The event brought together members of Iran’s Christian community, who gathered to celebrate Christmas in accordance with their religious traditions.
Similar ceremonies are held each year by Christians around the world to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.
The services included prayers and religious rituals, reflecting the significance of Christmas within the Christian faith.
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Media outlets reported that Sari, a senior security official under Afghanistan’s former government, was shot after leaving his workplace on Valiasr Street in Tehran.
He was hit in the head, taken to hospital, but later died from his injuries.
Iranian authorities have not yet released further details about the motive or suspects involved.
Sari was known as a prominent opponent of the Taliban and remained outspoken against the group after the collapse of the former Afghan government.
He reportedly maintained close contact with former Afghan security personnel living in Iran and was active in advocating for the rights of ex-military members, many of whom are based in the country.
He is the second former Afghan military commander opposed to the Taliban to be killed in Iran. Earlier, Marouf Gholami, a political and military figure close to anti-Taliban leader Ismail Khan, was shot dead at his office in Mashhad in September.
In a message on Thursday, Pezeshkian highlighted the spiritual virtues of Jesus, including freedom, justice, and compassion, praised in the holy Quran, as timeless examples for humanity.
He said that in an era when unchecked power by global superpowers drives the world toward conflict and destruction, resolving human challenges requires collective wisdom, reflection, and independent action by heads of state and scholars.
He also expressed hope that such efforts could pave the way for peace, security, and freedom for oppressed nations.
The Iranian president wished the Pope good health, prosperity for followers of Christ, and lasting peace and stability across the globe.
In a separate message to Christian leaders and peoples of countries celebrating the occasion, Pezeshkian said peace and the expansion of moral values across human societies are a longstanding human ideal that lead to happiness and human flourishing.
He added that all of God’s spiritual and revelatory attributes are embodied in Jesus Christ and that humanity can take him as a model.
The president expressed hope that, through joint efforts, peaceful coexistence, and justice-based action, peace and calm can be promoted in today’s turbulent world.
Speaking at a joint conference of Iran’s nuclear medicine, radio-oncology, hematology and oncology associations in Tehran, Eslami stressed that Iran is “obliged to move at the frontiers of knowledge.”
He described nuclear science and technology as a key driver of innovation, national power and technological superiority, which remains monopolized by major powers.
Eslami argued that Iran’s advances have been achieved despite pressure and restrictions, crediting long-term strategic guidance for maintaining continuity in the country’s nuclear program across different administrations.
He said recent regional conflicts and international debates have exposed the real objective of Western criticism, which is preventing Iran’s overall development.
Referring to the US attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites earlier this year, Eslami said facilities linked to the production of radiopharmaceuticals were among the first targets, underscoring their importance to public health and national progress.
He added that without domestic nuclear capabilities, Iran’s healthcare sector would face serious shortages.
Eslami highlighted Iran’s progress in radiopharmaceuticals, heavy water, plasma technology and lasers, noting that some Iranian products rank among the world’s purest and are in international demand.
General Ekramuddin Saree, a former police chief in Afghanistan’s Baghlan and Takhar provinces during the previous republican government, died after being targeted in a shooting attack in the Iranian capital.
According to reports, unknown gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying Saree and his companions on Wednesday in Tehran. One of his companions was killed at the scene, while Saree was seriously wounded and transferred to hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Sources speaking to Afghan media confirmed the incident but said details about the attackers and their motives remain unclear.
Iranian authorities have so far made no official statement regarding the perpetrators or the reasons behind the attack.
Saree had served as a senior police commander in northern Afghanistan before the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Following the collapse of the former Afghan government, he migrated to Iran.
In recent years, he was known as one of the prominent anti-Taliban figures from northern Afghanistan.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the circumstances surrounding the assassination remain under investigation.
After losing the first leg 1–0 at home in Tehran, the Iranian side responded with a disciplined and effective performance on the road. Ali Gholizadeh opened the scoring in the 15th minute to level the tie on aggregate.
Esteghlal then struck twice late in the match, with substitute Nazon making an immediate impact by scoring in the 82nd minute, before Asani added the third goal in the 87th minute to seal the win.
The result confirmed Esteghlal’s qualification from Group A as the second-placed team with eight points, finishing behind Al-Wasl of the UAE, who advanced as group winners with 14 points.
Al-Muharraq finished third in the group with seven points, while Jordan’s Al-Wehdat ended the group stage in fourth place with four points.
Esteghlal now move on to the next round, where they are expected to face stronger opponents, including high-profile clubs such as Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, a team boasting global stars like Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Times reported on Tuesday that the signatories told Prime Minister Keir Starmer that despite the ceasefire in Gaza, “now is not the time to return to business as usual with the Israeli government”.
They called on sanctions on the Israeli government to go further.
Among the letter’s signatories was John Deverell, who served in the British army for more than three decades. He was also defence attache in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, including at the time of the 11 September terror attacks.
The other signatories were Andrew Graham, the former director general of the UK defence academy; Peter Currie, a retired major general, and Charlie Herbert, a former senior army commander in Afghanistan.
The letter strongly rejected a claim that Israel’s military followed similar protocols to the British military.
A senior defence ministry official said that “Israel appears to have thorough and rigorous processes for the conduct of hostilities and targeting, that in many respects resemble our own” – an assertion that was cited by the UK government in a legal case on arms exports to Israel last July.
The former senior officers rebutted the claim, stating that there were clear differences. They cited Israel’s use of indiscriminate munitions that had led to “exceptionally disproportionate and avoidable civilian fatalities and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure”.
They added that evidence of Israeli war crimes was “so well documented and compelling that the British government should cut all military collaboration with Israel forthwith, to avoid the charge of complicity”.
The sanctions that should be imposed, the signatories said, include RAF and British contracted aircraft not being used for any purpose connected with the Israeli military, and a suspension of all military technology transfer.
In September, the UK announced that it was banning Israelis from enrolling at the Royal College of Defence Studies, a prestigious military academy.
The UK was accused of complicity after carrying out near daily reconnaissance flights over Gaza during the war. The flights stopped after the ceasefire.
In addition, despite a partial suspension of arms sales to Israel over the war on Gaza, approved UK arms exports to Israel have skyrocketed under the Labour government.
Export data released in May showed that 20 different licences in categories such as military aircraft, radars, targeting equipment and explosive devices, were approved between October and December 2024.
Arms campaigners said the three-month total was more than what was approved altogether under the Conservative government between 2020 and 2023.
Next year, the British army will decide which consortium of defence firms will carry out a £2bn army training contract to prepare soldiers for a potential future war. A subsidiary of the Israeli defence company Elbit Systems is part of one of the consortiums bidding for the 15-year contract.
Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire agreed in early October, with more than 400 Palestinians killed in Gaza since then, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
The number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since the genocide began in October 2023 has exceeded 70,000 – the majority of whom are women and children.
At least 171,195 others have been wounded by Israeli forces during that time.
The letter said Israel’s “bombardment against civilians, destruction of property and insufficient delivery of humanitarian aid” were jeopardising the ceasefire that the US, Egypt and Qatar brokered in October.
“It’s imperative that we hold the Israeli government accountable for its actions,” 49 Democratic members of the House of Representatives stated.
“We strongly urge your administration to exert maximum diplomatic pressure on the Israeli government, including by leveraging US assistance, to ensure full compliance with the terms of the framework and an end to the continued acts of violence and destruction that undermine this fragile agreement and threaten the prospect of lasting peace in the region,” the latter added.
The lawmakers accused Hamas of also violating the ceasefire, but noted that Israel’s response “has been severe and disproportionate, resulting in massive loss of life”.
The letter was spearheaded by Representatives Mark Pocan and Madeleine Dean. It was also endorsed by the Jewish advocacy groups J Street, the New Jewish Narrative and Win Without War.
Israel has escalated its attacks on Gaza in recent weeks. Seventy-five days into the truce deal, Israel has killed over 411 Palestinians and left more than 1,112 wounded.
The Government Media Office in Gaza has estimated at least 875 violations commited by its army since the start of the ceasefire in October.
In addition to repeated attacks, Israel has also continued to evade obligations to allow the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
Only 17,819 trucks entered the blockaded territory out of the 43,800 that were stripulated to be delivered and distributed to its population of two million.
A severe shortage in adequate shelter, medicine, food, fuel and other necessities has compounded the already dire situation in the strip.
The media office warned on Tuesday of a “deepening and unprecedented humanitarian crisis” with regards to the lack of shelter amid freezing temperatures and heavy rainfall.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Trump next week in Florida.
Photos and footage of Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani circulating online have sparked discussions among social media users about her style.
In a brief street interview, a reporter asks Faezeh whether her jacket was American-made, and she confirms that it is.
During the conversation, she also spoke about her experiences in Evin Prison, saying she is accustomed to prison life and even described Evin as being “like a hotel”.
The short interview has once again brought Faezeh Hashemi’s name into media discussions and social networks.
According to Gholamreza Moradi, head of the Center for Communicable Disease Management at the Ministry of Health, data from the national respiratory infection surveillance system show a downward trend in the proportion of patients with respiratory symptoms during the past ten days, compared with previous weeks.
He said the share of respiratory infection cases among outpatient visits has dropped to 13.4 percent, while the figure among hospitalized patients has fallen to 11.5 percent, down from peaks above 16 percent in recent weeks.
Moradi added that among patients showing respiratory symptoms, 22.8 percent tested positive for influenza and 0.4 percent for COVID-19 in the latest reporting period.
He noted that the dominant influenza strain currently circulating in Iran is influenza A, subtype H3N2.
Despite the overall decline, Moradi said the influenza peak is still ongoing in 12 provinces, where infection rates remain above the national average.
He also cautioned that gatherings in enclosed spaces could influence transmission trends, stressing the importance of observing respiratory hygiene to prevent further spread.
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