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School closures, traffic restrictions announced across Iranian provinces amid pollution, health concerns

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Iran Air Pollution

Tehran Governorate said on Monday that all kindergartens and preschools, along with primary schools across the province, would be closed on Tuesday. Classes for primary students were held online due to persistent air pollution.

In addition, a temporary odd-even traffic scheme based on license plate numbers are in place in Tehran for 48 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Air quality in Tehran stood at an index of 119 on Monday, classified as unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Since the beginning of the Iranian year in March, the capital has recorded only six days of clean air, while more than 130 days were classified as acceptable and a significant number as unhealthy or hazardous.

In several provinces, all schools at every level are closed on Tuesday, with classes conducted online to curb the spread of influenza.

Health officials urged citizens to avoid crowded indoor spaces, wear masks when necessary and seek medical care if symptoms appear.

Authorities said further decisions may be taken for Wednesday if conditions worsen.

US warns Maduro not to ‘play tough’ as Russia, China back Venezuela

By
IFP Media Wire
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Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Trump suggested he was prepared to further ratchet up the tensions after four months of mounting pressure on Caracas.

When asked if the ⁠goal was to force Maduro from power, Trump told reporters: “Well, I think it probably would… That’s up to him what he wants to do. I think it’d be smart for him to do that. But again, we’re gonna find out.”

“If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’ll be the ​last time he’s ever able to play ‌tough,” the US leader added.

Trump levied his latest threat as the US Coast Guard continued for a second day to chase a third oil tanker, which it described as part of a “dark fleet” that Venezuela uses to evade US sanctions.

“It’s moving along, and we’ll end up getting it,” Trump continued.

The US president also promised to keep the two ships and the nearly 4 million barrels of Venezuelan oil the coastguard has seized so far.

“Maybe we’ll sell it. Maybe we’ll keep it. Maybe we will use it in the strategic reserves,” he said, adding, “We’re keeping it. We’re keeping the ships also.”

For his part, Maduro hit back at Trump’s latest salvo, saying in a speech broadcast on public television that the US president would be better served if he focused on his own country’s problems rather than threatening Caracas.

“He would be better off in his own country on economic and social issues, and he would be better off in the world if he took care of his country’s affairs,” Maduro stated.

The campaign against Venezuela’s critical oil sector comes amid a large US military buildup in the region with a stated mission of combating drug trafficking, as well as more than two dozen strikes on alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea near the South American nation.

Critics have questioned the legality of the attacks, which have killed more than 100 people.

Shortly after Trump spoke, the US military announced it killed another person in a strike on a “low-profile vessel” suspected of carrying drugs in international waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Venezuela denies any involvement in drug trafficking and insists that Washington is seeking to overthrow Maduro to seize the country’s oil reserves, which are the world’s largest.

It has also condemned the US’s vessel seizures as acts of “international piracy”.

The escalating tensions preceded a United Nations Security Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday to address the growing crisis. The session was set at Venezuela’s request, which was backed by Russia and China.

Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov meanwhile expressed “deep concern” over the US’s Caribbean operations in a telephone conversation with Venezuelan counterpart Yvan Gil, warning of potential consequences for regional stability and international shipping.

Moscow “reaffirmed its full support for and solidarity with the Venezuelan leadership and people in the current context,” according to a Russian foreign ministry statement.

China also condemned the US’s latest moves as a “serious violation of international law”.

Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, stressed that Beijing “opposes any actions that violate the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and infringe upon the sovereignty and security of other countries”.

“Venezuela has the right to develop independently and engage in a mutually beneficial cooperation with other nations. China understands and supports Venezuela’s stance in safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests,” he added.

Gil, the Venezuelan foreign minister, meanwhile read a letter on state television, signed by Maduro and addressed to UN member nations, warning that the US blockade would disrupt global oil and energy supplies.

“Venezuela reaffirms its vocation for peace, but also declares with absolute clarity that it is prepared to defend its sovereignty, its territorial integrity and its resources in accordance with international law,” he said.

“However, we responsibly warn that these aggressions will not only impact Venezuela. The blockade and piracy against Venezuelan energy trade will affect oil and energy supply, increase instability in international markets, and hit the economies of Latin America, the Caribbean, and the world, especially in the most vulnerable countries,” he added.

Russian diplomat says Iran has ‘inalienable right’ to maintain peaceful nuclear program

By
IFP Media Wire
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Iran Nuclear Program

Ulyanov made the remarks in response to an X post by former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities.

Pompeo had said, “Iran is doing everything it can to reconstitute its nuclear program. We cannot allow this to happen.”

In a post on his X account, Ulyanov wrote that the former US foreign minister appears to be unaware that, under the NPT, Iran has “the inalienable right to maintain national nuclear program provided that it serves exclusively peaceful purposes.”

The Russian diplomat has previously stressed that any negotiations with Tehran must be confined strictly to nuclear-related issues.

Reiterating this position, Ulyanov shared a video of remarks made on Monday by Esmaeil Baqaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, who said, “the defensive capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran are designed to deter aggressors from any thought of attacking Iran and are by no means a matter that can be discussed or bargained over.”

Ulyanov commented, “Right. The talks should be devoted to nuclear issues only.”

He added that any attempt to broaden the scope of talks to include regional security or missile issues would render the entire process unrealistic, likening it to an effort to “hit three birds with one stone.”

 

Any US-Ukraine security guarantees will need congressional approval: Zelensky

By
IFP Media Wire
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Zelensky posted on the social platform X that his negotiating team was returning to Ukraine from talks with American officials in Miami.

“In my view, everything possible that we needed to do for the initial drafts had already been done. There are 20 points of the plan. Not everything is perfect so far, but this plan is in place,” Zelensky posted.

In a separate post, Zelensky laid out security guarantees that would be part of any agreement. Zelensky said officials were still discussing what the U.S. role in providing a military backstop would be, and acknowledged American security guarantees as a key point of disagreement.

“The key security guarantees that will be legally binding, voted on and supported by the U.S. Congress,” Zelensky wrote.

“This is precisely where the fundamental difference lies compared to the Budapest Memorandum, the Minsk agreements, or other arrangements. We are discussing the duration of these guarantees, their possible extension in the same format in which they are adopted.”

Other security guarantees included an army of 800,000 in Ukraine, which he said would require outside funding support, and membership in the European Union, which Zelensky said would provide economic and security assurances for Ukraine.

President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said Sunday that he, along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and White House senior adviser Josh Gruenbaum, “held productive and constructive meetings” with Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev to advance plans to end the war in Ukraine, which began in 2022 when Russian forces invaded.

But Yuri Ushakov, President Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide, said Monday that most of the peace plan proposals the U.S. offered were put forward by Ukraine and Europe and would not suit Russia, making the path forward murky.

 

At least two killed in clashes between Syrian armed forces, Kurdish troops in Aleppo

By
IFP Media Wire
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A medical source told Al Jazeera that two civilians were killed and 11 others wounded after SDF forces opened fire on Syrian security force positions near the Sheihan and Lairmoun roundabouts in Aleppo on Monday.

Dozens of families and local workers were also seen fleeing the area amid the violence, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported.

“We’ve heard reports of heavy machine-gun fire, mortar shelling [and] families being displaced,” Al Jazeera’s Ayman Oghanna reported from Damascus on Monday evening.

The Syrian Civil Defence said two of its rescuers were injured after the vehicle they were travelling in was fired upon by the SDF, while two children also suffered “various injuries” due to SDF gunfire at the Sheihan roundabout.

In a statement shared by SANA, Syria’s Ministry of Interior reported that two security personnel, including a soldier, were injured in what the ministry called a “treacherous” SDF attack against the country’s security forces.

“This evening, SDF forces stationed in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods in Aleppo committed a treacherous act against the Internal Security Forces stationed at joint checkpoints,” the ministry said.

The SDF had denied targeting civilian areas, accusing factions affiliated with the Syrian government of carrying out attacks – a claim rejected by Damascus.

After hours of fighting, the two sides agreed to halt firings late on Monday, with SANA citing the defence ministry as saying that the Syrian army’s general staff had issued “an order to stop targeting the sources of fire”.

The SDF also said it had “issued directives to our forces to cease responding to attacks”.

The violence came as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited Syria’s capital Damascus for talks with Syrian officials on the integration of the SDF into the country’s new army ahead of a looming deadline.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who came to power following the removal of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December of last year, signed a deal in March with the SDF to integrate the group into the country’s state institutions.

But the details of the integration process were left vague, and the deal’s implementation has stalled.

 

Iranian Zurkhaneh team win India World Cup

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The fifth edition of the World Cup in Zurkhaneh sports and Pahlevani wrestling began on Monday, with seven countries participating. Competing nations included Iran, Iraq, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Uganda, Tanzania, and host country India, with athletes competing in various disciplines.

In the team Zurkhaneh event held on Monday, Iran dominated the competition, scoring 745 points to secure first place.

Iraq followed with 372 points, and Azerbaijan took third place with 364 points. Uganda scored 314 points, Tanzania 241, Belarus 216, and India 192 points.

The tournament continued in individual Zurkhaneh events on Monday afternoon, with Pahlevani wrestling competitions scheduled for Tuesday.

22-year-old Iranian wrestling prodigy named world’s strongest Greco-Roman wrestler

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The United World Wrestling Federation selected Esmaeili for his unmatched performance and mastery in the sport this year.

In 2025, Esmaeili secured 11 decisive victories against his opponents during the World Championship and the Islamic Solidarity Games, clinching gold with authority and style.

Previously, Gholamreza Farrokhi was recognized as the emerging star of Greco-Roman wrestling, and the Iranian Greco-Roman team, ranked first in the world, was awarded the title of the best team.

China likely loaded more than 100 ICBMs in silo fields: US

By
IFP Media Wire
-

China is expanding and modernizing its weapons stockpile faster than any other nuclear-armed power. Beijing has described reports of a military buildup as efforts to “smear and defame China and deliberately mislead the international community.”

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he may be working on a plan to denuclearize with China and Russia. But the draft Pentagon report, which was seen by Reuters, said Beijing did not appear to be interested.

“We continue to see no appetite from Beijing for pursuing such measures or more comprehensive arms control discussions,” the report said.

In particular, the report added that China had likely put in more than 100 solid-fuelled DF-31 ICBMs in silo fields close to China’s border with Mongolia – the latest in a series of silo sites. The Pentagon had previously reported the existence of the fields but not the number of missiles loaded.

The draft Pentagon report did not identify any potential target of the reported newly placed missiles. U.S. officials noted that the report could change before it was sent to lawmakers.

The report said China’s nuclear warhead stockpile was still in the low 600s in 2024, which reflected “a slower rate of production when compared to previous years.”

But the report added that China’s nuclear expansion was ongoing and it was on track to have over 1,000 warheads by 2030.

China has announced it adheres to a “nuclear strategy of self-defense and pursues a no-first-use policy.”

Trump has stated he wants the United States to resume nuclear weapons testing, but it is unclear what form that will take.

The wide-ranging Pentagon report detailed China’s military build-up and said that “China expects to be able to fight and win a war on Taiwan by the end of 2027.”

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has never renounced use of force to “reunify” with the island.

Beijing was refining its military options to take Taiwan by “brute force,” the report said, adding that one option could include strikes 1,500-2,000 nautical miles from China.

“In sufficient volume, these strikes could seriously challenge and disrupt U.S. presence in or around a conflict in the Asia-Pacific region,” it added.

Maharloo Pink Lake comes back to life as flamingos return after autumn rains

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The natural revival has been accompanied by the return of flocks of flamingos, raising hopes for renewed tourism to the scenic lake near Shiraz.

EU deplores China dairy duties as ‘unjustified’

By
IFP Media Wire
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China’s salvo on Monday is the latest in a trade spat with the EU that spans from food to electric vehicles.

The “duty deposits”, which range from 21.9 percent to 42.7 percent, come into effect on Tuesday.

They hit a range of items including fresh and processed cheese, curd, blue cheese and some milk and cream, the commerce ministry in Beijing said in a statement.

Officials launched an anti-subsidy probe in August 2024 after receiving a request from the Dairy Association of China. The probe will conclude in February.

China’s commerce ministry said Monday that preliminary findings showed a link between EU subsidies and “substantial damage” to its domestic dairy industry.

European officials contested such conclusions.

“Our assessment is that the investigation is based on questionable allegations and insufficient evidence, and that the measures are therefore unjustified and unwarranted,” a European Commission trade spokesman said.

“Right now, the Commission is examining the preliminary determination and will provide comments to the Chinese authorities,” he added.

The fees on EU dairy come a week after Beijing said it would impose anti-dumping levies on EU pork imports for five years.

Those duties kicked in on December 17 and range from 4.9 percent to 19.8 percent — down from temporary levies of 15.6 to 62.4 percent that had been in place since September.

The two economic powerhouses have been locked in a trade spat fuelled by what many European countries view as an unbalanced economic relationship with China.

The current trade spat erupted in 2024 when the EU began moving towards imposing hefty tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, arguing that Beijing’s subsidies were unfairly undercutting European competitors.

Beijing denied that claim and announced what were widely seen as retaliatory probes into imported European pork, brandy and dairy products.

After the EU went ahead with the tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, Beijing forced EU brandy manufacturers to raise prices or face anti-dumping taxes of up to 34.9 percent.

The EU ran a trade deficit of more than $350 billion with China in 2024.

Alongside trade frictions, China and the EU are at odds on issues such as Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

 

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