Category: 2. Middle East

After President Donald Trump bragged US strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities, officials cautioned it was still too soon to assess the impact on the country’s nuclear programme.

Many questions remain after Sunday’s strikes, especially about the whereabouts of Iran’s sensitive stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent — a short step from the 90 percent required for a nuclear weapon.

– Where is Iran’s enriched uranium? –

The US attacks, carried out by B-2 stealth bombers,…

Europe and the United States should not give a lifeline to the Iranian leadership under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei through talks when his rule is “closer every day” to ending, the son of Iran’s ousted shah told AFP on Monday.

“I can hardly imagine that a regime that is now severely diminished in its capabilities and has been practically humiliated is in the mood for more talks,” Reza Pahlavi, formerly crown prince and now a key opposition figure, said in an interview in Paris.

He said that the…

Iran retaliated on Monday for US strikes Sunday targeting three of its nuclear sites, firing at least 10 missiles at American bases in Qatar and Iraq.

Iran has launched at least 10 missiles toward US bases in Qatar and one toward Iraq, an Israeli defense official confirmed to Al-Monitor. Qatar hosts the largest US military presence in the Middle East, with more than 8,000 troops stationed at Al Udeid Air Base outside the capital, Doha. The US military also maintains a presence at Ain Al Asad…

The UK government announced Monday it would ban campaign group Palestine Action under anti-terror laws following a “disgraceful attack” on Britain’s largest air force base last week.

The move, announced by interior minister Yvette Cooper, angered the group — which called the proposed ban an “unhinged reaction” — and its supporters, who scuffled with police as they protested in central London.

Palestine Action activists broke into the RAF Brize Norton base in southern England on Friday,…

Syrian authorities on Monday announced arrests over a suicide blast targeting a church blamed on the Islamic State group, as President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed those involved in the “heinous” attack would face justice.

The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the Saint Elias church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital killed 25 people and wounded 63, the health ministry said.

The Islamist authorities who took power after ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December…

Iran has vowed to retaliate for US air strikes on its nuclear facilities, and has two main options: attacking American forces in the region, and closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

An advisor to Iran’s supreme leader issued a warning on Sunday, saying any US base in the region that takes part in attacks was a “legitimate target”.

Disrupting traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for oil and gas, would send energy prices soaring in a global inflationary shock.

Closing the…

Thousands scrambled to flee Israel on Monday after the government abruptly lifted a week-long ban on outbound flights, which had barred both citizens and foreigners from leaving the country. The first available commercial flight sold out immediately, as those desperate to escape sought refuge amid mounting fears of Iranian retaliation.

The panic follows Israel’s widely condemned, unprovoked airstrikes on multiple nuclear sites inside Iran, triggering warnings…

Israeli officials have stated that Tel Aviv is seeking to end the war with Iran within the coming days, following the recent US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, according to Israeli media.

Reports indicated that Israel may agree to a ceasefire as early as tomorrow, on the condition that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, declares his willingness to do so.

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation cited official sources saying that the aim is to…

Iran Parliament approved on Sunday the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and granted the final decision in this measure to the Supreme National Security Council, the country’s highest security body; Iranian Press TV reported.

Meanwhile, Esmail Kowsari, a deputy commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, told the Young Journalists Club that closing the strait is on the table and a decision will be made if “necessary”.

For his part, Hossein Shariatmadari,…