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Iran’s Pezeshkian lauds Yemen for ‘courageous’ support of Gaza

Yemen Houthis

Pezeshkian made the comments on Sunday in a phone call with Chairman of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council Mahdi al-Mashat.

The Iranian president-elect praised Yemeni people and their leaders for their courageous measures to support the Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza, in reference to Yemen’s months-long military operations targeting Israel-linked ships in the high seas over its war in the besieged territory.

Unlike some Arab countries and despite difficulties and possible dangers, Yemen has practically supported the Palestinians, Pezeshkian said.

He also added that the root cause of the crises in the West Asia region is the presence of the Zionist regime and destructive policies of the West.

Commonalities between Iran and Yemen are deep and historical, Pezeshkian said, adding that his administration will make efforts to further expand ties with the Arab country.

The Yemeni politician, on his part, described Pezeshkian’s election as the victory of the determination of the Iranian nation.

Mashat called for “brotherly ties” with Iran in all fields, and stressed that unity will empower Muslim nations.

He also thanked Iran for its powerful and firm stance on defending the rights of the Palestinians and all oppressed people in the world.

Israel launched the war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023 after Palestinian resistance groups carried out a surprise retaliatory operation into the occupied territories.

Ever since the onset of the war, the Yemeni forces have carried out scores of operations in support of the war-hit Gazans, striking targets throughout the occupied Palestinian territories, besides targeting Israeli ships or the vessels that head towards the ports of those territories.

So far during the military onslaught, the Israeli regime has killed at least 38,500 Palestinians.

FBI says investigating Trump assassination attempt as ‘potential’ domestic terrorist act

Donald Trump

“At this point [in] the investigation, it appears that he was a lone actor, but we still have more investigation to go,” explained Robert Wells, the executive assistant director of the FBI’s National Security Branch, referring to the suspected shooter.

“We are investigating this as an assassination attempt,” but also as a “potential domestic terrorism act,” he explained.

“So our counterterrorism division and our criminal divisions are working jointly together to determine the motive.”

Trump survived a shooting at his campaign rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday when he was hit in the ear less than 10 minutes into his remarks. He was escorted offstage by Secret Service agents, where blood could be seen near his right ear and on his cheek.

One victim, identified as Corey Comperatore, was killed during the incident while two others were seriously injured. The Trump campaign said that the former president is “fine.”

The suspected shooter has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthews Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa., whom the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center said was one of their employees, working as a dietary aide. Crooks died during the incident.

The attempted assassination of Trump represents a glaring failure by the Secret Service, which left the former president exposed to gunfire in a breach of security that will likely haunt a long-idealized agency that has been repeatedly tarnished by scandal in recent years.

Important questions about the shooting remain unresolved, but the fact that the 20-year-old gunman managed to scale a roof about 200 yards from where Trump was speaking has already prompted calls for a searching investigation of the Secret Service.

President Joe Biden on Sunday night made a primetime plea to lower the temperature in American politics after a gunman shot at former President Trump at a rally the day prior.

“The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It’s time to cool it down,” Biden said in remarks in the Oval Office, adding, “This places an added burden on all of us that no matter how strong our convictions, we must never descend into violence.”

“Let’s remember here in America, while unity is the most elusive of goals right now, nothing is more important for us now than standing together. We can do this,” Biden stated.

“Let’s never lose sight of who we are.”

Iranians mourning Imam Hussein’s martyrdom on Tasua

Muharram

Mourners in cities, counties, and villages across Iran are practicing on Monday in Tasua mourning rituals, including religious processions and beating their chests.

Shia Muslims mark the event during the first 10 days of Muharram to honor Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, who was martyred in 680 AD in a battle for justice against the much larger army of the Umayyad caliph, Yazid I.

Donning in black as a symbol of their grief, Iranians started the processions early in the morning and would continue until about midnight.

Eulogists recite the events of the Battle of Karbala and elaborate on the underlying messages of Imam Hussein about tyranny and having the courage to fight against it.

They also perform Ta’zieh, a national and religious passion play that narrates the story of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein and his companions in Karbala.

The 10-day event peaks on Ashura, or the tenth day of Muharram, when the thousands-strong army of the tyrant ruler Yazid I martyred Imam Hussein, his companions and some of the Imam’s family members.

Traditional “sineh dour” mourning ceremony in Iran’s Shahroud

Traditional "sineh dour" mourning ceremony in Iran's Shahroud

During the Sacred Defense period of 1890s, the warriors from Shahrud were renowned for this distinctive style of chest-beating, known as “Gerd” or “Dour.”

In this ritual, each participant hooks their left hand onto the waist of the person next to them and beats their chest with their right hand.

This chest-beating is performed in tandem with an upward leg movement, reflecting the agricultural lifestyle of the people of Shahrud.

This movement symbolizes digging the earth with a shovel to seek sustenance, a practice that has gradually found its way into their traditional ceremonies.

More in pictures:

Iran’s beach volleyball team clinch Tianjin Asian Tour title

Iran's beach volleyball team clinch Tianjin Asian Tour title

The Iranian team defeated Thailand in two straight sets, 22-20 and 21-18, claiming the top position in the tour.

Over the course of the tournament, the Iranian duo played seven matches.

In the preliminary rounds, they overcame Hong Kong Two, China, and Australia. In the knockout stage, they defeated Japan to advance to the quarter-finals, and a subsequent victory over Australia led them to the semi-finals.

This marks the third final appearance for the duo in the past year, having previously secured the runner-up position at the Samila Asian Tour (April 14-17) and the championship at the Novaliches Asian Tour in the Philippines (April 5-8).

Remarkably, Abbas Pourasgari and Alireza Aghajani have amassed six consecutive titles over a span of 110 days.

Coached by Abdolraouf Bastegani and Rahman Raoufi, and with Nader Ansari serving as the head referee, the Iranian national players demonstrated exceptional performance and sportsmanship throughout the competition.

Assassination attempt on Trump could reshape U.S. political landscape: ex-Iranian diplomat

Donald Trump

Drawing parallels to the 1981 failed assassination former US President Ronald Reagan, Ahmadi noted that Reagan’s approval ratings surged by approximately 8% following the incident. He suggested that a similar event involving Trump could influence a broad spectrum of voters, increasing sympathy for him and potentially swaying undecided individuals.

Talking to Entekhab news outlet, he added such incidents typically create a sense of insecurity, instability, and chaos, evoking strong emotional responses that transcend political affiliations.

Ahmadi also highlighted the current concerns about Biden’s physical and mental health, saying this might strengthen the demands from Democratic Congress members and several prominent campaign donors for Biden’s resignation.

The diplomat said considering Trump’s polarizing nature and his followers’ claims of widespread conspiracies against him, an assassination attempt could be exploited strategically.

Ahmadi suggested that Trump and his supporters could use the incident to bolster their narrative of being targeted by various factions intent on preventing his return to power.

Gaza death toll tops 38,500

Gaza War

A ministry statement said that some 88,881 other people have been injured in the onslaught.

“Israeli forces killed 141 people and injured 400 others in three ‘massacres’ against families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry noted.

This brings the latest death toll to 38,584 Palestinians killed since Israel’s war on Gaza began on 7 October.

“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

Flouting a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian group Hamas.

Over nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Moscow responds to Kiev’s threats to assassinate Putin

Vladimir Putin

The spokesman was approached for comment on assassination threats against the Russian leader that had been voiced by the head of Kiev’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), Kirill Budanov, in a recent interview. Moscow is aware of the threats and takes measures accordingly, Peskov said.

“All the threats coming from the Kiev regime are obvious. Therefore, the security of the president is established at the proper level,” the spokesman told Russian media outlet Life on Saturday.

Budanov, who had been placed on Moscow’s terrorist and extremist list over his activities, revealed Kiev’s efforts to kill Putin in an interview with Ukrainian news outlet NV published earlier in the day. His service has made several attempts to assassinate the Russian president, he claimed, without providing any further information.

“[The attempts to assassinate Putin] took place, but, as you can see, they were unsuccessful thus far,” Budanov claimed.

Amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, several Western media outlets reported attempts on Putin’s life, attributed to Kiev. In September 2022, British tabloid The Sun reported an explosion near the Russian president’s motorcade, while, in early 2023, several German media outlets claimed the president was unsuccessfully attacked by a drone. At the time, the Kremlin dismissed such reports as empty sensationalism with nothing behind it.

Syria sets conditions for restoring ties with Turkey

Syria and Turkey Presidents Assad and Erdogan

In a statement, the ministry expressed appreciation to the “friendly and brotherly countries that have made sincere efforts to mend Syrian-Turkish relations”, but insisted on the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territory and fighting terrorist groups.

It added that the cornerstone of these principles is the mutual respect for sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, along with addressing any threats to the security and stability of both nations.

The statement comes amid high hopes of restoring Syrian-Turkish relations. Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed readiness to mend ties with Syria, emphasizing Ankara’s desire to return relations to their previous levels.

Formal diplomatic relations between Turkey and Syria were severed in 2012 following the onset of the Syrian war, with Turkey backing opposition groups against the Damascus government.

Moscow warns European cities prime targets for Russian missiles

Russian Missile

The spokesman made the remarks to Russian Journalist Pavel Zarubin, who published the excerpts of the interview on his social media on Saturday.

“There has always been a paradoxical situation: the US deployed different types of missiles, of different ranges, but traditionally aimed at our country. Our country, accordingly, identified European locations as targets for our missiles,” Peskov stated.

While Washington continues to “profit” from the escalation, the EU nations are only serving as targets in the standoff, Peskov explained.

“Our country is in the crosshairs of American missiles located in Europe. We’ve been through all this before. All this has already happened. We have enough potential to deter these missiles. But the potential victims are the capitals of these states,” he added.

On Wednesday, Washington announced plans to start deploying long-range weapons in Germany in 2026, including SM-6 and Tomahawk systems, “as part of planning for enduring stationing of these capabilities in the future”. Moscow has already vowed to “calmly” prepare a military response to the hostile move, with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov describing the plans as “one of the elements of intimidation that, today, is almost the main component of the NATO and US” approach towards Russia.

In late June, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Moscow could resume the production and global deployment of ground-based intermediate- and shorter-range missiles in response to the hostile actions of the US.

“We now know that the US is not only producing these missile systems but has also brought them to Europe, Denmark, to use in exercises. Not long ago, it was reported that they were in the Philippines. It is unclear whether they have taken these missiles out of the Philippines or not,” Putin said at the time.

The munitions of this type were restricted by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), which collapsed in 2019. However, Moscow has abstained from producing and deploying them, as long as Washington also refrained from doing so.