Trump warns Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face destruction

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran kept up its attacks on Israel and Persian Gulf neighbors on Wednesday as airstrikes pounded Tehran and U.S. President Donald Trump again made contradictory statements about whether he was ready to wind down the war or escalate it. Trump struck a belligerent tone Wednesday in a Truth Social … Read more

Gulf allies privately make the case to Trump to keep fighting Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) — Gulf allies of the United States, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are urging President Donald Trump to continue prosecuting the war against Iran, arguing that Tehran hasn’t been weakened enough by the monthlong U.S.-led bombing campaign, according to U.S., Gulf and Israeli officials. After private grumbling at the … Read more

Iran threatens to attack Mideast electrical plants powering US bases

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran warned Monday it will strike electrical plants across the Middle East if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on his threat to bomb power stations in the Islamic Republic. The threat by Tehran puts at risk both electrical supplies and water in the Gulf Arab states, particularly as … Read more

Iran pressuring women footballers who defected in Australia to return

Hundreds of people have been detained across the country over the past two weeks, according to information reviewed by Iran International and local reports. Many detainees’ identities, locations of detention and legal status remain unknown. Arrests have been reported in multiple provinces including East and West Azarbaijan, Alborz, Isfahan, Tehran, Khuzestan, Kordestan, Kerman, Kohgiluyeh and … Read more

Trump suggests Iran stay away from FIFA World Cup

Rather than confronting the official narrative head-on, many posts mocked the opaque and unusual circumstances of Mojtaba’s rise – especially the emergence of a leader who, for many Iranians, remains almost entirely unseen. The jokes fall broadly into several recurring themes. ‘A leader no one has seen’ Many jokes focus on Mojtaba Khamenei’s near-total absence … Read more

Iran’s supreme leader vows to keep up attacks as oil prices surge

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s secretive new supreme leader vowed Thursday to keep up attacks on Gulf Arab countries and use the effective closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the United States and Israel. It was his first public statement since he succeeded his father, who was killed in … Read more

Iran’s sports minister says the country can’t take part in the World Cup

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s sports and youth minister said it’s “not possible” for the country to take part in the World Cup after the United States killed its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in its ongoing war. Iran was expected to take part in the World Cup that will be held across … Read more

The mood inside Iran as Khamenei’s son takes power

On March 5, shortly after heavy strikes targeted areas near the Pasteur government complex in central Tehran – a district that houses the Iranian presidency and several key government offices – the Israeli military published a video depicting what it described as Khamenei’s underground bunker system. The complex resembles a subterranean city. According to the video and … Read more

Bahrain says Iran hit a desalination plant, stoking fears of attacks on civilian sites

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Bahrain accused Iran of striking a desalination plant on Sunday, raising fears civilian infrastructure may become fair game in a nine-day-old war, as Iran’s president vowed to expand its attacks on American targets across the region in the face of intense U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. A late-night Israeli strike … Read more

Iran’s president defies US demands while apologizing for strikes on neighbors

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s president apologized Saturday for attacks on “neighboring countries” even as its missiles and drones flew toward Gulf Arab states and U.S. President Donald Trump threatened that the country would be “hit very hard.” President Masoud Pezeshkian, a member of the three-man leadership council overseeing Iran since Supreme Leader … Read more