Latest news with #Tasnim
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
More and more people returning to Tehran but fear remains rife
More and more people are gradually returning to Tehran, citizens and local media reported on Friday, after residents fled the Iranian capital when Israel began its attacks. Most headed north towards the Caspian Sea or for the mountainous region in the east of the country. Iran suffered major attacks on its nuclear and military facilities during the war which began on June 13, as well as losing many top scientists and military leaders in Israeli strikes. The US also intervened on Israel's behalf with a strike on Iranian nuclear sites at the weekend. Despite the ceasefire, panic and fear remain rife in Iran and daily life in Tehran has not yet returned to normal. Many residents still have their suitcases packed. Others say they were forced to return for financial reasons, as they cannot afford hotels or other alternative accommodation over a longer period of time. One resident reported that on Friday, for the first time since the attacks began, he was stuck in traffic again. Work has already begun in several places to repair infrastructure that was destroyed. Tehran was the target of heavy Israeli air strikes during the conflict and while military facilities were the main targets in the city, residential buildings were also hit. Tehran has barely any bomb shelters. The head of the local housing foundation said 332 buildings or around 3,500 residential units were damaged in the Iranian capital alone, Tasnim news agency reported.
Egypt Independent
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Mourners gather in Tehran as state funeral for senior figures underway
Large crowds gathered in Tehran waving flags and banners to honor 60 people, including top military figures and nuclear scientists, killed in Iran's 12-day conflict with Israel earlier this month. Iranian state media outlet IRIB played patriotic music over video from the state funeral ceremony, which showed mourners reaching out to touch coffins draped in Iran's red, white and green. President Masoud Pezeshkian was seen in the crowd, alongside security officers. Portraits of several slain military figures were displayed on a stage, including images of Major General Hossein Salami and General Mohammad Bagheri. Some members of the crowd also carried photos of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as demonstrators chanted anti-America and anti-Israel slogans, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. Key figures: Hossein Salami was the head of the secretive Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and one the most powerful men in Iran. Mohammad Bagheri had served as the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, which the UK-based International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated could call on more than 500,000 active personnel. Israel claimed its killing of regime figures such as Salami and Bagheri, as well as several nuclear scientists, were among the key successes of its unprecedented attacks on Iran.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran Launches Missiles at US Air Base in Qatar: State Media
Iran has launched missiles at a US air base in Qatar, the Islamic Republic's Tasnim news agency reported. Kailey Leinz has the latest. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
NBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Iran's executions of 3 accused of spying and mass detentions fuel crackdown fears
Fears that the Iranian regime could be using the recent conflict with Israel to crack down on its own population grew Wednesday after three people were executed and hundreds more were arrested and accused of spying. Accused of espionage for Israel's Mossad spy agency, the three people put to death Wednesday allegedly brought 'assassination equipment' disguised as shipments of alcoholic beverages and used in the assassination of a public figure into the country, according to Tasnim, a semiofficial outlet affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. A separate report from the state-aligned Fars News Agency Wednesday also said that more than 700 people it described as 'Israeli mercenaries' had been arrested over the last 12 days. Both reports came after a day of relative calm between Israel and Iran after President Donald Trump demanded they cease hostilities, which began with Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and other targets June 13. 'This crackdown was inevitable,' Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the London-based Chatham House think tank, told NBC News on Wednesday. 'I think it's going to be quite extensive and quite prolonged,' she said, adding that they were 'a relatively predictable outcome' for a regime that 'remains heavily repressive.' Having been locked into a decadeslong simmering conflict with Israel before the recent war, Iran has long been known to put people to death over allegations of spying for Mossad. Suspicions of infiltration are not without basis, after several Israeli media outlets published footage released by the spy agency that appeared to show covert agents launching missiles from within Iran during the recent attacks. NBC News could not independently verify this footage. The head of Iran's judiciary, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, also called on Saturday for cases of alleged collaborators with Israel to be expedited so they could face sentencing 'as quickly as possible,' according to to Iranian state media outlet ISNA. But rights groups including Amnesty International have sounded the alarm over the latest round of executions and arrests, warning that there could be more sweeping arrests and executions without any evidence of wrongdoing provided by the regime. Those concerns were echoed by Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch, who said that while Israel's early attacks on Iran had suggested local collaborators, 'there is deep reason for concern that people will be accused, convicted, and sentenced for helping Israel on the basis of flimsy if any evidence,' given the country's 'notorious lack of due process.' The Iranian Embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News. Rights groups have also warned that near-total internet blackouts across Iran can also be used as a tool of repression, blocking the population from sharing information with the outside world. The Iranian Communications Ministry said this was enforced to prevent Israeli cyberattacks, although the government had in the past shut down or reduced internet access in times of civil unrest. The crackdown could be 'used as a pretext to pre-empt any signs of dissent or public protest against Iranian government and military officials for their failure to protect civilians and key infrastructure from being targeted,' according to Burcu Ozcelik, a senior research fellow for Middle East security at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank. She added that the 'manhunt' for spies would also 'likely deflect attention away from the higher level officials in Iran who may be responsible for Israel's successful intelligence penetration inside Iran.' After several senior military leaders and nuclear scientists were killed by Israel, talk of "regime change" by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will likely have fueled paranoia within the Iranian leadership, although the president has since said he doesn't "want it." Netanyahu's comments shortly after he ordered the strikes that the Iranian public should use the attacks as an 'opportunity to stand up and let your voices be heard,' were 'felt misguided,' Vakil of Chatham House said. Under aerial bombardment, 'most people shelter in place,' rather than attempting 'to bring down an institutionalized bureaucratized and repressive system of government,' she said. But, she added, it was unclear what lies ahead for a population living under a regime likely to 'harden and consolidate."
Canada News.Net
3 days ago
- Business
- Canada News.Net
Canada, EU Sign Security, Defense Partnership
TEHRAN (Tasnim) Canada and the European Union on Monday signed the Security and Defense Partnership in Brussels, Belgium, according to a news release on the official website of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. - Other Media news - The partnership will provide a framework for dialogue and co-operation in security and defense priorities of the two sides, the news release said, Xinhua reported. For Canada and the EU member states who are NATO Allies, this will also help deliver on capability targets more quickly and economically, it added. "Canada's new government has a mandate to diversify and strengthen international partnerships. Through increased co-operation in defense, trade, and commerce, we'll create greater prosperity, security, and stability on both sides of the Atlantic," Carney was quoted as saying. This new partnership is the intentional first step toward Canada's participation in Security Action for Europe (SAFE), an instrument of the ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030, said the release.
