Page 2 - Iran

Iran reports drone attack on defence facility in central city Isfahan

Drones attacked an Iranian defence factory in the central city of Isfahan overnight, the state-run IRNA news agency reported early Sunday. It carried a Defence Ministry statement, saying the attack occurred late Saturday and caused minor damage to a rooftop. The report said three drones were shot down by Iranian air defences. The ministry did not say who was suspected of carrying out the attack. Separately, Iran's state TV said a fire broke out at an oil refinery in an industrial zone near the northwestern city of Tabriz. It said the cause was not yet known, as it showed footage of firefighters trying to extinguish the blaze. Iran and Israel have long been engaged in a shadow war that has included covert attacks on Iranian military and nuclear facilities. Last year, Iran said an engineer was killed and another employee was wounded in an unexplained incident at the Parchin military and weapons development base east of the capital, Tehran. The ministry called it an accident, without

Iran vows legal pursuit of Trump, Pompeo for Soleimani's assassination

On January 3, 2020, the US military, at the order of Trump, assassinated Soleimani and the deputy commander of Iraq's paramilitary

Iran imposes new sanctions on EU, UK individuals for inciting violence

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has imposed new sanctions on number of individuals and entities of European Union (EU) and the UK for "supporting terrorism and inciting violence and unrest" in Iran

Iran to get Russian Su-35 fighters in next Iranian year, says lawmaker

The lawmaker noted that Iran has also ordered a number of defense and missile systems as well as helicopters, most of which will be soon delivered by Russia

Iran hangs former defence ministry official Ali Akbari in spy claim

Iran said Saturday it executed a former high-ranking defence ministry official and dual Iranian-British national, despite international warnings not to carry out the death sentence. The execution further escalated tensions with the West amid the nationwide anti-government protests shaking the Islamic Republic. The hanging of Ali Reza Akbari, a close ally of top security official Ali Shamkhani, suggests an ongoing power struggle within Iran's theocracy as it tries to contain the demonstrations over the September death of Mahsa Amini. It also harkened back to the mass purges of the military that immediately followed Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Akbari's hanging drew immediate anger from London, which along with the US and others has sanctioned Iran over the protests and its supplying Russia with the bomb-carrying drones now targeting Ukraine. This was a callous and cowardly act, carried out by a barbaric regime with no respect for the human rights of their own people, British Prime

Iran sentences former defence ministry official to death over espionage

The former Deputy Defence Minister, identified by the Iranian Intelligence Ministry as Alireza Akbari, was charged with 'espionage on behalf of Britain'

Iran, Pakistan call for setting up joint military task force: Report

Noting the good relations between the armed forces of the two countries and the development of defence and security cooperation especially on the common borders

Iranian detained, suspected of chemical attack plot, says Germany

A 32-year-old Iranian man has been detained in Germany on suspicion of planning an attack with deadly chemicals, officials said Sunday. Police and prosecutors said the man and another person were detained overnight in the town of Castrop-Rauxel, northwest of Dortmund. In a joint statement they said the man is suspected to have planned a serious attack motivated by Islamic extremism, for which he had allegedly sought to obtain the potent toxins cyanide and ricin. Specialists wearing anti-contamination suits were seen carrying evidence out of the man's home. A spokesman for Duesseldorf prosecutors later said an initial search of the premises turned up no toxic substances, German news agency dpa reported. It wasn't immediately clear how far advanced the plans for an attack were and whether the suspect had picked a specific target. Dpa quoted the top security official for North Rhine-Westphalia state, Herbert Reul, as saying authorities had received a serious tip that led police to .

Iran's exports to S Arabia see rapid growth in 2022 amid detente: Report

Iran's exports to Saudi Arabia have increased dramatically in 2022 amid the two countries' efforts to ease tensions

1 killed, 2 injured in shooting attack at oil and gas company in Iran

One person was killed and another two were injured in a shooting attack at an oil and gas company in the southwestern Iranian province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad

Iran carries out execution of 2 more men detained amid nationwide protests

Iran said it executed two men Saturday convicted of allegedly killing a paramilitary volunteer during a demonstration, the latest executions aimed at halting the nationwide protests now challenging the country's theocracy. Iran's judiciary identified those executed as Mohammad Karami and Mohammad Hosseini, making it four men known to have been executed since the demonstrations began in September over the death of Mahsa Amini. The judiciary's Mizan news agency said the men had been convicted of killing Ruhollah Ajamian, a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's volunteer Basij Force, in the city of Karaj outside of Tehran on Nov. 3. The Basij have deployed in major cities, attacking and detaining protesters, who in many cases have fought back. It wasn't immediately clear which court heard the two men's cases. However, Iran's internationally criticized closed-door Revolutionary Courts have handed down two of the death sentences. Activists say at least 16 people have been sentence

Iranian drone maker sanctioned by US for allegedly supplying to Moscow

The US on Friday hit six executives and board members of an Iranian drone manufacturer with sanctions after the firm allegedly supplied Moscow with drones that Russian forces have been using to attack Ukraine. Qods Aviation Industries, a previously sanctioned Iranian defence manufacturer, is alleged to be responsible for the design and production of unmanned aerial vehicles used to conduct strikes on civilians during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Treasury Department says the firm changed its name to Light Airplanes Design and Manufacturing Industries in mid-2020 to evade sanctions. The financial penalties imposed by Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control highlight the growing tension between the US and Iran over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal as well as US allegations of Russia and Iran deepening cooperation through shared military assistance as the war rages on. Iran has now become Russia's top military backer, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. Iran m

Iran tests military drones in wargame near Strait of Hormuz: Report

Iran's military tested new attack drones in the coastal area of the Gulf of Oman and near the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Saturday as part of its ongoing annual drill, state TV reported. Meanwhile, antigovernment protests underway for over three months continued. Videos on social media showed protests in Tehran's grand bazaar and several cities and towns including in the Kurdish area. Part of Tehran's bazaar closed in the wake of the protests which authorities cracked down on. State TV said the Ababil-5 attack drone was used during wargames for the first time and successfully hit its target with a bomb after traveling 400 kilometers (250 miles). Iran has tested many other military drones over the past decade. The military drones have been a point of contention between Iran and the United States and its allies, which claim Tehran is supplying Moscow with drones that have been used in attacks in West-backed Ukraine. In November, Iran acknowledged it has supplied Russia with drones

War in Ukraine to tech layoffs: A look at 10 events that defined 2022

2022 will be remembered for a plethora of things but these 10 events will perhaps be on top of the list

Russia attacks Ukraine with 16 Iran-made drones, Kiev officials claim

Officials in Kiev have claimed that Russia attacked Ukraine with 16 Iran-made drones just a day after Moscow struck cities across the war-torn nation with the latest barrage of missile

Russia hits Ukraine energy infra with 16 Iran-made drones, says officials

The Ukrainian military said all the drones had been destroyed. Seven had targeted Kyiv, where an administrative building was damaged

Iranian govt replaces central bank governor amid currency's value drop

The move was widely seen as Iran's latest effort to contain the accelerated fall of its currency's value against major foreign currencies in the past weeks

Window of negotiations to revive nuclear deal still open, says Iran

'The Americans once again refused to come to the negotiating table this time, citing Iran's internal developments and some other issues, such as the Ukraine conflict'

A war-torn world: How Russia-Ukraine conflict dictated geopolitics globally

With the invasion turning into a misadventure for Putin in the face of a spirited Nato-backed Ukrainian defence, the world can only hope the 2 nations reach at least a brokered ceasefire deal in 2023

Iran ready to take final steps for nuke deal if red lines respected: FM

Iran's FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has said that if the red lines of the Islamic Republic are respected, Iran is ready to take final steps to reach an agreement on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal