RSS
Iranian FM: Killing of IRGC No. 2 Will ‘Not Go Unanswered’
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
JNS.org – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that the death of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps deputy commander Brig. Gen. Abbas Nilforoushan in Beirut on Friday “will not go unanswered.”
Nilforoushan was killed by an Israeli airstrike alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Ali Karaki, the Iranian-backed terror group’s highest-ranking military commander.
“There is no doubt that this horrible crime committed by the Zionist regime [Israel] will not go unanswered,” said Araghchi in a statement addressed to IRGC chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, according to Reuters.
Earlier on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that the “axis of resistance,” which includes Hezbollah, Hamas, Yemen’s Houthi rebels and other terrorist groups across the Middle East, would avenge Nasrallah and Nilforoushan’s deaths.
“We will not hesitate to go to any level in order to help the resistance,” the Iranian politician stated, adding that the United States “is complicit in all of these crimes and … has to accept the repercussions.”
Meanwhile, Iranian Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif told state media on Sunday that the regime would retaliate against the Jewish state at a time of its choosing, according to Reuters.
The New York Times reported on Sunday that Iranian officials are divided on how to respond to the assassination of their close ally, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei saying Hezbollah, not Tehran, would lead the response to the attack.
“It will be Hezbollah, at the helm of the resistance forces, that will determine the fate of the region,” said Khamenei, adding that “Lebanon will make the aggressor and the evil enemy regretful.”
The Times report, which cited four Iranian officials, including IRGC operatives, said that while some members of the country’s Supreme National Security Council supported a swift attack during a meeting on Friday, others opposed the proposal, believing that this would mean falling into a “trap” set by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Others warned that an attack on the Jewish state could draw a response from the Israel Defense Forces, potentially damaging Iran’s vital infrastructure.
On Saturday, Khamenei was transferred to a location with heightened security, Reuters said over the weekend, citing two regional officials.
Also on Saturday, an Iranian plane heading for Beirut made a U-turn over Iraq on Saturday after the Israel Defense Forces warned air traffic control at Rafic Hariri International Airport not to grant it permission to land, a Lebanese government source told Reuters.
The source said it was not clear what or who was on the Qeshm Fars Air flight. Western intelligence sources have accused Tehran of using the airline to transport weapons to Hezbollah under the cover of civilian aviation.
The post Iranian FM: Killing of IRGC No. 2 Will ‘Not Go Unanswered’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Putin Speaks to Trump, Condemns Israel’s Strikes on Iran, Kremlin Says
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to US President Donald Trump for 50 minutes on Saturday, condemning the Israeli military operation against Iran and expressing concern about the risks of escalation, the Kremlin said.
“Vladimir Putin condemned Israel’s military operation against Iran and expressed serious concern about a possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
Trump, for his part, described events in the Middle East as “very alarming,” according to Ushakov. But the two leaders said they do not rule out a return to the negotiating track on Iran’s nuclear program, Ushakov said.
On Ukraine, Putin told the US leader that Russia was ready to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians after June 22, according to state news agency RIA.
Trump reiterated his interest in a speedy resolution to the conflict, the Kremlin aide said.
Putin also congratulated Trump on his 79th birthday.
The post Putin Speaks to Trump, Condemns Israel’s Strikes on Iran, Kremlin Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Sunday’s US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled, Oman Says
FILE PHOTO: Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi attends a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia July 11, 2023. Photo: Natalia Kolesnikova/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
The latest round of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Muscat will not take place, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X on Saturday. Oman has been mediating the talks.
Albusaidi’s statement came a day after Israel launched a sweeping air offensive against Iran, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop it building an atomic weapon.
A senior official of US President Donald Trump’s administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sunday’s talks had been cancelled.
Washington, however, remained committed to the negotiations and hoped “the Iranians will come to the table soon,” the official said.
The post Sunday’s US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled, Oman Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Iran Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ After Israel Attack, But Yet to Decide on Attending
USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, Sept. 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Iran said the dialogue with the US over Tehran’s nuclear program is “meaningless” after Israel’s biggest-ever military strike against its longstanding enemy, but said it is yet to decide on whether to attend planned talks on Sunday.
“The other side (the US) acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime (Israel) to target Iran’s territory,” state media on Saturday quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
“It is still unclear what decision we will make on Sunday in this regard,” Baghaei was quoted as saying.
He said Israel “succeeded in influencing” the diplomatic process and the Israeli attack would not have happened without Washington’s permission, accusing Washington of supporting the attack.
Iran earlier accused the US of being complicit in Israel’s attacks, but Washington denied the allegation and told Tehran at the United Nations Security Council that it would be “wise” to negotiate over its nuclear program.
The sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks was set to be held on Sunday in Muscat, but it was unclear whether it would go ahead after the Israeli strikes.
Iran denies that its uranium enrichment program is for anything other than civilian purposes, rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump told Reuters that he and his team had known the Israeli attacks were coming but they still saw room for an accord.
The post Iran Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ After Israel Attack, But Yet to Decide on Attending first appeared on Algemeiner.com.