Iran, Turkey agree to build $1.6 billion trade rail link
Iran and Turkey have agreed to start building a new joint rail line that will serve as a strategic trade corridor between Asia and Europe, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday.
Iran
Iran opens new schools in Iraq, reopens Jeddah campus, official says
Iran is expanding its network of schools abroad with two new institutions in Iraq’s Kurdistan region and the reopening of a school in Saudi Arabia, the country’s education minister announced on Sunday.
Ex-president says Iran still in ‘no war, no peace’ limbo months after 12-day war
Former Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said Iran remains in a fragile security limbo months after the 12-day war in June, warning that the country cannot restore stability or economic confidence without rebuilding deterrence and addressing persistent public insecurity.
Iran warns Isfahan’s drying river and wetland at ‘point of no return’
Prolonged drought and the halt to permanent flows in the Zayandeh-Roud river have driven land subsidence and the Gavkhouni wetland toward an apparent point of no return, raising risks to Isfahan’s drinking-water supply, a provincial environmental official said.
Iran faces new inflation pressure as dollar rate nears all-time high
The US dollar surged to 1,160,000 rials in Iran’s unofficial market on Saturday, adding to inflationary pressures and deepening worries about the country’s worsening economic outlook.
Drought forces Iran to halt power generation at major dam
Iran’s Karkheh Dam hydroelectric power plant has stopped generating electricity because of a sharp drop in the reservoir’s water level, state media reported on Saturday.
Iran army chief says foreign powers must leave region
Iran’s army chief said on Saturday that foreign forces should leave the region, saying regional states are capable of maintaining security in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, state media reported.
Defiance of hijab now widespread in Iran – AP
Defiance of compulsory veiling is now widespread in Iran, the Associated Press reported, after a government-approved visit in November found women and girls appearing in public without headscarves in one of the most visible social shifts since Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022.
Iran says it seized two vessels carrying 80,000 liters of smuggled fuel
Iranian authorities said they seized two vessels carrying 80,000 liters of smuggled fuel near the island of Kish in the Persian Gulf on Saturday.
Iran Navy adds repaired destroyer and new floating base
Iran added the floating base Kordestan and the destroyer Sahand to its navy on Saturday, the army said, in a move it described as a boost to its maritime power and technical self-reliance.
US pressure on Venezuela doubles as warning to Iran, ex-CENTCOM chief says
A vast US military buildup in the Caribbean aims to pile pressure not just on Venezuela but fellow adversaries of the United States like Iran, retired four-star General and ex-commander of US Central Command Joseph Votel said on Eye for Iran podcast.
US slams Iran for giving unrestricted internet to officials and loyalists
The US State Department on Friday hit out at Iran's government for providing officials and loyal elites access to uncensored internet through so-called “white SIM cards,” while ordinary Iranians remain restricted and forced to rely on VPNs.
Tehran faces worsening smog as officials issue new health warning
Authorities in Tehran have issued an orange pollution alert, warning that stagnant air and rising emissions could push pollution levels into the “very unhealthy” range in the days ahead.
Journalists silenced over coverage of water crisis in western Iran, rights group says
Authorities in the western Iranian city of Baneh have increased pressure on local journalists and social media administrators following days of severe water shortages, a Kurdish rights group reported.
Fuel price hike will drive up living costs, Iranian MP says
An Iranian lawmaker has warned that the government’s new three-tier gasoline pricing system will drive up the cost of goods and services nationwide, saying the move was made without coordination with parliament or the public.
EU lawmakers urge sanctions over Iran’s persecution of Baha’is
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday condemning the systematic persecution of Iran’s Baha’i community and urging EU governments to impose sanctions on officials involved in rights abuses.
US doubles down on preconditions for talks in response to Iran’s overture
The Trump administration has responded to a message from Iran’s president, conveyed through the Saudi crown prince, by saying its three conditions for any negotiations with Tehran remain unchanged, sources told Iran International.
US says Iran has consistently rejected negotiations
Iran has repeatedly turned down talks with the Trump administration while Washington keeps the door open for serious dialogue, a State Department spokesperson told Iran International on Thursday.
Canada says mere IRGC conscription won’t render Iranians inadmissible
Canada told Iran International on Thursday it does not automatically reject Iranian men’s permanent residency applications solely for compulsory IRGC service, after a conscript said he was ruled inadmissible for his involuntary service.
UAE emerges as hub for Iranian funding of Hezbollah - WSJ
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) remains a central conduit for Iranian funds reaching Hezbollah despite international sanctions, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
Iran rebuilding nuclear program, former Mossad official says - HuffPost
Iran is steadily rebuilding its nuclear program and stalled talks with the United States have increased the likelihood of another direct confrontation with Israel, HuffPost Italy reported citing a former senior Mossad official.
Iran says US preconditions render talks impossible for now
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that Tehran remained open to resuming talks with Washington but US preconditions rendered negotiations impossible for now.