Mideast Crisis

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Sunday rejected calls by Tehran moderates for direct negotiations with the United States, insisting that Washington’s hostility cannot be resolved through talks.

Israel is threatening Muslim nations, Iran's foreign minister said on Sunday in an op-ed on a pan-Arab daily newspaper, urging Islamic countries to impose sanctions and form an international coalition against Iran's archenemy.

A representative of Iran's Supreme Leader has urged restrictions on Western shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, saying such a move would drive global oil prices to $200 and deal an economic blow to Iran's adversaries.

Israel is buying two more aerial refueling aircraft to boost its long-range strike capability against Iran, Israeli outlet Ynet reported, as the Revolutionary Guards’ chief warned Saturday of harsher retaliation in any renewed conflict.

Iran has asked Belarus for assistance in restoring its damaged air defense and electronic warfare systems following the June conflict with Israel, Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service said.

A Lebanese opposition figure has urged his government to expel Iran’s envoy in Beirut after senior Iranian official Ali Larijani reaffirmed Tehran’s backing for Hezbollah, deepening the controversy over Iran’s role in Lebanon.

Iran has established arms production facilities in several countries but will not disclose their names for now, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said in a televised interview Friday night.

Iran must remain prepared for a fresh round of conflict as the war with Israel is not over, the Islamic Republic's top security official Ali Larijani said two months after a US-brokered ceasefire put an end to a 12-day war between Iran and Israel.

Iran temporarily closed large sections of its western airspace early on Friday to allow military drills, before restoring flights several hours later, local media reported.

A prominent Iranian conservative figure alleged that Israel seeks to orchestrate leadership change in Tehran by assassinating members of the Assembly of Experts to pave the way for former president Hassan Rouhani, Iranian media reported on Thursday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that US President Donald Trump acted in a judicious way in ordering attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June.

Iran’s navy test-fired a range of cruise missiles during large-scale drills on Thursday, striking surface targets in the Gulf of Oman and northern Indian Ocean, state media reported.

Iran’s communications minister confirmed on Wednesday that widespread disruptions to GPS and internet services were linked to “security considerations” and said raising tariffs for mobile operators had become unavoidable to sustain services.

An Iranian lawmaker warned that Tehran would resume war with Israel and withdraw from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if European powers trigger the so-called “snapback” mechanism that would reinstate UN sanctions on Iran.

Iran’s state-affiliated Farhikhtegan newspaper warned on Wednesday that Tehran should prepare for “potential threats from its northern borders” following the US-brokered Armenia-Azerbaijan deal to develop the Zangezur corridor.

Iran’s defense minister said on Wednesday that the country has developed a new generation of missiles with greater capabilities than those used in the recent 12-day conflict with Israel, and would deploy them in the event of further hostilities.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) emerged from its 12-day confrontation with Israel in June bruised but more entrenched in the country’s power structure, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

Yemen’s foreign minister accused Iran on Sunday of driving the Houthi movement to reject peace initiatives and prolong the country’s decade-long conflict, Asharq al-Awsat reported.