Wednesday, December 24, 2025
Home Blog Page 1226

Iran condemns awarding Nobel Peace Prize to an Iranian as “spiteful, political”

Nasser Kanaani

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said, “We condemn the move by the Nobel committee as spiteful and politically-motivated.”

Kanani added that what the Nobel Peace Committee did was a political move in line with the meddlesome and anti-Iran policy of some European governments, including the government hosting the headquarters of the Nobel Peace Committee, which shows its disappointing deviation from its primary goals and the use of the committee as a tool.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman underlined that the statement of the committee was riddled with false and counterfactual claims about Iran’s developments, “which is an indication of the policy of some European governments to falsify news and produce misguided and deviant narratives about Iran’s internal developments.”

Kanani pointed out that the Iranian people have, for more than four decades, witnessed political and economic pressures including the economic and inhumane terrorism of some Western countries against them, while self-styled defenders of human rights never dare to condemn these crimes or pay tribute to the Iranian people’s unparalleled resistance against the oppressive and inhumane sanctions that are contrary to the international obligations of the West.

Kanaani said the latest move by the Nobel Peace Committee is another link in the chain of pressures from Western quarters against Iran.

The Nobel Peace Committee awarded its prize of 2023 to Nargess Mohammadi, a jailed Iranian woman activist.

Israeli settler kills Palestinian youth in WB

Israel Palestine

Labib Dumaidi, 19, was shot in the heart by an Israeli settler, the Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed on Friday.

Relatives said he had sought refuge on the roof of his home, which was under assault from settlers, when a settler shot him.

The Israeli military has offered a different account, stating that a suspect was shot after throwing a brick at a vehicle, but offering no details on the victim’s identity.

“More than 200 settlers gathered in the middle of Huwara after midnight, shouting and dancing, some of them with covered faces,” Palestinian resident Abderrahman Dmidi told the news agency AFP.

“They began throwing stones towards some houses, and then the young people … tried to defend their homes by throwing stones,” he added.

Residents say Israeli soldiers turned a blind eye to the violence.

“It’s clear that the settler militias are protected by the occupation’s soldiers,” Thaer Qawareeq, an employee at a supermarket damaged by the settlers in Huwara, told the Reuters news agency.

He added that it was the third time that settlers had assaulted the store.

The killing of Dumaidi, a university student, has come amid a rise in settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, including instances of mob violence targeting Palestinian towns and residents, often in the presence of Israeli soldiers. Some of the assaults have followed attacks by Palestinians on Israeli settlements and settlers.

The attack on Friday came a day after a Palestinian gunman shot at an Israeli car in Huwara. The town is located on a road between the Palestinian cities of Nablus and Ramallah and is surrounded by Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the killing of Dumaidi a “heinous crime”.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that at least 50 Palestinians were injured during a funeral procession for Dumaidi, as Israeli forces fired tear gas, rubber-tipped bullets, and live fire.

Settler violence against Palestinians has seen a substantial uptick over the last year, occurring at a rate of three per day for the first eight months of 2023, according to the United Nations.

While Palestinian attacks on residents of Jewish settlements often meet harsh countermeasures, accountability from Israeli authorities in cases of settler violence has been rare. Palestinians have said that the impunity is part of a deliberate campaign to push them off their land.

Huwara itself has been the scene of some of the most notable recent cases of settler violence: following the slaying of two Israeli brothers by a Palestinian in February, a mob of right-wing settlers rampaged through the town, firing weapons and killing a 37-year-old man.

Israel’s far-right Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich aroused controversy when he commented that Huwara should be “wiped out” several days after.

Pentagon planning major cuts to US special forces in pivot away from Middle East: Report

US Syria

The US Army is going to cut around 3,000 troops of its special forces, about 10 percent, which could include its famed Green Beret commando units which have been mobilised over the past several decades, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The final documents have yet to be signed by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, officials told the newspaper, but the army is planning to brief Congress in the coming days. The majority of the cuts include supporting roles like psychological warfare, intelligence operators, communications troops, and logistics roles.

US special forces have been a pillar of the country’s post-9/11 wars in the Middle East.

Since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, United States Special Operations Command, which includes special forces in the Navy, Marines, and Air Force, has grown from 45,000 to 75,000, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

Special forces have been glorified by Hollywood in a number of films and television series, and some critics have dismissed many of the films as propaganda for the military industrial complex, citing the Pentagon’s influence on the film industry.

However, after two decades of surging US military presence in the region, Washington began to withdraw from the Middle East and other countries that were a target in the US “War on Terror”.

In August 2021, the Joe Biden administration oversaw the completion of the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan, ending the country’s two-decade military presence in the country.

The reported cut to special forces would need to be approved by Congress. However, if it goes through, then it would mark another direction away from using such forces in prolonged counterterrorism operations in the Middle East.

It would also turn the Pentagon’s focus to a potential larger-scale conflict with China amid a new great power competition era, which officials told the Wall Street Journal would require a larger conventional military force.

The planned cuts also come as the US Army is facing recruitment struggles. So far this year, the military missed a recruiting goal by 15,000 people, according to the newspaper.

The US military’s recruiting struggle has been an issue for the country for the past several years, as many in the American public have become opposed to military intervention after witnessing the “forever wars” fought in the Middle East.

For example, a majority of US veterans have said that the Iraq war was not worth fighting, according to a poll conducted by Pew Research Center in 2019.

Israeli police seeking to ‘legitimize’ killing of Palestinian citizens in new open-fire rules

Israel Police

A report by Israeli broadcaster Kan 11 revealed that police and the national security ministry are working to relax rules of engagement in some scenarios at time of “emergencies”.

An example of this would be the potential blocking of roads by Palestinians that could prevent military convoys from reaching their destination.

The rule change has been discussed in recent months as part of lessons Israeli authorities say they are drawing from the events of May 2021, in which inter-communal violence gripped binational cities.

The new measure would further disregard recommendations made by the 2003 Or Commission, which found “the use of live ammunition is not a means for dispersing a crowd” and that Israeli authorities were discriminating against Palestinian citizens.

Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, has voiced his support for the move.

“It is very important to change the instructions so that our policemen and soldiers can fill their role without risking their lives,” the far-right minister told Kan 11.

“It is imperative that police officers find it easier to respond with force to those who pose a threat to their lives,” he added.

He also clarified that this change is not intended for use on Jewish Israeli protesters in Tel Aviv, but rather for a potential scenario similar to the events of May 2021.

Adalah, an independent human rights organisation and legal centre, condemned the move.

The general director of the Haifa-based group, Hassan Jabreen, said: “Police officers already systematically violate the existing police regulations that authorise the use of live ammunition in cases of imminent threat with blanket impunity.”

This new measure, he added, is “designed to legitimise the killing of Palestinians even when they clearly do not pose any danger”.

Iran’s top general stresses joint fight with Syria against terrorism

General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri

Over a hundred people were killed and around 300 more injured in a Thursday drone attack  during a graduation ceremony for cadets of a military academy in the western Syrian city of Homs.

General Mohammad Bagheri said this crime once again exposed the evil, murderous and inhumane nature of Takfiri terrorists and disgraced their supporters.

General Bagheri stressed Iran’s determination to continue its cooperation with Syria  in more serious fight against terror.

The attack in Syria’s was carried out by an explosives-laden UAV that Syrian officials believe was launched from an area in the north of the province held by anti-government armed groups.

There were several children and women among those killed and injured.

Iran parliamenr chief says his trip to UAE will have positive results     

Qalibaf

Qalibaf added that his trip to the Persian Gulf sheikhdom will definitely have positive results.

Qalibaf added that the UAE is the second biggest trade partner of Iran after China, stressing that this relationship must be preserved and even expanded.

The parliament speaker further said during his stay in the UAE, he and the Emirati side held talks over the extradition and exchange of prisoners as well.

Reports say 10 Iranian prisoners have been released from Emirati jails.

He made those comments upon returning from the UAE on Friday.

During his trip, Qalibaf met with President of the United Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. The two sides discussed ways of expanding bilateral relations in various fields.

Qalibaf also presented the UAE president with two medicines produced by Iranian scientists as a token of the Islamic Republic’s progress in medical and pharmaceutical fields.

Prominent Iranian actor Attila Pesyani passes away

Atila Pesyani

The statement read arrangements are being made to transfer Pesyani’s body from France, where he was receiving treatment, to Iran for burial.

Pesyani, the son of the late Iranian actress Jamileh Sheikhi, started acting at an early age with distinguished directors like Arbi Hovhannisean and turned out to be an influential character in the field.

He is survived by his daughter Setareh, also a top-rated actress, and a son.

UAE ruler receives Iran’s parl’t speaker

Ghalibaf UAE

The two sides discussed promotion of bilateral relations in various fields, especially at the parliamentary level.

Qalibaf presented the UAE president with two medicines produced by Iranian scientists as a token of the Islamic Republic’s progress in medical and pharmaceutical fields.

The UAE is expected to invest in production of the medicine for treatment of vitiligo and a flu vaccine made with recombinant technology in Abu Dhabi in collaboration with Iranian knowledge-based companies.

As part of his two-day trip, Qalibaf on Friday met with Iranian businesspeople in Abu Dhabi, where he stressed efforts needed to be taken to render US-led sanctions against Iran ineffective besides trying to remove them.

The Iranian parliament speaker sounded optimism over his trip to the neighboring country, saying “We will soon see the signs of the agreements made in the trip on Iran-UAE relations.”

Iran FM raps deadly terrorist attack in Syria, offers condolences

Syrian Army

Amirabdollahian expressed condolences to the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian government, the army, and the nation and sympathized with the survivors.

Offering gratitude to the Iranian foreign minister, the Syrian top diplomat explained the dimensions of the terrorist attack on the graduation ceremony of the Syrian army officers in Homs Province.

Mekdad considered terrorist groups supported by the United States to be behind such actions.

During the phone conversation, the two sides emphasized the necessity of the serious determination of the international community and the cooperation of the countries of the region for a decisive and effective fight against the ominous phenomenon of terrorism.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war-monitoring group says a drone attack on a military college in Syria’s Homs province, has killed at least 100 people injuring more than 240 others.

The attack happened during a graduation ceremony of the military personnel.

Reports say the Syrian government sources have also confirmed that 100 were killed in the terror attack.

Iranian FM invited to Saudi Arabia to jointly watch football match with Saudi peer

Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad Iran’s Sepahan

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian held a phone conversation with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan on Thursday to discuss some issues of mutual interests pertaining to various fields of bilateral ties.

The foreign ministers stressed that joint cooperation in various areas, including economic, commercial, investment and tourism, need to be expedited.

Considering the recent milestone meeting between the Iranian foreign minister and the Saudi crown prince-cum-prime minister in Jeddah, both sides agreed that necessary steps should be taken in this path in compliance with the right course for political ties between the two countries.

Meanwhile, regarding the importance of the role of cultural and sports cooperation in boosting the friendship atmosphere between the two nations, the ministers held consultations over bolstering this area of bilateral cooperation, and agreed to advise the sports institutions of both countries to resolve a recent issue that occurred during club competitions in line with mutual respect, dialogue and understanding.

Taking into consideration the importance of persistent football club matches between the two countries in the direction of promoting comprehensive cooperation, the Saudi foreign minister invited Amirabdollahian to jointly participate in the first football match in Saudi Arabia.

The development follows recent spat during which Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad football team walked out of Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium in Iran’s central city of Isfahan before an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League match with the Iranian side, Sepahan.