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At least 13 killed in Israeli attack on Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon

By
IFP Media Wire
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The drone strike hit a car on Tuesday in the car park of a mosque in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp on the outskirts of the coastal city of Sidon, the Lebanese state-run National News Agency reported.

At least four people were wounded in the attack, the ministry said, adding that “ambulances are still transporting more wounded to nearby hospitals.”

Israel claimed it struck members of the Palestinian armed group Hamas who were operating in a training compound in the refugee camp.

“When we say we will not tolerate any threat on our northern border, this means all terrorist groups operating in the region,” the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a statement, adding, “We will continue to act forcefully against Hamas’s attempts to establish a foothold in Lebanon and eliminate its elements that threaten our security.”

Hamas denied Israel’s claim, calling it a “fabrication” and stressing the group doesn’t have training facilities in Lebanon’s refugee camps.

“The Zionist bombardment was a barbaric aggression against our innocent Palestinian people as well as Lebanon’s sovereignty,” it stressed in a statement.

Earlier on Tuesday, Lebanon said Israeli strikes on cars elsewhere in the country’s south killed two people.

Israel has killed several officials from Palestinian factions, including Hamas, in Lebanon since it launched its war on Gaza in October 2023, after Hamas led an attack on southern Israel.

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed at least 69,483 Palestinians and wounded 170,706. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive.

A day after Israel launched its war on Gaza, Hezbollah began firing rockets towards Israel, which responded with shelling and air strikes in Lebanon, and the two sides became locked in a conflict that Israel escalated into a full-blown war in late September 2024.

Israel’s war killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians. In Israel, 127 people were killed, including 80 soldiers.

The war halted in late November 2024 with a United States-brokered ceasefire, but since then, Israel has carried out dozens of air attacks on Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of trying to rebuild its capabilities.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry has reported more than 270 people killed and about 850 wounded by Israeli military actions since the ceasefire.

 

Son of former Tehran Friday prayer leader linked to alleged financial scam dies

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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According to a statement on Kazem Seddiqi’s official channel, Mohammad-Mehdi had been suffering from a severe liver condition in recent years and died at dawn on Wednesday.

Born in 1977 in Qom, he studied in the Qom seminary and later served as an administrative deputy at the Imam Khomeini Seminary.

Seddiqi’s name had previously circulated widely in Iranian media during the controversy over the high-value “Ozgol Garden,” in northern Tehran, after documents were published alleging the unlawful transfer of the property to him, his father, and his brother.

Reports at the time stated that he held a 25 percent share of the property.
Following public scrutiny, Kazem Seddiqi said he had been unaware of the transfer and claimed his signature had been forged, later returning the property to the seminary under his supervision.

Media outlets, including Tasnim News, also reported that Mohammad-Mehdi Seddiqi had faced financial accusations and had been detained for a period, though he was at home at the time of his death.

A cleric close to the family wrote that Mohammad-Mehdi had recently expressed severe distress over the controversies.

Caspian Sea water levels drop one meter in five years, Iran warns of escalating environmental crisis

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Caspian Sea

Ahmadreza Lahijanzadeh, Deputy for Marine and Wetland Affairs, issued the warning during an environmental panel at a meeting of governors from Caspian littoral provinces.

Calling the Caspian the world’s largest lake and a shared heritage of the five coastal states, he said the sea supports millions of people and contains more than 2,800 plant and animal species.

Lahijanzadeh noted that the continued decline in water levels over the past decade has already resulted in drying wetlands, habitat loss, declining fish stocks, coastal dust storms, reduced port operations, and damage to tourism.

He attributed the crisis to climate-related factors and reduced river inflows, cautioning that the trajectory could lead to irreversible consequences if unaddressed.

Lahijanzadeh also highlighted overfishing, degradation of river habitats, diminishing sturgeon populations, and the spread of invasive species.

He presented Iran’s proposal for joint action, including a regional rescue plan, a 25-year scientific monitoring program, coordinated water-resource management, strengthened protection of aquatic species, implementation of the Moscow Protocol on pollution control, and creation of a shared environmental fund.

He urged the five Caspian states to adopt genuine cooperation, saying today’s decisions will shape the future of coastal communities.

9/11 families criticize MbS White House office comments

By
IFP Media Wire
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“The crown prince knows nothing of the pain of the 9/11 families,” Terry Strada, national chair of the 9/11 Families United, said in a statement to The Hill.

“He is actively working to impede our efforts to ensure extensive evidence of Saudi government support for al-Qaeda and the terrorist hijackers are brought to light, harboring a former agent that produced a casing video of the U.S. Capitol building, and trying to rewrite history with investments.”

“We aren’t buying it, our allies in Congress aren’t buying it, and neither are the American people,” Strada added.

Strada was reacting to specific remarks made by Bin Salman.

Bin Salman during a press appearance with Trump said he felt “pain about the families of 9/11 in America” after an ABC News reporter said the victims of families were “furious” about his Oval Office visit.

The crown prince said that “we have to focus on reality” and claimed opponents of his kingdom were interfering with Saudi and American relations.

During the meeting, Bin Salman stated that U.S. and Saudi intelligence found that Osama bin Laden hire Saudi citizens to cause a riff between the two countries. Saudi Arabia has sought to get civil case from the families against the country’s government ended.

Trump and the crown prince met to discuss a weapons agreement, including the U.S. selling the Saudi’s F-35s, mineral deals and other technology-based agreements. The president is next scheduled to attend the U.S.-Saudi Business Forum at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Wednesday.

The meeting was also criticized for the crown prince’s alleged role in the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. A critic of the Kingdom, Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi embassy in Turkey in October 2018. A U.S. intelligence report found that the crown prince approved an operation to capture or kill Khashoggi.

Trump defended Bin Salman in 2018 and again on Tuesday, when he claimed the crown prince “knew nothing about” Khashoggi’s murder.

“You’re mentioning somebody who was extremely controversial,” Trump told one reporter on Tuesday, referring to Khashoggi.

“A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him, or didn’t like him, things happen. But he knew nothing about it. And you can leave it at that. You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that,” Trump stressed.

Bin Salman said that his Kingdom had taken steps to investigate Khashoggi’s killing, and charged five people with the murder and commuted death sentences to decades in prison.

Khashoggi’s widow, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, wrote in a post on the social media platform X that there “is no justification to murder my husband.”

“While Jamal was a good transparent and brave man many people may not have agreed with his opinions and desire for freedom of the press,” she posted, adding, “The Crown Prince said he was sorry so he should meet me, apologize and compensate me for the murder of my husband.”

 

Iran’s envoy cautions US-drafted resolution on Gaza must not be used to shield Israel

By
IFP Media Wire
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Gaza War

Iravani delivered the remarks on Tuesday during a session of the UN’s Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee).

He cautioned that while many Security Council members had supported the measure in hopes of halting Israeli bloodshed, its mechanisms risked sidestepping the UN’s authority and diluting the core rights of the Palestinian people.

The resolution, passed on Monday, endorses establishment of an “International Stabilization Force (ISF)” in Gaza under a 20-point plan devised by Donald Trump. The US president says the plan is aimed at ending the Israeli regime’s war of genocide on the coastal sliver that began in October 2023.

Iravani emphasized that the resolution’s implementation must not infringe on Palestinian rights, particularly the right to self-determination, statehood, and territorial integrity.

“Gaza is an integral part of Palestinian territory,” he said, insisting it must be governed by a Palestinian transitional body and remain protected from annexation or forced displacement.

The ambassador stressed that ending the war, while essential, was not sufficient. Justice and accountability, he said, remained central obligations of the international community.

“The masterminds and perpetrators of genocide and crimes against humanity in Gaza must be prosecuted,” he declared, adding, “The decades-long culture of impunity surrounding the Israeli regime must finally end.”

Citing UN-verified data, Iravani noted that nearly 70,000 civilians, mostly women and children, had been killed as a result of Tel Aviv’s unrestrained military assault.

The ambassador lamented that Tel Aviv had openly defied the International Court of Justice, while carrying out a campaign of starvation, siege, and systematic destruction in Gaza.

The envoy described the regime’s “weaponization of starvation” in Gaza, through blockade, aid obstruction, and destruction of civilian infrastructure, as not only a war crime, but a direct assault on Palestinians’ inalienable rights.

The official cautioned that the regime’s rejection of the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion – ordering an end to its unlawful occupation, evacuation of its illegal settlers, and unimpeded humanitarian access – showed it was intent on dismantling global legal norms.

 

 

Advisor to Iranian Leader outlines conditions for renewed talks with US, rejects limits on Iran’s missile, nuclear programs

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Speaking in an interview with CNN, Kamal Kharrazi stressed that Washington must take the first step to demonstrate readiness to engage on terms set by Tehran.

Kharrazi reiterated that Iran will not halt uranium enrichment, describing it as essential for nuclear fuel production and medical needs, though he said the level of enrichment could be subject to negotiation.

He added that Iran’s nuclear program is indigenous and cannot be dismantled by force.

He also stated that the Leader’s fatwa (religious decree) prohibiting nuclear weapons is “unchangeable.”

On missiles, Kharrazi ruled out any negotiations, calling Iran’s ballistic program non-negotiable and vital for national defense.

On the US-Israeli strikes earlier this year on Iranian nuclear facilities, including Natanz and Fordow, he said the extent of damage is still under assessment.

Addressing US President Donald Trump, Kharrazi said a “positive approach” would be met with reciprocity, but warned that any use of force against Iran “will not work.”

EU says its ability to pressure China over Ukraine is limited

By
IFP Media Wire
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Speaking at a Bloomberg event, Kallas explained that, due to deep economic ties with the European Union, Beijing could “cause damage” to the bloc’s countries in response to sanctions.

“China is acting very smartly by increasing its geopolitical influence,” she said.

Earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that China seeks an end to the Ukrainian crisis and will play a constructive role in promoting its political settlement.

As the Chinese diplomat noted, China maintains a consistent position on the Ukraine issue, “based on the essence of the matter itself, adhering to the principles of fairness and objectivity.”

Russia and China have intensified cooperation since the Ukraine conflict escalated in February of 2022, with Beijing becoming the main buyer of Russian oil after the West imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow. The two nations now describe their relations as a strategic partnership “without limits.”

SCO PMs declare UNSC Resolution 2231 expired

By
IFP Media Wire
-

The closing statement by member states on Tuesday opposed the West’s unilateral coercive measures, including economic sanctions, that violate the UN Charter and international law.

Leaders warned that such measures obstruct global cooperation and hinder the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Delegations also highlighted the importance of preserving the spirit of inclusivity and consensus that underpinned the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, noting that under operative paragraph 8, its provisions have lost validity.

The United States and its European allies have imposed numerous sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, claiming that the country seeks nuclear weapons.

Iran has repeatedly denied the allegation, citing regular IAEA inspections over decades that proved the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities, as well as Islamic teachings banning the development of weapons of mass destruction.

The parties signed a 2015 deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that lifted sanctions in exchange for confidence-building curbs on Iran’s nuclear activities.

However, the deal was derailed by the 2018 US withdrawal and the failure of the E3 (Britain, France, and Germany) to fully abide by their commitments under the accord.

Iran and the United States held five rounds of talks earlier this year to explore a replacement for the 2015 deal, whose endorsing UN resolution was due to expire shortly, but to no avail.

On the eve of the sixth round of talks, Israel and the United States launched a 12-day campaign of aggression against Iran in June, killing hundreds of people and damaging the country’s scientific and military infrastructure.

After the aggression, the E3 claimed they were activating the 2015 deal’s so-called snapback mechanism to restore UN sanctions against Tehran just before the resolution was set to expire.

However, Iran, Russia, China, and some other countries have rejected the claim, arguing that the E3 first dishonored their commitments under the deal and cannot use it to prevent the resolution’s expiration.

That stance was further supported by the SCO during Tuesday’s meeting.

At the close of the summit, SCO prime ministers signed a comprehensive cooperation document covering economic development, transportation, and social support, underscoring the organization’s drive to deepen integration among member states.

The document was also signed by Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, who attended the meeting at the head of a political delegation.

 

US holding secret peace talks with Russia to end Ukraine war: Axios

By
IFP Media Wire
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Russia Ukraine War
Red Cross volunteers help local residents to evacuate from the city of Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi in Kharkiv region, Ukraine.

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian Envoy Kirill Dmitriev have extensively discussed the 28-point peace plan, an unnamed U.S. official said.

Dmitriev described the secretive peace deal optimistically, saying that, unlike in the past, “we feel the Russian position is really being heard.”

Russia has repeatedly issued maximalist demands to Kyiv in previous direct peace talks, including that Ukraine give up its NATO aspirations, demilitarize, and cede territory that Kyiv controls.

The secretive peace deal reportedly focuses on peace in Ukraine, security in Europe, security guarantees, and U.S. relations with Kyiv and Moscow in the future.

Dmitriev met with Witkoff and other senior members of the White House administration in Miami from Oct. 24-26, the Russian official told Axios.

“It’s actually a much broader framework, basically saying, ‘How do we really bring, finally, lasting security to Europe, not just Ukraine,'” Dmitriev claimed.

The two sides hope to produce a written document before U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin next meet, Dmitriev stated, adding that a Budapest summit still remains off the table.

The proposed meeting was called off by Trump on Oct. 25, who said he felt it would not be productive as the White House continues efforts to broker a peace deal.

Meanwhile, Witkoff’s planned meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey has reportedly been postponed, according to Ukrainian and U.S. officials.

National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov has already discussed the secretive peace deal with Witkoff at a separate meeting in Miami a week earlier, unnamed Ukrainian officials told Axios.

The White House has begun briefing Ukrainian and European officials on the new plan, an unnamed U.S. official said.

 

Trump hosts Saudi Arabia’s crown prince at White House

By
IFP Media Wire
-

The White House rolled the literal red carpet out for Prince Mohammed, known as MBS, on Tuesday. Trump greeted him with a ceremony that featured marching bands, flag-carrying horsemen and a military flyover.

The opulent display of hospitality signalled Trump’s embrace of what he sees as a new Middle East driven by financial investments and US partnerships with allies in the region, chiefly Saudi Arabia.

After Prince Mohammed’s arrival through the South Portico, he and Trump took questions from journalists in the Oval Office. The two leaders spoke of business opportunities, peace, artificial intelligence and the tech business.

The Trump-MBS meeting also led to major announcements, including in the already strong defence relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia.

Here are the key takeaways from the meeting:

‘Good talks’ on Saudi Arabia-Israel ties

In recent months, Trump has repeatedly said he would like Saudi Arabia to join the so-called Abraham Accords, which established formal relations between Israel and several Arab countries.

On Tuesday, Prince Mohammed and Trump signalled possible progress on the issue without providing details or a timeline for a potential deal. The crown prince, however, did reiterate that Riyadh wants to advance the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of a potential agreement.

“We believe having a good relation with all Middle Eastern countries is a good thing, and we want to be part of the Abraham Accords,” Prince Mohammed told reporters.

“But we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path [to a] two-state solution. And today we have a healthy discussion with Mr President that we’ve got to work on that, to be sure that we can prepare the right situation as soon as possible to have that.”

Saudi officials have previously stressed that Riyadh is committed to the Arab Peace Initiative, which conditions the recognition of Israel on the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Trump stated that he had “good talks” with Prince Mohammed about the issue.

“We talked about one state, two states. We talked about a lot of things. In a short period of time, we’ll be discussing it further too,” the US president added.

Major non-NATO ally status for Saudi Arabia and a defence deal

At a black-tie dinner he hosted at the White House for the Saudi leader, Trump announced the US has decided to recognise Riyadh as a “major non-NATO ally”.

That status allows a country expedited access to US military hardware, sales and other cooperation without some of the elaborate licensing protocols that other buyers of advanced American weapons systems need to go through.

Saudi Arabia joins 19 other countries that are major non-NATO allies of the US: Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, South Korea, Thailand and Tunisia. The US also treats Taiwan at par with major non-NATO allies.

Separately, the White House announced that Trump and MBS signed a strategic defence agreement “that strengthens our more than 80-year defense partnership and fortifies deterrence across the Middle East”. Details of the agreement are unclear, but the White House said it would secure “new burden-sharing funds from Saudi Arabia to defray US costs” and would affirm that the “Kingdom views the United States as its primary strategic partner”.

The agreement comes weeks after Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defence agreement with Pakistan following Israel’s September attack on Qatar, which had sparked concerns across the region over whether the US could be trusted by its Gulf allies as a security partner.

On Monday, Trump confirmed that he will authorise the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.

During the meeting with MBS, he stated the jets would not be downgraded to ensure Israel’s military superiority in the region, a departure from a US policy known as “qualitative military edge”.

“They’d like you to get planes of reduced calibre. I don’t think that makes you too happy,” he told the Saudi crown prince.

“They’ve been a great ally. Israel has been a great ally, and we’re looking at that exactly right now. But as far as I’m concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line.”

Trump says Iran wants deal

Trump once again expressed pride in the US strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities in June.

“We did that on behalf of everybody, and the outcome was extraordinary because we have the best pilots, the best equipment, the best planes, the best everything,” he said.

The US president later shifted to a softer tone on Iran, claiming Tehran is seeking a diplomatic resolution with Washington, which has sought the dismantlement of its nuclear programme.

“I am totally open to it, and we’re talking to them,” Trump added.

“And we start a process. But it would be a nice thing to have a deal with Iran. And we could have done it before the war, but that didn’t work out. And something will happen there, I think.”

Saudi Arabia’s official news agency, SPA, had reported that MBS had received a handwritten letter addressed to him from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian before his trip to Washington. No details were available about its content.

On Tuesday, Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia would back a US-Iran deal.

“We will do our best to help to reach a deal between the United States of America and Iran,” he told reporters.

“And we believe it’s good for Iran’s future to have a good deal that would satisfy the region and the world and the United States of America,” he added.

$1 trillion in investments?

At the outset of the two leaders’ public remarks, Trump expressed gratitude for anticipated Saudi investments in the US, which he said will be in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

“I want to thank you because you’ve agreed to invest $600bn into the United States. And because he’s my friend, he might make it $1 trillion, but I’m going to have to work on him,” Trump said.

He added that the Saudi funds will create jobs and resources for US companies and Wall Street investment firms.

For his part, MBS said the Saudi investments in the US will likely rise to $1 trillion.

“The agreement that we are signing today in many areas – in technology and AI, in rare materials, magnet, etc – that will create a lot of investment opportunities,” he added.

The crown prince echoed Trump’s assessment that the US is now the “hottest country” in the world, adding that the kingdom wants to be part of the “foundation of emerging technologies” in the US.

Praise and smiles

Trump and MBS were all smiles as they exchanged flattering comments from the moment the crown prince arrived at the White House.

At one point, Trump reached for Prince Mohammed’s hand and held it as he criticised former US President Joe Biden for giving MBS only a fist bump when he visited Riyadh during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

“I grabbed that hand. I don’t give a hell where that hand’s been,” Trump said.

The US president described the Saudi crown prince as “fantastic” and “brilliant”.

“We have an extremely respected man in the Oval Office today, and a friend of mine for a long time – very good friend of mine,” Trump added.

“I’m very proud of the job he’s done. What he’s done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else.”

The US president went on to rebuke an ABC News reporter for asking a challenging question of Prince Mohammed, accusing her of disrespecting his guest.

When the same journalist later asked Trump why he would not voluntarily release government files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Trump said ABC News’s broadcasting licence should be revoked.

“You’re a terrible person and a terrible reporter,” he added.

 

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