Tuesday, December 30, 2025
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Iran FM: E3 move to activate snapback lacks political, legal legitimacy

Araqchi also reiterated the purely peaceful nature of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear program.

Referring to the recent agreement between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), he stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran has always considered diplomacy the only solution to international issues, including its nuclear program, and is ready to engage in any fair and balanced solution that ensures mutual interests.

During the talks, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also expressed concern over the growing tensions and emphasized the importance of maintaining dialogue and the need to return to a diplomatic path.

Both sides also discussed the state of bilateral relations, including consular matters, and stressed the need to continue direct contacts and consultations.

Top aid groups urge world leaders to stop Israel’s genocide in Gaza

With an estimated 65,000 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks so far in Gaza, including more than 20,000 children, the agencies warned early on Wednesday that almost 1 million more people are now “on the precipice of an even deadlier period in Gaza’s story if action is not taken”.

“The inhumanity of the situation in Gaza is unconscionable,” the groups said in a joint statement, warning that Israel’s latest efforts to forcibly displace Gaza City’s population through a ground occupation are aimed at making the enclave’s largest urban area “deliberately… uninhabitable”.

“As humanitarian leaders, we have borne direct witness to the horrifying deaths and suffering of the people of Gaza. Our warnings have gone unheeded and thousands more lives are still at stake,” the agencies added.

“More than half a million people are starving. Famine has been declared and is spreading. The cumulative impact of hunger and physical deprivation means people are dying every day.”

Despite the well-documented horrors that have unfolded for almost two years under Israel’s siege of the Palestinian territory and enforced starvation of the enclave’s civilian population as they try to survive under military fire, “world leaders fail to act”.

“States must use every available political, economic, and legal tool at their disposal to intervene. Rhetoric and half measures are not enough. This moment demands decisive action,” the aid groups said.

“History will undoubtedly judge this moment as a test of humanity,” they stated, adding that UN members must take action, or their “complicity” will set a “dangerous precedent for the future”.

Christopher Lockyear, a signatory to the joint statement and the secretary-general of Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said on Monday that Israel’s military onslaught in Gaza amounts to “the systematic destruction of a people”.

MSF is clear, Lockyear said: “Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and doing so with absolute impunity.”

“The Israeli military has attacked everything and everyone in Gaza,” he added.

Signatories to the statement also include Islamic Relief Worldwide, ActionAid International, CARE International, Handicap International, Save the Children International, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Médecins du Monde.

On Tuesday, Navi Pillay, the chairwoman of the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said the world body had determined that Israel was carrying out genocide in Gaza.

Among those most responsible, based on their own statements, for the genocide were Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant and President Isaac Herzog, Pillay added.

The UN Commission, in its report, “concludes that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”.

Iran’s security chief meets MbS in Riyadh

The meeting took place at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Tuesday. It marks a new phase in the Tehran–Riyadh diplomatic engagement.

Larijani traveled to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of the kingdom’s defense minister, leading a delegation that included Deputy Secretary for International Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani and Persian Gulf Affairs Advisor Mohammad Ali Bek.

The visit follows a series of high-level exchanges between the two countries, including the Saudi defense minister’s trip to Tehran earlier this year.

The meeting comes just one day after President Masoud Pezeshkian met with bin Salman on the sidelines of the emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha, where both sides expressed satisfaction with the growing momentum in bilateral ties in the wake of the China-brokered detente in 2023.

Larijani’s visit to Riyadh is his third regional trip since assuming office on August 5, following earlier stops in Iraq and Lebanon.

Iranian officials say the renewed diplomatic outreach reflects efforts to stabilize regional dynamics and expand cooperation with neighboring states.

 

Iran executes man convicted of spying for Israel

Iran Prison

Shahbazi was hanged on Wednesday morning after his death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court. Authorities said he had engaged in intelligence and security cooperation with Israel and shared classified information with its operatives.

Shahbazi worked as a contractor in industrial cooling systems, gaining access to sensitive sites, including telecommunications, military, and security facilities.

Officials said he passed on details about data centers and infrastructure vulnerabilities in exchange for money and the promise of residency abroad.

The case linked Shahbazi to Esmaeil Fekri, another Iranian executed in June on similar charges of collaborating with Mossad. According to officials, the two coordinated projects, with Fekri handling computer networks while Shahbazi leveraged his technical access to restricted locations.

Investigators said Shahbazi held encrypted online meetings with Mossad officers, provided project data, and received payments in cryptocurrency.

Following his arrest, Shahbazi’s case was reviewed in court with legal representation, and he was convicted of “corruption on earth” through espionage.

EU postpones new Russia sanctions indefinitely: Politico

The European Union

The proposed 19th package of measures targeting Russian oil exports and the banking sector over the Ukraine conflict was due to be presented on Wednesday. However, it has been dropped from the European Commission’s agenda indefinitely, several EU diplomats told Politico on Tuesday.

According to the report, the suspension comes as Brussels is increasing pressure on Hungary and Slovakia to cut their energy reliance on Moscow in light of a fresh ultimatum to do so from Washington.

Trump, who has so far refrained from imposing direct sanctions on Russia, reportedly said over the weekend he was ready “to move ahead” if Washington’s European partners halt Russian oil purchases. He has also urged the EU to slap tariffs of up to 100% on China and India – the key buyers of Russian oil since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Western nations against adopting a “colonial” tone toward China and India and trying to “punish” them.

As part of its sanctions’ pressure, Brussels has pledged to phase out Russian fossil fuels entirely by 2027, but several member states – including Hungary and Slovakia – continue to oppose the move, citing risks to their national energy security. The European Commission has recently proposed scrapping unanimous voting on the bloc’s foreign policy decisions to sideline dissenting members.

Russia has denounced Western sanctions as “illegal,” stating that they have not only failed to derail the national economy, but have provided an impetus for domestic development. Russian officials maintain they seek a long-term peace, accusing Kiev and its Western backers of undermining the process.

US issues new Iran-related sanctions

United States Department of the Treasury

The US Department of the Treasury said in a statement on its website on Tuesday that it had designated four Iranian nationals and a dozen companies in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for their roles in funds transfers benefiting Iran.

The designations by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) included Alireza Derakhshan, Vahid Derakhshan, Arash Estaki Alivand, and Leila Karimi, four individuals who OFAC claimed had used a network of front companies in Hong Kong and the UAE to facilitate Iran-related transactions.

It added the transactions included the purchase of $100 million worth of cryptocurrency for oil sales for the Iranian government, as well as funds transfers for the purchase of products on behalf of the Iranian armed forces and defense ministry.

The Treasury announced that the sanctions issued on Tuesday are the second such action taken against the so-called Iranian shadow banking network since February 4, when US President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum ordering a campaign of maximum pressure on Iran.

Iran has repeatedly dismissed the significance of US sanctions and their impacts on the country’s ability to export oil and receive its proceeds.

Reports and figures published by major international data analytics firms have shown that Iran has been able to sell more oil since Trump began his second term in office in January.

Iranian authorities say US sanctions are desperate attempts by Washington to force Iran to change its political and military strategies.

 

The Leader hails Iran’s freestyle wrestling team after world championship triumph

Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei

In his message, Ayatollah Khamenei said: “I thank the freestyle wrestling team for their astonishing effort and, thereafter, for their admirable behavior. The combination of power and spirituality is the creator of lofty values. Well done!”

Meanwhile, the highlight of Iran’s triumph came in the 65kg weight category on Tuesday, where Rahman Amouzad delivered a dazzling, devastating, and unforgettable performance. He avenged his Olympic final defeat by crushing Japan’s Kotaro Kiyoka with a commanding 10–0 victory, securing the world gold medal in emphatic fashion.

With 2 gold, 2 silver, and 3 bronze medals, Iran’s national freestyle team stood atop the podium, becoming world champion for the sixth time in its history and for the first time in 12 years.

Pezeshkian: Islamic countries realize Israel main source of danger

Masoud Pezeshkian

Speaking to reporters at the conclusion of the summit, Pezeshkian said the current trend is bringing Islamic countries closer together and exposing the divisions that Israel deliberately sowed among them.

“Islamic nations have realized that Israel is the main source of danger, whereas this regime falsely presented Iran and Hezbollah as threats,” he stated.

He referred to remarks attributed to Israeli regime’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the project of a so-called “Greater Israel,” which included Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and other countries.

Pezeshkian emphasized that Israel’s recent aggression against Qatar is based on “self-appointed judgments,” declaring guilt and innocence arbitrarily, killing both alike, while the United States and Europe continue to support it.

“No human reason or framework of international relations can accept this. If even one person is wrongly imprisoned anywhere in the world, they raise a global outcry about human rights violations. Yet in Gaza, innocent children have been starved to the brink of death, many martyred by hunger, and they remain indifferent—while supporting Israel every day,” he said.

He reiterated that the Qatar summit could be the start of a new process leading to unity, peace, and stability in the region.

“This process can also expand economic, social, cultural, political, and scientific ties among Islamic nations and resolve their differences. The real source of insecurity and instability in the region is none other than the Zionists themselves, and this fact is now evident to all,” he concluded.

Netanyahu says Israeli army started ‘intensive operation in Gaza City’

Israeli Army

“We have begun an intensive operation in Gaza City,” Netanyahu stated in the courtroom.

The announcement coincided with a violent Israeli raids on Gaza, where Palestinians endured a night of heavy air and artillery strikes.

Netanyahu appeared again in the Tel Aviv District Court Tuesday morning to respond to corruption charges against him. He faces accusations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust across three separate corruption cases.

Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza has killed nearly 65,000 Palestinians since October 2023 and devastated the enclave, which faces famine.​​​​​​​

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

 

Iran selects ‘Cause of Death: Unknown’ as 2026 Oscar candidate

Directed by Ali Zarnegar and produced by Majid Barzegar, the film was selected unanimously by a nine-member committee after reviewing five finalists.

The decision follows weeks of speculation and debate among Iranian film circles, particularly around the rival films Old Bachelor and Woman and Child, both of which had strong support but were ultimately not selected.

The drama tells the story of seven passengers traveling a rural road from Shahdad to Kerman before sunrise. Early in the journey, they discover that one of the passengers has died. When the group contacts emergency services, they are told an ambulance cannot be dispatched without prior medical confirmation.

The selection committee included prominent figures from Iran’s cinema industry, among them actress Pantea Panahiha, director Abolhassan Davoudi, screenwriter Farhad Tohidi, cinematographer Houman Behmanesh, and sound designer Mohammadreza Delpak, who is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

With its submission, Cause of Death: Unknown will compete in the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars.