Latest news with #Khorasan
India.com
01-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
Bad news for Israel, US as Iran plans to buy J-10C fighter jets from..., can challenge...
Bad news for Israel, US as Iran plans to buy J-10C fighter jets from..., can challenge... Israel has destroyed Iran's decades-old air force in a 12-day war and Iranian fighter jets have been selectively destroyed. Iran's air defense system and radar systems have been destroyed. Israel has completely destroyed Iran's very weak radar units. After the devastating war with Israel, Iran is considering taking help from China. Iran's Su-35 deal with Russia has already failed, in such a situation Iran has no other option except China. In such a situation, Iran is moving rapidly towards buying J-10C fighter jets from China. Through this deal, Iran is not only trying to strengthen its air force, but if this deal happens then it will be a big geo-political signal and this will rapidly increase China's threat in the Persian Gulf. On whom is Iran backing? Iran has turned to China to modernise its dilapidated air force fleet in view of regional tensions, according to a report in Iran's Khorasan newspaper. The paper reported that the Iranian Air Force is desperate and in dire need of Chinese help. Iran's air force, officially known as the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF), does not have operational power. According to the Military Balance 2025 published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Iran's air force had about 150 fighter jets before the recent conflict, but most of them are relics of a bygone era. Iran will modernise its air force Iran's air force is still dependent on US-origin 1970s aircraft. 64 F-4 Phantom II, 35 F-5 Tiger II, and 41 F-14A Tomcats are its backbone. Many of these aircraft are not even in flying condition. Iran also has some Mi-29s that came in the 1980s, but these too have become useless due to acute shortage of spare parts and technical support. In the war that started on 13 June 2025, Iran admitted that 30% of its air force has become inactive. Apart from this, indigenous surface-to-air missile systems like Bavar-373 completely failed in front of Israel's electronic warfare and stealth capabilities.
Al Bawaba
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Iran's President slams western pressure, vows to rebuild nuclear program if attacked
ALBAWABA- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared on Thursday that Iran will not yield to U.S. Pressure, asserting that even if foreign military strikes destroy the country's nuclear facilities, they will be rebuilt. 'It's wrong to think everything would be lost if our facilities were bombed,' Pezeshkian said. 'Our capabilities are embedded in our knowledge and expertise. Whatever they destroy, we will rebuild.' Speaking to Iranian media, Pezeshkian condemned the intensifying sanctions imposed by the United States and some European countries, saying they amount to a campaign of 'maximum pressure' on the Iranian people. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran will 'not submit to force' after the IAEA declared the country in breach of nuclear rules. He accused the U.S. and Europe of trying to stop Iran's progress with sanctions. Iran plans to expand its uranium enrichment despite… — CGTN Europe (@CGTNEurope) June 12, 2025 He added that since taking office, his government has sought dialogue with all neighboring countries. 'Our message has been consistent: we are your brothers,' he said, referring to shared cultural and historical ties with communities across Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Balochistan, and Khorasan. His remarks came as the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution censuring Iran for failing to meet its nuclear obligations. Nineteen of the 35 board members supported the resolution, which the U.S., UK, France, and Germany drafted. China, Russia, and Burkina Faso opposed the measure, while 11 nations abstained. The resolution, seen as a warning ahead of potentially escalating the matter to the UN Security Council, aims to increase pressure on Tehran amid longstanding concerns about its nuclear ambitions, concerns Iran denies. The diplomatic move comes as indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran continue in Oman, seeking a potential alternative to the collapsed 2015 nuclear deal. The two sides have held five rounds of negotiations since April. Tensions remain high across the Middle East. U.S. President Donald Trump recently expressed skepticism over the possibility of a new agreement with Iran, saying he is now 'less confident' in its prospects.
Fox News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Afghan Christian pastor pleads with Trump, warns of Taliban revenge after admin revokes refugee protections
As the Trump administration has moved to end protections for thousands of Afghan nationals, faith leaders and advocates are sounding the alarm over the potential deportation of Christian converts, who, they say, face severe persecution under Taliban rule. Pastor Behnam Rasooli, known as Pastor Ben, leads the Oklahoma Khorasan Church in Oklahoma City, a congregation primarily composed of Afghan Christian refugees. In an interview with Fox News Digital, he shared harrowing accounts of the dangers he says his Christian community faces."If any of these Afghan Christians are deported back to Afghanistan, the first thing that will happen is the husbands will be killed, the wives will be taken as sex slaves," Pastor Ben stated. "If they don't kill them, they'll put them in prison and beat them every single night." The Department of Homeland Security officially ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan nationals, potentially forcing more than 9,000 individuals to return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Department of Homeland (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem cited an "improved security situation" and a stabilizing economy as justification. "This administration is returning TPS to its original, temporary intent," Noem said. "We've reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation." Afghans' protected status is set to expire on May 20, with the program formally ending on July 12. Noem added that terminating the designation aligns with the administration's broader goal of rooting out fraud and national security threats in the immigration system. TPS allows foreign nationals from countries facing armed conflict, natural disasters or other emergencies to live and work legally in the U.S. Then-President Joe Biden had originally designated Afghanistan for TPS following the Taliban's takeover in 2021. Among those at risk are members of Pastor Ben's congregation, many of whom he says undertook perilous journeys to reach the U.S. legally. He recounted the story of a group that he claimed traveled from Brazil to Mexico, including a 76-year-old woman and a 7-month-old girl, waiting ten months in a Mexican church sanctuary for approval to cross the border legally via the CBP One app."They didn't have food for weeks, they didn't have water for weeks, but they were willing to wait, face all those difficulties, to come to the United States with legal status," he said. "Now, with the new administration, we heard that those parolees are being revoked. They're not even giving work permits." Fox News Digital reached out to the White House about the pastor's concerns and received the following response:"In tandem with its failed Afghanistan withdrawal, the Biden administration illegally paroled tens of thousands of Afghans into the U.S., plus hundreds of thousands of other aliens. Parole, a temporary benefit, is granted case by case for urgent humanitarian reasons or public benefit—it is not a pathway to permanent residence or citizenship. Afghans lacking legal grounds to stay and fearing persecution on protected grounds may apply for asylum and have the courts adjudicate their cases," said White House spokesman Kush Desai to Fox News Digital. Advocacy groups, including Help The Persecuted, have petitioned Noem to recognize Afghanistan as a Country of Particular Concern, and to allow Afghan Christians and minorities who have documented persecution due to religion or belief to have TPS while their asylum claims are properly vetted and processed. The petition stresses the Taliban's active persecution of Christians, including arrests at border crossings, torture in detention and the enforcement of laws that make any practice of Christianity illegal. Pastor Ben urges fellow Christians to stand in solidarity with their persecuted brothers and sisters."They need us today to be their voice," he said. "We have the freedom; they do not. We have all the comfort; they do not. But all they want is the church to be part of it." He also addressed President Trump directly: "Mr. President, I fully support your deportation plan because we do not want criminals to live in the United States, but we have to be aware that among those people that you want to deport, some are not criminals. Some are people that are at the risk of being killed, being imprisoned, losing their wives, losing their kids.""Please, let's not let this happen to them," said Pastor Ben. "Let's keep the American Dream alive."
