Friday, December 26, 2025
type here...
Home Blog Page 520

Iranian foreign minister to visit Afghanistan ‘soon’

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Abbas Araghchi

The embassy posted on its X account, “Araghchi’s upcoming visit to Afghanistan.”

Reacting to the announcement, the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Araghchi’s visit as a “constructive step” toward strengthening bilateral relations and stated that the visit could “usher in a new phase” for the relations between the two countries.

Zaker Jalali, the Third Political Director at the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on his X account, “The shared political, economic, and security interests between Afghanistan and Iran present an opportunity to enhance bilateral cooperation.”

The visit marks Araghchi’s first trip to Kabul since assuming his position.

Representatives from various ministries and an economic and trade delegation will accompany the foreign minister, according to IRNA.

During the visit, a range of topics and issues of mutual interest are expected to be discussed.

In recent years, Iranian officials have frequently addressed Iran’s water rights from the Hirmand River, known as Helmand in Afghanistan.

Besides Iran’s water rights, it appears that Araghchi’s visit is also related to issues of terrorism, narcotics and millions of illegal Afghan refugees in Iran.

Gaza death toll climbs as ceasefire allows rescuers to search rubble

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Gaza War

According to the latest figures from the Palestinian health ministry, the death toll in Gaza from the 15-month war has risen to 47,107, with an additional 111,147 wounded, as assessments of the scale of destruction continue.

Since the ceasefire, over 248 people have been added to the death toll, including 183 bodies found under the rubble.

The ministry noted on Wednesday that 54 dead bodies were transported to hospitals in the past 24 hours, 53 of them retrieved from destroyed buildings, along with 19 wounded.

Meanwhile, civil defence crews in the enclave announced that while searching through the rubble, they retrieved over 66 bodies on Tuesday and another 62 on Monday.

“We are waiting for difficult and arduous tasks represented in searching for the bodies of more than 10,000 martyrs, who are still under the rubble of destroyed homes, buildings and facilities, not registered in the martyrs’ statistics,” they said in a press release on Sunday.

Civil defence forces themselves have suffered tremendous loss, with about 48 percent of their staff killed, wounded or imprisoned.

After over 15 months of war, Palestinians are uncovering the mass destruction wrought by Israel onto the enclave, with the most recent statistics from the government media office on Tuesday placing the estimate of bombs dropped on Gaza at 100,000 tonnes of explosives.

The bombing campaign has destroyed 88 percent of the strip’s infrastructure and residential areas, including homes, sewage networks, electricity grids and water lines.

Israeli forces have violated the provisions of the ceasefire agreement several times since it came into effect on Sunday morning.

The Israeli army has carried out several attacks across the strip, firing live bullets and directly targeting civilians, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Reports have also emerged of booby traps being placed in houses and other infrastructure just hours before the truce began, including one instance in a ​​​​​home in northern Gaza that left several people wounded.

Wafa correspondents confirmed on Sunday that 10 Palestinians were admitted to al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City after being injured by unexploded ordnance left behind by Israeli forces near the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

The Israeli army has completely destroyed 161,600 housing units, rendered 81,000 homes uninhabitable and partially destroyed 194,000 others, according to the latest government office assessments.

Around 216 government headquarters and 42 sports facilities were also damaged during Israel’s 15-month bombardment.

The educational sector has been severely impacted, with 137 schools and universities completely destroyed and 357 partially demolished.

Religious infrastructure in the enclave was also targeted, with three churches and over 832 mosques destroyed. Additionally, 206 archaeological and heritage sites were wrecked during Israel’s shelling campaign.

Gaza’s water networks have also been largely damaged, with around 330,000m of infrastructure left in ruins.

Trump redesignates Yemen’s Houthis as foreign terrorist organization

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Yemen Houthi

Trump signed an executive order that starts the process to relist the group as an FTO in the coming weeks. The White House cited “Houthi rebels’ attacks on U.S. Navy ships, commercial vessels and civilian infrastructure in the Middle East”.

The move puts back in place the designation that Trump imposed on the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, during his first term. The action was reversed by the Joe Biden administration over concerns that blacklisting the militant group would prevent aid from getting into Yemen.

The designation is intended to disrupt financial support to such a group, giving the Treasury Department more latitude to issue sanctions and signal to other foreign governments, people or businesses that they could lose access to the U.S. financial system if they engage with the sanctioned group.

Wednesday’s order also directed the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the secretary of State to review any United Nations affiliates, contractors and nongovernmental organizations operating in Yemen. The White House announced Trump would direct USAID to end its relationship with any groups that make payments to the Houthis following that review.

Trump’s designation of the Houthis as an FTO during his first term drew rare pushback from Republicans in Congress, largely over humanitarian concerns.

The Biden White House last week in one of its final foreign policy actions designated the Houthis as a specially designated global terrorist group. The move was not set to take effect for 30 days, but it was touted as a way to restrict the Houthis’ funding and access to financial markets.

The Houthis have stressed their attacks are in support of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Iran’s Interests Section Office prioritizes assistance to Los Angeles Iranians

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
US Fire

Expressing sympathy for those impacted by the fires in an exclusive interview with IRNA, Abolfazl Mehrabadi stated that the office has communicated various means of assistance to the affected individuals.

He emphasized that many Iranians who lost their documents and passports in the initial fires received expedited, cost-free replacements.

Highlighting the significant losses faced by many Iranians in Los Angeles, particularly those in the real estate and car dealership industries, Mehrabadi noted that some individuals lost multiple residential units.

Despite this, there is no precise data on the number of affected individuals or the extent of the damages at this time, he added.

According to latest figures, over 500,000 Iranians live in Los Angeles.

The recent fire incident in Los Angeles, known as the Hughes Fire, started on January 22. Fueled by strong winds and severe drought conditions, the fire rapidly grew from 500 acres to over 9,000 acres in just a few hours.

IAEA chief says Atomic agency has no evidence of Iran’s ‘building a nuclear weapon’

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Rafael Grossi

Rafael Grossi made the remarks on Wednesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The remarks verified the nuclear body’s record of invariably verifying non-diversion and peaceful nature of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program.

Grossi, however, reiterated the body’s apparently-Western-driven propaganda claiming that the country had accumulated a vast amount of enriched uranium, which was “very, very close” to weapon-grade.

The allegations, however, run directly counter to Iran’s insistence of implementing its doctrine of non-pursuance of non-conventional arms as per religious concerns and a relevant fatwa (religious decree) issued by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

In December, the country’s security chief asserted that the Islamic Republic’s nuclear doctrine of pursuing peaceful energy and opposing pursuance of atomic weapons had remained “unchanged.”

“Based on the relevant observation of Iran’s Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the country’s nuclear doctrine has remained unchanged,” said Ali-Akbar Ahmadian, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).

Grossi also repeated other Western claims about Iran’s alleged insufficient cooperation with the IAEA.

“We have not been having the full cooperation of Iran in clarifying a few important things about the past and perhaps the present activities,” he added.

Back in November, the United States and its allies pushed the IAEA’s Board of Governors into passing a resolution, which repeated the unfounded accusations against the Islamic Republic of such alleged insufficient cooperation.

The accusations fly in the face of the actual level of Tehran’s cooperation with the body, which has increased in frequency and quality over the past years.

Responding to such hostile claims and measures, the Islamic Republic has advised the nuclear watchdog towards preserving its impartiality.

Grossi concluded his remarks by saying that with Donald Trump being sworn in as the US president, “there is expectation that things may be moving again…,” apparently referring to the prospect of Washington’s returning to the negotiation table with the aim of restoring the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world countries.

The US left the deal in a unilateral and illegal step in 2018, prompting Iran to initiate a set of legitimate countermeasures after a period of strategic patience.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly stressed that it has never functioned as the side to leave negotiations, while declaring it would respond positively to any potential positive steps by the counterparty.

President Pezeshkian emphasizes national unity in face of enemies

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Masoud Pezeshkian

Speaking in a meeting with political, social and cultural activists in the city of Ahvaz, southwestern province of Khuzestan, on Wednesday evening, Pezeshkian called on the Iranian people to enhance unity and join hands to build their country in order to disappoint enemies who seek to take advantage of internal disputes in Iran.

He arrived in the province earlier in the day on the third provincial trip since taking office in late July.

The enemies analyze that Iran is in its weakest status, and seek to take advantage of disputes and division inside the country, he said, stressing, “We should join hands and build Iran with unity and cohesion in order to disappoint the enemy.”

Pezeshkian added that disputes and egotism are the root causes of many problems and lack of success in the country, adding that people should accept that they are all part of a group, and that success is achieved in light of cooperation and empathy.

The president warned that if the problems remain unresolved and persist, “enemies would take every opportunity to harm us”, and they would be able to protect their own interests through disunity in Iran.

“This is the only result that comes from internal disputes and lack of empathy,” Pezeshkian continued, warning that this is a serious threat endangering “our ethnic and cultural identities” and all of the things that enhance cohesion across the country.

The president also highlighted the significance of revising management methods and promoting the atmosphere of cooperation as the factors needed to resolve the existing problems.

As to the issues faced by Khuzestan Province, he stated that all groups should cooperate to address those issues, and added that the administration is also ready to delegate authority to those who can do effective measures, provided that factional politics are put aside and steps are taken in the best interests of the country.

Iran FM lashes out at UN chief, reiterates commitment to nuclear non-proliferation 

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Abbas Araghchi

In a statement on X, Araghchi wrote, “It is audacious to preach that Iranianisms must “once and for all make it clear that they will renounce to have nuclear weapons.”

He noted, “Iran’s longstanding commitment to the global nonproliferation regime is clear,” adding, “Iran, in 1968, signed the NPT as a founding member.”

The foreign minister also pointed out that Iran’s Leader has issued a religious decree outlawing all weapons of mass destruction.

Araghchi also referenced Iran’s 2015 signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying it “imposed the most intrusive inspection regime in IAEA history.”

He explicitly stated: “Iran reaffirms that under no circumstances will ever seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons.”

The foreign minister concluded, “The ‘most relevant question’ in our region is Israel’s genocide in Gaza and occupation of Palestinian, Syrian, and Lebanese territory. It is Israel’s actual nuclear arsenal and refusal to join the NPT which is a threat to the world. This must not be normalized or whitewashed.”

Israeli military, Palestinian Authority besiege, raid Jenin hospitals in West Bank

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Israel Palestine

Medical teams attempting to provide care have come under direct Israeli fire, while paramedics have been obstructed from reaching the dead and wounded, who remain strewn across the streets.

Israeli forces have killed at least 10 Palestinians and wounded 40 since the attack began on Tuesday morning, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Amid the raid, Israeli military bulldozers destroyed the main road leading to the Jenin government hospital, blocking access with dirt barriers.

Wissam Bakr, the hospital’s director, told Middle East Eye that the bulldozers had made it difficult for medical teams to enter or exit.

More than 600 displaced individuals had sought refuge in the hospital, which was surrounded by military forces and cut off from receiving any food for an entire day.

“The situation was tragic last night,” Bakr added.

“The hospital was overwhelmed with displaced people and patients, and the Israeli army had surrounded it on all sides. We feared they would storm it or start shooting.”

Although hospital sieges have occurred during previous military raids, this one is described as the harshest yet.

Hundreds of displaced people arrived at the hospital as the incursion began, with many forced to sleep in its corridors.

Despite attempts by the hospital administration to coordinate the delivery of food, the Israeli military prevented it from reaching those inside.

On Wednesday morning, the Israeli army allowed some displaced people to leave the hospital on foot but only after subjecting them to searches and arresting several individuals, according to Bakr.

Iyad Salahat, who was accompanying his sick mother at the hospital during the attack, recounted the fear and uncertainty amid the siege.

The loud noise of military vehicles and bulldozers, combined with threats over loudspeakers, made him fear the hospital could face the same fate as those destroyed by Israeli forces in Gaza.

“We didn’t know what to do and began to imagine what happened in Gaza’s hospitals,” Salahat told MEE.

“Will they storm the hospital? Will they evacuate us? Will they kill the doctors or arrest them? Everything seemed possible.”

Salahat and his family were among those permitted to leave on Wednesday.

“They divided us into groups of five each, then searched us thoroughly and forced us to take off our clothes,” he explained.

“They arrested at least 10 of those who came out and forced us to walk in one line.”

He added that an Israeli drone was flying overhead, seemingly helping soldiers with inspections.

At the al-Amal hospital in Jenin, the Israeli siege was more violent, with soldiers firing indiscriminately into the courtyard, wounding at least three doctors and two hospital workers.

Their injuries were described as moderate to minor.

Ihsan Rawajba, a receptionist at the hospital, described the situation as chaotic, with gunfire echoing through the hospital grounds on Tuesday.

A nurse was shot behind the hospital and left bleeding until a paramedic was able to rescue him, Rawajba told MEE.

The shooting was random and without warning, he added.

The hospital remains under strict siege, with no one allowed to enter or leave except one ambulance, which is subject to inspection every time it moves in or out.

“We are forced to bring food to those inside the hospital via this ambulance, but its staff is threatened all the time,” Rawajba said.

“We can only accept new casualties under the inspection and supervision of the Israeli army,” he continued.

Separately, PA security forces stormed al-Razi hospital in Jenin on Wednesday and arrested a wounded man believed to be a member of the Jenin Battalion and wanted by the Israeli army.

The PA raid appeared to be the first time Palestinian forces publicly participated in an Israeli military assault in the West Bank.

Swiss national who died in prison photographed sensitive military facilities: Iran

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Iran Prison

Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir told reporters during a news conference on Wednesday that the unnamed man entered Iran through the Dogharoun border crossing with Afghanistan in northeastern Razavi Khorasan Province last year.

His vehicle had “a variety of technical equipment with difficult uses” and he entered as a tourist, Jahangir said.

Swiss officials, who had previously confirmed the man’s death, had identified him as a 64-year-old who had been visiting the country as a tourist. They said he had been living in Southern Africa and had not resided in Switzerland for nearly two decades.

The Iranian judiciary spokesperson stated on Wednesday that the man was born in Namibia, held Swiss citizenship, and entered in the Iranian calendar month of Mehr, which ended on October 21.

“The person entered the province of Semnan after passing through several provinces, and was arrested in a prohibited military site while photographing it. He was arrested on charges of photographing restricted resources and cooperation with a hostile government and was moved to prison. At the same time, the Swiss embassy in Tehran was informed.”

Iran has announced that the unnamed Swiss national died by suicide while jailed.

Jahangir said that on January 9, the Swiss national cut off electricity to his cell and killed himself in an area of the cell that was not visible to the prison’s camera system. Attempts to revive him failed.

The spokesperson added a delegation from the Swiss embassy, which comprised a trusted doctor, was invited to the site.

“They examined the body and confirmed the suicide. The body was moved to the coroner’s office in Tehran and handed over in the presence of representatives from the Swiss embassy,” Jahangir continued.

Top NATO general claims Russia lacks sufficient manpower for major breakthrough in Ukraine

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Ukraine Zelensky

“I’m not worried that Ukraine could suddenly lose. I don’t see the potential for a massive (Russian) breakthrough,” Cavoli said.

“And this is not a political but a military vision. It’s got to do with both sides, the effective defenses that the Ukrainians have been putting in, but also the difficulty that the Russian side has in generating significant offensive forces to be able to exploit a potential breakthrough.”

Russia quickly advanced in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast in late 2024, making operationally significant gains near Toretsk, Chasiv Yar, and Kupiansk, as well as on its own soil in Kursk Oblast. Ukraine has struggled to contain the Russian offensive as Ukrainian troops are overstretched and dealing with manpower shortages.

Despite Russian advances, Cavoli stated Russia’s slow and incremental push is “exhausting” for Moscow’s forces.

“After all, there is a reason why Russia brought thousands and thousands of soldiers from North Korea,” he added, referring to the 12,000-strong North Korean contingent dispatched to Kursk Oblast.

“I think we’re going to continue to see this tension between the desire to attack and the lack of manpower on the part of the Russians. I think that will largely define the conflict and force the Russians to use more weapons of deterrence, as we’ve seen them do in recent years.”

The general also stressed that though it remains unclear whether the U.S. will continue providing military aid packages under the Trump administration, he pointed to the “very significant uplift in European aid” provided to Ukraine.

Recently inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump criticized military aid for Ukraine during his campaign and, after his reelection, hinted at reducing it. Multiple media reports have nevertheless indicated that Trump does not intend to cut aid completely but wants to see Europe take up greater responsibility for Ukraine’s security.

1...519520521...5,015Page 520 of 5,015

© All Content by IFP News ( Iran Front Page ) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Us

Popular Articles

Editor Picks