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Hamas says will hand over weapons to a Palestinian authority ‘if the occupation ends’

By
IFP Media Wire
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Hamas

“Our weapons are linked to the existence of the occupation and the aggression,” Hamas chief negotiator and its Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said in a statement, adding: “If the occupation ends, these weapons will be placed under the authority of the state.”

Asked by AFP, Hayya’s bureau said he was referring to a sovereign and independent Palestinian state.

“We accept the deployment of UN forces as a separation force, tasked with monitoring the borders and ensuring compliance with the ceasefire in Gaza,” Hayya continued, signalling his group’s rejection of the deployment of an international force in the Strip whose mission would be to disarm it.

While the ceasefire halted the heavy fighting of the two-year war, Gaza health officials say that Israel has killed more than 360 Palestinians since the truce took effect on October 10.

 

Herzog pushes back against Trump’s pressure to pardon Netanyahu on corruption charges

By
IFP Media Wire
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Trump and Netanyahu

Speaking to Politico, Isaac Herzog confirmed that his office had received a pardon request from Netanyahu and that it is being reviewed through “a process which goes through the Justice Ministry and my legal adviser and so on.”

“This is certainly an extraordinary request and above all when dealing with it I will consider what is the best interest of the Israeli people,” he added.

Rebuffing Trump’s pressure, Herzog said he values the US president’s friendship and views but stressed that Israel’s institutions operate independently.

“Israel, naturally, is a sovereign country and we fully respect the Israeli legal system and its requirements.”

Asked what would happen if he rejects the pardon, Herzog said Israel’s relationship with the US and with Trump remains “warm,” adding that the issue should be viewed in the proper context and warning against “doomsday analysis.”

On Israel’s elections set for next year, Herzog added the key question will be “how Israelis view the future of the relationship with the Palestinians.”

Israeli prosecutors on Wednesday resumed questioning Netanyahu in court over the corruption charges against him.

This was the second hearing since Netanyahu submitted a request on Sunday to Herzog to pardon him in his corruption trial, a move that sparked division between supporters and opponents.

Since the start of his trial, Netanyahu has refused to admit guilt, while Israeli law allows the president to grant a pardon only after a defendant acknowledges guilt.

Netanyahu also faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over atrocities in Gaza, where over 70,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 2023.

Europe fears full US exit from Ukraine war: Bloomberg

By
IFP Media Wire
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Officials fear Trump could make a deal with Moscow that leaves Kiev’s remaining backers managing the conflict without Washington’s military or security support, the news outlet has said, citing sources.

On Tuesday, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner visited Moscow to discuss possible paths toward a settlement with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin called the talks “necessary” and “useful” but rejected parts of the US proposal. Trump, however, said the negotiators left Moscow confident that both sides want to end the conflict.

A Western European official cited by Bloomberg described the worst-case scenario as a full US withdrawal, the lifting of pressure on Russia, a ban on the use of US weapons by Ukraine, and an end to intelligence sharing.

A less-damaging option would be the US stepping back from talks but still selling arms to NATO for onward transfer to Ukraine, while intelligence cooperation would be kept in place.

The unease has been compounded by Trump’s release of a 33‑page National Security Strategy, which warned that Europe risked being “wiped away” unless it overhauled its politics and culture.

The document accused Washington’s European partners of harboring “unrealistic expectations” regarding the conflict and displaying a “lack of self‑confidence” in dealing with Russia. It also stated that the US remains “open to structured diplomatic channels with Russia” wherever such engagement aligns with broader American interests.

“The risk remains that the US walks away from the whole issue and leaves it up to the Europeans,” said John Foreman, former UK defense attaché to Moscow and Kiev.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that Witkoff had advised Russia on how to shape a peace proposal that Trump might find acceptable. In parallel, French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly warned that the US could “betray” Ukraine, while Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz was said to have accused Washington of “playing games.”

The EU is exploring ways to use roughly €260 billion ($280 billion) in frozen Russian central bank assets held at Euroclear, but efforts remain stalled. Belgium has demanded strong safeguards, while Hungary has blocked earlier funding plans.

Washington opposes fully seizing the assets and prefers using only the generated profits, slowing agreement further. Merz argued the funds should stay under EU control and support Europe’s own priorities.

 

Iran’s president marks Students Day, calls for dialogue and national unity

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Speaking to students, Pezeshkian said public debate must be conducted “with kindness, logic and reason, without accusations or mockery.”

He emphasized humility and avoiding ridicule, noting that Iranians should not divide one another into “insiders and outsiders.”

Referring to low voter turnout in recent elections, the president said both those who voted and those who abstained “belong to Iran,” adding that honest conversation is needed to rebuild trust.

“If we want to preserve our country, we must answer people’s concerns,” he said.

Pezeshkian acknowledged longstanding structural problems, including shortages in electricity, water and foreign currency, and said they stem from decades of policy imbalance.

The president called on students to accept competing viewpoints and avoid disrupting each other’s speech. “Everyone who spoke today wants this country to improve,” he said, urging cooperation with experts and experienced figures to find viable solutions.

National Student Day commemorates the murder of three students of University of Tehran on December 7, 1953, by the Iranian police during the reign of the US-backed Pahlavi regime in Iran.

Annually, student movements at various universities across Iran hold gatherings and seminars to observe the occasion.

US national security document serves Israel’s interests: Iran

By
IFP Media Wire
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Esmael Baghaei

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Baqaei said the United States has placed itself “in the position of judging all countries” and is solely focused on maintaining Israeli dominance in the region.

“This in itself is evidence of America’s complicity in the crimes committed by the Israeli regime,” he added.

Baqaei said the document explicitly mentions ensuring the security of the Israeli regime and securing energy resources.

He went on to say that the Israeli regime’s crimes in the region and in Gaza continue, noting that nearly 400 innocent people have recently lost their lives.

“Israel is destroying whatever remains of Gaza,” he said, adding that UN reporters are being seriously threatened — a sign of US-granted impunity to the Israeli regime.

Responding to the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council’s renewed claims over the three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf, Baqaei said there is no historical or legal doubt about Iran’s sovereignty over Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb.

“This statement is merely a repetition of past claims, and we reject it,” he said.

Regarding IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi’s recent consultations with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Egypt’s foreign minister about Iran, Baqaei said: “As a member state, we are in direct contact with the Agency through our mission in Vienna. There is no mediation involved.”

On the exchange of messages between Iran and the United States through other countries, he added: “It is common for regional officials to convey messages. Our official channel of communication with the US is the US Interests Section in Iran, namely the Swiss Embassy.”

Iran’s parliament speaker warns regional states against challenging sovereignty over Persian Gulf islands

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf

Speaking in a pre-session address, he called the claim “baseless, absurd and made under foreign influence,” insisting that the three islands are an inseparable part of Iran’s sovereign territory.

Ghalibaf urged the neighboring states “not to test the will of the Iranian nation” in defending its territorial integrity, adding that Iran seeks stability, peace and good-neighborly relations but expects the same approach from regional governments.

He also called on the Iranian administration to allocate special funding in next year’s budget to support development plans for the three islands under Article 61 of the Seventh Development Plan.

Ghalibaf further commended the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Navy for its large-scale military exercise held in the Persian Gulf, the Naze’at Islands and the Strait of Hormuz, noting the “precise and successful” launch of domestically developed missiles with ranges exceeding the length of the Persian Gulf.

He also praised the historical role of university students in confronting foreign domination, arguing that global powers, particularly the US, hold “longstanding hostility” toward Iranian students for resisting foreign interference.

US yet unwilling to engage in serious talks: Iran

By
IFP Media Wire
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In an interview with Japan’s Kyodo News agency on Saturday, the top diplomat said the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities were “bombarded, destroyed, and heavily damaged” during the unprovoked and illegal Israeli-American war against the country in June.

He described the assault as “perhaps the biggest violation of international law” ever committed against a safeguarded facility monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Araghchi said the strikes had created structural damage and potential radiation risks that Tehran “has never seen before,” adding that there was “no precedent of a peaceful nuclear facility being bombarded.”

He added that the situation had exposed a procedural gap inside the IAEA regarding how to inspect such sites in light of this precedence.

He noted that the Islamic Republic and the IAEA had reached a framework in Cairo earlier this year to define a mechanism for inspecting and stabilizing the damaged facilities, but that the process was undermined when the United States and the three European parties to a 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran sought to restore previous UN Security Council sanctions against the nation.

Araghchi called on Japan to share its technical expertise in nuclear safety, citing its experience following Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Fukushima Daiichi disaster.

He emphasized that any cooperation with Japan would be limited to technical safety issues, not inspections, which he said remained an IAEA responsibility. “On the technical aspects of these safety challenges, cooperation with Japan can be very useful,” the official noted.

Addressing prospects for nuclear talks, Araghchi said Iran remained open to diplomacy, but wanted guarantees of a “fair and balanced” outcome.

He reiterated that the deadlock affecting diplomacy stemmed from American demands, introduced under President Donald Trump, for the Islamic Republic to halt all uranium enrichment processes, a position Tehran categorically rejects.

The foreign minister said the core issue remained Washington’s reluctance to recognize Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear technology, including enrichment, under the NPT.

According to Araghchi, the Islamic Republic was prepared to accept limitations on enrichment levels and centrifuge types, and negotiations could progress once the United States accepted the country’s peaceful nuclear energy program and lifted the illegal and unilateral sanctions it had imposed on the country.

“For the time being [though], we are not convinced they are ready for a real, serious negotiation,” he added.

 

Syria’s president accuses Israel of ‘exporting crises’ to distract from Gaza ‘massacres’

By
IFP Media Wire
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Addressing the Doha Forum in the Qatari capital, Sharaa claimed that Israel was attempting to justify its actions against several Middle Eastern countries under the false pretext of “security concerns”.

“Israel… tries to run away from the horrifying massacres committed in Gaza, and it does so by attempting to export crises,” Sharaa said in conversation with CNN’s chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour.

“Israel has become a country that is in a fight against ghosts,” he continued, before adding that Israel was exploiting the events of 7 October to justify an aggressive posture.

“Since we arrived in Damascus, we sent positive messages regarding regional peace and stability… and that we are not interested in being a country that exports conflict, including to Israel,” Sharaa stated.

“But in return, Israel has met us with extreme violence,” he added, saying that Israel had carried out more than 1,000 air strikes and 400 ground incursions since the fall of the Assad dynasty on 8 December 2024.

The interim leader also reiterated his call for Israel to withdraw from territories seized by Israel since then, and claimed that negotiations were under way with the United States for an Israeli withdrawal.

Israeli forces crossed into southern Syria as the Bashar al-Assad government fell, and continue to occupy a United Nations buffer zone – the strategic heights of Mount Hermon – which overlooks Israel, Lebanon and Syria.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump issued a veiled warning to Israel, and said it should not interfere with Syria’s “evolution” after it carried out a deadly raid that killed more than a dozen people.

“The United States is very satisfied with the results displayed, through hard work and determination, in the country of Syria,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, TruthSocial.

“It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous state,” he added.

In his conversation on Saturday, Sharaa expressed his support for the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, adding that tampering with it “and seeking other agreements such as a demilitarised zone… could lead us to a dangerous place”.

“Who will be protecting this buffer zone or this demilitarised zone if the Syrian army or Syrian forces aren’t going to be there?” he asked.

Sharaa also told the forum that the Assad government had left behind deep sectarian divisions, but claimed his “administration prioritised reconciliation and forgiveness to build a sustainable peace”.

The president pointed to economic recovery as a driver of stability, noting efforts to convince Washington to lift the Caesar Act sanctions, which he said were originally imposed to punish the former regime.

Despite lingering challenges, Sharaa insisted Syria was on a “positive path toward stability and economic growth”.

He stressed that today, “everyone is represented in government according to competence, not sectarian quotas”, describing this as a new path from which others could learn how to manage affairs after wars and crises.

He added that Syria’s reconstruction was not tied to individuals but to institutions, calling this “the greatest challenge of the transitional phase the country is going through”.

 

Kiev’s European backers secretly admit territory loss likely: El Pais

By
IFP Media Wire
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According to the newspaper, the change in stance became prominent during recent meetings between Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov and envoys from France, Germany, Finland, Italy, and the UK.

The discussions reportedly highlighted diverging positions among the European group, with some officials suggesting that a durable ceasefire would be unlikely without major territorial compromises by Ukraine. Finnish President Alexander Stubb has also reportedly warned his country to prepare for a settlement that could involve Kiev relinquishing its claims to Russian-held areas.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has likewise outlined the territorial question as the principal obstacle to a peace deal, saying Washington is trying to identify a solution to the impasse.

El Pais noted that the idea of concessions remains unacceptable to Poland and the Baltic states, whose governments claim that any agreement involving territorial losses, even temporary or linked to a frozen-conflict arrangement, would endanger their own security. Moscow has consistently denied having any intention of attacking NATO or EU states.

The reported shift comes as several European leaders have voiced concern about Washington’s role in the peace talks and about the EU being sidelined. In a leaked transcript published by Der Spiegel on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly told other EU leaders that the US could “betray” Ukraine on the territorial question without providing security guarantees.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and Finland’s Stubb reportedly also shared Macron’s view that continued peace efforts could pose a “great danger” for Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky personally.

Moscow has announced the EU effectively shut itself out of the process by pursuing “fantasies” about inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia, presenting “unacceptable” demands, and lacking a “peaceful agenda.”

US set to deport more Iranians back to their home country: CNN

By
IFP Media Wire
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Iran Flag

It is the second such deportation flight after a rare agreement between Washington and Tehran, which do not have diplomatic relations, amid the Trump administration’s extreme push to expel undocumented immigrants.

There are serious concerns from human rights and advocacy organizations about the Iranians who fled to the US and may now be forced to return. The State Department’s latest human rights report, issued under the Trump administration, claimed there are “significant human rights issues” in Iran.

The National Iranian American Council, a nonprofit organization, called on the administration to halt the flight.

According to the source familiar with Sunday’s deportation flight, it is expected to stop in Kuwait en route to Iran. The first deportation flight was in September.

 

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