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Iran

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Iran. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Tehran

Head of State

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

Head of Government

President Masoud Pezeshkian

last updated:

29 November, 2024

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, centre, in Tehran, Iran on July 30. He was assassinated the following day. Photo: EPA-EFE

Israel-Gaza war

Israel acknowledges it killed ex-Hamas leader Haniyeh in Iran

Defence chief Israel Katz admitted to killing Ismail Haniyeh in July, warning the military would ‘decapitate’ leadership of Yemen’s Houthis.

24 Dec 2024 - 5:17AMvideocam

China-Middle East relations

China’s diplomatic clout in Mideast at risk as threats build around ally Iran

23 Dec 2024 - 4:36PMvideocam

Israel-Gaza war

Netanyahu vows to act with ‘force, determination’ against Yemen’s Houthis

23 Dec 2024 - 12:13PM

Middle East

2 US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent ‘friendly fire’ incident

The US Navy is investigating the cause of the accident which saw a two-seater F/A-18 Super Hornet shot down over the Red Sea.

22 Dec 2024 - 12:38PM

A fighter jet maneuvers on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. The US Navy says an F-18 Super Hornet was shot down in an apparent “friendly fire” incident over the Red Sea. File photo: AP

Middle East

US scraps US$10 million bounty on Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa

Top US diplomat for the Middle East Barbara Leaf welcomed ‘positive messages’ from their talks, including a promise to fight terrorism.

21 Dec 2024 - 4:28AM

United States

Opinion | How Biden’s memos can ensure continuity in US foreign policy under Trump

For the sake of national security, transition memos must offer a real road map on key specific foreign policy challenges, like the ones Bush did for Obama.

19 Dec 2024 - 8:30PMvideocam

Hong Kong

Editorial | Cooperate to tackle Hong Kong money laundering

US allegations against Hong Kong are not only misguided but also counterproductive to battling a crime that recognises no borders.

19 Dec 2024 - 6:15AM

Hong Kong customs officers lead away a suspect in a HK$1.6 billion money laundering case in October. Hong Kong is hard at work combating money laundering, which relies on international cooperation to be effective. Photo: Handout

Diplomacy

Opinion | China should seize the moment to promote peace on Korean peninsula

The weakening of the Russia-North Korea alliance, political change in South Korea and Trump’s return create a conducive environment for denuclearisation talks.

19 Dec 2024 - 6:00AMvideocam

Middle East

Opinion | How Syria’s new chapter changes the game for the entire region

After Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow, uncertainties remain about the agenda of Syria’s new government and the interests of foreign powers.

15 Dec 2024 - 9:20AMvideocam

Middle East

Iran arrests singer for giving online concert without hijab

Parastoo Ahmadi, who was accompanied by four male musicians, wore a black sleeveless and collarless dress but no headscarf.

15 Dec 2024 - 4:46AMvideocam

Parastoo Ahmadi posted her concert online on Wednesday, calling herself “a girl who wants to sing for the people I love”. Photo: YouTube/Parastoo Ahmadi

Middle East

Iran confirms increase in IAEA nuclear inspections

Iran’s nuclear chief says ‘it is natural’ to increase the number of inspections with an increase to capacity and nuclear activities.

14 Dec 2024 - 6:59PM

An Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building. Photo: Reuters

Middle East

‘Friday of victory’: mass rallies across Syria celebrate fall of Assad

Fireworks and waving flags mark the first Friday prayers since a lightning rebel offensive ended over half a century of brutal rule.

14 Dec 2024 - 6:14AMvideocam

China-Middle East relations

China urges efforts to curb Syria’s further descent and refugee crisis

Foreign Minister Wang Yi says Palestinian issue must not be ignored and ‘Middle East should not remain a victim of great power rivalries’.

13 Dec 2024 - 8:47PMvideocam

Middle East

Assad’s fall in Syria will not weaken ‘strong and powerful’ Iran: Khamenei

Assad has long played a strategic role in Iran’s anti-Israel ‘axis of resistance’, especially in supplying weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

11 Dec 2024 - 8:57PMvideocam

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran. Photo: Reuters

War and conflict

Opinion | World watches and waits as Islamist group HTS leads a post-Assad Syria

From Russia and the Middle East to the EU and US, the rise of Islamist group HTS is cause for caution over optimism.

12 Dec 2024 - 1:07AMvideocam

Portraits of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad are dumped in a skip in the Damascus suburb of Daraya on December 9. Islamist-led rebels took Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, sending Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. Photo: AFP

Asian cinema

What drives this actress in Iran? ‘I wanted to earn respect’

Actress Fereshte Hosseini, born to Afghan immigrants in Iran, wants to help end prejudice against Afghans in the country, many refugees.

11 Dec 2024 - 7:15PMvideocam

Middle East

My Take | An immoral and unjust proposal to resolve the Palestine question

Accept ‘Greater Israel’ as a de jure state, resettle most Palestinians across the West and some in friendly Arab states, then compensate a small, token minority by granting them full Israeli citizenship.

10 Dec 2024 - 9:10PM

Middle East

Israeli troops near Damascus, say Syrian security, as strikes hit military sites

A Syria war monitor has recorded more than 300 Israeli strikes since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

10 Dec 2024 - 8:37PM

A burned Syrian army helicopter after the Israeli military hit weapons facilities outside Damascus. Photo: AFP

Middle East

Israel strikes ‘chemical weapons’ in Syria after Assad’s fall

The move comes as Israel seeks to establish a buffer zone along its border with Syria, raising tensions in the region.

9 Dec 2024 - 11:47PMvideocam

Middle East

Fall of Syria’s Assad catches Middle East powers and the West off guard

Several foreign governments have put out cautious feelers to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham after it toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

9 Dec 2024 - 9:08PMvideocam

Joe Biden

Biden says Assad’s fall a ‘fundamental act of justice’, but ‘a moment of risk’

The outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump were working to make sense of new threats and opportunities across the Middle East.

9 Dec 2024 - 3:07PMvideocam

Syria

Syria’s Assad in Moscow after deal on military bases: Russian state media

Bashar al-Assad and family granted asylum in Russia after his regime was toppled in a lightning rebel advance.

9 Dec 2024 - 2:48PM

The Syrian presidential palace in Damascus after Islamist-led rebels took the Syrian capital in a lightning offensive. Photo: AFP

Middle East

Israel calls Syria its fourth front after rushing troops to the Golan

Israel’s Netanyahu says ‘central link in Iran’s axis of evil’ has fallen in Syria.

9 Dec 2024 - 7:06PMvideocam

Middle East

Syrian rebels topple President Assad, prime minister calls for free elections

The rebel forces declared Assad ousted after taking control of Damascus, following 13 years of civil war and 50 years of Assad family rule.

8 Dec 2024 - 8:40PM

Asian cinema

Not yet at home in exile, Iranian filmmaker lives in the world of cinema

For The Seed of the Sacred Fig director Mohammad Rasoulof, a winner in Cannes weeks after fleeing Iran for Germany, exile hasn’t sunk in.

8 Dec 2024 - 6:15PMvideocam

Exiled Iranian film director Mohammad Rasoulof. Photo: EPA-EFE

Hong Kong economy

Exclusive | Deepening Hong Kong, Iran ties show US curbs have ‘lost their potency’: envoy

Ambassador Mohsen Bakhtiar says measures have been taken to overcome sanctions restricting Iranian firms from accessing services in the city.

8 Dec 2024 - 4:37PM

Mohsen Bakhtiar, the Iranian ambassador to China, has called for more exchanges between his country and Hong Kong. Photo: Dickson Lee

Middle East

Syria rebels say they control Homs, are advancing on capital Damascus

President Assad’s 24-year rule is dangling by a thread, with one US official saying he could be ousted in the coming week.

8 Dec 2024 - 7:52AM

Middle East

Opinion | China’s Middle East strategy falters as Aleppo falls to rebel forces

While China has invested in Syria’s reconstruction and seeks to expand its regional presence, the renewed violence has put its ambitions on hold.

7 Dec 2024 - 12:30PM

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