Latest news with #IranianOfficials
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Video of panic in Tel Aviv predates Iran-Israel war
"Scenes of Israeli illegal immigrants running to shelters," reads a Malay-language Facebook post on June 14, 2025. The video shows a large group of people gathered in a square rushing to disperse with rows of overturned plastic chairs seen in the middle of the crowd. Text superimposed on the clip reads: "Colonizers running for shelter in Israel." The clip was shared elsewhere on Facebook with similar claims. The video surfaced after Israel fired missiles at Iranian nuclear and military facilities on June 13, while Iran retaliated with a barrage of missiles targeting Tel Aviv (archived link). US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a truce that came into effect on June 24, which remains in place (archived link). Iranian officials said 1,060 people were killed in the country during the war, while Iran's attacks on Israel killed 28 people, according to Israeli figures (archived link). But the circulating video was filmed in April, before the war. A reverse image search led to an Instagram post by an Israeli news channel on April 30 which said the clip showed people in Tel Aviv panicking over a "mistaken terror attack" (archived link). "What began as a police arrest at Habima Square was mistaken for a terror attack, sending crowds fleeing in panic. 21 people were treated at Ichilov Hospital for shock and minor injuries. No shots were fired -- the incident was criminal, not terror-related," reads the post. A Google keyword search led to news reports on the incident which took place during Memorial Day event in Tel Aviv (archived link). According to the Times of Israel newspaper, the chaos broke out after a man was arrested on suspicion of trying to attack the police, but those gathered in the square mistook the incident as an unfolding security incident and started fleeing (archived link). AFP has debunked more misinformation related to the Iran-Israel conflict here.
Arab News
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Iran's supreme leader makes first public appearance since Iran-Israel war started
Iran' s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday made his first public appearance since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran began, attending a mourning ceremony on the eve of absence during the war suggested the Iranian leader, who has final say on all state matters, had been in seclusion in a bunker — something not acknowledged by state media. State TV in Iran showed him waving and nodding to the chanting crowd, which rose to its feet as he entered and sat at a mosque next to his office and residence in the capital, was no immediate report on any public statement made. Iranian officials such as the parliament speaker were present. Such events are always held under heavy the US inserted itself into the war by bombing three key nuclear sites in Iran, US President Donald Trump sent warnings via social media to the 86-year-old Khamenei that the US knew where he was but had no plans to kill him, 'at least for now.'On June 26, shortly after a ceasefire began, Khamenei made his first public statement in days, saying in a prerecorded statement that Tehran had delivered a 'slap to America's face' by striking a US air base in Qatar, and warning against further attacks by the US or Israel on replied, in remarks to reporters and on social media: 'Look, you're a man of great faith. A man who's highly respected in his country. You have to tell the truth. You got beat to hell.'Iran has acknowledged the deaths of more than 900 people in the war, as well as thousands of injured. It also has confirmed serious damage to its nuclear facilities, and has denied access to them for inspectors with the UN nuclear president on Wednesday ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, further limiting inspectors' ability to track a program that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels. Israel launched the war fearing that Iran was trying to develop atomic remains unclear just how badly damaged the nuclear facilities are, whether any enriched uranium or centrifuges had been moved before the attacks, and whether Tehran still would be willing to continue negotiations with the United States over its nuclear also targeted defense systems, high-ranking military officials and atomic scientists. In retaliation, Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of them intercepted, killing 28 people and causing damage in many commemorates a death that caused rift in IslamThe ceremony that Khamenei hosted Saturday was a remembrance of the 7th century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, represent over 10 percent of the world's 1.8 billion Muslims, and they view Hussein as the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad. Hussein's death in battle at the hands of Sunnis at Karbala, south of Baghdad, created a rift in Islam and continues to play a key role in shaping Shiite predominantly Shiite Iran, red flags represented Hussein's blood and black funeral tents and clothes represented mourning. Processions of chest-beating and self-flagellating men demonstrated fervor. Some sprayed water over the mourners in the intense of problems accessing the InternetNetBlocks, a global Internet monitor, reported late Saturday on X that there was a 'major disruption to Internet connectivity' in Iran. It said the disruption corroborated widespread user reports of problems accessing the Internet. The development comes just weeks after authorities shut down telecoms during the war. NetBlocks later said Internet access had been restored after some two hours.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran's supreme leader makes first public appearance since Iran-Israel war started
Iran' s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday made his first public appearance since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran began, attending a mourning ceremony on the eve of Ashoura. Khamenei's absence during the war suggested heavy security for the Iranian leader, who has final say on all state matters. State TV in Iran showed him waving and nodding to the chanting crowd, which rose to its feet as he entered and sat at a mosque next to his office and residence in the capital, Tehran. There was no immediate report on any public statement made. Iranian officials such as the Parliament speaker were present. Such events are always held under heavy security. The 86-year-old Khamenei had spent the war in a bunker as threats to his life escalated. After the U.S. inserted itself into the war by bombing three key nuclear sites in Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump sent warnings via social media to Khamenei that the U.S. knew where he was but had no plans to kill him, 'at least for now.' On June 26, shortly after a ceasefire began, Khamenei made his first public statement in days, saying in a prerecorded statement that Tehran had delivered a 'slap to America's face' by striking a U.S. air base in Qatar, and warning against further attacks by the U.S. or Israel on Iran. Trump replied, in remarks to reporters and on social media: 'Look, you're a man of great faith. A man who's highly respected in his country. You have to tell the truth. You got beat to hell.' Iran has acknowledged the deaths of more than 900 people in the war, as well as thousands of injured. It also has confirmed serious damage to its nuclear facilities, and has denied access to them for inspectors with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. Iran's president on Wednesday ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, further limiting inspectors' ability to track a program that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels. Israel launched the war fearing that Iran was trying to develop atomic weapons. It remains unclear just how badly damaged the nuclear facilities are, whether any enriched uranium or centrifuges had been moved before the attacks, and whether Tehran still would be willing to continue negotiations with the United States over its nuclear program. Israel also targeted defense systems, high-ranking military officials and atomic scientists. In retaliation, Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of them intercepted, killing 28 people and causing damage in many areas. Ceremony commemorates a death that caused rift in Islam The ceremony that Khamenei hosted Saturday was a remembrance of the 7th century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hussein. Shiites represent over 10% of the world's 1.8 billion Muslims, and they view Hussein as the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad. Hussein's death in battle at the hands of Sunnis at Karbala, south of Baghdad, created a rift in Islam and continues to play a key role in shaping Shiite identity. In predominantly Shiite Iran, red flags represented Hussein's blood and black funeral tents and clothes represented mourning. Processions of chest-beating and self-flagellating men demonstrated fervor. Some sprayed water over the mourners in the intense heat. Reports of problems accessing the internet NetBlocks, a global internet monitor, reported late Saturday on X that there was a 'major disruption to internet connectivity' in Iran. It said the disruption corroborated widespread user reports of problems accessing the internet. The development comes just weeks after authorities shut down telecoms during the war. ___ Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
5 new developments as Israel-Iran ceasefire nears a week
As the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran nears one week, there's little clarity on what comes next in U.S.-Iran relations and whether Iran remains a near-term nuclear threat. President Trump and Iran's leaders have sent mixed signals on resuming nuclear talks, while new evidence called into further question Trump's claims that U.S. strikes obliterated Iran's nuclear threat. Trump denied reports Monday that he is weighing a $30 billion deal with Iran that would allow for the development of civilian nuclear facilities. The ceasefire came after a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran, started when Israel launched an attack on Tehran in June that it said was meant to prevent the country from developing a nuclear bomb. Iran has maintained its nuclear program is not intended to produce a weapon. Here are five new developments in the ceasefire: The U.S. reportedly intercepted communication between senior Iranian government officials commenting that June's U.S. strikes on Tehran's nuclear sites were less devastating than expected. The Iranian officials in a phone call said the U.S. bombing of three nuclear facilities were not as damaging or extensive as had been expected, challenging the Trump administration's repeated assertions that the sites and Tehran's nuclear program were 'completely and totally obliterated.' The call, first reported by The Washington Post, follows debate among the intelligence community as to how damaged the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites were after the strikes. While Trump continues to insist the bombings destroyed all they targeted and sent Iran's nuclear program back by years, a leaked summary from the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency found that structures underneath Fordow and Natanz were still intact and Tehran was only set back by months, as it had likely moved a significant portion of enriched uranium prior to the strikes. After classified briefings last week at the Capitol, Republican lawmakers have conceded that the strikes may not have wiped out all of Iran's nuclear materials. Trump administration officials, while not denying the Iran call's existence, were quick to attack the Post's reporting. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the outlet 'shameful' for 'publishing out-of-context leaks.' She also insisted that 'the notion that unnamed Iranian officials know what happened under hundreds of feet of rubble is nonsense. Their nuclear weapons program is over.' And chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell took to social platform X on Sunday to lambast the so-called mainstream media for 'engaging in a weaponized smear campaign against America & our incredible troops.' He also accused the Post of 'using incomplete, out-of-context & flat-out false intelligence 'assessments.'' Further contradicting Trump's claims, the head of the United Nation's nuclear watchdog said Sunday Iran could restart enriching uranium 'in a matter of months.' Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that 'one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there' when it comes to Iran's capabilities. 'The capacities they have are there. They can have, you know, in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that,' Grossi told CBS's 'Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.' Grossi also said that while it's clear Washington's bombings caused 'severe damage,' it didn't cause 'total damage.' 'Iran has the capacities there; industrial and technological capacities. So if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again.' Iran's deputy foreign minister on Monday indicated an opening for diplomatic talks over the country's nuclear program, telling the BBC that talks could resume should the U.S. agree it will not launch any additional military strikes. 'We are hearing from Washington, telling us that they want to talk,' Iranian diplomat Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the outlet. 'Right now, we are seeking an answer to this question: Are we going to see a repetition of an act of aggression while we are engaging in dialog?' 'They have not made their position clear yet,' he added. Iran has insisted that in any restarted nuclear talks, the nation must ultimately be allowed to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, which Tehran's leaders have claimed they were doing before the attacks on their program. 'The capacity can be discussed but to say that you should not have enrichment, you should have zero enrichment and if you do not agree with bomb you? That is the law of the jungle,' Takht-Ravanchi said. Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations Amir-Saeid Iravani a day earlier told CBS that his country's uranium enrichment will 'never stop' as it has an 'inalienable right' to do so for peaceful nuclear activity. Despite Iran's repeated pledges to continue its uranium enrichment, the Trump administration is reportedly exploring possible economic incentives for Tehran should it halt that action. CNN first reported that U.S. officials are tentatively considering releasing billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets and allowing Tehran to receive assistance from regional countries for a civilian nuclear program. The moves would reportedly grant Iran access to as much as $30 billion. But Trump late Friday pushed back on the report and denied Iran would be offered any such concessions. 'Who in the Fake News Media is the SleazeBag saying that 'President Trump wants to give Iran $30 Billion to build non-military Nuclear facilities.' Never heard of this ridiculous idea,' he wrote on Truth Social. On Monday, the president doubled down. 'I am not offering Iran ANYTHING, unlike [former President] Obama, who paid them $Billions under the stupid 'road to a Nuclear Weapon JCPOA (which would now be expired!),' he wrote on Truth Social, adding 'nor am I even talking to them since we totally OBLITERATED their Nuclear Facilities.' Trump in 2018 pulled the U.S. out of the Obama-era nuclear deal — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — with Iran, claiming that sanctions relief and unfreezing of Iranian assets had only provided funds to the regime to continue keeping its nuclear weapons ambitions afloat. But Trump earlier Friday suggested he could retract previously imposed sanctions on Iran. Amid all the uncertainty, Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week. The meeting, set for July 7 and first reported by Axios, comes as Trump has stepped up pressure on the Israeli government to bring about an end to its war in Gaza now that a ceasefire with Israel and Iran has appeared to hold. 'We think within the next week we're going to get a ceasefire' in Gaza, Trump told reporters Friday, but declined to offer any further details of such a deal. Leavitt said Monday bringing an end to the Gaza conflict is a priority for Trump and that he and administration officials were in constant communication with the Israelis. 'It's heartbreaking to see the images that have come out from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war, and the president wants to see it end,' Leavitt said. 'He wants to save lives.' Ahead of Netanyahu's visit, Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer — a close confidant of the prime minister — is in Washington this week for talks with senior administration officials on Iran, Gaza and other issues. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Nuclear Inspectors Leave Iran After Cooperation Halted With U.N. Watchdog
The United Nations' nuclear watchdog said on Friday that its inspectors have left Iran, days after the country — still reeling from its war with Israel — suspended cooperation with the international agency. Iran's president enacted a law on Wednesday that halts cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, effectively blocking international oversight into Iran's contentious nuclear program. This comes at a particularly critical moment, when experts are warning that the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities may simply drive the country to take its program underground, making it even more difficult to determine whether it was working toward building a weapon. 'An I.A.E.A. team of inspectors today safely departed from Iran to return to the Agency headquarters in Vienna, after staying in Tehran throughout the recent military conflict,' the U.N. agency said in a statement on the platform X. Tensions between Iran and the agency had been rising since Israel launched attacks on Iranian military and nuclear sites, prompting a war that briefly drew in the United States. Iran had turned some of its ire over the attacks against the I.A.E.A., which declared last month that Iran was not complying with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations. Iranian officials have argued that the censure gave Israel political cover for its attacks, which were launched a day after the agency's declaration, striking nuclear and military sites and killing nuclear scientists. It is not yet clear how badly Iran's nuclear program was damaged in the war. President Trump said that the U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites, in addition to Israeli strikes over 12 days of war, 'obliterated' the program. Other officials, including the I.A.E.A. director general, Rafael Grossi, have been more circumspect, saying that Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium remains unaccounted for, and that the program may have been only delayed, rather than destroyed. Uranium enriched at low levels can be used as fuel for producing energy, while highly enriched uranium can be used to make a nuclear weapon. Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful uses only, but the I.A.E.A. reported in May that, while it had no evidence that Iran was building a weapon, the country was stockpiling about 882 pounds of highly enriched uranium, which could enable the government to build multiple bombs. Mr. Grossi, the I.A.E.A. director general, stressed in a statement on Friday the 'crucial importance of the I.A.E.A. discussing with Iran modalities for resuming its indispensable monitoring and verification activities in Iran as soon as possible.' Iranian lawmakers have stipulated two conditions for resuming cooperation, according to state media. One is that the safety of its nuclear program and scientists is secured and the second is an acknowledgment of what it says is its right under international law to enrich uranium. At the same time, Iranian officials have been publicly signaling a willingness to return to negotiations with Washington. 'We are for diplomacy,' Iran's deputy foreign minister, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, told NBC News on Thursday. 'We are for dialogue.' Leily Nikounazar contributed reporting.
