TEHRAN – Iranians on Tuesday commemorated the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, an annual event symbolizing defiance against American influence. This year’s commemoration carried added significance — it was the first since the U.S. bombed Iran’s nuclear sites during a 12-day war with Israel in June. Thousands of demonstrators gathered […]
khamenei
Iran closes French institute to protest Khamenei cartoons
Iran announced Thursday the closure of a Tehran-based French research institute in protest against cartoons of the Islamic republic’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei published by French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. “The ministry is ending the activities of the French Institute for Research in Iran as a first step,” the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement, a day after Tehran had […]
Iran’s Khamenei says experience shows ‘trusting West does not work’
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that the outgoing government’s experience of engaging with world powers including the United States shows that “trusting the West does not work”. President Hassan Rouhani’s signature diplomatic achievement, a 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, gave Iran some relief from international sanctions in exchange for limits on […]
List of military candidates stirs unease over Iran vote
A string of military figures on the list of Iranian presidential hopefuls is stirring unease over a possible militarisation of the Islamic republic’s politics. Registration for the June 18 poll runs from Tuesday to Saturday, after which names will be handed to the Guardian Council for vetting. IRNA news agency has pointed to the […]
Iran could consider talks with U.S. only if sanctions lifted, Khamenei permits: minister
DUBAI: Iran’s intelligence minister has said Tehran and Washington could hold talks only if the United States ended its sanctions and Iran’s top authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gave his approval, state news agency IRNA reported on Thursday. “Holding talks with America can be reviewed by Iran only If (U.S. President Donald) Trump lifts the sanctions […]
Iran will not tolerate both sanctions and nuclear restrictions: Khamenei
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday warned European leaders against their “dream” of Tehran continuing to curb its nuclear programme while finding itself under new economic sanctions. “From some European countries we get the message that they expect the Iranian people to both tolerate the sanctions, deal with the sanctions, and go along […]