Iran

FILE - A woman holds a placard with a picture of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini during a protest against her death, in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 28, 2022. A rapper in Iran who came to fame over his lyrics about the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini and criticizing the Islamic Republic has been reportedly sentenced to death, state media and rights activists said Thursday, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

Lawyer says Iran rapper famous for songs after 2022 killing of Mahsa Amini sentenced to death

A rapper in Iran who came to fame over his lyrics about the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini and criticizing the Islamic Republic has been reportedly sentenced to death.
 
FILE - Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi briefs the media on elections in Tehran, Iran, March 4, 2024. Argentina sought the arrest of Vahidi on April 23, 2024, over his alleged involvement in the deadly 1994 bombing of Buenos Aires Jewish community center. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

Iran rejects Argentina’s request to arrest interior minister over 1994 bombing at Jewish Center

 
In this photo released by Press Information Department, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, left, shakes hand with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif prior to their meeting at prime minister house in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, April 22, 2024. Iranian and Pakistani leaders vowed to strengthen economic and security cooperation in a meeting on Monday, as the two countries seek to smooth over a diplomatic rift. (Press Information Department via AP)

Pakistan and Iran vow to enhance efforts at a ‘united front’ against Afghanistan-based militants

 
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, left is received by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena as he arrives at the Mattala International airport in Mattala, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Sri Lanka President's Office via AP)

Iran’s Raisi says Israel must be brought to justice for ‘usurpation’ of Palestinian territories

 
FILE - In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, meets Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress of China, in Pyongyang, North Korea on April 13, 2024. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)

North Korea sends a delegation to Iran in a growing effort to break its diplomatic isolation

 

Jewish Ultra-Orthodox families inspect debris of what’s believed to be an intercepted Iranian surface-to-surface missile

Jewish Ultra-Orthodox families inspected debris on Sunday of what is believed to be an intercepted Iranian surface-to-surface missile. The unusual find came two weeks after Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel, when Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. (AP video by Ohad Zwigenberg)
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Iranian president arrives in Pakistan before attending welcome ceremony

Hikers in Israel find part of a missile in the middle of the desert

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Judge orders preventative detention for Iranian and 2 Peruvians in thwarted plot to kill Israelis

A Peruvian judge has ordered 18 months of preventative detention for an Iranian and two Peruvian men while they are investigated for allegedly trying to kill two Israelis living in the South American country.
 
FILE - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on June 19, 2023. Blinken is starting three days of talks with senior Chinese officials in Shanghai and Beijing this week. It comes as U.S.-China ties are at a critical point over numerous global disputes. (Leah Millis/Pool Photo via AP, File)

As Blinken heads to China, these are the major divides he will try to bridge

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is starting three days of talks with senior Chinese officials in Shanghai and Beijing this week. The trip comes as U.S.
 
A missile defense site near an international airport and air base is seen in Isfahan, Iran, Monday, April 22, 2024. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Satellite photos suggest Iran air defense radar struck in Isfahan during apparent Israeli attack

New satellite photos suggest an apparent Israeli retaliatory strike targeting Iran’s central city of Isfahan hit a radar system for a Russian-made air defense battery, contradicting repeated denials by officials in Tehran of any damage in the assault.
 
In this photo released by Prime Minister Office, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, left, walks with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a welcome ceremony in the prime minister house in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, April 22, 2024. (Prime Minister Office via AP)

The leaders of Iran and Pakistan vow to boost trade in a meeting seeking to mend a diplomatic rift

The leaders of Iran and Pakistan have agreed to strengthen economic and security cooperation in a meeting that sought to smooth over a diplomatic rift.
 
In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center, leads a prayer during his meeting with a group of senior military leaders, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Iran’s supreme leader tacitly acknowledges that Tehran hit little in its attack on Israel

Iran’s supreme leader has dismissed any discussion of whether Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel hit anything there.
 
FILE - Iranian worshippers chant slogans during an anti-Israeli gathering after Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran, April 19, 2024. President Joe Biden can breathe a little bit easier with Israel and Iran seemingly stepping back from the brink of plunging the Middle East into all-out war. But challenges across the Middle East are testing the proposition he made to voters during his 2020 campaign: A Biden White House would bring a measure of calm around the globe and renewed respect on the world stage. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

Biden avoids a further Mideast spiral as Israel and Iran show restraint. But for how long?

President Joe Biden can perhaps breathe a bit easier given that Israel and Iran seem to have stepped back for now from tipping the Middle East into all-out war.
 

Bulgaria seizes heroin worth nearly $8.5 million in truck heading from Iran to Western Europe

Bulgarian customs officials say they have seized about 887 pounds of heroin found in a truck with Turkish registration en route from Iran to Western Europe.
 
FILE - Iranian worshippers walk past a mural showing the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, right, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, and Basij paramilitary force, as they hold posters of Ayatollah Khomeini and Iranian and Palestinian flags in an anti-Israeli gathering after Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

Israel and Iran’s apparent strikes and counterstrikes give new insights into both militaries

This month’s unprecedented direct attacks between Iran and Israel are revealing deeper insights into both militaries.
 
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during the AmCham China Fireside Chat held at the Baiyun International Conference Center (BICC) in southern China's Guangdong province, Friday, April 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Andy Wong, Pool)

Thai plastics firm will pay $20 million to settle with U.S. over Iran sanctions violations

A Bangkok-based plastics firm has agreed to pay $20 million to settle with the U.S. over 467 violations of Iran sanctions. The U.S.
 
FILE - 55 Water Street, home of Standard & Poor's rating agency, in New York, on Oct. 9, 2011. Israel's long-term credit ratings are being downgraded by S&P, citing the risk of military escalation with Iran. Early Friday morning April 19, 2024 Iran fired air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones, which were suspected to be part of an Israeli attack in retaliation for Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country. (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams, File)

Israel’s long-term credit rating is downgraded by S&P, 2nd major US agency to do so, citing conflict

Israel’s long-term credit rating is being downgraded by S&P, which cited the risk of military escalation with Iran.
 
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets the journalists during a press conference at the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting on Capri Island, Italy, Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Israel gave US last-minute warning about drone attack on Iran, Italian foreign minister says at G7

The United States told the Group of Seven foreign ministers that it received “last minute” information from Israel about a drone action in Iran, Italy’s foreign minister said.
 
Iranian worshippers chant slogans during an anti-Israeli gathering after Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 19, 2024. An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The Latest | World leaders call on Iran and Israel to avoid allowing conflict to worsen

World leaders are calling on Iran and Israel to try to avoid escalating tensions following the apparent Israeli strike near an Iranian air base and nuclear facility.
 
Iranian women walk past a banner showing missiles being launched from Iranian map in northern Tehran, Iran, April 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Israel, Iran play down apparent Israeli strike. The muted responses could calm tensions — for now

Israel and Iran are both playing down an apparent Israeli airstrike near a major air base and nuclear site in central Iran.
 
FILE - The U.S. Treasury Department building, June 6, 2019, in Washington. The Biden administration on Friday imposed sanctions on two entities accused of fundraising for extremist Israeli-occupied West Bank settlers who have harassed and attacked Palestinians, as well as the founder of an organization whose members regularly assault Palestinians. The Treasury Department announcement comes as the West Bank has seen some of its worst violence perpetrated by extremist settlers against Palestinians since the war in nearby Gaza began. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

US and UK issue new sanctions on Iran in response to Tehran’s weekend attack on Israel

The U.S. and U.K. have imposed a new round of sanctions on Iran as concern grows that Tehran’s unprecedented attack on Israel could fuel a wider war in the Middle East.
 
Representatives of member countries take votes during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

The Latest | Iran says air defense batteries fire after explosions reported near major air base

Iran’s state news agency says the country’s air defense batteries have fired after reports of explosions near a major air base at the city of Isfahan.
 
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks during Army Day parade at a military base in northern Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Raisi warned that the "tiniest invasion" by Israel would bring a "massive and harsh" response, as the region braces for potential Israeli retaliation after Iran's attack over the weekend. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Pakistan says Iran’s President Raisi will visit next week despite tensions in the Middle East

Pakistan’s foreign minister says Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi will arrive in Islamabad on a previously scheduled visit next week despite increasing tension in the wake of Tehran’s attack on Israel.
 
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, left, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, top left, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, top, second from left, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, bottom left, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, bottom right, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly, top right, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, right, meet on the second day of a G7 foreign ministers meeting on Capri island, Italy, Thursday April 18, 2024. (Remo Casilli/Pool via AP)

NATO and the EU urge G7 nations to step up air defense for Ukraine and expand Iran sanctions

Top NATO and European Union officials are urging industrialized nations to take quick and concrete steps to provide more air defense systems to Ukraine.
 
A police officer rides a bicycle past an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Friday, April 19, 2024, in Tokyo. Asian markets tumbled Friday, with Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 down more than 3% on heavy selling of semiconductor-related shares.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Stock market today: Asian markets sink, with Japan’s Nikkei down 3.5%, as Mideast tensions flare

Asian stocks have tumbled, with Japan’s Nikkei slumping 3.5% on heavy selling of semiconductor-related shares and other market heavyweights.
 
FILE - House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 16, 2024. Iran's attack against Israel over the weekend has spurned a flurry of bipartisan legislative action in Congress. It has united lawmakers against the country even as the risk of a larger regional war looms. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Congress moving swiftly on bipartisan action to punish Iran after revenge attack on Israel

Iran’s attack against Israel over the weekend has spurred bipartisan legislative action in Congress and sanctions from the Biden administration.
 
Iranian army members march during Army Day parade at a military base in northern Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. In the parade, President Ebrahim Raisi warned that the "tiniest invasion" by Israel would bring a "massive and harsh" response, as the region braces for potential Israeli retaliation after Iran's attack over the weekend. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Netanyahu brushes off calls for restraint, saying Israel will decide how to respond to Iran’s attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country will be the one to decide whether and how to respond to Iran’s major air assault over the weekend.
 
Iranian army members march during Army Day parade at a military base in northern Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. In the parade, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned that the "tiniest invasion" by Israel would bring a "massive and harsh" response, as the region braces for potential Israeli retaliation after Iran's attack over the weekend. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The Latest | Netanyahu says Israel will decide how to respond as Iran warns against retaliation

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will decide whether and how to respond to Iran’s major air assault earlier this week, brushing off calls for restraint.
 
From left, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela, Netherland's Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speak during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

EU leaders vow to impose tougher sanctions against Iran as Ukraine’s president pleads for support

European Union leaders are vowing to ramp up sanctions against Iran as concern grows that the country’s unprecedented attack on Israel could fuel a wider war in the Middle East.
 
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks during an interview with The Associated Press as he arrives for a G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in the Italian southern island of Capri, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The Group of Seven foreign ministers are meeting on the Italian resort island of Capri, with soaring tensions in the Mideast and Russia's continuing war in Ukraine topping the agenda. The meeting runs April 17-19. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

G7 ministers eye targeted sanctions on Iran and a message of restraint for Israel at Italy meeting

Group of Seven foreign ministers are meeting on the resort island of Capri amid calls for new sanctions against Iran.
 
FILE - A battery of Israel's Iron Dome defense missile system, deployed to intercept rockets, sits in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Aug. 7, 2022. Israel is vowing to retaliate against Iran, risking further expanding the shadow war between the two foes into a direct conflict after an Iranian attack over the weekend sent hundreds of drones and missiles toward Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)

Israel says it will retaliate against Iran. These are the risks that could pose to Israel

Israel is vowing to retaliate against Iran even though such a mission carries many risks. Any direct attack on Iranian soil would risk prompting an all-out war between the two foes at a time when Israel is focused on defeating Hamas in Gaza.
 
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen attends a press conference in Beijing, China, Monday, April 8, 2024. Ever since she ate mushrooms that can have psychedelic effects in Beijing last July, Americans and Chinese have been united in their interest in what Janet Yellen will eat next. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

Yellen says Iran’s actions could cause global economic spillovers as White House vows new sanctions

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is warning of potential global “economic spillovers” from rising tensions in the Middle East as the White House pledged to exact new sanctions against Iran.
 
Palestinians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings of the Abo al Hanood family after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

The Latest | UN chief calls for `urgent de-escalation’ in the Middle East

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling for “urgent de-escalation” of hostilities in a phone conversation with Iran’s foreign minister following Tehran’s weekend attack on Israel.
 
Demonstrators wave a huge Iranian flag in their anti-Israeli gathering in front of an anti-Israeli banner on the wall of a building at the Felestin (Palestine) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 15, 2024. World leaders are urging Israel not to retaliate after Iran launched an attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. The sign on the banner reads in Hebrew: "Your next mistake will be the end of your fake country." And the sign in Farsi reads: "The next slap will be harder." (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Israel’s military chief says that Israel will respond to Iran’s weekend missile attack

The Iranian attack on Saturday came in response to a suspected Israeli strike two weeks earlier on an Iranian consular building in the Syrian capital of Damascus that killed two Iranian generals.
 
A woman walks past an anti-Israeli banner on a building at the Felestin (Palestine) Square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Sunday, April 14, 2024. Israel on Sunday hailed its air defenses in the face of an unprecedented attack by Iran, saying the systems thwarted 99% of the more than 300 drones and missiles launched toward its territory. The sign in Hebrew reads: "Your next mistake will be the end of your fake country." The sign in Farsi reads: "The next slap will be harder." (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Analysis: Iran upends decades of shadow warfare in direct attack on Israel as tensions mount at home

Iran’s direct attack on Israel over the weekend upended decades of its shadowy warfare by proxy, something Tehran has used to manage international repercussions for its actions.
 
Demonstrators wave a huge Iranian flag in their anti-Israeli gathering in front of an anti-Israeli banner on the wall of a building at the Felestin (Palestine) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 15, 2024. World leaders are urging Israel not to retaliate after Iran launched an attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. The sign on the banner reads in Hebrew: "Your next mistake will be the end of your fake country." And the sign in Farsi reads: "The next slap will be harder." (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The Latest | Israel says it will respond to Iran’s attack as world leaders urge restraint

Israel’s military chief says the country will respond to Iran’s missile strike over the weekend. Lt. Gen.
 
President Joe Biden, right, meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, April 15, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Biden hosts Iraqi leader after Iran’s attack on Israel throws Mideast into greater uncertainty

President Joe Biden is hosting Iraq’s leader at the White House as his administration works to prevent an escalation in Mideast hostilities following Iran’s weekend attack on Israel.
 
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