Archiv: the (Supreme) Leader (ruler of Iran)


27.06.2025 - 04:28 [ NPR.org ]

Forget ‚total obliteration‘ — experts say Iran and U.S. need to negotiate

Iran has limited its interaction with IAEA inspectors for several years, although they were still allowed to monitor declared nuclear sites. On Wednesday, Iran‘s parliament recommended a bill that effectively suspended cooperation with the agency. On Thursday, the country‘s Guardian Council fully approved it.

Iran has made clear that the suspension does not mean it will pull out of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, but it will prevent IAEA inspections of Iran‘s bombed nuclear facilities.

„The Iranian regime has invested decades in its nuclear program and also an unparalleled amount of resources,“ says Stroul, of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. „So to think that after less than two weeks, they are just going to take a knee and abandon their entire nuclear ambitions is likely a short sighted approach.“

27.06.2025 - 04:18 [ CNN ]

Iran foreign minister says US strikes on nuclear sites left „extensive and serious“ damage

Some background: The bill suspending cooperation with the watchdog is now on its final step before becoming law, having been sent to the country’s president for his signature. However, Iran’s supreme leader and the SNSC have decisive authority over how such policies are executed and whether cooperation is effectively suspended.

16.06.2025 - 14:39 [ Antiwar.com ]

Israel Kills Senior Iranian Official Who Wanted a Nuclear Deal With the US

Among the senior Iranian officials who were killed in Israel’s initial wave of airstrikes on Iran on Friday was Ali Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who wanted to strike a nuclear deal with the US.

In an interview with NBC News in May, Shamkhani said Iran was willing to recommit to its pledge to never build a nuclear weapon, reduce uranium enrichment to low levels, and get rid of its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium in exchange for sanctions relief from the US.

“It’s still possible. If the Americans act as they say, for sure we can have better relations,” Shamkhani said at the time. “It can lead to a better situation in the near future.”

16.06.2025 - 14:32 [ Politico.com ]

Trump told Israel not to kill Iran’s supreme leader

President Donald Trump rejected a plan from Israel to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, POLITICO confirmed Sunday. Israel had a window in recent days to potentially kill the Iranian leader, but the president conveyed that he was adamantly against the plan, said a U.S. official granted anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations.

Reuters was the first to report on Trump nixing the plan Sunday morning.

04.06.2025 - 17:23 [ Tehran Times ]

Leader: Iran’s nuclear enrichment is none of America’s business

The United States has been claiming that Iran can import nuclear fuel for its reactors. However, the Leader said the United States is not trustworthy, saying the U.S. refused to sell 20-percent enriched uranium to Iran to power its medical reactor in the 2000s.

“In the 2000s, we experienced firsthand how unreliable the U.S. was when it came to supplying 20% enriched fuel,” Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out, indirectly referring to Iran‘s need to nuclear fuel to power its Tehran medical reactor.

He said, “The core demand of the U.S. is that Iran should not have a nuclear industry and should remain dependent on them. Our response to America’s nonsense is clear: they can’t do a damn thing about it.”

04.06.2025 - 17:21 [ Reuters ]

Iran‘s Khamenei dismisses US nuclear proposal, vows to keep enriching uranium

„The proposal that the Americans have presented is 100% against our interests … The rude and arrogant leaders of America repeatedly demand that we should not have a nuclear programme. Who are you to decide whether Iran should have enrichment?,“ he added.
Tehran says it wants to master nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and has long denied accusations by Western powers that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

12.04.2025 - 22:24 [ Tehran Times ]

A positive Muscat start, but will it end well?

Iran‘s foreign ministry characterized the indirect discussions with the U.S. in Oman as „constructive“ and generally „positive“ in a statement released shortly after the talks concluded. The discussions centered on Iran‘s nuclear program and Washington’s sanctions against the country.

Emphasizing the indirect nature of the talks, the statement noted that the Iranian and American delegations were situated in separate halls for the two-and-a-half-hour negotiation, communicating through written messages. At the end of the session, Iran‘s Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Special Envoy to West Asia Steve Witkoff had a brief face-to-face encounter and “exchanged greetings out of courtesy” as they departed.

12.04.2025 - 22:22 [ theHill.com ]

Iran, US complete first round of ‘constructive’ nuclear talks in Oman

Middle East envoy Steve Wiktoff, alongside U.S. Ambassador to Oman Ana Escrogima, spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday in a nearly two-and-a-half-hour-long meeting that was mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidy.

The two sides started talking at about 3:30 p.m. local time and finished at around 5:50 p.m. They were held just outside of Muscat, the capital of Oman.

12.04.2025 - 02:40 [ Tagesschau.de ]

Gespräche über Atomprogramm: Iran und USA wagen einen neuen Anlauf

Im Oman sollen am Samstag Verhandlungen über das iranische Atomprogramm starten. Beide Länder schicken dafür hochrangige Vertreter. Während US-Präsident Donald Trump direkte Gespräche angekündigt hat, spricht der Iran von indirekten Gesprächen.

Immerhin reden die USA und der Iran nun miteinander, irgendwie. Das stand lange infrage.

12.04.2025 - 02:40 [ France24.com ]

Five things to know about the upcoming US-Iran talks in Oman

As tension mounts between the US and Iran, an “indirect” meeting between envoys from Washington and Tehran is taking place in Oman on Saturday. It’s a rare diplomatic exchange between two countries that have been locked in a kind of cold war for almost half a century – and one that will unfold in the shadow of US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats of military force against the Islamic Republic.

08.01.2025 - 09:48 [ Middle East Eye ]

Assad‘s former aide says deposed Syrian president was ‚tricked‘ by Putin

“But what happened was that the Iranians told Bashar al-Assad, ‘we did not receive any signals to proceed with moving Iranian aircraft to the Hmeimim base [or to] fly through Iraqi airspace to land at the base,’” Saqr told Mazeej.

“The question was relayed to Moscow, but no answer came.”

When asked whether this was a “trick by Putin”, Saqr said there was “no other explanation”.

Saqr said the Iranians told Assad they sent a plane regardless through Iraq, but were warned by the US that the aircraft would be shot down if it continued.

28.12.2024 - 21:38 [ United Nations ]

UN urges parties to re-engage on Iran nuclear deal

(December 17, 2024)

Rosemary DiCarlo briefed the Security Council on developments surrounding the 2015 accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and implementation of Council resolution 2231 (2015) which endorsed it.

The JCPOA set out rigorous mechanisms for monitoring restrictions placed on Iran’s nuclear programme, while paving the way for lifting sanctions against the country.

It was signed between Iran and the Council’s five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – plus Germany and the European Union. The US withdrew in May 2018 under the Trump administration.

08.12.2024 - 18:45 [ Fox News ]

Syria Gunmen storm Iranian embassy in Damascus as Russia claims Assad left ‚instructions‘ to ‚transfer power‘

Iranian state television reported on the embassy incident, saying they did not believe the gunmen were affiliated with the wider rebel group that took the city. (…)

Russia‘s Foreign Ministry said in a Telegram post Sunday that Assad left Syria following negotiations with rebel groups, and that the long-time Syrian leader had left „instructions“ to „transfer power peacefully.“ The Russian ministry said the Kremlin was not directly involved in those discussions.

07.12.2024 - 23:35 [ Moscow Times ]

Turkey, Russia and Iran Meet in Doha Seeking Exit From Syria Chaos

Turkey‘s foreign minister will meet with his Russian and Iranian counterparts in Doha on Saturday to try to find a solution to the renewed fighting in Syria and avoid chaos on its doorstep.

The three countries have been partners since 2017 in the Astana process seeking to end the civil war in Syria. This is despite the fact they have supported opposite sides on the battlefield.

30.11.2024 - 07:51 [ Republic of Türkiye / Ministry of Foreign Affairs ]

Joint Statement by Iran, Russia and Turkey on the International Meeting on Syria in Astana 28-29 November 2018

5. Examined in details the situation in the Idlib de-escalation area and reaffirmed their determination to fully implement the Memorandum on Stabilization of the Situation in the Idlib De-escalation Area of 17 September 2018. In this regard they expressed their concern with the ongoing violations of the ceasefire regime, and declared that, as guarantors of the ceasefire regime, they would step up their efforts to ensure observance with it, including by enhacing work of the Joint Iranian-Russian-Turkish Coordination Center. They stressed the importance of a lasting ceasefire while underlining the necessity to continue effective fight against terrorism. They also emphasized that under no circumstances the creation of the above-mentioned de-escalation area should undermine the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic;

11.11.2024 - 14:30 [ Tehran Times ]

Iran pushes for Israel’s expulsion from UN and full arms embargo at Riyadh summit

He stated that these actions, alongside what he views as continuous aggression, warrant Israel‘s expulsion from the UN.

Gharibabadi concluded his remarks by calling for the reactivation of the UN‘s apartheid committee to address Israel’s systemic violations of international law and its expansion of conflicts across the region, including Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.

11.11.2024 - 12:36 [ PressTV.ir ]

Iran-initiated OIC-Arab League meeting aimed at ending Palestine, Lebanon crises: Vice president

“We hope to obtain valuable achievements in the field of providing aid to the displaced and victims of the Zionist regime’s attacks and crimes. Accordingly, we will enter the third stage of the measures. Iran as well as all Muslim and Arab states aim to secure a durable ceasefire in the region,” he underscored.

At the summit, Iranian delegates will present their viewpoints on the core issues affecting Palestine and Lebanon and emphasize the urgent need to end the war in West Asia, Aref stated.

15.10.2024 - 19:32 [ Middle East Eye ]

Iran: Quds Force head Esmail Qaani makes first appearance in weeks at general‘s funeral

Middle East Eye reported last week that Qaani was alive and unhurt but under guard and being questioned about apparent security breaches surrounding the killing of Nasrallah.

Middle East Eye sources say Iranian authorities have serious suspicions about a major security breach in Qaani’s office, though none of MEE’s sources suggested Qaani was involved. Iranian authorities have not commented on reports that Qaani was questioned.

10.10.2024 - 23:01 [ Reuters ]

Exclusive: Iran‘s Khamenei warned Nasrallah of Israeli plot to kill him, sources say

(October 2, 2024)

Nasrallah‘s assassination followed two weeks of precise Israeli strikes that have destroyed weapons sites, eliminated half of Hezbollah‘s leadership council and decimated its top military command.

10.10.2024 - 22:10 [ Daniel Neun / Radio Utopie ]

Iran: “Revolutionsgarden” kommen wieder mal ihren rechtsradikalen Kumpanen in Washington und Jerusalem zu Hilfe

(9. März, 2016)

Jeder Idiot, wenn auch kein “Linker” heutztage, begreift, dass ein Angriff von außen nur die herrschenden, autoritären und auf Krieg angewiesenen Kräfte stärkt.

Jeder “Politiker”, jeder Militär, jeder Funktionär ist zum Erbrechen, wo man nur hinschaut.

Fazit:

Im Westen nichts Neues.

02.10.2024 - 15:30 [ Tehran Times ]

U.S., Europe are root cause of regional conflicts: Leader

(today)

„The only way to end the conflicts and wars in the region is to reduce the harmful influence of these countries,“ he added.

Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated that the presence of the U.S. and certain European countries is the primary cause of conflicts and wars in the region. „These countries falsely speak of peace, but if their harmful influence is diminished, the region will see the end of its conflicts. The nations here are capable of managing their own affairs and coexisting in peace.“

Khamenei concluded, „We hope, with God‘s grace and the determination of the Iranian nation, to work with other nations and reduce the influence of our enemies in this region.“

28.08.2024 - 14:15 [ Middle East Monitor ]

Iran: Khamenei greenlights talks with US but urges caution

(today)

In 2015, Iran signed an agreement with the P5+1 group – the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France) plus Germany – to regulate and monitor Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for lifting sanctions.

However, in 2018, under former President Donald Trump, Washington unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and began reimposing “unprecedented sanctions” on Iran. In response, Tehran gradually suspended its commitments under the deal and took several steps, including resuming high-level uranium enrichment.

15.04.2024 - 15:44 [ IranIntl.com ]

Media In Tehran Accuse Russia, Syria Of Betraying IRGC

(10.04.2024)

In an editorial on April 8, Masih Mohajeri, the influential managing editor of Jomhouri Eslami daily, a newspaper that was founded by Ali Khamenei in 1979, asked: „Why Russia, which controls the Syrian airspace does not prevent air strikes on Iranian targets in Syria?“ Also implicating Syria and possibly Iranian infiltrators in tipping off the Israelis, Mohajeri wrote: „We have had too many losses in Syria during the past months and this is certainly because of the treason by infiltrators.“

Since December, Israel has eliminated 18 high ranking IRGC officers in Syria, in what appears to be a systematic campaign to limit the danger of Iranian proxies on its borders.

15.04.2024 - 15:23 [ Times of Israel ]

With its aerial attack, Iran could break Israel’s isolation and reframe the Gaza war

It’s hard to imagine Iran’s much-anticipated attack on Israel going any worse for the Islamic Republic.

Tehran has been displaying weakness for months. On January 3, Islamic State terrorists killed at least 84 people in two explosions near the grave of General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, as they marked the fourth anniversary of his death in a US drone strike in Iraq four years earlier.

15.04.2024 - 14:56 [ Axios ]

Iran signals it will limit response to Israel attack to avoid escalation

(11.04.2024)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told his German counterpart on Thursday that Iran is determined to respond to Israel‘s bombing of its consular building in Damascus last week, but will do so in an „appropriate“ and limited way, a source with direct knowledge of the call told Axios.

06.02.2024 - 10:30 [ Niall Bradley / Twitter ]

BOOM! In an interview yesterday on Fox, Trump divulged that the Iranian ‚revenge strikes‘ against the US airbase in northern Iraq 4 years ago were ‚arranged‘ with Iran such that no US troops would be killed, AND that the plan to whack General Soleimani was entirely Netanyahu‘s but that he ‚pulled Israel out‘ of actively participating in the assassination just 2 days beforehand.

Such is modern warfare. It‘s all ‚your proxy force against mine‘, and theatrical ‚force-posturing‘ because, if any real war were to break out between countries with sizable arsenals, the global economy would be wrecked.

Relevant transcript, on Iran telling the US exactly where and when they would strike the US base in northern Iraq:

„I had Iran in check. We hit them very hard [via the assassination of Soleimani], and they had to hit back, I understand that.

Do you know they called me to tell me they‘re going to hit a certain location [at al-Asad airbase], it‘s gonna be outside the perimeter.

They let us know. We had 16 missiles [targeting the base]. They said ‚don‘t move, we‘re going to have to hit you back‘.

Psychologically, they had to do that because we hit them. So they aimed those missiles [outside the base] and said ‚please don‘t attack us, we‘re not gonna hit you‘.“

And, on Israel backing out of the plot:

„When we took out Soleimani, you know, Israel was supposed to do it with us. Two days before the takeout, they said, ‚We can‘t do it, we can‘t do it.‘

I said, ‚What? We can‘t do it?‘

Then I had a certain general, who‘s great, and I said, ‚So, General, do we do it ourselves?‘

He said, ‚We can, sir, it‘s up to you.‘ I said, ‚We‘ll do it.‘

But Israel was a part of it, you know. Bibi [Netanyahu] was a big part of it. And we had everything planned, everything.“

01.02.2024 - 18:12 [ Daniel Neun / Radio Utopie ]

Israels Regierungs-Gang will den Angriffskrieg gegen Iran, nicht dessen Abzug aus Syrien

(12.05.2018)

Ein Abzug der iranischen und libanesischen Einheiten aus dem Syrien-Krieg wäre für Netanjahu, der dringend einen Krieg und eine fiktive oder tatsächliche äußere Bedrohung Israels braucht um dort an der Macht zu bleiben, ein echtes Problem.

Nach der von den Staatsführungen Russland und Syriens orchestrierten Einladung an Israels Regierungs-Gang Syrien zu bombardieren, was unmittelbar dem Besuch von Benjamin Netanjahu in Moskau folgte, gab die syrische Armee schließlich zu, selbst den Golan angegriffen zu haben und nicht iranische Einheiten. Radio Utopie empfahl diesbezüglich gestern:

“Die Hisbollah und die Staatsführung des Iran sollten ihre Truppen aus Syrien zurückziehen und Assad zum Teufel und / oder Putin gehen lassen.”

01.02.2024 - 18:06 [ Reuters ]

Exclusive: Iran‘s Guards pull officers from Syria after Israeli strikes

Reuters spoke to six sources familiar with Iranian deployments in Syria for this story. They declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the subject.

Three of the sources said the Guards had raised concerns with Syrian authorities that information leaks from within the Syrian security forces played a part in the recent lethal strikes.

29.01.2024 - 09:27 [ Shafaq.com ]

Arrogance and fabrication after Iranian „rocket night“ on Erbil

Despite more than a week passing since the unexpected Iranian attack, with its timing, circumstances, and justifications, Iranian officials persist in claiming that the long-range missiles launched at civilian areas in Erbil were targeting „Mossad sites.“ However, Tehran has not provided any evidence or arguments to support this claim to either the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) or the Iraqi government.

The „escaping forward“ policy pursued by Iranian officials regarding the attack on Erbil amounts to an implicit admission of the invalidity of their justifications and the failure of the missile aggression itself.

29.01.2024 - 09:02 [ Tehran Times ]

Iran Navy to establish base in South Pole

Rear Admiral Shahram Irani emphasized that the operational decisions of the Iranian Navy are guided by the precise vision of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

He announced the establishment of strategic commands in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, with plans for a permanent deployment in these crucial regions in the near future.

24.01.2024 - 13:00 [ Shafaq.com ]

Iraq: A favored battleground for Tehran and Washington

The dual rebukes of Iran and the US underscore the tightrope Baghdad is walking as the war in Gaza seeps out beyond the besieged Mediterranean enclave’s borders.

Across the region, Tehran and Washington are flexing their muscles, vying to outflank each other in a deadly proxy war. The shadowy conflict has taken on different flavours that reflect local and geopolitical realities.

24.01.2024 - 12:36 [ Shafaq.com ]

Iranian assault escalates diplomatic tensions, undermines „sturdy relations“ with Iraq

(20.01.2024)

The Iranian missile attacks last Monday night on Iraqi territory in Erbil, Kurdistan Region (KRI), were deemed by the Iraqi government as „an act of aggression“ and a dangerous development undermining the strong relation between Iraq and its eastern neighbor. The Iraqi government affirmed its right to respond at an appropriate time. Political analysts see the Iraqi response as unusual, entering a diplomatic crisis with Iran for the first time since 2003.

22.01.2024 - 06:11 [ Associated Press ]

Military ends rescue search for Navy SEALs lost in maritime raid on ship with Iranian weapons

According to officials, the Jan. 11 raid targeted an unflagged ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Officials have said that as the team was boarding the ship, one of the SEALs went under in the heavy seas, and a teammate went in to try and save him.

(…)

The U.S. Navy ultimately sunk the ship carrying the weapons after deeming it unsafe, Central Command said. The ship’s 14 crew were detained.