After a more liberal president was elected in Iran last year, Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist, thought something had changed in the country she was covering from afar. For two years, Iran had rejected his application for a journalist visa, but after the elections he was granted one. Colleagues and friends told him that Iran’s … Read more
A former CIA analyst pleaded guilty in federal court in Virginia on Friday to charges that he leaked classified information about Israeli plans to attack Iran. Asif William Rahman, 34, of Vienna, Virginia, was arrested in Cambodia last year and later flown to Guam. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison on … Read more
Moscow — Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian arrived in Moscow on Friday to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and sign a strategic partnership treaty linking closer defense cooperation, in a move that is likely to alarm the West. On his first visit to the Kremlin since winning the presidency last July, Pezeshkian will hold … Read more
As a percentage of GDP, more than a dozen Contact Group members now provide more security assistance to Ukraine than the United States. And these investments in Ukraine are delivering returns domestically, boosting our defense industrial base and creating good jobs. Mr Putin’s aggression has also led to the outcome he sought to prevent: NATO … Read more
United States Ambassador to China R. Nicholas Burns said the Biden administration is making a last-ditch effort to persuade China to stop transferring equipment to Russia for the war in Ukraine. Mr. Burns said in an interview at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing that about 400 Chinese companies have supplied Russia with so-called dual-use products, … Read more
Patrick Healy, the deputy Opinion editor, hosted an online conversation with the Times Opinion columnists David French, Lydia Polgreen and Bret Stephens about the biggest risks and challenges facing America in the world today and the leadership of President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump. Patrick Healy: President Biden is about to hand back national security … Read more
Amman, Jordan – Regional analysts say the overthrow of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime has opened the door to new dynamics in the Middle East, potentially giving Turkey the upper hand, Iran in retreat and Iraq vulnerable to Iranian pressure. Getting more freedom. The Assad government has been in power in Syria for 54 years – … Read more
Tehran, Iran – Iran’s top council responsible for internet security voted on Tuesday to lift a ban on popular messaging application WhatsApp, which has been banned for more than two years, state media reported. “The ban on WhatsApp and Google Play was lifted by the unanimous vote of members of the Supreme Council of Cybersecurity,” … Read more
New York – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that President-elect Donald Trump has an opportunity to negotiate with Iran, saying Tehran’s development of nuclear weapons is not inevitable. The outgoing top US diplomat acknowledged that the cleric-run state may more seriously consider nuclear weapons after military setbacks in the region. In … Read more
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – An Iranian court has sentenced Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh to 10 years in prison after finding him guilty of collaborating with a hostile government, his lawyer said on Saturday. Reza Valizadeh is a former journalist for the US government-funded Persian language service of Voice of America and has worked for … Read more