BRICS offers new model for stronger member cooperation: Iran’s President
In a meeting with Speaker of the Ethiopian House of Peoples’ Representatives Tagesse Chafo in Tehran on Saturday, President Pezeshkian described BRICS as a new communication model that promotes respect for national sovereignty and diverse cultures, paving the way for equitable global cooperation.
The president expressed Iran’s interest in developing bilateral relations with Ethiopia. He emphasized that achieving this goal requires activating a joint cooperation commission, identifying common interests, recognizing complementary capacities, and fostering dialogue based on mutual benefits.
President Pezeshkian reiterated Iran’s readiness to play a responsible role in establishing and strengthening sustainable peace and security in the region, advocating for a world free from war, violence, and conflict. He believes that Individuals with deep insight into human nature prefer dialogue and cooperation over confrontation.
During the meeting, the Ethiopian speaker expressed his satisfaction with the discussions and underscored his country’s commitment to strengthening relations with Iran, particularly in diplomatic, economic, and security sectors. He noted that the parliaments of both countries would support their foreign ministries in enhancing diplomatic cooperation and deepening bilateral relations.
Highlighting the importance of economic collaboration, Chafo stated that Ethiopia is determined to increase trade exchanges, develop joint investments with Iran, and effectively utilize BRICS resources, including a new development bank, to bolster economic and financial cooperation.
He also acknowledged the extensive cultural and civilizational ties between the Iranian and Ethiopian peoples, recognizing Iran’s significant role in promoting peace and security in West Asia.
Chafo expressed Ethiopia’s aspiration to play a constructive and responsible role in the Horn of Africa, noting that collaboration between the two nations in peace and security could have a lasting positive impact on stability in both West Asia and Africa.
Moscow says EU’s tampering with Russian assets is ‘theft’ no matter how it’s framed
Earlier this week, the Russian Central Bank initiated legal proceedings against Euroclear, the Belgian-based depository that holds the bulk of Russia’s frozen funds, as Ukraine’s European backers debate how to repurpose the assets to finance Kiev.
“Actions against sovereign assets taken without Russia’s consent – whether indefinite immobilization, confiscation, or attempts to portray them as a so-called reparations loan – are entirely illegal under international law,” Zakharova told reporters during her regular briefing on Saturday.
“No matter what pseudo-legal tricks Brussels employs to justify it, this is blatant theft,” she added.
Zakharova argued that, apart from “funding the failed Ukrainian project,” the EU was also seeking to use Russian funds to bolster its own economy, which had been damaged by sanctions targeting Moscow’s trade with the West.
Hungary and Slovakia have condemned the EU for invoking its rarely used emergency powers to circumvent potential vetoes from individual member states and make the asset freeze indefinite.
Politico reported earlier this week that Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Malta had asked the European Commission to explore options for providing loans to Kiev other than seizing Russian assets. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has repeatedly warned that outright confiscation of Russian funds would undermine trust in the EU financial system, trigger capital flight, and expose Belgium to legal risks.
Israel claims to have killed senior Hamas commander in Gaza
The attack on Saturday killed five people and wounded at least 25, according to Gaza health authorities.
Hamas in a statement did not confirm the death of Raed Saad. It announced that a civilian vehicle had been struck outside Gaza City and asserted it was a violation of the ceasefire that took effect on October.
In a post on Telegram, the army alleged that the commander had been operating to re-establish Hamas’s capabilities, which have been severely depleted by more than two years of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. It described him as one of the architects of the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.
If Saad was killed, it would be the highest-profile assassination of a senior Hamas figure since a fragile ceasefire deal came into effect in October.
An Israeli defence official told the Reuters news agency that Saad had been targeted in the attack, describing him as the head of Hamas’s weapons manufacturing force.
Hamas sources have also described him as the second-in-command of the group’s armed wing, after Izz al-Din al-Haddad.
Saad used to head Hamas’s Gaza City battalion, one of the group’s largest and best-equipped, those sources stated.
The Wafa news agency reported that an Israeli drone hit a vehicle at the Nabulsi junction in the west of Gaza City, resulting in casualties.
The agency did not report on specific numbers, and it was not clear if the attack was the one that allegedly killed the Hamas member.
Since the ceasefire started in October, Israel has continued to attack Gaza daily – reaching nearly 800 times and killing at least 386 people – in a clear breach of the agreement, according to authorities in Gaza.
Israel also continues to block the majority of aid trucks from entering the enclave. The United Nations General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly backed a resolution demanding that Israel open unrestricted humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, stop attacking UN facilities, and comply with international law, in line with its obligations as an occupying power.
Trump vows retaliation after three Americans killed in Daesh attack in Syria
The attack on US forces on Saturday was the first to inflict casualties since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a year ago.
Three additional US military members were injured in the attack, as well as at least two Syrian troops, according to government and media reports.
In a social media post, Trump said he had received confirmation that the injured US soldiers were “doing well”.
He, however, warned that there would be serious consequences for what he described as an ISIL (ISIS) attack.
“This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them,” Trump wrote, adding, “The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation.”
His remarks echoed those of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who likewise promised to take severe action against anyone who attacked US service members.
“Let it be known, if you target Americans — anywhere in the world — you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you,” Hegseth wrote on social media.
Saturday’s attack was first announced by US Central Command, also known as CENTCOM.
It characterised the attack as an “ambush” carried out by a lone ISIL gunman, who was subsequently “engaged and killed”. Hegseth later confirmed that the perpetrator “was killed by partner forces”.
The attack took place near Palmyra in Syria’s central Homs region, according to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
“The attack occurred as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement,” he wrote in a statement.
“Their mission was in support of on-going counter-ISIS/counter-terrorism operations in the region.”
Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye, meanwhile, described the incident as a “cowardly terrorist ambush targeting a joint U.S.–Syrian government patrol”. He noted there were “Syrian troops wounded in the attack” and wished them a “speedy recovery”.
But the details about the attack and the individuals involved remain unclear.
CENTCOM indicated the US government would withhold identifying information about the late US soldiers and their units “until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified”.
The incident remains under “active investigation”, according to the US Department of Defense.
The identity of the suspect has also not been released to the public.
But three local officials told the Reuters news agency that the assailant was a member of the Syrian security forces.
A spokesperson for the Syrian Interior Ministry also told the television channel Al-Ikhbariah TV that the attacker did not have a leadership role in the country’s security forces. He did not say whether the man was a junior member.
“On December 10, an evaluation was issued indicating that this attacker might hold extremist ideas, and a decision regarding him was due to be issued tomorrow, on Sunday,” the spokesperson, Noureddine el-Baba, stated.
The official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) state news agency reported earlier that Syrian security forces and US troops came under fire during a joint patrol.
The news agency AFP, meanwhile, cited an anonymous Syrian military official as saying shots were fired “during a meeting between Syrian and American officers” at a Syrian base in Palmyra.
A witness in the city, who also asked to remain anonymous, told the agency that he heard the shots coming from inside the base.
Traffic on the Deir Az Zor–Damascus highway was temporarily halted as military aircraft conducted overflights in the area, the agency said.
A security source told SANA that US helicopters evacuated those who were wounded to the al-Tanf base near the Iraqi border.
In the aftermath of the attack, US officials pledged to double down on their efforts to combat ISIL (ISIS) in Syria.
“We will not waver in this mission until ISIS is utterly destroyed, and any attack on Americans will be met with swift and unrelenting justice,” Ambassador Barrack wrote on social media.
“Alongside the Syrian Government, we will relentlessly pursue every individual, facilitator, financier, and enabler involved in this heinous act. They will be identified and held accountable swiftly and decisively.”
The US has troops stationed in northeastern Syria as part of a decade-long effort to help a Kurdish-led force there combat ISIL (ISIS).
ISIL captured Palmyra in 2015, at the height of its military ascendancy in Syria, before losing the city 10 months later. During that time, it destroyed several ancient sites and artefacts while using others to stage mass executions.
ISIL (ISIS) was vanquished in Syria in 2018 but still carries out sporadic attacks without controlling any territory inside Syria.
As of December 2024, there were approximately 2,000 US troops stationed in Syria to continue the fight against ISIL (ISIS).
In late November, CENTCOM announced the destruction of “more than 15 sites containing ISIS weapons caches”, as the US continues its campaign against the armed group.
This month, Syria marked one year since the ouster of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, but the war-ravaged nation continues to face stiff security and economic challenges as it seeks to rebuild and recover after 14 years of ruinous war.
US sets out condition for Ukraine security guarantees: Axios
The outlet cited unnamed US officials as saying that negotiations on security guarantees from the US and EU nations to Ukraine had made “significant progress.” An Axios source claimed that Washington wanted a guarantee “that will not be a blank check … but will be strong enough,” adding: “We are willing to send it to Congress to vote on it.”
The package proposal, the official continued, would entail territorial concessions, with Ukraine “retaining sovereignty over about 80% of its territory” and receiving “the biggest and strongest security guarantee it has ever got,” alongside a “very significant prosperity package.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that Moscow is open to discussing a security guarantees framework on condition that it will not be aimed at Russia. He added that Moscow believes Washington to be “genuinely interested in a fair settlement that… safeguards the legitimate interests of all parties.”
The Axios report also reported that the US viewed as “progress” recent remarks by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky suggesting Ukraine could hold a referendum on territorial concessions, particularly those concerning Donbass.
Moscow, however, has stressed that Donbass – which overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in 2022 – is sovereign Russian territory, and Ukrainian troops will be pushed out of the region one way or the other. It also suggested that Zelensky’s referendum play was a ploy to prolong the conflict and gain time for patching up the Ukrainian army.
Moscow insists that a sustainable peace could only be reached if Ukraine commits to staying out of NATO, demilitarization and denazification, limits the size of its army, and recognizes the new territorial reality on the ground.
Trump pressuring Zelensky to cede land to Russia: Bild
On Saturday, the German outlet reported that the White House is “exerting intense pressure on [the Ukrainian leader] to extract concessions.” According to the publication, the US president could “exploit [Zelensky’s] domestic weakness following a corruption scandal.”
Last month, Ukraine’s Western-backed anti-graft agencies announced preliminary findings from a probe into the alleged extortion of about $100 million in the energy sector by figures linked to Zelensky’s inner circle. Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk and Justice Minister German Galushchenko stepped down amid the scandal, followed by Zelensky’s top aide and close associate Andrey Yermak.
Bild claimed that US-mediated peace negotiations are at their most advanced stage since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Trump is said to be seeking a deal between Moscow and Kiev in the near future, with Christmas reportedly set as a deadline.
Kiev has previously ruled out recognizing Donbass regions as part of Russia. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics voted to join Russia in referendums held in 2022. However, Zelensky has conceded that Ukraine may hold a referendum on possible territorial concessions.
Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov stated in response that Donbass is sovereign Russian territory and that Moscow will sooner or later establish control over parts of the region still occupied by Ukraine. He added that Zelensky has so far opposed the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the region, despite this being among Washington’s peace proposals.
On Thursday, Trump told journalists at the White House that “other than President Zelensky, his people loved the concept of the [peace] deal” he submitted last month. The American president added that the process was a “little bit complicated because you’re cutting up land in a certain way.”
In an interview with Politico on Monday, Trump stressed that Zelensky was “gonna have to get on the ball and start accepting things.”
EU foreign policy chief warns lack of Russian concessions could fuel future wars beyond Ukraine
In an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Kallas said a sustainable settlement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine cannot be achieved unless Russia changes its behavior and accepts concrete limits on its military power.
“The problem for peace is Russia. Even if Ukraine received security guarantees, but there were no concessions from Russia, we would have other wars, perhaps not in Ukraine but elsewhere,” she stated.
She noted that while the European Union welcomes renewed diplomatic momentum toward peace, including efforts by the US administration, Kallas added Russia continues to show no “genuine willingness” to stop the war, citing ongoing attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.
According to Kallas, a ceasefire must be the first step toward any credible agreement, and preventing future conflicts requires ensuring that Russia is no longer able to launch new wars.
“For a sustainable peace, we must ensure that Russia doesn’t attack again. We need concessions from Russia, whether it means limiting their army or curbing their military budget,” she said.
Kallas reiterated the EU’s firm position that there should be “no territorial concessions and no recognition of the occupation of Ukrainian land,” stressing that borders cannot be changed by force.
“And there should be no points in the European security architecture that give Russia a direct role,” she added.
Addressing the possibility of Ukraine joining the EU by 2027, Kallas said accession remains a merit-based process determined by member states, but acknowledged that US support could help overcome political blockages within the bloc.
“This proposal is a good sign for the country that’s blocking Ukraine’s progress, a country very friendly to the United States (Hungary): the US push for it could convince them to lift their veto,” she added.
Lebanese newspaper claims Beirut has halted acceptance of new Iranian ambassador
According to the newspaper, following the appointment of Ahmad Sweidan as Lebanon’s ambassador to Iran in October, Tehran formally submitted the name of its proposed new ambassador to Lebanon through standard diplomatic channels.
However, Al-Akhbar reported that the process has since stalled within Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry.
The paper alleged that Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji has kept the nomination in his office without submitting it to the Lebanese cabinet, a move described by the newspaper as contrary to Lebanon’s diplomatic and administrative regulations.
It further claimed that the minister has not forwarded a copy of the ambassador’s credentials to the presidential palace, nor officially informed Tehran of Lebanon’s approval of the appointment.
The newspaper cited informed sources as saying the delay stems from a political decision linked to the Lebanese Forces party, accusing it of seeking to escalate political tensions with Iran and push bilateral relations toward a diplomatic crisis.
The report comes days after Raji formally declined an invitation to visit Tehran, saying the circumstances are not suitable for such a trip at the moment.
Debate in Lebanon over the future of the Iran-aligned Hezbollah and calls for state control over the resistance movement’s weapons stand out in the tensions between Tehran and Beirut.
One-fifth of Iran’s population to be elderly by 2050, expert warns
Speaking on demographic developments, Ghasemi said Iran is nearing the end of its demographic transition, driven by sharply declining fertility rates over the past three decades, rising life expectancy, delayed marriage, smaller family sizes and the migration of younger workers.
Currently, about 8 percent of Iran’s population is over 65, while those aged 60 and above account for roughly 12 percent.
By mid-century, the share of people aged 60 and over is projected to reach nearly 30 percent.
He warned that the aging trend is more pronounced in Tehran, where 11 to 13 percent of residents are already over 60, rising to 18 percent in older districts.
Ghasemi said the capital lacks adequate infrastructure and services to meet growing elderly needs.
The demographic shift poses serious challenges for healthcare systems, pensions, urban planning and social services, he noted.
However, Ghasemi stressed that with forward-looking policies, aging can also create opportunities, including the development of a “silver economy,” better use of seniors’ experience and stronger social cohesion.
