by Francesco Fontemaggi Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron seems, as much as any world leader, to have developed a rapport with his American counterpart Donald Trump. But will their apparent bond help European capitals in their struggle to save the Iran nuclear deal from Trump’s wrath? The idea will be tested Monday when the young French leader begins a state visit in Washington, and European diplomats have a […]
Tag: Iran
Quake hits near Iran nuclear power plant
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — A moderately strong 5.9-magnitude earthquake Thursday hit Iran’s southern region of Bushehr, home to the country’s only nuclear power plant, without causing casualties or damage, media reported. “The earthquake had no effect on the activity of the plant,” Mahmoud Jafari, project manager at the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear plant, said according to the Telegram news channel of Iran’s state television. The University of Tehran’s seismology center said the epicenter of the earthquake […]
US ‘will regret it’ if it violates nuclear deal: Rouhani
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Monday that the United States would regret violating the nuclear deal and that Iran would respond in “less than a week” if that happened. “We will not be the first to violate the accord but they should definitely know that they will regret it if they violate it,” Rouhani told a conference to mark National Nuclear Technology Day in Tehran. “We are much more prepared than they […]
Turkey, Russia, Iran urge ‘lasting ceasefire’ in Syria
by Raziye Akkoc and Maria Panina Agence France Presse ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — The presidents of Iran, Turkey, and Russia vowed to work for a lasting ceasefire after over seven years of civil war in Syria, following a summit aimed at boosting both peace prospects and also their influence in the country. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iran’s Hassan Rouhani, and Russia’s Vladimir Putin reaffirmed their commitment to cooperating for “the achievement of a lasting […]
Britain urges Iran to stop supplying Yemen rebels
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain on Monday urged Iran to stop sending weapons into Yemen and instead use its influence to end the conflict, as the Saudi-led coalition’s military intervention enters its fourth year. Saudi Arabia has been leading an aerial bombing campaign in support of the government and against the Iranian-backed Huthi rebels. The United Nations has found Tehran in violation of an arms embargo on Yemen by failing to block supplies of […]
Saudi warns it will pursue nuclear weapons if Iran does
by Paul Handley Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States -Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said if Iran develops a nuclear weapon, Riyadh will follow suit — just days before he arrives in Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump. “Saudi Arabia does not want to acquire any nuclear bomb, but without a doubt, if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible,” Prince Mohammed told CBS television in […]
Pentagon still backs Iran nuclear deal: general
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Iranian nuclear deal is still in the best interests of the United States, a senior Pentagon official said Tuesday, going against President Donald Trump’s claim that it’s a “terrible” agreement. US Central Command chief General Joseph Votel told a Senate panel he shared the views of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “From my perspective, the JCPOA addresses one of […]
Clear skies raise hopes in Iran’s hunt for missing plane
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — The hunt for a plane that went missing in Iran’s Zagros mountains resumed for a third day on Tuesday with better weather raising hopes for the search and rescue teams. “Given the good weather conditions, clear skies and less wind, there is a good visibility today for continuing the search,” Mojtaba Khaledi, spokesman for the emergency services, told the official IRNA news agency. Aseman Airlines flight EP3704 disappeared on Sunday morning […]
Iran resumes hunt for missing plane
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iranian rescue teams resumed their search on Monday for a passenger plane that disappeared high in the Zagros mountains the previous day with 66 people onboard, local media reported. State television said the weather had improved after blizzard conditions hampered search efforts Sunday, and that helicopters were now able to take part in the hunt for Aseman Airlines flight EP3704. The authorities had called off the rescue effort overnight as heavy […]
Iran airline retracts toll of 66 dead in plane crash: media
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran’s Aseman Airlines on Sunday retracted its statement that all 66 people aboard a passenger plane had died after it crashed, as rescue teams struggled to find the wreckage. The ATR-72 twin-engine plane crashed amid severe weather in the Zagros mountains after taking off on a domestic flight from Tehran. “Given the special circumstances of the region, we still have no access to the spot of the crash and therefore we […]
‘Do not test Israel’s resolve’, Netanyahu warns Iran
by Michelle Fitzpatrick and Joseph Schmid Agence France Presse MUNICH, Germany (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tehran on Sunday over aggressions by Iran and its “proxies” in Syria, saying he would not allow them to “put a noose of terror around our neck.” Calling it “a message to the tyrants of Tehran”, he warned in a speech at the Munich Security Conference: “Do not test Israel’s resolve.” His fiery comments came as […]
Israel targets ‘Iranian’ positions in Syria after F16 downed
by Jonah Mandel © Agence France-Presse JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel attacked what it said were Iranian positions inside Syria on Saturday in “large-scale” raids after one of its warplanes was targeted by Syrian air defences and crashed. Following the most serious confrontation between arch foes Israel and Iran since Syria’s civil war began in 2011, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to prevent Tehran from establishing a threatening military presence in the Arab state. Israel’s raids came […]





