Illustrative: Pro-Hamas demonstrators gather in the heavily Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Borough Park in New York City on Feb. 18, 2o25. Photo: Screenshot

Hamas has called for “mass demonstrations and a global siege on Israeli and American embassies around the globe,” according to Iranian state-run media, following Israel’s decision to resume military operations against the Palestinian terrorist group in Gaza after negotiations to extend a ceasefire failed.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Hamas urged the “Arabic and Islamic world” and “free people everywhere” to mobilize against “the Israeli regime’s resuming its US-backed war of genocide against the Palestinian territory.”

The group called for immediate pressure on both Israel and the United States “to end the ongoing military onslaught,” in Gaza, according to Iran’s Press TV.

“The fascist occupation government has resumed its barbaric aggression and genocide war against our people in Gaza, violating all human norms, values, and divine laws during the holy month of Ramadan,” the statement reads”

Iran is Hamas’s chief international backer, providing the Palestinian terrorist group with weapons, funding, and training.

Israel on Monday night began conducting “extensive” strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza, before resuming ground operations in the coastal enclave on Wednesday.

“This follows Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement. “Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength.”

In its own statement, Hamas called for mass demonstrations in cities worldwide and a coordinated siege of Israeli and American diplomatic missions “in response to the Israeli government’s resumption of its military aggression and its reversal of the ceasefire agreement, which has flouted all international and humanitarian laws and norms.”

The Palestinian Islamist group also urged demonstrators to raise Palestinian flags and mobilize resources in support of “the legitimate rights of Palestinians to freedom, independence, and an end to a simultaneous stifling blockade that the regime was enforcing against the coastal strip.”

“Let us unite all efforts at the Arab, Islamic, and international levels and be one voice against the Zionist aggression and the genocide war it is waging against more than two million Palestinians,” the statement read.

Israel recently imposed a total blockade on Gaza after the first phase of the ceasefire with Hamas expired without an agreement to extend the truce.

During the first phase, which began on Jan. 19, fighting ceased for six weeks as Hamas released 33 Israeli hostages (25 alive and eight deceased) in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, many of whom had been serving long sentences in Israeli prisons for terrorist activities.

The second phase was meant to include a complete Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists from Israel. However, negotiations faltered when Hamas rejected a US proposal, supported by Israel, to release additional hostages and extend the ceasefire while continuing to discuss a permanent resolution.

The US, Qatar, and Egypt have been trying to bridge the differences between the Islamic terrorist group and Israel to restart negotiations in order to release remaining hostages held in Gaza and lift the blockade.

On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Jerusalem will not cease military operations against Hamas until all the hostages are returned.

“Hamas must realize that the rules of the game have changed, and if it does not immediately release all the hostages, the gates of hell will open, and it will find itself facing the full intensity of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] in the air, sea, and land, until its complete elimination,” Katz said during a visit to the Tel Nof Airbase.

“We will not stop fighting until all the hostages are returned home and all threats to the southern residents are removed,” he added.

The post Hamas Calls for Global Siege on US, Israeli Embassies After Renewed Strikes in Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on before a meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 26, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Iran will consider the “opportunities” as well as the threats in a letter from US President Donald Trump that urged it to reach a new nuclear deal, and will soon respond, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday.

Iran‘s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected Trump‘s letter last week as deceptive, saying Trump‘s excessive demands would “tighten the knot of sanctions and increase pressure on Iran.”

But Araqchi said Tehran was still evaluating the letter and weighing its reply.

“Trump’s letter was more a threat, but it claims to have opportunities. We paid attention to all points held in the letter and will consider both threat and opportunity in our response,” Araqchi said.

“There is an opportunity behind every menace.”

On Wednesday, Axios reported that Trump‘s letter gave Iran a two-month deadline to reach a nuclear deal or face stricter sanctions under the US President’s renewed “maximum pressure” campaign.

Araqchi said Tehran would respond to Trump‘s letter in the coming days via appropriate channels, rejecting any direct negotiations as long as Washington levels “pressure, threats, and sanctions.”

In his first term, Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 deal between Iran and major powers that had placed temporary limits on Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

After Trump pulled out in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions, Iran breached and far surpassed those limits in the development of its nuclear program.

Western powers accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons by enriching uranium up to 60 percent purity, above what they say is justifiable for a civilian program.

Tehran says the development of its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and that it respects its commitments under international law.

The post Iran Says It Will Consider ‘Opportunities’ as Well as Threats in Trump Letter first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Members of the Taliban carrying flags participate in a rally to mark the third anniversary of the fall of Kabul, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 14, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Sayed Hassib

The Taliban on Thursday freed an American citizen detained in Afghanistan for over two years following direct talks between US hostage envoy Adam Boehler and Taliban officials in Kabul, a source briefed on the release told Reuters.

George Glezmann, who was detained in 2022 while visiting Kabul as a tourist, left Afghanistan aboard a Qatari aircraft on Thursday evening bound for Qatar, the source said. Glezmann and Boehler are expected to later travel onward to the United States.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement on Thursday confirming Glezmann‘s release.

Thursday’s meeting in Kabul marked the highest-level direct talks between the United States and the Taliban since President Donald Trump came to power in January.

Boehler met with the Taliban administration’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, according to a statement by the Afghan foreign ministry.

“During this meeting, discussions were held on Afghanistan-US bilateral relations, the release of prisoners, and the provision of consular services to Afghans in the United States,” the statement said.

It added that the meeting was also attended by former US special representative to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad.

Qatar, a Gulf Arab state which represents US diplomatic interests in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, said in a statement posted on X that it had facilitated Glezmann‘s release.

The source said that Qatar coordinated with Boehler to negotiate with the Taliban authorities.

“Following weeks of negotiations, a breakthrough was made by the Qataris during recent meetings with the Taliban,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

TALIBAN ‘GOODWILL GESTURE’

In a statement, the Taliban called Glezmann‘s release a “goodwill gesture” reflecting its willingness to engage with the United States “on the basis of mutual respect and interests.”

The source said that the release was not part of a deal to free any Afghan detainees held by the US in exchange.

The US in January freed an Afghan convicted by an American court on charges of drug smuggling and terrorism in exchange for two US citizens held in Afghanistan.

Qatari officials were also involved in negotiations for that deal, which began during the administration of former US president Joe Biden and led to the release of two Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty.

A third American citizen, Mahmood Habibi, is thought to remain in custody in Afghanistan.

BOEHLER’S HIGH LEVEL DIPLOMACY

Glezmann was the second high-profile release of a US citizen held overseas secured amid diplomacy by Boehler.

Boehler was involved in efforts that led to the release of American school teacher Marc Fogel from Russia last month.

In addition, Boehler has held direct talks with Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in an effort to secure the release of remaining hostages held in Gaza. He also traveled to Iraq last month to push for the release of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, a student at Princeton University.

Glezmann, a mechanic for Delta Airlines in Atlanta, was visiting Kabul as a tourist when he was detained by the Taliban in December 2022, according to the Foley Foundation, which monitors cases of Americans detained overseas.

The foundation said Glezmann had been in sporadic telephone contact with his wife since he was detained, and that he had health conditions that deteriorated while in detention.

The post American Citizen Glezmann Freed by Taliban, Returning to US first appeared on Algemeiner.com.