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See - Sada Elbalad
29-06-2025
- Business
- See - Sada Elbalad
8 Injured in Iran's Tabriz Oil Refinery Explosion
Taarek Refaat An explosion rocked the Tabriz Oil Refinery in northwestern Iran on Sunday following a nitrogen tank rupture, injuring eight people, according to Iranian media reports. Authorities attributed the blast to a technical malfunction and overpressure in the tank system. ISNA News Agency reported that the explosion caused "minor injuries" to eight workers at the site. 'Due to increased pressure and a technical fault, a nitrogen tank exploded at the Tabriz refinery,' ISNA quoted local officials as saying. Thick plumes of smoke were seen rising from the facility, prompting concerns among residents in the surrounding area. However, emergency response teams quickly contained the situation, and operations at the refinery reportedly continued without major disruption. State media emphasized that no fatalities occurred and the facility remains operational. 'The Tabriz refinery is functioning normally. Initial investigations confirm there were no human losses,' a spokesperson for the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC) stated. The incident has triggered an internal review, and experts are expected to assess the refinery's safety protocols, particularly around gas containment infrastructure. The Tabriz refinery, one of Iran's major fuel processing centers, plays a critical role in supplying petroleum products to the northwest region and nearby provinces. Incidents at such facilities, while not frequent, raise concerns about aging infrastructure and the challenges faced by the energy sector under international sanctions. This explosion marks the latest in a series of industrial incidents in Iran over the past few years, highlighting growing domestic scrutiny over safety compliance in strategic sectors. read more CBE: Deposits in Local Currency Hit EGP 5.25 Trillion Morocco Plans to Spend $1 Billion to Mitigate Drought Effect Gov't Approves Final Version of State Ownership Policy Document Egypt's Economy Expected to Grow 5% by the end of 2022/23- Minister Qatar Agrees to Supply Germany with LNG for 15 Years Business Oil Prices Descend amid Anticipation of Additional US Strategic Petroleum Reserves Business Suez Canal Records $704 Million, Historically Highest Monthly Revenue Business Egypt's Stock Exchange Earns EGP 4.9 Billion on Tuesday Business Wheat delivery season commences on April 15 News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean
28-06-2025
- Politics
Iran crackdown deepens with speedy executions and arrests
Three Iranian men were executed this week on alleged charges of collaborating with Israel, according to the Islamic Republic judiciary, bringing the total number of people put to death on similar charges during the 12-day war between Tehran and Tel Aviv to six. The hangings were part of the "season of traitor-killing," according to Iran's ISNA News Agency, as Iranian authorities pushed the executions through less than 48 hours after the ceasefire between Iran and Israel was announced on Monday. Iran's judiciary said the men were convicted of espionage on behalf of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency. However, human rights activists claim the men were Kurdish day-laborers with no access to classified information and were denied fair trials. "This is a very corrupt regime, and there is no due process in Iran," Azadeh Pourzand, a Middle East and human rights expert and a senior fellow and head of the State-Society Relations Unit at the think tank Centre for Middle East and Global Order, told ABC News. The crackdown follows a war with Israel that Iranian authorities say left at least 627 people dead and 4,870 injured, along with major infrastructure damage across the country. Iran's current regime, however, is still maintaining power while many analysts had speculated the possibility of a regime change in the aftermath of the destruction of military infrastructure and the killing of many high ranking military commanders, along with ambiguities about the Iranian supreme leader's health and whereabouts. Given the country's track record in similar situations over nearly half a century of rule, many human rights activists and Iranians inside the country view this "defeated and wounded" phase as, potentially, the regime's most dangerous, especially in terms of repression. Several Iranians who have been against the war told ABC News that they are concerned about the regime taking its revenge on people. "I cried once when the war started, and again when the ceasefire was announced," a 37-year-old woman from Rasht, who declined to be named out of fear of safety concerns, told ABC News. "We fear the Islamic Republic just as much as we fear Israel." Over the course of the 12-day conflict, Iranian intelligence and security forces said they arrested more than 700 people accused of having ties to Israel, according to state affiliate PressTV earlier this week. Sharing deep concerns about the safety of the human rights activists, journalists and women, Pourzand said the regime has already "accelerated its execution machine." Israeli officials have not commented on those arrested for alleged ties to Israel but Mossad Chief David Barnea said this week the Israeli intelligence agency would continue to keep a "close eye" on Iran. "We will continue to keep a close eye on all the projects in Iran that we know very well. We will be there(in Iran), as we have been there until now," Barnea said. Additionally, on June 25, Iran's judiciary announced changes to what it called the "Espionage Law for Dealing with Citizens," with the Intelligence Ministry announcing the formation of a new special committee tasked with monitoring citizens' online activities -- a campaign state media has labeled an "intelligence jihad," highlighting it as part of a broader "national defense" effort. "There are security forces out patrolling the streets in full force. We hardly dare go out," Samira, a 23-year-old student activist in Tehran, told ABC News. "It's an extremely terrifying time. I think we're about to enter a phase of further paralysis and suffocation." Pourzand -- the human rights advocate -- described the post-war atmosphere as a "systematic and rigid form of repression," warning that the new surveillance measures will further tighten control over public dissent and personal freedoms. "This is collective punishment against ordinary people … in order to make a point and instill fear domestically, and to make points internationally," she said. For critics, the Islamic Republic's response follows a well-worn pattern. "This regime has mastered how to own the narrative over the past 47 years," Pourzand said. "They use all sorts of tools -- misinformation, disinformation." The conflict has stirred mixed emotions among Iranians, many of whom are still grappling with the trauma of the state's crackdown that followed the 2022 nationwide "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests that were ignited after the tragic death of Mahsa Jina Amini in police custody. The crackdown left hundreds killed, thousands imprisoned and several executed. The uprising followed years of repression and economic hardship made worse by U.S.-led sanctions on top of widespread regime corruption that has only deepened the public's frustration and despair. Some Iranians initially viewed Israel's early rhetoric about "freeing Iranians" from dictatorship with hope. "The Islamic Republic is a totalitarian regime … which has brought decades of destruction, insecurity, and regional instability," Parham, 36, told ABC News. "Supporting the Iranian people in their quest for freedom is not only a moral imperative but also a pathway toward peace, prosperity, and stability in the region." However, not everyone shares the same sentiment. "It'd be foolish to believe Israel's objective was ever to free us from this regime," Samira said. "They made it clear their only goal was the destruction of Iran's nuclear capabilities." On Thursday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first public appearance since the start of the war, emerging from weeks of absence to deliver a taped televised address to the nation. "This is one of the greatest divine blessings," Khamenei said, referring to Iran's armed forces penetrating multiple layers of Israeli defense systems during the recent conflict. "It shows the Zionist regime that any aggression against the Islamic Republic will come at a cost -- a heavy cost -- and thankfully, that's exactly what happened." However, some now fear that Khamenei's "heavy cost" will ultimately fall on Iranian citizens, as the world's attention shifts elsewhere, leaving them at the mercy of a regime determined to prove it remains in control. "What's already started is quite horrific," Pourzand said. "Unfortunately, I think what's coming will be even worse."
Politico
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Israel and Iran trade strikes for third day as hundreds reported dead
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel unleashed airstrikes across Iran for a third day Sunday and threatened even greater force as some Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defenses to strike buildings in the heart of the country. Planned talks on Iran's nuclear program, which could provide an off-ramp, were canceled. President Donald Trump in recent days vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a U.S. official told The Associated Press, in an indication of how far Israel was prepared to go. Israel's strikes have killed at least 406 people in Iran and wounded another 654, according to a human rights group that has long tracked the country, Washington-based Human Rights Activists. Iran's government has not offered overall casualty figures. The region braced for a protracted conflict after Israel's surprise bombardment Friday of Iranian nuclear and military sites killed several top generals and nuclear scientists. Neither side showed any sign of backing down. Iran said Israel struck two oil refineries, raising the prospect of a broader assault on Iran's heavily sanctioned energy industry that could affect global markets. The Israeli military, in a social media post, warned Iranians to evacuate arms factories, signaling a further widening of the campaign. Israel, the sole though undeclared nuclear-armed state in the Middle East, said it launched the attack to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The two countries have been adversaries for decades. Explosions shook Iran's capital, Tehran, around noon and again around 3:30 p.m. Sirens went off across much of Israel around 4 p.m., warning of Iran's first daytime assault since fighting began. More sirens sounded around 8:30 p.m. Israel said 14 people have been killed there since Friday and 390 wounded. Iran has fired over 270 missiles, 22 of which got through the country's sophisticated multi-tiered air defenses, according to Israeli figures. Israel's main international airport and airspace remained closed for a third day. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said if Israel's strikes on Iran stop, then 'our responses will also stop.' Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, criticized the United States for supporting Israel and said if Israel's 'hostile actions' continue, 'the responses will be more decisive and severe,' state TV reported. Trump said the U.S. 'had nothing to do with the attack' and that Iran can avoid further destruction only by agreeing to a new nuclear deal. Photos shared by Iran's ISNA News Agency showed bloodied people being helped from the scene of Israeli strikes in downtown Tehran. Israeli strikes targeted Iran's Defense Ministry early Sunday after hitting air defenses, military bases and sites associated with its nuclear program. On Sunday night, Israel said it had begun striking dozens of surface-to-surface missile targets in western Iran. Israel also claimed it attacked an Iranian refueling aircraft in Mashhad in the northeast, calling it the farthest strike the military had yet carried out. Iran did not immediately acknowledge any attack. Video obtained and verified by the AP showed smoke rising from the city. Iran's foreign minister said Israel targeted an oil refinery near Tehran and another in a province on the Persian Gulf. Semiofficial Iranian news agencies have reported that an Israeli drone strike caused a 'strong explosion' at an Iranian natural gas processing plant at the South Pars natural gas field. Human Rights Activists said its breakdown of the toll so far showed at least 197 civilians and 90 members of the military have been killed across Iran. At least 119 more deaths could not be identified. The group crosschecks local reports against a network of sources inside the country, where access for international media is more limited than in Israel. In a sign that Iran expects Israeli strikes to continue, state television reported that metro stations and mosques would be made available as bomb shelters beginning Sunday night. In Israel, at least six people, including a 10-year-old and a 9-year-old, were killed when a missile hit an apartment building in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv. Daniel Hadad, a local police commander, said 180 people were wounded and seven were missing. An additional four people, including a 13-year-old, were killed and 24 wounded when a missile struck a building in the Arab town of Tamra in northern Israel. A strike on the central city of Rehovot wounded 42. The Weizmann Institute of Science, an important center for military and other research in Rehovot, reported 'a number of hits to buildings on the campus.' It said no one was harmed. An oil refinery was damaged in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, according to the firm operating it, which said no one was wounded. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has brushed off urgent calls by world leaders to deescalate. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, he said regime change in Iran 'could certainly be the result' of the conflict, and he announced that Israel had killed the intelligence chief for Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. He also claimed, without giving evidence, that Israeli intelligence indicated Iran intended to give nuclear weapons to Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Iran has always said its nuclear program was peaceful, and the U.S. and others have assessed that it has not pursued a weapon since 2003. But Iran has enriched ever larger stockpiles of uranium to near weapons-grade levels in recent years and was believed to have the capacity to develop multiple weapons within months if it chose to do so. The U.N.'s atomic watchdog issued a rare censure of Iran last week. The region is already on edge as Israel seeks to annihilate Hamas, an Iranian ally, in the Gaza Strip, where war still rages after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Iran's foreign minister Saturday called the nuclear talks 'unjustifiable' after Israel's strikes. A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive nuclear talks, said Washington remained committed to them and hoped the Iranians would return to the table. In a social media post, Trump warned Iran that any retaliation directed against it would bring an American response 'at levels never seen before.' 'However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!' he wrote. In Iran, satellite photos analyzed by AP show extensive damage at Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz. The images shot Saturday by Planet Labs PBC show multiple buildings damaged or destroyed. The structures hit include buildings identified by experts as supplying power to the facility. U.N. nuclear chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that the above-ground section of the Natanz facility was destroyed. The main centrifuge facility underground did not appear to be hit, but the loss of power could have damaged infrastructure there, he said. Israel also struck a nuclear research facility in Isfahan. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said four 'critical buildings' were damaged, including Isfahan's uranium-conversion facility. The IAEA said there was no sign of increased radiation at Natanz or Isfahan. An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity Sunday in line with official procedures, said it would take 'many months, maybe more' to restore the two sites.
The Hill
15-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Israel and Iran trade strikes for a third day as hundreds reported dead
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel unleashed airstrikes across Iran for a third day Sunday and threatened even greater force as some Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defenses to strike buildings in the heart of the country. Planned talks on Iran's nuclear program, which could provide an off-ramp, were canceled. Israel's strikes have killed at least 406 people in Iran and wounded another 654, according to a human rights group that has long tracked the country, Washington-based Human Rights Activists. Iran's government has not offered overall casualty figures. The region braced for a protracted conflict after Israel's surprise bombardment Friday of Iranian nuclear and military sites killed several top generals and nuclear scientists. Neither side showed any sign of backing down. Iran said Israel struck two oil refineries, raising the prospect of a broader assault on Iran's heavily sanctioned energy industry that could affect global markets. The Israeli military, in a social media post, warned Iranians to evacuate arms factories, signaling a further widening of the campaign. Israel, the sole though undeclared nuclear-armed state in the Middle East, said it launched the attack to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The two countries have been adversaries for decades. Explosions shook Iran's capital, Tehran, around noon and again around 3:30 p.m. Sirens went off across much of Israel around 4 p.m., warning of Iran's first daytime assault since fighting began. Israel said 14 people have been killed there since Friday and 390 wounded. Iran has fired over 270 missiles, 22 of which got through the country's sophisticated multi-tiered air defenses, according to Israeli figures. Israel's main international airport and airspace remained closed for a third day. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said if Israel's strikes on Iran stop, then 'our responses will also stop.' Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, criticized the United States for supporting Israel and said if Israel's 'hostile actions' continue, 'the responses will be more decisive and severe,' state TV reported. U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. 'had nothing to do with the attack' and that Iran can avoid further destruction only by agreeing to a new nuclear deal. Photos shared by Iran's ISNA News Agency showed bloodied people being helped from the scene of Israeli strikes in downtown Tehran. Israeli strikes targeted Iran's Defense Ministry early Sunday after hitting air defenses, military bases and sites associated with its nuclear program. On Sunday night, Israel said it had begun striking dozens of surface-to-surface missile targets in western Iran. Israel also claimed it attacked an Iranian refueling aircraft in Mashhad in the northeast, calling it the farthest strike the military had yet carried out. Iran did not immediately acknowledge any attack. Video obtained and verified by The Associated Press showed smoke rising from the city. Iran's foreign minister said Israel targeted an oil refinery near Tehran and another in a province on the Persian Gulf. Semiofficial Iranian news agencies have reported that an Israeli drone strike caused a 'strong explosion' at an Iranian natural gas processing plant at the South Pars natural gas field. Human Rights Activists said its breakdown of the toll so far showed at least 197 civilians and 90 members of the military have been killed across Iran. At least 119 more deaths could not be identified. The group crosschecks local reports against a network of sources inside the country, where access for international media is more limited than in Israel. In a sign that Iran expects Israeli strikes to continue, state television reported that metro stations and mosques would be made available as bomb shelters beginning Sunday night. In Israel, at least six people, including a 10-year-old and a 9-year-old, were killed when a missile hit an apartment building in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv. Daniel Hadad, a local police commander, said 180 people were wounded and seven were missing. Another four people, including a 13-year-old, were killed and 24 wounded when a missile struck a building in the Arab town of Tamra in northern Israel. A strike on the central city of Rehovot wounded 42. The Weizmann Institute of Science, an important center for military and other research in Rehovot, reported 'a number of hits to buildings on the campus.' It said no one was harmed. An oil refinery was damaged in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, according to the firm operating it, which said no one was wounded. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has brushed off urgent calls by world leaders to deescalate. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, he said regime change in Iran 'could certainly be the result' of the conflict, and he announced that Israel had killed the intelligence chief for Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. He also claimed, without giving evidence, that Israeli intelligence indicated Iran intended to give nuclear weapons to Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Iran has always said its nuclear program was peaceful, and the U.S. and others have assessed that it has not pursued a weapon since 2003. But Iran has enriched ever larger stockpiles of uranium to near weapons-grade levels in recent years and was believed to have the capacity to develop multiple weapons within months if it chose to do so. The U.N.'s atomic watchdog issued a rare censure of Iran last week. The region is already on edge as Israel seeks to annihilate Hamas, an Iranian ally, in the Gaza Strip, where war still rages after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Iran's foreign minister on Saturday called the nuclear talks 'unjustifiable' after Israel's strikes. A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive nuclear talks, said Washington remained committed to them and hoped the Iranians would return to the table. In a social media post, Trump warned Iran that any retaliation directed against it would bring an American response 'at levels never seen before.' 'However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!' he wrote. In Iran, satellite photos analyzed by AP show extensive damage at Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz. The images shot Saturday by Planet Labs PBC show multiple buildings damaged or destroyed. The structures hit include buildings identified by experts as supplying power to the facility. U.N. nuclear chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that the above-ground section of the Natanz facility was destroyed. The main centrifuge facility underground did not appear to be hit, but the loss of power could have damaged infrastructure there, he said. Israel also struck a nuclear research facility in Isfahan. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said four 'critical buildings' were damaged, including Isfahan's uranium-conversion facility. The IAEA said there was no sign of increased radiation at Natanz or Isfahan. An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity Sunday in line with official procedures, said it would take 'many months, maybe more' to restore the two sites. ___ Melzer reported from Nahariya, Israel, and Goldenberg from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi and Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran; Sam Mednick and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Julia Frankel in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
Middle East Eye
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Iran says Israel attacked building linked to defence ministry in Isfahan
Iranian authorities said that Israel had attacked a facility linked to the Ministry of Defence in the city of Isfahan. 'One of the centres affiliated with the Ministry of Defence in Isfahan was attacked moments ago, but there have been no casualties so far,' the deputy provincial governor, Akbar Salehi, was quoted as saying by the ISNA News Agency. 'Expert teams are currently examining the possible damage,' he added.
