Latest news with #NRF
Yemen Online
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yemen Online
Yemen: "Iran's Arming of Houthis Hinders Peace, Fuels Conflict"
Yemen's Deputy Foreign Minister Mustapha Noman sharply criticized what he described as Iran's ongoing 'hostile policies' against the Yemeni people, accusing Tehran of persistently arming the Houthi movement with large quantities of weapons that prolong the country's devastating conflict. Noman said Iran should have learned 'harsh lessons' from the thousands killed across the Arab world and the destruction of vital infrastructure that has drained regional resources. Instead, he said, Tehran continues to supply its allies with arms, fueling 'ventures that bring misery to Yemenis.' His remarks came two days after Yemen's National Resistance forces (NRF), led by Brig. Gen. Tariq Saleh, thwarted a major Iranian arms smuggling attempt off the coast of Hodeidah in western Yemen. The intercepted shipment reportedly included advanced sea-to-air and air-to-air missile systems, air defense units, modern radar equipment, drones, surveillance devices, and anti-tank missiles destined for the Houthis. Noman praised the Coast Guard's 'precision operation' launched from their bases in Al-Mokha, calling it 'a reassuring signal of vigilance and readiness.' He urged recognition of the 'tremendous efforts' by the National Resistance and Coast Guard forces despite limited technical and military resources. Moreover, Noman condemned Iran's actions as obstructing United Nations-led peace efforts in Yemen. 'It is regrettable that Iran persists in hostile policies against the Yemeni people by continuing to arm the Houthis with large quantities of weapons that negatively impact efforts to end the conflict,' he said. He added that instead of supporting peace, the Iranian government 'continues to place obstacles in the path of every peace initiative led by UN envoy Hans Grundberg.' Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), praised the actions of the NRF saying. 'We commend the legitimate government forces of Yemen who continue to interdict the flow of Iranian munitions bound for the Houthis,' he said. 'The interdiction of this massive Iranian shipment shows that Iran remains the most destabilizing actor in the region. Limiting the free flow of Iranian support to the Houthis is critical to regional security, stability, and freedom of navigation,' he added.
American Military News
5 days ago
- Politics
- American Military News
Video/Pics: Iran-backed Houthi weapons shipment interdicted by Yemeni forces
U.S. Central Command confirmed on Wednesday that the Yemeni National Resistance Forces recently interdicted a huge shipment of Iranian weapons that was being transported to the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist organization. In a Wednesday press release, U.S. Central Command said, 'Congratulations to the Yemeni National Resistance Forces (NRF), led by Gen. Tareq Saleh, for the largest seizure of Iranian advanced conventional weapons in their history.' U.S. Central Command explained that the Yemeni National Resistance Forces were able to intercept and seize more than 750 tons of 'munitions and hardware to include hundreds of advanced cruise, anti-ship, and anti-aircraft missiles, warheads and seekers, components as well as hundreds of drone engines, air defense equipment, radar systems, and communications equipment.' READ MORE: Iran 'much farther away' from nuclear weapon, top Trump official says According to the press release, the Yemeni National Resistance Forces claimed that the weapons shipment included manuals written in Farsi, which is the official language of Iran, and that many of the weapons systems were manufactured by a U.S.-sanctioned company linked to the Iranian Ministry of Defense. U.S. Central Command confirmed that the 'illegal shipment' of weapons was intended to provide weapons that would be used by the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist organization. 'We commend the legitimate government forces of Yemen who continue to interdict the flow of Iranian munitions bound for the Houthis,' Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, stated. 'The interdiction of this massive Iranian shipment shows that Iran remains the most destabilizing actor in the region. Limiting the free flow of Iranian support to the Houthis is critical to regional security, stability, and freedom of navigation.' A video and pictures shared Thursday on X, formerly Twitter, by U.S. Central Command show numerous weapon systems included in the shipment that was intercepted by the Yemeni National Resistance Forces. Yemeni Partners Successfully Interdict Massive Iranian Weapons Shipment Bound for the Houthis Congratulations to the Yemeni National Resistance Forces (NRF), led by Gen. Tareq Saleh, for the largest seizure of Iranian advanced conventional weapons in their history. The NRF… — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 16, 2025 In September, Reuters reported that Iran was helping broker discussions between Russia and the Houthis to transport Russian missiles to the Iran-backed organization. At the time, an intelligence source told Reuters, 'Russia is negotiating with the Houthis for the transfer of Yakhont supersonic anti-ship missiles.' The intelligence source added, 'The Iranians are brokering the talks but do not want to have their signature over it.'
Fibre2Fashion
5 days ago
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
Early shopping, tariff concerns drive US back-to-school trends: NRF
Back-to-school shoppers in US are kicking off their purchases earlier than ever in 2025, driven by tariff concerns and a hunt for deals, according to the latest annual survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics. As of early July, 67 per cent of shoppers had already begun buying items for the upcoming school year—the highest rate since NRF began tracking early shopping in 2018 and a sharp increase from 55 per cent last year. The early shopping trend is largely influenced by economic uncertainty, with 51 per cent of back-to-school families starting earlier specifically due to fears of price hikes caused by tariffs. Back-to-school shopping in US is starting earlier than ever in 2025, with 67 per cent of shoppers beginning by early July, driven by tariff fears and deal-hunting. While average spending per student is down slightly, total Kâ€'12 and college spending is set to hit $39.4 billion and $88.8 billion, respectively. Online and discount stores remain top channels amid economic caution. Despite the early momentum, 84 per cent of consumers reported having at least half of their shopping still left to complete. The primary reasons for holding off include waiting for better deals (47 per cent), uncertainty about required items (39 per cent), and spreading out budgets over time (24 per cent). Retailer-led summer sales events such as Amazon Prime Day, Walmart Deals and Target Circle Week are playing a pivotal role, with 82 per cent of shoppers timing purchases around these promotions, NRF said in a release. 'Consumers are being mindful of the potential impacts of tariffs and inflation on back-to-school items, and have turned to early shopping, discount stores and summer sales for savings on school essentials. As shoppers look for the best deals on clothes, notebooks and other school-related items, retailers are highly focused on affordability and making the shopping experience as seamless as possible,' said NRF vice president of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen . For K–12 students, families expect to spend an average of $858.07 this year—slightly below 2024's $874.68. Nonetheless, increased participation is projected to push total K–12 spending to $39.4 billion, up from $38.8 billion last year. Spending is led by electronics at an average of $295.81 per household ($13.6 billion total), followed by clothing and accessories ($249.36 or $11.4 billion), shoes ($169.13 or $7.8 billion), and school supplies ($143.77 or $6.6 billion). Online remains the top shopping channel (55 per cent), followed by department stores (48 per cent), discount retailers (47 per cent), and clothing stores (41 per cent). College shoppers are also scaling back per-person budgets—$1,325.85 on average, down from $1,364.75 in 2024. However, broader participation means total back-to-college spending is forecast to hit a record $88.8 billion, up from $86.6 billion. 'This increase can largely be attributed to higher income households, while lower income households are pulling back across categories because of economic uncertainty. Regardless of income, families want to ensure their students are set up for success. They are cutting back in other areas, using buy now, pay later or buying used or refurbished items to have everything they need for the school year,' stated Prosper executive vice president of strategy Phil Rist . Online leads again as the most popular shopping channel (48 per cent), while discount stores have grown in appeal (36 per cent, up 5 percentage points), followed by department stores (35 per cent) and college bookstores (27 per cent). The NRF's annual survey, based on responses from 7,581 consumers polled between July 1 and July 7, has a margin of error of ±1.1 percentage points and has tracked back-to-school shopping behaviour since 2003. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
L'Orient-Le Jour
6 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Anti-Houthi force seizes 'massive' Iranian weapons shipment: CENTCOM
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Wednesday in a post on X that a military group known as the Yemeni National Resistance Forces (NRF) had seized a "massive" shipment of Iranian weapons bound for the Houthi rebels. The NRF is an anti-Houthi force in Yemen, led by Tarek Saleh, the nephew of the former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. It is not officially part of the internationally recognized government. These Yemeni forces "seized more than 750 tons of munitions and equipment, including hundreds of advanced cruise, anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles, warheads and guidance devices, components as well as hundreds of drone engines, air defense equipment, radar systems and communications equipment," the statement added. Since the start of the Israeli offensive on Gaza in October 2023, the Iran-backed Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Al Arabiya
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Yemeni forces seize largest cache of Iranian advanced conventional weapons ever: CENTCOM
The US military said Wednesday that a Yemeni military group had seized the largest cache of advanced Iranian weapons in its history. 'Congratulations to the Yemeni National Resistance Forces (NRF), led by Gen. Tareq Saleh, for the largest seizure of Iranian advanced conventional weapons in their history,' the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement. According to CENTCOM, the NRF intercepted and seized more than 750 tons of munitions and hardware, including advanced cruise, anti-ship, and anti-aircraft missiles, drone engines, air defense equipment, radar systems, and more. Yemeni Partners Successfully Interdict Massive Iranian Weapons Shipment Bound for the Houthis Congratulations to the Yemeni National Resistance Forces (NRF), led by Gen. Tareq Saleh, for the largest seizure of Iranian advanced conventional weapons in their history. The NRF… — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 16, 2025 CENTCOM, citing the NRF, said manuals in Farsi were found as well as systems manufactured by a company affiliated with Iran's Ministry of Defense, which is sanctioned by the US. CENTCOM chief Gen. Erik Kurilla hailed the unprecedented interception. 'The interdiction of this massive Iranian shipment shows that Iran remains the most destabilizing actor in the region,' Kurilla said. 'Limiting the free flow of Iranian support to the Houthis is critical to regional security, stability, and freedom of navigation,' he added.
