5 h. ago Iranian government braces for possible attack as US navy arrives in region

American forces, aided by Israel, could have enough firepower to mount attack designed to topple regimeThe Iranian government is bracing itself for a fresh US and Israeli missile assault after it was announced that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group has now deployed key assets to the region, observers have said.It is thought that Washington has the firepower in conjunction with Israeli aircraft to mount an attack designed to topple the government accused of brutally suppressing protests and killing thousands of Iranians. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Don't look away as the people of Iran cry out for our help | Jonathan Freedland

US bombs are not the answer, but there’s much the outside world can do – starting with noticing the horror unfolding in TehranDid you notice history being made this week? I am not referring to what may have been the most pathetic moment in recorded time – Donald Trump gratefully taking the Nobel peace prize medal from the woman who actually won it – nor the defection of a politician from one British rightwing party to another, but something grimmer. For this week witnessed what could well prove to be a landmark chapter in the blood-soaked history of the Middle East.Thanks to an information blackout caused by Tehran’s decision to switch off the internet, it is hard to be precise about what just happened on the streets of Iran. But one official has admitted to a death toll of 2,000. CBS News put the number of dead at 12,000, while some warn it could be many thousands more – all of them Iranian civilians, gunned down for daring to protest against their government and to demand a better...

Politics

1 week ago Thousands of Iranians have been killed protesting for their freedom. Why are so many silent on their plight? | Jonathan Freedland

US bombs are not the answer, but there’s much the outside world can do – starting with noticing the horror unfolding in TehranDid you notice history being made this week? I am not referring to what may have been the most pathetic moment in recorded time – Donald Trump gratefully taking the Nobel peace prize medal from the woman who actually won it – nor the defection of a politician from one British rightwing party to another, but something grimmer. For this week witnessed what could well prove to be a landmark chapter in the blood-soaked history of the Middle East.Thanks to an information blackout caused by Tehran’s decision to switch off the internet, it is hard to be precise about what just happened on the streets of Iran. But one official has admitted to a death toll of 2,000. CBS News put the number of dead at 12,000, while some warn it could be many thousands more – all of them Iranian civilians, gunned down for daring to protest against their government and to demand a better...

Events

1 week ago So much for a ‘final battle’ – once again the Iranian people’s peaceful and democratic demands have been silenced | Behrouz Boochani and Mehdi Jalali Tehrani

The protests were hijacked by Reza Pahlavi and notions of Persian supremacy, then brutally repressed by a violent regime In late December, Iran experienced the beginnings of an uprising driven primarily by economic pressures, initially emerging among merchant bazaaris and subsequently spreading across broader segments of society. As events unfolded rapidly, calls for regime change became the focus of international attention. Consistent with its response to previous protest movements, the Iranian government once again opted for repression rather than engagement, violently suppressing demonstrations instead of allowing popular grievances to be articulated and addressed.As visual evidence circulated depicting the accumulation of bodies at Kahrizak, it became increasingly evident that the primary instigator of the violence leading to these fatalities was the Islamic Republic itself, which has refused to tolerate civil unrest and has consistently responded to popular mobilisation with fo...

Politics

1 week ago Hero Iranian shopkeeper is still at 'high risk' of execution at any time and is probably being tortured in hell hole jail despite regime's vow not to put him to death, human rights group claims

The Iranian shopkeeper who was detained for taking part in an anti-government protest is still at 'high risk' of execution, a human rights group has warned.

Events

1 week ago US sanctions Iranian officials accused of repressing protests against the government

The U.S. is imposing new sanctions on Iranian officials accused of repressing protests against Iran’s theocratic government

Politics

1 week ago Trump says he’s been assured Tehran has stopped killing protesters as Iran reopens its airspace – live

US president says ‘important sources’ also told him executions not going ahead as Iranian airspace reopens to flights after near-five-hour closureFull report: Iran protest killings have halted, Trump claims, as Tehran says executions are ‘out of the question’Iran crisis explained: what we know so farAnalysis: why western diplomats are wary of predicting regime’s end daysPodcast: Massacres and executions: what are we hearing from inside Iran?Moving for a moment to Australia, protesters have staged a rally outside the Iranian embassy in Canberra to demand regime change in Iran.About 100 demonstrators chanted “democracy for Iran” and “King Reza Pahlavi”, a reference to the last Iranian shah’s exiled son – a key figure in the anti-government protests.I don’t want Iran to be indentured to any foreign nation the moment anybody interferes. But if it means saving one life for it, we want a measured response that we can have this bloodshed ended. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Trump to strike Iran ‘in next 24hrs’ as US and UK military personnel withdraw from Qatar base

Tehran has threatened to target the US base if Donald Trump takes military action over Iranian regime’s lethal crackdown on anti-Government protesters

Events

1 week ago Trump to strike Iran ‘in next 24hrs’ as US and UK military personnel withdraw from base

Tehran has threatened to target the US base if Donald Trump takes military action over Iranian regime’s lethal crackdown on anti-Government protesters

Events

1 week ago US military to withdraw some personnel from Middle East amid Iranian threats

Tehran threatens to strike US bases in Middle East if Washington carries out pledge to intervene in Iran Iran protests: live updatesHundreds of gunshot eye injuries found in one Iranian hospitalIran protests: what we know so far about the anti-government demonstrationsThe US military will withdraw some of its personnel from its bases in the Middle East, according to a US official, after Iranian threats of striking US bases if Washington intervenes in Iran. A US official told Reuters and the Associated Press on Wednesday that the withdrawal was a precaution, while diplomats said that some forces had already been advised to leave al-Udeid base in Qatar. Iran struck al-Udeid in June after the US hit nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran, though the strike was telegraphed and largely symbolic.Iranian officials have warned the US not to intervene in nationwide protests as Donald Trump reviews options for a strike on the country. The US president had previously promised to “rescue protest...

Events

1 week ago Donald Trump tells Iranian protesters 'help is on the way' amid US attack fears

With his latest message on social media, Donald Trump appeared to make an abrupt shift about his willingness to engage with the Iranian government amid a protest crackdown

Events

1 week ago An Australian writers’ festival cut a Palestinian author in the wake of a terror attack. Then it fell apart

Randa Abdel-Fattah, who is Palestinian Australian, has faced criticism for controversial comments on Israel, including alleging Zionists had ‘no claim or right to cultural safety’When the board of a South Australian festival cut a prominent Palestinian Australian author from its lineup, citing her “past statements” in the context of the deadly Bondi terror attack, it no doubt braced itself for controversy.What it may not have foreseen, however, is an implosion. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Downing Street plays down prospect of Iranian revolutionary guard ban

No 10 pointed to comments made by the former head of MI6, who suggested that proscribing the organisation would have no ‘practical effect’.

Politics

2 w. ago Government open to law change amid calls to proscribe Iranian military branch

Peter Kyle said ministers were committed to supporting the country’s citizens as they face brutal government suppression.

Events

2 w. ago Man drives truck into crowd protesting against Iranian government in Los Angeles, police say

Authorities are still trying to establish a motive for the incident

Events

2 w. ago Government urged to ban Iranian revolutionary guard amid violent crackdown

Dozens of people have been killed and thousands detained as the Iranian state has attempted to quell mass protests in the country.

Politics

3 w. ago Iranian officials warn Trump not to cross ‘red line’ over threats to intervene in protests

US president’s posts that US will come to the rescue of protesters prompts warnings of ‘regret-inducing response’Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in Iran if its government killed demonstrators, prompting warnings from senior Iranian officials that any American interference would cross a “red line”.In a social media post on Friday, Trump said that if Iran shoots and kills protesters, the US would “come to their rescue”. He added: “We are locked and loaded, and ready to go”, without explaining what that might mean in practice. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago ‘We want the mullahs gone’: economic crisis sparks biggest protests in Iran since 2022

Protests against deteriorating living conditions have widened to include criticism of way country is being governedAlborz, a textile merchant in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, decided he could no longer sit on the sidelines. He closed his shop and took to the streets, joining merchants across Iran who shuttered their stores and students who took over their campuses to protest against declining economic conditions.The sudden loss of purchasing power pushed Alborz and tens of thousands of other Iranians into the streets, where protests are now entering their fourth day. Students have paralysed university campuses, traders have shut down their stores and demonstrators have blocked off streets in defiance of police. Protests have spread from the capital, Tehran, to cities across the country. Continue reading...

Events