Asia independently act on their own accord and take no orders from the Islamic Republic.

The United States, Israel’s biggest ally, has provided Israel with a raft of arms and ammunition since the initiation of the Gaza war and also vetoed UN Security Council resolutions that called on the regime to cease its aggression.

Fire at chemical company near Tehran contained: no casualties reported

Iran Firefighters

The governor of Qods has confirmed that the incident was not related to security concerns but resulted from a disruption in the production line process.

“The sound of the explosion was not related to security issues at all,” stated the governor, emphasizing that the focus was immediately placed on extinguishing the fire and ensuring public safety.

Providing reassurance to the public, the governor of Qods announced, “The rest of the fire was managed by the emergency fire extinguishing systems, and we did not have any casualties.”

He highlighted that the damage is primarily in the financial sector.

The cause of the incident is not clear yet.

Leopard’s majestic return: Wildlife wonders in Gilan’s Amlash, northern Iran

Iran Leopard

Hamzeh Ashouri added this marks yet another sighting, affirming the thriving ecosystem and heightened security in the region.

Ashouri highlighted the continuous efforts of environmentalists and the crucial role played by local communities in preserving the natural habitat.

The recurring appearances of leopards signify a stable environment with ample nutrition, a testament to the dedicated work invested in the area, he added.

With camera traps strategically placed, the images showcase the elusive beauty of the leopard species, underscoring the region’s rich biodiversity.

The captured images not only serve as a visual delight but also contribute significantly to ongoing research and protection initiatives for threatened species.

Iran FM urges OIC ministerial meeting over Gaza

Hossein Amirabdollahian

Amirabdollahian and the OIC chief discussed the latest situation and developments related to the aggression of the Zionist regime against occupied Palestine.

He also specifically addressed the recent attacks on Rafah and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, exchanging views on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s actions in this regard.

During the call, Iran’s foreign minister expressed deep regret over and condemned the recent attacks by the Zionist regime on Rafah, in southern Gaza, leading to the deaths of numerous residents, especially Palestinian women and children.

Amirabdollahian deemed as important and urgent further measures undertaken by the international community, particularly the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to halt these attacks.

Amirabdollahian highlighted the four and a half months since the previous meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and called for an emergency meeting to address the current dire situation and take decisive measures against the recent aggressions of the Zionist regime.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran emphasized the dire humanitarian situation in northern Gaza and the challenges in accessing facilities and basic needs of Palestinians.

He stressed the need for urgent measures to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, especially food items, medicine, and pharmaceuticals to the enclave.

Amirabdollahian also briefed the OIC Secretary-General on discussions and negotiations during his recent regional trip in support of the people of Palestine under the current dire circumstances.

Hissein Brahim Taha, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, in turn, expressed concern over and condemned the continued attacks of the Zionist regime against Gaza.

He provided a report on measures taken by the OIC in this regard, and welcomed the proposal for an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers of the OIC.

He promised to follow up on the proposal of holding the meeting in consultation with the OIC member states.

VP warns Iran to take ‘reciprocal action’ if its ships are seized by US

Iran Oil Tanker

Speaking to the ISNA news agency on Thursday, Dehqan said, “The legal path is not closed” regarding measures vis-à-vis Washington’s confiscation of Iranian crude.

“If an Iranian ship is seized, we will take reciprocal action,” he warned American officials.

On February 2, the US Department of Justice announced that it had seized more than 520,000 barrels of Iran’s oil aboard the crude tanker Abyss, which had been anchored in the Yellow Sea en route to China.

It claimed the seizure was linked to sanctions-evasion charges and an oil trafficking network that allegedly finances Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

Dehqan noted that he was not able to confirm whether US authorities had seized an Iranian vessel, adding that the Oil Ministry and related companies should comment on the news.

“This is because sometimes they (the Americans) seize a ship and mistakenly regard it as ours.”

Under the guise of “sanctions-enforcement operations”, the United States has in recent years seized foreign vessels carrying Iranian oil across the world.

However, Iranian exports of crude oil grew by roughly 50 percent in 2023 to a five-year high of about 1.29 million barrels per day.

Biden presidency is better for Russia than a Trump one: Putin

Biden Trump

Asked by journalist Pavel Zarubin about the upcoming US presidential election, Putin said Biden would be better for Russia “because he is a more experienced person, he is predictable, he is a politician of an old formation”.

However, he added that Russia would “work with any leader of the US that gains the trust of the American people”.

Putin also stated that in order to judge the actions of the current administration one should look at its “political position”.

“I believe that the position of the current administration is extremely harmful and erroneous,” Putin said in a reference to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

According to Putin, that war “could have been over a year and a half ago” if agreements during a meeting in Istanbul in March 2022 were kept. Putin didn’t specify what agreements he was referring to.

The Russian president said he regretted that he “didn’t start active actions in Ukraine earlier” than February 2022, claiming that Western leaders had lied to Russia about “not expanding NATO to the East”.

“We were and are concerned about the possibility of Ukraine being drawn into NATO, since this threatens our security.”

Putin also alleged that the Minsk agreements, a ceasefire protocol signed by Ukraine and Russia in 2015, was never meant to be kept but used “to buy time to load Ukraine with additional weapons”.

The Russian leader also expressed disappointment around his recent interview with far-right media figure Tucker Carlson.

“I honestly thought he would be aggressive and ask tough questions. I wasn’t only ready for that, I wanted that, because it would give me the opportunity to give tough answers back,” Putin stated

“To be frank, I didn’t fully enjoy that interview,” he continued.