Tag: Iran

Iraqi MPs to meet on US troop ouster after Soleimani killing

  BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Iraq’s parliament was expected to vote Sunday on ousting US troops from military bases, which are threatened by pro-Tehran factions after an American strike killed top Iranian and Iraqi commanders. Late Saturday, missiles slammed into the Baghdad enclave where the US embassy is located and an airbase north of the capital where American troops are deployed, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten strikes on 52 sites in Iran. The […]

New air strike on pro-Iran convoy in Iraq ahead of Soleimani funeral

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP)–A fresh air strike hit pro-Iran fighters in Iraq early Saturday, as fears grew of a proxy war erupting between Washington and Tehran a day after an American drone strike killed a top Iranian general. It came hours ahead of a planned a mourning march for Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary heavyweight Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, slain in a precision drone strike by the US in Baghdad on Friday. The […]

Iran supreme leader vows ‘severe revenge’ for Soleimani killing

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “severe revenge” after the United States killed the commander of the Islamic republic’s Quds Force, General Qasem Soleimani, in Baghdad on Friday. “Martyrdom was the reward for his ceaseless efforts in all these years,” Khamenei said on his Farsi-language Twitter account in reference to Soleimani, also declaring three days of mourning. “With him gone, God willing, his work and his path will not be […]

Iraqi force says, ‘US strike’ killed top Iran, Iraq commanders at Baghdad airport

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in a US strike on Baghdad’s international airport on Friday, Iraq’s powerful Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force has said, in a dramatic escalation of tensions between Washington and Tehran. The Hashed’s deputy chief was also killed in the attack, the force added, which comes after a pro-Iran mob this week laid siege to the US embassy following deadly American airstrikes on a hardline Hashed faction. […]

Quake strikes near Iran nuclear power plant

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — An earthquake struck Iran on Friday less than 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the country’s only nuclear power plant, monitors said. There were no immediate reports of any damage. The US Geological Survey said the 5.1 magnitude quake struck 44 kilometers (27 miles) from the southwestern city of Borazjan and at a depth of 38 kilometers. Its reported epicenter is 45 kilometers east of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, on the […]

Saudi king urges Iran to quit ‘harmful’ expansionism

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia’s King Salman urged arch-rival Iran on Wednesday to abandon an expansionist ideology that has “harmed” its own people, following violent street protests in the Islamic republic. A wave of demonstrations erupted in the sanctions-hit country on Friday after an announcement that petrol prices would be raised by as much as 200 percent with immediate effect. “We hope the Iranian regime chooses the side of wisdom and realizes there […]

Air pollution shuts schools in Iran’s capital

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Schools in Tehran were ordered to be closed on Wednesday after the Iranian capital was cloaked in dangerously high levels of air pollution, authorities said. Governor Anoushiravan Mohseni-Bandpey said kindergartens, preschools, and primary schools would be shut in the city and the counties of Gharchak, Pishva and Varamin. “The air quality index for the city of Tehran still has not passed the unhealthy status for sensitive groups,” he was quoted as […]

UPDATED:Three killed, 20 injured in Iran earthquake: state television

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) –An earthquake in northwestern Iran on Friday killed three people and injured 20, according to the first official reports on state television. The shallow 5.9-magnitude quake struck about 120 kilometers (75 miles) southeast of the city of Tabriz, in East Azerbaijan Province, in the early hours of the morning, the Iranian Seismological Center said. The quake, described as “moderate”, was eight kilometers (five miles) deep and was followed by four aftershocks. The […]

Shallow 5.9 earthquake hits northwestern Iran: USGS

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — A shallow 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck northwestern Iran early Friday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake struck around 60 kilometers (35 miles) from the town of Hastrud, in East Azerbaijan Province, shortly before 2.30am (2300 GMT). The USGS issued an alert warning that “significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread”. Iran sits where two major tectonic plates meet and see frequent seismic activity. The country has […]

Oil prices spike after Iranian tanker hit by suspected missile strikes off Saudi coast

  by Amir HAVASI Agence France Presse TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Suspected missile strikes hit an Iranian oil tanker off the Saudi coast on Friday, its owner said, the first Iranian vessel targeted since a spate of attacks in the Gulf Washington blamed on Tehran. The National Iranian Tanker Company, which owns the ship, said the hull of the Sabiti was hit by two separate explosions off the Saudi port of Jeddah, saying they were […]

Microsoft says Iran hackers targeted US presidential campaign

(FILES) In this file photo taken on November 27, 2017 the French headquarters of US multinational technology company Microsoft is seen in Issy-Les-Moulineaux, a Paris’ suburb. – Microsoft on Friday said a hacker group linked to Iran unleashed cyber attacks on US journalists, government officials and accounts associated with a US presidential campaign. (Photo by Martin BUREAU / AFP)   SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Microsoft on Friday said a hacker group linked to […]

Saudi prince says war with Iran would gut world economy

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said in an interview aired Sunday that war with Iran would devastate the global economy and he prefers a non-military solution to tensions with his regional rival. “If the world does not take a strong and firm action to deter Iran, we will see further escalations that will threaten world interests,” Prince Mohammed bin Salman told the CBS program “60 Minutes.” “Oil supplies will be […]