War-torn African state orders evacuation of citizens from Iran
Sudan's transitional government has ordered the immediate evacuation of its nationals from Iran, where Israeli airstrikes have escalated into a deadly confrontation between Tehran and West Jerusalem. The African state has itself been locked in a brutal war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since mid-April 2023.
Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idriss issued the directive on Saturday during a phone call with the country's ambassador to Iran, Abdel Aziz Hassan Salih, state-run Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reported.
According to the outlet, the Prime Minister asked the envoy to 'attend to the Sudanese community, assess their conditions, and work on the safe evacuation of all nationals in coordination with the relevant authorities.'
On Friday, Israeli fighter jets launched a series of coordinated strikes across Iran, hitting multiple targets including a uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, and assassinated several senior military commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran responded by firing dozens of ballistic missiles into Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the offensive, which came just one day after the International Atomic Energy Agency accused Iran of breaching its non-proliferation commitments, was intended to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Tehran denounced the strikes as unprovoked acts of aggression and dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.
At least 19 people had been killed in Iranian strikes as of Monday morning, according to Israeli police. Iran's Health Ministry, meanwhile, reported that 224 people were killed by IDF strikes as of Sunday evening.
Sudan earlier criticized Israel for its 'unjust aggression' against Iran, calling it a 'serious threat' to international peace and security.
'The Republic of Sudan calls on the United Nations and the Security Council to take urgent measures to immediately halt these attacks,' the Sudanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement late on Friday.
Several African countries have condemned Israel's attack on Iran. Egypt described it as a 'blatant and extremely dangerous regional escalation, a flagrant violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, and a direct threat to regional and international peace and security.'
Nigeria expressed 'grave concern' over West Jerusalem's 'preemptive strike on Iran' and pledged support for 'all genuine efforts aimed at de-escalating tensions and promoting peace in the region.'
South Africa, which has filed a genocide case against Israel over its military operations in Gaza, stated that 'the attacks conducted by Israel on targets within Iran… raise serious concerns under international law, including the principles of sovereignty [and] territorial integrity.'
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Russia Today
an hour ago
- Russia Today
‘No panic in Tehran': Russian expert recounts night of Israeli airstrikes
'No panic. Everyone is just getting on with their work.' That's how Adlan Margoev, a Russian foreign policy expert currently in Tehran, describes the mood in the Iranian capital after Israel's dramatic airstrikes on military and nuclear targets. Speaking to Moscow newspaper Kommersant's Elena Chernenko from his hotel in northwestern Tehran, where he is attending a BRICS-related conference with other Russian scholars, Margoev offers a calm but clear-eyed account of events on the ground, Iran's likely response, and the potential collapse of nuclear negotiations with the US. Elena Chernenko: As I understand it, you are now in Tehran with a group of Russian experts. What are you doing there? Adlan Margoev: We are attending a joint conference with the Iranian side on BRICS and the Russian–Iranian strategic partnership. Our regular work involves informing the Iranian side about opportunities for bilateral and multilateral cooperation, discussing problematic issues in bilateral and multilateral relations, and focusing on how to strengthen such cooperation through various mechanisms. EC: It was known in advance that Israel was preparing to attack Iran. Did you sense any danger? Was anyone warning you about anything? AM: No, everything went on as normal and continues to do so. Iranians are used to the fact that there is always a risk of attacks and sabotage. One of the ordinary participants of our conference from the Iranian side (who is not in a position of responsibility, it should be emphasized) said, 'We have been fighting imperialism for so long that we are used to everything.' In general, Iranians maintain a friendly and calm attitude. We continue to work in the same vein. EC: Where are you located? AM: We are staying in a hotel in the north-west of Tehran. The conference is also taking place here and will continue today. EC: No change? AM: Except that the cultural event scheduled for tonight in the city has been cancelled. EC: Tell me what happened last night. AM: When it all started, we were asleep. One of our delegation's leaders was the first to wake up. At around three o'clock, she heard explosions from the strikes and the air defense systems that had been activated. A second round of strikes occurred at six o'clock in the morning. Needless to say, we were awake by then. We followed the news reports to find out what was happening. Among other things, we learned that the airspace had been closed. We have a return flight scheduled for Sunday. EC: Are you thinking of leaving the country urgently by land? AM: No, that would be an overreaction at this stage. EC: So there's no panic on your part or on the part of others on the ground? AM: There is no panic within the limits of what we can see. EC: Nevertheless, the situation looks much more serious than the shelling that took place between Israel and Iran last year, right? AM: Much more serious. The escalation comes at an extremely crucial moment because Iranian-American nuclear talks have been ongoing since April and the next round was scheduled for Sunday in Oman. I did not expect Israel to launch an attack while these talks were ongoing. Now, however, I doubt that the talks will continue. EC: Judging by the statements of American officials, it seems that the US was aware of Israel's plans. AM: No, but they were preparing for the possibility of such events occurring. They warned their diplomatic staff in the region and took a number of other steps. EC: What kind of response do you expect from Iran? AM: We have recently heard that Iran's response will differ from their 'True Promise' operations in response to the Israeli strikes in April 2024, as well as from their response to the previous round of Israeli attacks in 2024. EC: Yes, it was quite restrained. AM: Yes, it was done in such a way as to avoid further escalation. It is hard to say how the Iranian leadership will react now, but we will know soon. EC: US President Donald Trump has questioned whether the US will be able to reach a deal with Iran over its nuclear program. Can we already talk about the failure of those talks? AM: In retrospect, it's easy to say that the systemic positions of Iran and the United States were so far apart, especially regarding uranium enrichment, that the outcome of the negotiations was predictable. However, we have been monitoring the internal dynamics within the Trump administration to see which team or school of thought will prevail. Will it be that limited enrichment in Iran is Iran's natural right as a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), like other member states? Or that, despite the NPT, Iran should not be allowed to engage in enrichment activities independently? President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Steve Witkoff, head of the US negotiating delegation, have generally adopted a moderate stance, assuming that Iran can continue to exercise its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. However, the opposing team, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, essentially reversed the results of several rounds of negotiations by stating that there could be no enrichment in Iran. Unfortunately, this harder line won out. And, in behind-the-scenes conversations over the course of several months, the Iranian side confirmed that at each new round of negotiations, the American delegation arrived with a position as if there had been no previous round. Steve Witkoff would leave Muscat or Rome (where the negotiations were also taking place – Kommersant) with a reasonable approach to the Iranian position. However, each time, his consultations in Washington reversed the process. At the next round of negotiations, he reiterated that there could be no uranium enrichment in Iran. This, of course, frustrated the Iranian side. Nevertheless, they invested in the negotiation process. There were hopes that a rational and pragmatic approach with a view to peacefully resolving the crisis would prevail in the United States. However, as we can see, this did not happen. EC: The Iranians have warned that if Israel were to attack, they could retaliate by targeting American facilities in the region. Do you expect Tehran to take such action? AM: That's a good question. I would prefer not to speculate on the decisions Tehran might make. However, it still seems to me that it is not in Iran's interest to provoke the Americans and draw them into an escalation. I would therefore expect a tough response on Israeli targets and a more moderate response on American ones. Perhaps something similar to the Iranian strikes on US facilities in Iraq following the US assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. Around 100 Americans were concussed in those attacks, but there were no fatalities. From the perspective of avoiding a regional war, it would probably be sensible to give Israel a tough response, but to separate this from any tacit agreement by the US to allow such an operation. The big question is whether this will stop at exchanges of strikes on nuclear and/or military infrastructure or whether attacks on civilian targets will follow, which could lead to a major regional war. EC: Russia and Iran recently signed a Strategic Cooperation Treaty. Although there is no clause obliging either party to intervene in the event of an attack, the two countries still consider each other to be allies. What kind of reaction does Iran expect from Russia? AM: Judging by what is said publicly and non-publicly, the Iranians will expect the harshest possible condemnation of Israel's actions. They will also expect Russia and China to raise this issue at various international forums, such as the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Additionally, we can expect the Iranians to be even more interested in continuing military-technical cooperation with Russia, including the supply of additional defense equipment — but this is not for public article was first published by Kommersant, and was translated and edited by the RT team.
Russia Today
an hour ago
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Intel chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard killed in Israeli strike
The intelligence chief of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been killed in an Israeli strike. Brigadier General Mohammad Kazemi, head of the IRGC's Intelligence Organization, was assassinated along with two other intelligence officers, Hassan Mohaghdeh and Mohsen Bagheri, the Guards confirmed in a statement on Sunday evening. The IRGC said it responded by launching missiles at Israeli 'intelligence centers' as part of the third wave of its ongoing barrage, dubbed Operation True Promise III. The killing of Kazemi was first announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with Fox News on Sunday. 'I think we've set them back quite a bit,' Netanyahu told journalist Bret Baier. Open hostilities erupted on Friday morning when IDF jets bombed military and nuclear sites across Iran in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as an operation to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons. Tehran responded with a barrage of missiles, some of which struck residential areas in Tel Aviv and Bat Yam. Israel also carried out targeted assassinations of senior Iranian commanders and veteran nuclear scientists after reportedly smuggling kamikaze drones into the country. Iranian security officials said they discovered Israeli drones and explosives hidden in Tehran following the attacks.
Russia Today
2 hours ago
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HL Indian students in Iran to be relocated- Foreign Ministry
New Delhi is planning to relocate some Indian students in Iran to 'safer places' within the country, and is also exploring 'other feasible options' for their safety, the Indian foreign ministry said on Monday. More than 1,500 Indian students, most of them from the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, are stranded in Iran, the NDTV news channel said on of the stranded Indian students have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, requesting their intervention to ensure the safe return of their children, local media said. Israel launched 'Operation Rising Lion' on Friday against Iran, which retaliated with missiles attacks against the Jewish state. Since then, both countries have launched further missile barrages against each other. The majority of Indian students in Iran, who are primarily pursuing medical degrees in cities such as Tehran, Shiraz, and Qom, are now awaiting assistance to return home, the NDTV news channel has reported. On Monday the Indian Embassy in Tehran said it is closely monitoring the security situation and is in constant touch with the students. The embassy, which on Sunday, advised all Indian nationals and Persons of Indian Origin to remain vigilant, has provided a link to a Google Docs form on its X account to provide their contact details. The mission has also provided a link to a Telegram group and asked Indian citizens to join it to receive updates. All flights to and from Iran have been suspended, with the country's airspace remaining indefinitely closed for commercial aviation. According to a report by news magazine The Week, five Indian students, including three from Kashmir and two from Maharashtra, were injured in Israeli airstrikes. 'Around 300 of us were shifted to a safer location, which I cannot reveal for security reasons,' a student was quoted as saying to the magazine. New Delhi has requested that Tehran facilitates the safe evacuation of its stranded citizens. Iran said on Monday that although the country's airspace is currently closed, all land borders remained open, allowing for safe evacuation. India enjoys warm ties with Iran's neighbor Armenia, which is seen as a safe destination for Indian students.
