Friday, December 26, 2025
Home Blog Page 456

Tehran-Van passenger train resumes operation after five-year hiatus

The train, initially launched in July 2019 as part of a bilateral effort to boost regional cooperation and tourism, was halted shortly after its inauguration. Following recent agreements between Iran and Turkey, the service has now been restored, with the first train departing on Sunday.

According to Nasser Bakhtiari, CEO of Iran’s Raja Rail Transportation Company, the Tehran-Van train will operate twice a week, departing Tehran on Sundays and Wednesdays and returning from Van on Mondays and Thursdays.

The journey, which includes customs clearance at Razi (Iran) and Kapiköy (Turkey) border stations, takes approximately 22 hours each way.

The four-star “Sareer” train used for this route has a four-bed compartment system and a passenger capacity of 280 people per trip.

Bakhtiari emphasized that passengers must adhere to the regulations of both countries, which have been previously announced, to avoid any issues during their journey.

Iran’s first air taxi becomes operational

In this flight, a small Piper aircraft belonging to the Iranian airline Atlas, transported passengers from Karaj to the city of Qazvin, located 140 kilometers from Tehran.

Air taxis are considered a system of air transportation that uses small aircraft and commercial jets to move passengers on short to medium routes, especially in metropolitan areas and congested regions.

In Iran, air taxi services were operational long ago, but due to a lack of infrastructure development, they gradually faded away.

The Iranian airline Atlas offers innovative services in Iran’s aviation industry with a fleet of 10 air taxis, accommodating between 2 to 35 passengers.

US vetoes G7 proposal to establish task force on Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’: Bloomberg

The move aligns with the Donald Trump administration’s efforts to soften its stance on Russia in international institutions as well as in joint statements.

Trump, who has called on both Russia and Ukraine to make concessions to end the war, has repeated Kremlin narratives ahead of formalized peace negotiations.

The shadow fleet refers to aging and largely uninsured oil tankers that Russia uses to transport oil above the $60 per barrel price cap that the EU, the U.S., and G7 countries imposed in December 2022 as part of the effort to cut Moscow’s fossil fuels revenue.

In recent months, shadow fleet vessels have been suspected of sabotage operations in the Baltic Sea, causing major damage to undersea cables.

In addition to vetoing the task force, the United States has sought to ease rhetoric used towards Russia, pushing, in a joint G7 draft statement, to remove the word “sanctions,” as well as citing Russia’s “ability to maintain its war” in Ukraine by replacing it with “earn revenue,” Bloomberg reported.

The final joint statement has not been finalized ahead of next week’s G7 meeting in Canada and is subject to change.

The wording in the G7 statement aligns with previous moves by the U.S. at international institutions. On Feb. 24, the day of the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the U.S. voted against a resolution at the UN General Assembly condemning Russia’s full-scale invasion, with 93 countries voting in favor and 18 against.

The General Assembly later passed a separate U.S. resolution marking the third anniversary of the invasion. That resolution also received 93 votes in favor but avoided directly calling Russia the aggressor.

A few days later, the United States abstained from signing a statement by members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) condemning Russian aggression on Feb. 26, breaking from its Western allies.

US ends Iraq’s waiver to buy Iranian electricity

Iraq Electricity

The decision to let Iraq’s waiver lapse upon its expiration “ensures we do not allow Iran any degree of economic or financial relief,” the spokesperson said, adding that Trump’s campaign on Iran aims “to end its nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program and stop it from supporting terrorist groups.”

Trump restored “maximum pressure” on Iran in one of his first acts after returning to office in January. In his first term, he pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear accord.

The U.S. government has announced it wants to isolate Iran from the global economy and eliminate its oil export revenues in order to slow Tehran’s development of a nuclear weapon.

Iran denies pursuing nuclear weapons and says its program is peaceful.

Washington has imposed a range of sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program and support for militant organizations, effectively banning countries that do business with Iran from doing business with the U.S.

“President Trump has been clear that the Iranian Regime must cease its ambitions for a nuclear weapon or face Maximum Pressure,” stated National Security spokesperson James Hewitt.

“We hope the regime will put the interests of its people and the region ahead of its destabilizing policies.”

Trump initially granted waivers to several buyers to meet consumer energy needs when he reimposed sanctions on Iran’s energy exports in 2018, citing its nuclear program and what the U.S. calls its meddling in the Middle East.

His administration and that of Joe Biden repeatedly renewed Iraq’s waiver while urging Baghdad to reduce its dependence on Iranian electricity. The State Department spokesperson reiterated that call on Saturday.

“We urge the Iraqi government to eliminate its dependence on Iranian sources of energy as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said, adding, “Iran is an unreliable energy supplier.”

The U.S. has used the waiver review in part to increase pressure on Baghdad to allow Kurdish crude oil exports via Turkey, sources have told Reuters. The aim is to boost supply to the global market and keep prices in check, giving the U.S. more room to pursue efforts to choke off Iranian oil exports.

Iraq’s negotiations with the semi-autonomous Kurdish region over the oil export resumption have been fraught so far.

“Iraq’s energy transition provides opportunities for U.S. companies, which are world-leading experts in increasing the productivity of power plants, improving electricity grids, and developing electricity interconnections with reliable partners,” the State Department spokesperson said.

The spokesperson played down the impact of Iranian electricity imports on Iraq’s power grid, adding, “In 2023, electricity imports from Iran were only 4% of electricity consumption in Iraq.”

Iran’s Hosseini named in AFC Champions League Round of 16 Best XI

The announcement comes after his standout performance in a goalless draw against Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr last week at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium.

Hosseini played a pivotal role in securing the clean sheet, making several crucial saves to keep Esteghlal’s hopes alive ahead of the second leg.

His efforts have earned him recognition as one of the top performers in the first-leg matches of the tournament’s knockout stage.

Esteghlal will face Al-Nassr again on Monday in the second leg, aiming to advance to the quarterfinals.

The Iranian side will rely on Hosseini’s leadership and goalkeeping prowess as they seek to overcome their Saudi opponents and continue their journey in Asia’s premier club competition.

Israel, Hamas signal readiness for next ceasefire negotiations

Gaza War

Hamas announced there were “positive indicators” for the start of the ceasefire’s second-phase talks but did not elaborate.

Israel also said it was preparing for talks.

“Israel has accepted the invitation of the mediators backed by the U.S., and will send a delegation to Doha on Monday in an effort to advance the negotiations,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office noted.

A delegation from Hamas is engaging in ceasefire talks in Cairo with Egyptian mediators who have been helping facilitate the talks along with officials from Qatar. They aim to proceed to the next stage of the deal, which could open the way to ending the war.

“We affirm our readiness to engage in the second-phase negotiations in a way that meets the demands of our people, and we call for intensified efforts to aid the Gaza Strip and lift the blockade on our suffering people,” Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua stated in a statement.

In a later statement reporting its delegation’s meeting with the head of Egypt’s general intelligence agency, Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, Hamas affirmed the group’s approval of forming a committee of what it described as “national and independent” characters to run Gaza until elections.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi earlier said Cairo had worked in cooperation with Palestinians on creating an administrative committee of independent, professional Palestinian technocrats entrusted with the governance of the besieged enclave after the end of the war.

His remarks came during the Arab summit which adopted Egypt’s alternative reconstruction plan for Gaza, as opposed to U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Middle East Riviera” vision.

The Gaza ceasefire agreement that took effect in January calls for the remaining 59 hostages in Hamas captivity to be freed in a second phase, during which final plans would be negotiated for an end to the war.

The first phase of the ceasefire ended last week. Israel has since imposed a total blockade on all goods entering the enclave, demanding that Hamas free the remaining hostages without beginning the negotiations to end the Gaza war.

Fighting has been halted since January 19 and Hamas has released 33 Israeli hostages and five Thais for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Israeli authorities believe fewer than half of the remaining 59 hostages are still alive.

Israel’s aggression on the enclave has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. It has also internally displaced nearly Gaza’s entire population and led to accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies.

The assault began after Hamas-led fighters raided southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Iran, China, Russia to stage joint naval exercise soon

Iranian Navy

In the seventh joint exercise of the Maritime Security Belt 2025, naval groups from Russia and China, along with observers from Azerbaijan Republic, South Africa, Oman, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Qatar, Iraq, the UAE, and Sri Lanka, will participate alongside vessels from the Navy of the Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps in the Northern Indian Ocean.

This exercise aims to enhance security and sustainable maritime interactions in the Northern Indian Ocean and to strengthen relations between the strategic navies of the Iranian Army, the People’s Republic of China, and the Russian Federation in designing and executing joint maritime operations.

Demonstrating the authority of the Iranian Army’s Navy in international arenas, enhancing the professional capabilities of the strategic Navy, and developing Iran’s maritime diplomacy are also among the objectives of this exercise.

1 killed, another injured in Israeli air strike on southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

Lebanon War

Lebanon’s official National News Agency NNA quoted the Public Health Emergency Operations Center, affiliated with the Ministry of Health, as saying that “an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in Khirbet Selm resulted in the martyrdom of one citizen and the injury of another.”

The Israeli army carried out a drone strike on a vehicle in Khirbet Selm in the city of Bint Jbeil in the Nabatieh governorate, the agency reported earlier, confirming injuries without specifying the number.

While the agency did not give more details of the attack or the target, the Israeli army admitted in a statement that it had carried out a drone strike in southern Lebanon, claiming to have targeted a Hezbollah operative.

As of yet, Hezbollah has not issued a statement in response to the Israeli claims.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Lebanon since Nov. 27, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah that escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.

But Lebanese authorities have reported nearly 1,100 Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including the deaths of at least 84 people and injuries to more than 280.​​​​​​​

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Israel refused to comply. It still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.

Hundreds killed as Syria forces battle Assad loyalists

Syria’s interim government has sent reinforcements to coastal cities in the country’s northwest where security forces have been engaged in heavy battles with fighters loyal to al-Assad.

The violence, which has reportedly killed hundreds of people, including many civilians, presents the most serious challenge yet to new government’s authority since it took power following al-Assad’s removal in December 2024.

Security forces on Saturday announced they had regained control of much of the areas in Tartous and Latakia governorates, where al-Assad loyalists carried out co-ordinated attacks at checkpoints, security convoys and military positions on Thursday.

Syria’s state news agency SANA quoted an unidentified security official as saying that after the attacks, numerous people went to the coastal areas seeking revenge for the assault on government security forces. The official said the actions “led to some individual violations and we are working on stop them”.

A curfew remains in effect in Latakia and other coastal areas that are predominantly home to al-Assad’s minority Alawite sect and make up his longtime base of support.

In his first public comments since the surge in violence, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday called on the fighters to lay down their weapons and surrender “before it is too late”.

Al-Sharaa, who commanded the opposition forces that removed al-Assad after nearly 14 years of war, said government forces would “pursue the remnants of the fallen regime” and bring them “to a fair court”.

On Friday night, Hasan Abdel-Ghani, spokesperson for the Syrian Ministry of Defence, told Al Jazeera that fighters loyal the previous day had attacked security forces in several places in Latakia and Tartous governorates, killing “a number of security forces” in what he described as well-planned operations.

The UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen has said he was “deeply alarmed” by the developments.

“While the situation remains fluid and we are still determining the precise facts, there is clearly an immediate need for restraint from all parties, and full respect for the protection of civilians in accordance with international law,” Pedersen stated in a statement.

“All parties should refrain from actions that could further inflame tensions, escalate conflict, exacerbate the suffering of affected communities, destabilize Syria, and jeopardise a credible and inclusive political transition.”

The violence shakes al-Sharaa’s efforts to consolidate control amid ongoing Western sanctions and security challenges, including the presence of Israeli soldiers in the country’s southwest.

Iranian political analyst: US not trustworthy for negotiations

Here is the full text of Mehdi Fazaeli’s op-ed:

“The Satan Himself, Unretouched!”

God the Almighty says in Verse 6 of Surah Fatir in the Holy Quran, “Verily Satan is an enemy to you; so treat him as an enemy”.

The Quran issues this warning because many a man fails to notice Satan’s enmity despite his undoubted hostility and even treats him as a friend!

If we look around carefully, we come to realize that this bitter reality is universal and that not only have some people failed to notice Satan’s enmity, but they have also taken him for a friend and taken refuge in his embrace!

Imam Khomeini, the deep-thinking scholar of our age, described the US as “The Grand Satan”. Thus, we can consider America as the epitome of this Quranic warning of our times. On this basis, the US is our main enemy. So we should treat him as an enemy. Nevertheless, some people have acted and are acting in contradiction to the Quran’s emphasis, which is regrettable.

The Grand Satan of our age, has successed in fooling or intimidating naive people in many parts of the world through adorning its ugly and disgusting face with attractive and beautiful slogans such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and the likes, and, of course, thanks to its economic, scientific and military power.

But at times, such as now, the deceptive mask has fallen off its ugly face and the world has found an opportunity to see the true face of the Satan unretouched, thus learning a lesson.

The US’s role in manufacturing the Coronavirus and contaminating the world with the wicked virus, which was revealed recently by Elon Musk, head of the US Department of Government Efficiency of the Trump administration; Trump’s empty encroachments on Canada, Panama and Greenland; Washington’s withdrawal from some international organizations and treaties such as the Paris Climate Pact and the World Health Organization; the US sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague due to its issuance of an arrest warning for Netanyahu; the unprecedented move to sell some weapons to the Zionist regime, the unprecedented humiliation of the Ukrainian president; threatening to arrest students and academics in the US; cutting budges; and firings are all interesting examples that would help know the true and evil face of the US.

The moves exude no signs of freedom, human rights and democracy. Some people could credulously think that Trump is an exceptional figure and different from the reality of the US. One should ask these people, “What system swept Trump to the White House twice? Didn’t Biden approve some of key orders issued by Trump after taking office? Is trump facing any stiff resistance within the US ruling system? These signs and dozens of others prove that Trump is the United States of America itself. Only without a velvet cover and unretouched. We, along the rest of the world, must make the best of this opportunity to know the Grand Satan, which is our enemy and the enemy of all humanity, and to stand up against its greed. Otherwise, we risk further emboldening this insatiable beast and making it more ferocious, and it will throw its claws to every corner of the world, thus inflicting irreparable costs.

And this could be the very scorching fire of which God the Almighty warns elsewhere in Verse 6 of Surah Fatir!