Latest news with #Iravani
United News of India
13 hours ago
- Politics
- United News of India
US air defence systems involved in shooting down Iranian missiles: Reports
Jerusalem, June 14 (UNI) Israel received help from US air defence systems and a Navy destroyer in shooting down Iranian missiles launched in response to Israel's attack on Iran, The Washington Post reported, citing US officials. A US official told RIA Novosti on Friday that the United States was assisting Israel in shooting down Iranian missiles. Anonymous US officials told The Washington Post that the US has both ground-based Patriot missile defence systems and Terminal High Altitude Air Defence systems (THAAD) in the Middle East. American air defence systems, as well as a US Navy destroyer in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, were used to shoot down Iranian missiles heading toward Israel, the officials said. US fighter jets are also patrolling the sky in the Middle East and the US is shifting its military resources, including ships, in the region, The Washington Post reported. Iranian permanent representative to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani told the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Friday that Israel's aggression against Iran was intentional and fully backed by Washington. Iravani emphasized that Iran "will not forget that our people lost their lives as [a] result of the Israeli attacks with American weapons. These actions amount to a declaration of war." Iravani said that at least 78 people were killed and 320 others were injured as a result of Israel's strikes against Iran, which started in the early hours of Friday, as part of Operation Rising Lion. Attacks across Iran - including Tehran - killed top military officials and Iranian nuclear scientists. US Representative Pitt McCoy said on Friday during a UNSC meeting that the United States was informed about Israeli strikes against Iran ahead of time but was not militarily involved in the operation. Iran launched a counter-offensive, dubbed Operation True Promise 3, against military targets in Israel on Friday, in response to Israel's strikes. Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei has called Israel's attacks a crime and vowed Israel would face a "bitter and terrible fate." UNI SPUTNIK ARN PRS
Korea Herald
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Iran launches missiles, drones at Israel in retaliation of airstrikes
Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel in separate barrages overnight Friday in response to airstrikes less than a day earlier that targeted nuclear sites and top commanders in the Islamic nation. Warning sirens sounded across Israel as dozens of Iranian ballistic missiles were sent to Israel in Iran's military operation "True Promise 3" in the first onslaught. Iran fired fewer than 100 missiles toward Israel on Friday night, the Israeli military claimed, according to CBS News. Then at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, explosions were heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem after dozens of missiles were launched, CNN reported. Israel's missile defense system, known as the Iron Dome, appeared to have intercepted numerous ones. But CBS News Middle East reporter Courtney Kealy said several sites in Tel Aviv appeared to have been hit in the earlier strikes. Video and photos showed a building in Tel Aviv on fire in the first wave. Bright flashes also were seen over Jerusalem. The missiles went over the Gaza Strip before going into Israel. The United States helped Israel intercept Iranian missiles, US officials and a White House official confirmed to CBS News. During Israel's airstrikes on Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US wasn't involved. Forty people were being treated in Israeli hospitals after the recent strikes, with two in critical condition, the BBC reported. Israel's strikes killed at least 78 people, including senior military officials, Iran's United Nations envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said during a UN Security Council meeting Friday. Also, more than 320 people were injured, most of them civilians, Iravani said. "We will not forget that our people lost their lives as a result of the Israeli attacks with American weapons," Iravani said. Early Saturday, a fire was burning at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport, according to two Iranian news outlets. Iranian state media said at least two Israeli fighter jets were shot down over Iran. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement their forces used a "combination of precision-guided and smart systems," that "targeted military centers and airbases that served as the source of the criminal aggression against our country. "Despite claims of interception, the enemy failed to counter the waves of missile strikes launched by the Islamic Republic of Iran," the statement added. "This operation was executed in a powerful and offensive manner, in full coordination with all branches of Iran's Armed Forces and institutions. Its central message is that the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the red line of the Armed Forces." Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Iran would pay a "very heavy price" for its actions" but it "crossed red lines" by firing missiles at civilian population centers. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said during a national address Friday that the Iranian Armed Forces would respond fiercely to the strikes and leave Israel "helpless." Iran's President Mahsoud Pezeshkian said Friday on Iranian TV: "The Iranian nation and the country's officials will not remain silent in the face of this crime, and the legitimate and powerful response of the Islamic Republic of Iran will make the enemy regret its foolish act." Iran will target the regional bases of any country that tries to defend it, a senior Iranian official told CNN. The United States has bases in Qatar, where US Central Command is based, as well as Bahrain, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. "Iran reserves the right -- under international law -- to respond decisively to this regime," the official said. "Any country that attempts to defend the regime against Iran's operations will, in turn, see its regional bases and positions become new targets." After the second wave, people in Israel were told they could leave their bomb shelters. The IDF said its operation would continue for days. Fight jets traveled 1,000 miles, passing over Sryia and Iraq airspace, according to Roya News. Jordan and Saudi Arabia were avoided. The Israeli cabinet met Friday to discuss responses to Iran's missile attack on Israel on Friday night, an Israeli official has told CNN. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz are inside a bunker. Netanyahu, in addressing the Iranian people in a video released Friday night, urged them to "stand up and let your voices be heard." He said Israel's fight is not against them but against the Iranian government. "More is on the way. The regime does not know what hit them, or what will hit them. It has never been weaker," Netanyahu said. Netanyahu spoke earlier Friday with US President Donald Trump, who had been seeking a nuclear deal with Iran on uranium enrichment. Trump posted on Truth Social: "Two months ago I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to 'make a deal.' They should have done it! Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn't get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!" In an earlier post, he wrote: "There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left." On Friday, Iran suspended a sixth round of nuclear talks with the United States in Oman on Sunday. Trump told CNN that the U.S. supports Israel and called the strikes on Iran "a very successful attack." In April 2024, Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel after a strike on Iran's consulate in Damascus. Israeli military intercepted the vast majority of the weapons. Six months later, Iran launched more missiles and Israel retaliated with strikes on Iranian sites. Israel's initial attack, first response Israel initially launched more than 200 airstrikes on Iran, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said Friday. "Operation Rising Lion" targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, scientists and senior military commanders. "Throughout the day, we once again demonstrated our ability to remove threats in a coordinated, precise and daring manner," Defrin said Friday night. Israeli strikes on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility were extremely effective in a "full-spectrum blitz," a source told CNN. Natanz, which is at the heart of Iran's nuclear ambitions, was engulfed in flames on Friday, according to social media images geolocated by CNN and Iranian state television coverage. Israel said Friday morning its air defenses had successfully repelled an Iranian airborne assault in retaliation for overnight Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran's nuclear development program. Hours after the Israeli airstrikes, IDF said Iran had launched more than 100 drones toward Israel, prompting the Home Front Command to order the public to remain close to air-raid shelters, but the warnings were later scaled back after Air Force interceptor fighter jets and anti-missile systems downed or disabled the majority. The IDF said it was unable to confirm the threat had been completely eliminated as more UAVs could have been launched since and en route toward Israel, but that sufficient numbers had been downed to allow the Home Front Command to temporarily ease the emergency measures. Schools, government offices and most offices were shut for the weekend, but Israeli airspace was closed and all flights grounded until further notice, with flights already en route diverted. Jordan and Iraq also closed their airspace. However, there were fears the missiles could follow and that the drones were just the beginning of a much more significant retaliation in line with Khamenei warning Israel "should anticipate a severe punishment" in response to its deadly strikes overnight. The Iranian foreign ministry vowed Friday to hit back, saying the Israeli strikes on Iran were "a blatant act of aggression in violation of the UN Charter. "In accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, Iran reserves the legitimate and legal right to respond to this aggression. The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to defend Iran's sovereignty with full strength and in the manner they deem appropriate," the ministry said in a statement. It also threatened the United States, alleging the attacks could not have taken place without its backing and that as Israel's "primary patron," the US government would "also bear responsibility for the dangerous repercussions of the Zionist regime's reckless actions." International reaction European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed "deep alarm" and called for restraint, de-escalation and for military forces on all sides to stand down. "A diplomatic resolution is now more urgent than ever, for the sake of the region's stability and global security,' she wrote on social media. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, speaking in Stockholm, told reporters it was critical that Israel's allies stepped in to de-escalate the crisis. "I think that is now the first order of the day," he said. Three European leaders spoke Friday -- France's President Emmanual Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke. "The leaders discussed the long-held grave concerns about Iran's nuclear program, and called on all sides to refrain from further escalation that could further destabilize the region," the statement released by the British Prime Minister's Office said. "The leaders reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defense, and agreed that a diplomatic resolution, rather than military action, was the way forward," it added. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi told the UN nuclear watchdog's board, which is meeting in Vienna, that nuclear facilities must never be attacked under any circumstances due to the risk to people and the environment. "Such attacks have serious implications for nuclear safety, security and safeguards, as well as regional and international peace and security," Grossi warned, noting that the IAEA has repeatedly stated that military strikes on nuclear facilities could result in radioactive releases that would not be contained within international borders. "I call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation. I reiterate that any military action that jeopardizes the safety and security of nuclear facilities risks grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region, and beyond," he said. (UPI)
Al Manar
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Manar
IAEA Board Labels Iran as 'Non-Compliant,' Tehran Slams Move as Politically Driven
For the first time in nearly two decades, the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors passed a resolution declaring the Islamic Republic of Iran as 'non-compliant' with its nuclear safeguards obligations. The resolution, adopted on Thursday, was supported by 19 member states, opposed by 3, with 11 abstentions. IAEA board of governors just adopted an important Resolution tabled by E3 and US which states that Iran is in non compliance with its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement and calls upon Iran to take steps to remedy its non-compliance. #IAEA #BoG — Germany UN Vienna (@GermanyUNVienna) June 12, 2025 Iran's Foreign Ministry and Atomic Energy Organization condemned the resolution in a letter to the United Nations Security Council, dismissing it as a politically motivated act based on what they described as 'false claims' by the European troika regarding violations of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and the 2015 nuclear deal. In a joint statement, the two bodies announced the activation of a new uranium enrichment facility in response to the vote, adding that Iran had replaced first-generation centrifuges at the Fordow site with more advanced sixth-generation machines. Iran's Permanent Representative to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, categorically rejected the IAEA's allegations, calling them 'unfounded, misleading, legally baseless, and politically biased.' He accused the agency of deliberately conflating Iran's obligations under the nuclear deal with its commitments under the comprehensive safeguards agreement, describing the approach as 'deceptive and disingenuous.' Iravani reiterated that Iran's nuclear program remains entirely peaceful and continues to operate under strict IAEA monitoring. He warned that any move to trigger the so-called 'snapback mechanism' could lead to 'serious and adverse consequences.' The purpose of the anti-Iranian resolution put forth by the British, French, and German regimes at the IAEA is to help Netanyahu, especially with the ongoing Gaza Holocaust. The real issue was never about nuclear weapons, terrorism, or human rights. Those are their specialties. — Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) June 12, 2025 Mehdi Azizi, director of the New Vision Center for Studies and Media in Iran, told Al-Jazeera Net that Tehran had made it clear during IAEA discussions that any move against its interests would be met with a proportional escalation in its enrichment program. He suggested the possibility of Iran establishing a third enrichment facility and transitioning fully to sixth-generation centrifuges, hinting at upcoming developments in the sector. Azizi also warned that Iran's response to external threats, including potential US military options, 'would be painful,' citing recent statements by Iran's defense minister affirming the full readiness of the country's armed forces. Echoing this sentiment, Emad Abshenas, head of Iran's Association of Research and Study Centers, said Tehran is likely to accelerate uranium enrichment in response to the resolution. He indicated that Iran may further scale back cooperation with the IAEA, particularly concerning inspections and technical coordination. The latest developments highlight Tehran's firm stance in defending its national interests amid Western pressure, reaffirming its commitment to peaceful nuclear advancement while calling for a more balanced and constructive approach to diplomacy.
Shafaq News
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iran slams UN report on Al-Qaeda presence
Shafaq News/ Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, denied on Wednesday the presence of al-Qaeda members in the country. In a letter addressed to the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary-General, Iravani firmly rejected the recent report from the UN Sanctions Monitoring Team, which claimed the presence of al-Qaeda elements in Iran, describing the allegations as "biased claims." "Iran strongly rejects the report by the UN Sanctions Monitoring Team that alleged the presence of al-Qaeda members in Iran," said Iravani. The Iranian government described the claims as "baseless, biased, and lacking any credible evidence," emphasizing that such allegations are solely based on the assertions of a specific country without providing any substantiated proof. Iravani also highlighted Iran's record in combating terrorist groups such as ISIS and al-Qaeda, clarifying that "the Islamic Republic has never been a haven for terrorists, but rather has been a victim of organized terrorism supported by certain governments." The Iranian diplomat dismissed attempts to link Iran to al-Qaeda activities in Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Yemen as "devoid of any factual basis." Iravani pointed to recent operations by the Ansar Allah group (Houthi rebels) against al-Qaeda in Yemen, as well as direct threats made by the terrorist group against Ansar Allah forces, stressing that "there is a clear practical contradiction between the two sides, contrary to what is stated in the UN report." He called for a review of the "unprofessional and politically motivated methodologies" used by the UN Sanctions Monitoring Team, urging the Security Council's sanctions committee to avoid "political bias" and focus on addressing the real threats to regional and global security. Iran reiterated its commitment to regional and international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, including through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and called for the exchange of security information to enhance global efforts in combating terrorist threats.
Ya Libnan
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Iran alerts UN to Trump threat of force, says it will defend itself
The atomic symbol and the Iranian flag are seen in this illustration, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS- Iran alerted the United Nations on Tuesday to what it described as 'reckless and inflammatory statements' by U.S. President Donald Trump threatening the use of force, and warned that 'any act of aggression will have severe consequences.' In a letter to the U.N. Security Council, seen by Reuters, Iran's U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani referenced remarks made by Trump in interviews with the New York Post and Fox News, in which he spoke of a preference to do a deal to stop Tehran getting a nuclear weapon over bombing the country. 'These reckless and inflammatory statements flagrantly violate international law and the U.N. Charter,' Iravani wrote to the 15-member council. 'The Islamic Republic of Iran warns that any act of aggression will have severe consequences, for which the U.S. will bear full responsibility,' he said. 'Iran will resolutely defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national interests against any hostile action.' Trump last week restored his 'maximum pressure' campaign on Iran that includes efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero in order to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He also said he was open to a deal and expressed a willingness to talk to Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian. Iran's president questions Trump's sincerity Ira;s president Pezeshkian on Monday questioned the United States' sincerity, while Iravani wrote in his letter that the U.S. policy 'reinforces unlawful, unilateral coercive measures and escalates hostility against Iran.' Iravani urged the U.N. Security Council to condemn Trump's 'brazen rhetoric.' Iran has denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon. However, it is 'dramatically' accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% weapons-grade level, the U.N. nuclear watchdog chief told Reuters in December. Iranian dissidents demand overthrow of rulers Thousands of opponents to Iran's authorities rallied in Paris on Saturday, joined by Ukrainians to call for the fall of the government in Tehran, hopeful that U.S. President Donald Trump's 'maximum pressure' campaign could lead to change in the country. The protest, organised by the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which is banned in Iran, comes as two of the group's members face imminent execution with a further six sentenced to death in November. 'We say your demise has arrived. With or without negotiations, with or without nuclear weapons, uprising and overthrow await you,' NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi said in a speech. (Reuters)
