Latest news with #Amir
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tehran is coming back to life, but its residents are deeply shaken
In the heart of the Iranian capital, the Boof cafe serves up refreshing cold drinks on a hot summer's day. They must be the most distinctive iced Americano coffees in this city – the cafe sits in a leafy corner of the long-shuttered US embassy. Its high cement walls have been plastered with anti-American murals ever since Washington severed relations with Tehran in the wake of the 1979 Iranian revolution and the hostage crisis – which still cast a long shadow over this tortuous relationship. Inside the charming Boof cafe, Amir the barista says he'd like relations to improve between America and Iran. "US sanctions hurt our businesses and make it hard for us to travel around the world," he reflects as he pours another iced coffee behind a jaunty wooden sign - "Keep calm and drink coffee." Only two tables are occupied - one by a woman covered up in a long black veil, another by a woman in blue jeans with long flowing hair, flouting the rules on what women should wear as she cuddles with her boyfriend. It's a small snapshot of this capital as it confronts its deeply uncertain future. A short drive away, at the complex of Iran's state TV station IRIB, a recorded speech by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was broadcast to the nation on Thursday. "The Americans have been opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran from the very beginning" he declared. Iran carries out wave of arrests and executions in wake of Israel conflict 'We are exhausted' - how Iranians are feeling after fragile ceasefire "At its core, it has always been about one thing: they want us to surrender," went on the 86-year Ayatollah, said to have taken shelter in a bunker aer Israel unleashed its unprecedented wave of strikes targeting Iran's nuclear and missile sites and assassinating senior commanders and scientists. We watched his speech, his first since President Donald Trump suddenly announced a ceasefire on Tuesday, on a small TV in the only office still intact in a vast section of the IRIB compound. All that's le is a charred skeleton of steel. When an Israeli bomb slammed into this complex on 16 June, a raging fire swept through the main studio which would have aired the supreme leader's address. Now it's just ash. You can still taste its acrid smell; all the TV equipment - cameras, lights, tripods - are tangles of twisted metal. A crunching glass carpet covers the ground. Israel said it targeted the propaganda arm of the Islamic Republic, accusing it of concealing a military operation within - a charge its journalists rejected. Its gaping shell seems to symbolise this darkest of times for Iran. You can also see it in the city's hospitals, which are still treating Iranians injured in Israel's 12-day war. "I am scared they might attack again, " Ashraf Barghi tells me when we meet in the emergency department of the Taleghani General hospital where she works as head nurse. "We don't trust this war has ended" she says, in a remark reflecting the palpable worry we've heard from so many people in this city. When Israel bombed the threshold of the nearby Evin prison on 23 June, the casualties, both soldiers and civilians, were rushed into Nurse Barghi's emergency ward. What we know about the Iran-Israel ceasefire "The injuries were the worst I've treated in my 32 years as nurse," she recounts, still visibly distressed. The strike on the notorious prison where Iran detains most of its political prisoners was described by Israel as "symbolic". It seemed to reinforce Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's repeated message to Iranians to "stand up for their freedom". "Israel says it only hit military and nuclear prison but it's all lies," insists Morteza from his hospital bed. He had been at work in the prison's transport department when the missile slammed into the building. He shows us his injuries in both arms and his backside. In the ward next door, soldiers are being cared for, but we're not allowed to enter there. Across this sprawling metropolis, Iranians are counting the cost of this confrontation. In its latest tally, the government's health ministry recorded 627 people killed and nearly 5,000 injured. Tehran is slowly returning to life and resuming its old rhythms, at least on the surface. Its infamous traffic is starting to fill its soaring highways and pretty tree-lined side streets. Shops in its beautiful bazaars are opening again as people return to a city they fled to escape the bombs. Israel's intense 12-day military operation, coupled with the US's attacks on Iran's main nuclear sites, has le so many shaken. "They weren't good days, " says Mina, a young woman who immediately breaks down as she tries to explain her sadness. "It's so heart-breaking, " she tells me through her tears. "We tried so hard to have a better life but we can't see any future these days." We met on the grounds of the soaring white marble Azadi tower, one of Tehran's most iconic landmarks. A large crowd milling on a warm summer's evening swayed to the strains of much-loved patriotic songs in an open air concert of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra. It was meant to bring some calm to a city still on edge. Supporters and critics of Iran's clerical rulers mingled, drawn together by shared worry about their country's future. "They have to hear what people say," insists Ali Reza when I ask him what advice he would give to his government. "We want greater freedoms, that's all I will say." There's defiance too. "Attacking our nuclear bases to show off that 'you have to do as we say' goes against diplomacy," says Hamed, an 18-year-old university student. Despite rules and restrictions which have long governed their lives, Iranians do speak their minds as they wait for the next steps by their rulers, and leaders in Washington and beyond, which carry such consequences for their lives. Additional reporting by Charlotte Scarr and Nik Millard. Lyse Doucet is being allowed to report in Iran on condition that none of her reports are used on the BBC's Persian service. This law from Iranian authorities applies to all international media agencies operating in Iran. When Iran's supreme leader emerges from hiding he will find a very different nation Hegseth talks up US strikes on Iran in push for public approval How a volatile 24 hours edged Iran and Israel to a ceasefire
Saudi Gazette
a day ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Tehran is coming back to life, but its residents are deeply shaken
TEHRAN — In the heart of the Iranian capital, the Boof cafe serves up refreshing cold drinks on a hot summer's day. They must be the most distinctive iced Americano coffees in this city – the cafe sits in a leafy corner of the long-shuttered US embassy. Its high cement walls have been plastered with anti-American murals ever since Washington severed relations with Tehran in the wake of the 1979 Iranian revolution and the hostage crisis – which still cast a long shadow over this tortuous relationship. Inside the charming Boof cafe, Amir the barista says he'd like relations to improve between America and Iran. "US sanctions hurt our businesses and make it hard for us to travel around the world," he reflects as he pours another iced coffee behind a jaunty wooden sign — "Keep calm and drink coffee." Only two tables are occupied — one by a woman covered up in a long black veil, another by a woman in blue jeans with long flowing hair, flouting the rules on what women should wear as she cuddles with her boyfriend. It's a small snapshot of this capital as it confronts its deeply uncertain future. A short drive away, at the complex of Iran's state TV station IRIB, a recorded speech by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was broadcast to the nation on Thursday. "The Americans have been opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran from the very beginning" he declared. "At its core, it has always been about one thing: they want us to surrender," went on the 86-year Ayatollah, said to have taken shelter in a bunker after Israel unleashed its unprecedented wave of strikes targeting Iran's nuclear and missile sites and assassinating senior commanders and scientists. We watched his speech, his first since President Donald Trump suddenly announced a ceasefire on Tuesday, on a small TV in the only office still intact in a vast section of the IRIB compound. All that's left is a charred skeleton of steel. When an Israeli bomb slammed into this complex on 16 June, a raging fire swept through the main studio which would have aired the supreme leader's address. Now it's just ash. You can still taste its acrid smell; all the TV equipment — cameras, lights, tripods — are tangles of twisted metal. A crunching glass carpet covers the ground. Israel said it targeted the propaganda arm of the Islamic Republic, accusing it of concealing a military operation within — a charge its journalists rejected. Its gaping shell seems to symbolize this darkest of times for Iran. You can also see it in the city's hospitals, which are still treating Iranians injured in Israel's 12-day war. "I am scared they might attack again, " Ashraf Barghi tells me when we meet in the emergency department of the Taleghani General hospital where she works as head nurse. "We don't trust this war has ended" she says, in a remark reflecting the palpable worry we've heard from so many people in this city. When Israel bombed the threshold of the nearby Evin prison on 23 June, the casualties, both soldiers and civilians, were rushed into Nurse Barghi's emergency ward. "The injuries were the worst I've treated in my 32 years as nurse, even worse than what I saw in the Iran-Iraq war in the 80s," she recounts, still visibly distressed. The strike on the notorious prison where Iran detains most of its political prisoners was described by Israel as "symbolic". It seemed to reinforce Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's repeated message to Iranians to "stand up for their freedom". "Israel says it only hit military and nuclear prison but it's all lies," insists Morteza from his hospital bed. He had been at work in the prison's transport department when the missile slammed into the building. He shows us his injuries in both arms and his backside. In the ward next door, soldiers are being cared for, but we're not allowed to enter there. Across this sprawling metropolis, Iranians are counting the cost of this confrontation. In its latest tally, the government's health ministry recorded 627 people killed and nearly 5,000 injured. Tehran is slowly returning to life and resuming its old rhythms, at least on the surface. Its infamous traffic is starting to fill its soaring highways and pretty tree-lined side streets. Shops in its beautiful bazaars are opening again as people return to a city they fled to escape the bombs. Israel's intense 12-day military operation, coupled with the US's attacks on Iran's main nuclear sites, has left so many shaken. "They weren't good days, " says Mina, a young woman who immediately breaks down as she tries to explain her sadness. "It's so heart-breaking, " she tells me through her tears. "We tried so hard to have a better life but we can't see any future these days." We met on the grounds of the soaring white marble Azadi tower, one of Tehran's most iconic landmarks. A large crowd milling on a warm summer's evening swayed to the strains of much-loved patriotic songs in an open air concert of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra. It was meant to bring some calm to a city still on edge. Supporters and critics of Iran's clerical rulers mingled, drawn together by shared worry about their country's future. "They have to hear what people say," insists Ali Reza when I ask him what advice he would give to his government. "We want greater freedoms, that's all I will say." Despite rules and restrictions which have long governed their lives, Iranians do speak their minds as they wait for the next steps by their rulers, and leaders in Washington and beyond, which carry such consequences for their lives. — BBC
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Tehran is coming back to life, but its residents are deeply shaken
In the heart of the Iranian capital, the Boof cafe serves up refreshing cold drinks on a hot summer's must be the most distinctive iced Americano coffees in this city – the cafe sits in a leafy corner of the long-shuttered US embassy. Its high cement walls have been plastered with anti-American murals ever since Washington severed relations with Tehran in the wake of the 1979 Iranian revolution and the hostage crisis – which still cast a long shadow over this tortuous the charming Boof cafe, Amir the barista says he'd like relations to improve between America and Iran. "US sanctions hurt our businesses and make it hard for us to travel around the world," he reflects as he pours another iced coffee behind a jaunty wooden sign - "Keep calm and drink coffee."Only two tables are occupied - one by a woman covered up in a long black veil, another by a woman in blue jeans with long flowing hair, flouting the rules on what women should wear as she cuddles with her a small snapshot of this capital as it confronts its deeply uncertain future."The Americans have been opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran from the very beginning", declared Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his recorded speech broadcast on Thursday from the IRIB state TV compound a short drive carries out wave of arrests and executions in wake of Israel conflict'We are exhausted' - how Iranians are feeling after fragile ceasefire"At its core, it has always been about one thing: they want us to surrender," went on the 86-year Ayatollah, said to have taken shelter in a bunker aer Israel unleashed its unprecedented wave of strikes targeting Iran's nuclear and missile sites and assassinating senior commanders and scientists. We watched his speech, his first since President Donald Trump suddenly announced a ceasefire on Tuesday, on a small TV in the only office still intact in a vast section of the IRIB compound - all that's le is a charred skeleton of an Israeli bomb slammed into this complex on 16 June, a raging fire swept through the main studio which would have aired the supreme leader's address. Now it's just ash. You can still taste its acrid smell; all the TV equipment - cameras, lights, tripods - are tangles of twisted metal. A crunching glass carpet covers the said it targeted the propaganda arm of the Islamic Republic, accusing it of concealing a military operation within - a charge its journalists gaping shell seems to symbolise this darkest of times for can also see it in the city's hospitals, which are still treating Iranians injured in Israel's 12-day war. "I am scared they might attack again, " Ashraf Barghi tells me when we meet in the emergency department of the Taleghani General hospital where she works as head nurse."We don't trust this war has ended" she says, in a remark reflecting the palpable worry we've heard from so many people in this Israel bombed the threshold of the nearby Evin prison on 23 June, the casualties, both soldiers and civilians, were rushed into Nurse Barghi's emergency we know about the Iran-Israel ceasefire"The injuries were the worst I've treated in my 32 years as nurse, even worse than what I saw in the Iran-Iraq war in the 80s," she recounts, still visibly strike on the notorious prison where Iran detains most of its political prisoners was described by Israel as "symbolic". It seemed to reinforce Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's repeated message to Iranians to "stand up for their freedom"."Israel says it only hit military and nuclear prison but it's all lies," insists Morteza from his hospital bed. He had been at work in the prison's transport department when the missile slammed into the building. He shows us his injuries in both arms and his the ward next door, soldiers are being cared for, but we're not allowed to enter there. Across this sprawling metropolis, Iranians are counting the cost of this confrontation. In its latest tally, the government's health ministry recorded 627 people killed and nearly 5,000 is slowly returning to life and resuming its old rhythms, at least on the surface. Its infamous traffic is starting to fill its soaring highways and pretty tree-lined side in its beautiful bazaars are opening again as people return to a city they fled to escape the bombs. Israel's intense 12-day military operation, coupled with the US's attacks on Iran's main nuclear sites, has le so many shaken."They weren't good days, " says Mina, a young woman who immediately breaks down as she tries to explain her sadness. "It's so heart-breaking, " she tells me through her tears. "We tried so hard to have a better life but we can't see any future these days."We met on the grounds of the soaring white marble Azadi tower, one of Tehran's most iconic landmarks. A large crowd milling on a warm summer's evening swayed to the strains of much-loved patriotic songs in an open air concert of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra. It was meant to bring some calm to a city still on and critics of Iran's clerical rulers mingled, drawn together by shared worry about their country's future."They have to hear what people say," insists Ali Reza when I ask him what advice he would give to his government. "We want greater freedoms, that's all I will say."Despite rules and restrictions which have long governed their lives, Iranians do speak their minds as they wait for the next steps by their rulers, and leaders in Washington and beyond, which carry such consequences for their Doucet is being allowed to report in Iran on condition that none of her reports are used on the BBC's Persian service. This law from Iranian authorities applies to all international media agencies operating in Iran.
BusinessToday
a day ago
- Politics
- BusinessToday
▪ Yield Movement
Former Secretary-General of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA), Mr. Amir Abd Hadi, today clarified that he resigned from his position as MUDA's Secretary-General and Central Executive Committee Member in March 2025 due to personal reasons. In a statement issued, Mr. Amir informed that a transition process for the position has been underway since then, with Ms. Ainie Haziqah now having fully taken over as the new MUDA Secretary-General. Referring to the latest development where MUDA President, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, was acquitted and discharged from previous charges, Mr. Amir expressed confidence that this would serve as a catalyst and a new beginning for the party to face future challenges, starting with the Sabah State Election and subsequently the 16th General Election (GE16). He emphasised that a restructuring of the party's leadership is necessary, and key positions, including that of the Secretary-General, need to be filled promptly. Mr. Amir also conveyed his gratitude for the Court of Appeal's decision. As a co-founder of MUDA, although no longer holding a position, he affirmed his continued support for the party and expressed full trust in the current leadership to steer MUDA forward. He also stated his intention to continue working closely on issues where there is mutual agreement. For the time being, Mr. Amir will fully focus on his duties as Executive Director of MANDIRI. He hopes this statement clarifies any confusion that may have arisen. Concluding his statement, Mr. Amir extended his apologies for any shortcomings during his tenure as MUDA's Secretary-General and expressed gratitude to the leadership and members at all levels for their excellent cooperation since he first assumed leadership responsibilities. He also hoped that members at every level would provide full support to Ms. Ainie Haziqah as the new MUDA Secretary-General. Related
Daily Express
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Express
Targeted RON95 subsidy to be done in stages, says Amir
Published on: Thursday, June 26, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jun 26, 2025 By: FMT Reporters Text Size: Finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan previously said the subsidy rationalisation would begin in the second half of the year. PETALING JAYA: Putrajaya will implement the targeted RON95 subsidy this year in stages, taking into consideration the best mechanism to avoid burdening Malaysians, says finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan. Amir said the government was still in the midst of formulating a suitable system to implement the targeted subsidy, and that it would be tabled to the Cabinet once ready, Berita Harian reported. 'The prime minister has already said the targeted RON95 subsidy will be carried out this year. 'But similar to our approach with the targeted diesel subsidy, we need to ensure that we have the right mechanism to implement it so that we don't burden the rakyat. 'Policy-wise, the prime minister has already said the government will ensure that most Malaysians aren't affected by the (targeted) RON95 subsidy,' the minister was quoted as saying. Amir previously said the subsidy rationalisation would begin in the second half of the year, although no date was specified. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the cuts would mainly target foreigners and Malaysia's top 5% to 10% of income earners. He said the government's move towards subsidy rationalisation was a critical step to ensure that national resources are effectively channelled to benefit the lower-income group. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
