Sunday, December 28, 2025
Home Blog Page 2000

Khatibzadeh: All Iran Afghanistan missions open

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh

Khatibzadeh made the remark in an answer to questions by journalists about the activity of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s embassy in Kabul and consulate generals in other Afghan cities.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman however underlined that Iran expects the rulers of Afghanistan to responsibly provide security for Iranian diplomats and diplomatic missions in Afghanistan and protect them.

Earlier reports said Iran had closed its embassy in Kabul.

Iran’s consulate general in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif also issued a statement Tuesday saying its consular and visa services are shut down until further notice over security concerns.

Iran has earlier summoned the Afghan charge d’affaires to protest over the attacks against its Embassy in Kabul and Consulate General in Heart, which saw mobs hurl stones and other projectiles at the Iranian missions.

During the meeting, the foreign ministry’s director general for South Asia affairs called on the Taliban government to hold the perpetrators to account, stressing that governments are responsible for the protection of diplomatic missions.

The Taliban government’s intelligence and culture chief has called the Monday gatherings outside the Iranian missions in Kabul and Heart “arbitrary actions” by unidentified people.

“A number of people acted arbitrarily and held a protest outside the Iranian consulate and the demonstrators were immediately dispersed by the security forces of Afghan Islamic Emirate (Taliban government),” he said in a tweet.

“As the move was quickly brought under control, nothing special happened.”

Iran Covid deaths hit lowest level in months

COVID in Iran

The Health Ministry also put the Tuesday caseload at 2,737 including 378 hospitalizations.

Covid has so far killed 140,578 in Iran. But the country has done a good job Covid containment wise through a national vaccination campaign.

The Iranian Health Ministry has said the Islamic republic is among the top 10 countries that have fought Covid better than others during the pandemic.

The worst hit country is the US where the death toll is nearly a million.

Iran has also produced several Coronavirus vaccines which have made it self-sufficient. It has also exported part of its domestically produced jabs

Artifacts returned from France to Iran on display

Iran Artifacts

They had been taken out of Iran by France’s ambassador to Iran during the Second World War.

These historical objects such as pottery pieces, and a pot made of pitch date back to the middle Ilam period.

The artifacts will remain on display through April 20.

Health minister: Iran among top countries battling coronavirus

COVID in Iran

In an address to a parliament session on Tuesday, the health minister hailed efforts to contain the outbreak and acquire Covid-19 vaccines to immunize the population.

Einollahi said the reopening of schools and businesses and the increase in New Year travels were the result of extensive efforts by the Health Ministry and the people from all walks of life to contain the outbreak.

Iran has been hit by six waves of the respiratory disease since the beginning of the outbreak in the country in early 2020.

The country has now managed to bring the disease under control with the number of infection cases and deaths remaining low despite the recent spike in travels during the New Year holidays

Iran’s embassy in Kabul closed due to attacks on missions

Iranian diplomatic missions in Afghanistan

“Consular services are not available for security reasons until the end of this week,” The Iranian embassy said.

Iran’s consulate general in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif also issued a statement Tuesday saying its consular and visa services are shut down until further notice over security concerns.

Earlier, Iran summoned the Afghan charge d’affaires to protest over the attacks against its Embassy in Kabul and Consulate General in Heart, which saw mobs hurl stones and other projectiles at the Iranian missions.

During the meeting, the foreign ministry’s director general for South Asia affairs called on the Taliban government to hold the perpetrators to account, stressing that governments are responsible for the protection of diplomatic missions.

The director general also told the envoy that all Iranian consular sections in Afghanistan will remain closed until further notice and “will not resume work until the Afghan foreign ministry provides the necessary assurances on the security of diplomatic missions”.

The Taliban government’s intelligence and culture chief has called the Monday gatherings outside the Iranian missions in Kabul and Heart “arbitrary actions” by unidentified people.

“A number of people acted arbitrarily and held a protest outside the Iranian consulate and the demonstrators were immediately dispersed by the security forces of Afghan Islamic Emirate (Taliban government),” he said in a tweet.

“As the move was quickly brought under control, nothing special happened.”

This comes as mobs attacked the Iranian consulate general in Heart on Monday and set tires on fire outside the mission before shattering its security cameras. Reports say the attackers only dispersed after the Taliban forces and security guards fired shots in the air and Heart’s governor arrived at the scene

Another Palestinian shot dead by Israeli forces

Israeli Forces in WB

Witnesses told Al Jazeera that the incident happened on Tuesday morning when Israeli police entered a work site to check whether the Palestinians there had permits.

“The Palestinians are saying that the man did not pose any threat and that the Israeli police were acting in a very violent way,” said Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Jenin, where tensions have heightened as Israeli forces round up Palestinians after a man from the city shot and killed three people in Tel Aviv last week.

The man killed on Tuesday was reportedly in his 40s and his name was not immediately known.

Israeli police announced an officer began checking a person who aroused his suspicion when “the attacker pulled out a knife and attacked the officer”.

The officer “responded quickly, fired and neutralised the suspect, whose death was declared on site”, police stated. The officer was hospitalised with light wounds, they added.

Since late March, four shooting, stabbing and car-ramming attacks in Israeli cities have left 14 people dead. Over the same period, Israeli forces have killed at least 15 Palestinians.

On Sunday, Israeli police said security forces killed a Palestinian woman who stabbed and lightly wounded a policeman in the centre of Hebron, where about 1,000 Jewish people live under heavy military protection in illegal settlements among 200,000 Palestinians.

The same day, the Israeli army shot and killed an unarmed Palestinian woman who they said failed to heed warning shots near the occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem.

Following the Tel Aviv attack, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met top security officials and granted “all security forces full freedom” of operations. He also announced that a major crossing in the north of the West Bank near Jenin would be closed indefinitely.

The Hamas group that rules the besieged Gaza Strip praised the attack but did not claim responsibility.

“Resistance operations are a natural response to Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people,” senior Hamas official Mushir al-Masri told Al Jazeera.

Last year, Israel bombarded Gaza for 11 days after protests and confrontations during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. At least 245 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children. Twelve people in Israel were also killed.

Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian leaders have held a flurry of meetings in recent weeks, and Israel has taken a number of steps aimed at calming tensions, including issuing thousands of additional work permits for Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

Air pollution problem lingers on in Tehran

Air Pollution

Tehran Air Quality Control Company, referring to the thick layer of dust over the capital city, said on Tuesday that air quality index was at over 100.

The Iranian capital has been grappling with very high levels of air pollution over the past week. Tehran topped the list of world’s most polluted cities on Friday.

Iranian authorities say western neighboring countries are responsible for the formation of dust storms that have pushed up pollution levels in the capital.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has tasked the Department of Environment along with other relevant agencies to pursue the problem through diplomatic channels, international forums and interaction with neighboring countries

Yemen Ansarullah leader: Saudis hit impasse, face defeat

Sayyed Abdul-Malik Badreddin Al-Houthi

“The patience of the people of Yemen has pushed the aggressors into an impasse and a defeat, which is known to the world and everyone is talking about it. They couldn’t achieve their objectives and suffered numerous defeats and our people achieved victories,” Houthi said.

He made the comments on the 10th day of the holy month of Ramadan. He said patience is the key factor in Ramadan’s fasting and this “is a key weapon against the enemy”.

“The aim of the enemy’s blockade on Yemen is weakening the nation and forcing them into surrender and desperation. When the enemy sees the reaction of a well-aware nation and their determination, seriousness and responsibility, it will be disappointed and … this will force it into submission,” he said.

His remarks come amid a two-month UN-brokered ceasefire, agreed for the Ramadan. The Saudi-led coalition has repeatedly violated the truce

Iran suspends consular activities in Afghanistan missions

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran

On Tuesday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s director general for South Asia summoned the Afghan charge d’Affaires in Tehran to strongly protest against the attacks on the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kabul and the Iranian Consulate General in Herat bordering Iran.

He reminded the Afghan charge d’Affaires of the responsibility of governments in ensuring the security of diplomatic missions, and called for legal action against those who attacked the Islamic Republic of Iran’s missions.

The Iranian official also said that Iran’s consular services in Afghanistan will remain on hold until further notice so that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan provides assurances that the Iranian missions are fully secured.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh reiterated the current rulers of Afghanistan are fully responsible for the security of Iran’s embassy in Kabul and other missions in Afghanistan.

Khatibzadeh referred to some videos and comments making the rounds with the aim of Iranophobia and Afghanophobia. He added his is meant to provoke the sentiments of the people of Iran and Afghanistan

Nasrallah: Palestinians won’t give up resistance

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah

“If you have pinned your hopes on the Palestinian people to lose their hope and be disappointed, you are delusional,” Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said, in comments on the situation in the region and Lebanon Monday night.

Nasrallah also slammed those who try to convince the Lebanese that the crisis in their country is due the resistance group being armed.

“Some try to tell the Lebanese that the weapons of the resistance are the cause for crisis in the country. This is while they know themselves that these slogans have no effect on Lebanon’s public opinion. They know people will not believe these lies…. The objective is satisfying the wishes of Saudis, the western society and the US to get their political and financial support. They want to tell these foreign parties that we have a problem with Hezbollah,” he said.

Nasrallah also dismissed talks about delaying the parliamentary elections in Lebanon for months to let the other parties get their act together.

“Against this backdrop, we are right when we accuse the US embassy and the other sides’ political forces of trying to halt the elections,” he said.

He further slammed foreign interference in Lebanon’s politics saying in the 2009 parliamentary elections, Saudis provided Hezbollah’s opponents with hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to buy votes and advance their election campaigns