Iran left behind by Turkey, Saudi Arabia in Syria, says hardline paper

Rubio said: "Behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence, behind every destabilizing activity, behind everything that threatens peace and stability for the millions of people that call this region home is Iran.

"And by Iran I mean the ayatollahs, by Iran I mean its regime, a regime who by the way, its people don’t support. The people of Iran are victims of that regime."

Netanyahu, who has long campaigned for harsher policies on Iran from global powers, warning of the threat the country's nuclear program poses to the region, welcomed the comments which echo his own years-long campaign against Tehran.

“Israel and America stand shoulder to shoulder in countering the threat of Iran," he said. "We agree that the ayatollahs must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons. We also agreed that Iran’s aggression in the region has to be rolled back.”

Addressing the Gaza war against Iran-backed militants, Hamas, Netanyahu said Israel had dealt a significant blow to Tehran over the past 16 months, adding that with the support of Trump, "I have no doubt we can and will finish the job".

He also said Israel had weakened the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon and had hit hundreds of targets in Syria to prevent a new Iranian-backed front opening up against Israel.

"Now, if any other force believes that Israel will permit other hostile forces to use Syria as a base of operations against us, they are gravely mistaken," Netanyahu said.

The US gave warnings to Lebanon that Israel may take military action as Iran-backed Hezbollah continues to use the airport to bring in weapons and money from Iran amid a US-France brokered ceasefire, the report said. Hezbollah and Iran deny the allegations.

A statement on Hezbollah media Al Mayadeen, responded to contest the closure: “Hezbollah demands that the Lebanese government reverse its decision of preventing the Iranian plane from landing at Beirut airport and take serious measures to prevent the Israeli enemy from imposing its dictates and violating sovereignty.”

Hezbollah, designated a terrorist organization by countries such as the US and UK, has been under greater scrutiny since the November ceasefire with Israel has seen the country’s army take greater control under the watch of the US and France which mediated the truce.

Last Thursday, Lebanese authorities sent word to Iran that a Beirut-bound flight should not take off.

On Friday, another flight was banned from taking off from Iran, triggering protests in Lebanon from supporters of the Iran-backed group who blocked the road to the country’s only international airport. The Lebanese army fired tear gas at protesters.

Speaking to AFP, a source said: “Through the Americans, Israel informed the Lebanese state that it would target the airport if the Iranian plane landed in Lebanon.

“The American side told the Lebanese side that Israel was serious about its threat.”

Last year, The Telegraph reported that Beirut International Airport was being used by Hezbollah as a smuggling route for Iran to arm and fund Hezbollah, quoting airport whistleblowers.

The latest incidents would be classed as breaches of the fragile ceasefire, which both sides claim the other has breached dozens of times.

Last week, Lebanese media also reported that flights into Beirut from Iraq were undergoing extra scrutiny to ensure they were not being used by Iran to send cash to Hezbollah.

“We cannot allow global geopolitical rivalries to determine the future of this region,” said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the 8th Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat on Sunday.

He said that some extra-regional actors are exploiting political and security vulnerabilities to disrupt natural cooperation between nations in the region.

“Decisions about the fate of the Indian Ocean must be made by the countries in the region and for the benefit of its people.”

For centuries, the Indian Ocean region has been an important trade arena, stretching from Africa’s eastern coast to Australia’s western coast. It remains critical today for the security and stability of shipping lanes and trade routes.

According to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the area, home to 33 nations and 2.9 billion people, accounts for over one-third of the world’s bulk cargo traffic and two-thirds of the world’s oil shipments and ensures global access to food, precious metals, and energy resources.

Araghchi also spoke about the strategic significance of Iran’s southern coastline, describing the Makran coast as an opportunity that must evolve into an economic hub for both Iran and the region.

Last month, Iran’s government spokesperson announced an ambitious plan to relocate its capital to the southern coastal region of Makran, aiming to address Tehran’s persistent issues of overpopulation, power shortages, and water scarcity. However, the proposal was later denied following extensive criticism.

Araghchi also added that Tehran plays a significant role in combating piracy, drug trafficking, and other threats to trade routes insisting that regional security should be maintained through cooperation among Indian Ocean countries.

His comments of promoting maritime security are contested by incidents like the 2019 tanker attacks near the Strait of Hormuz -- attributed to Iran by the US, UK and Saudi Arabia -- and its seizure of vessels such as the Stena Impero in 2019 and Hankuk Chemi in 2021, which were seen as politically motivated.

Iran-backed Houthis of Yemen are behind most of the attacks on ships in the Red Sea, while Tehran has time and again threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz. Iran was also implicated in incidents like the Israeli-owned Mercer Street tanker attack in 2021.

According to sources familiar with the case who spoke to Iran International on condition of anonymity, the Ministry of Intelligence has accused the father of conspiring with his son in the assassinations.

The assailant, whose identity remains undisclosed, had 10 years of experience working within the Supreme Court before allegedly taking his own life while being pursued by security forces.

Supreme Court judges Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh were gunned down in their offices in a secure government building.

In the aftermath, Iranian security forces launched a widespread crackdown, arresting several former political prisoners. One such detainee is Bijan Kazemi, a former political prisoner whose home was raided on January 21.

All electronic devices belonging to Kazemi and his family were confiscated, and he was transferred to Ward 209 of Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. A source close to the matter revealed to Iran International that Kazemi is being tortured in an attempt to force a confession that he provided the weapon used in the assassinations.

Kazemi, who had previously served two years in prison after a 2020 arrest due to alleged ties with the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), has been subjected to beatings by Intelligence Ministry agents. The MEK has been repeatedly blamed by Iranian authorities for orchestrating attacks against Tehran authorities, including this high-profile assassination.

Both Razini and Moghiseh were infamous for their harsh rulings against political dissidents, particularly during the 1988 mass executions of political prisoners. Critics had long referred to them as the "hanging judges" due to their roles in issuing death sentences during the regime's brutal crackdowns.

The assassination of the two judges has sent shockwaves across the country, particularly among former political prisoners who have recounted their encounters with the judges' severe punishments.

Despite multiple arrests, including that of Kazemi, the Islamic Republic has provided conflicting narratives about the motive and details of the attack. Authorities such as Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson for the National Security Commission, and Jafar Ghadiani, the Disciplinary Prosecutor for Judges, have pointed fingers at the MEK. However, the lack of transparency and the use of torture to extract confessions have cast doubt on these claims.

In a phone call on Saturday, the two countries’ foreign ministers discussed “how to resolve the problem of civil flights” and “confirmed their readiness to hold constructive talks in good faith”, after a decision to bar two flights from landing triggered violent protests in Beirut.

Iran reciprocated by barring two Middle East Airlines flights from landing in Tehran to evacuate Lebanese citizens, Lebanon's An-Nahar reported.

Iran's ambassador to Beirut Mojtaba Amani told state media that the Islamic Republic will allow Lebanese flights to land in Tehran only if Iranian flights are permitted to land in Beirut.

Tensions between the two countries started when Lebanon halted flights by Iranian carriers, including Mahan Air and Iran Air.

Saeed Chalondari, CEO of Imam Khomeini Airport City, said Lebanon had announced a suspension of Iranian flights until February 18, directing passengers to use Lebanese carriers instead.

The dispute follows accusations from Israel that Iran’s IRGC Quds Force has been using civilian flights to smuggle funds to Hezbollah via Beirut International Airport. Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X that Iran and Hezbollah were exploiting commercial flights to transfer money for attacks on Israel.

The flight ban has sparked tensions in Lebanon. Images circulating on social media showed Hezbollah supporters blocking roads to Beirut Airport in protest against the refusal to allow Mahan Air to land.