Trump claims in G7 call that Iran is ‘about to surrender’, Axios reports
US President Trump told G7 leaders in a virtual meeting Wednesday that Iran is « about to surrender, » Axios reported on Friday citing three officials from G7 countries briefed on the contents of the call.
Massive explosions heard in central Tehran, state TV reports
Huge explosions have rocked central Tehran, according to Iranian state television, which added that strikes had hit an area not far from where a pro-government demonstration was being held.
Earlier, state TV broadcast images of crowds gathering in Tehran and other major cities to mark Quds Day, the last Friday of Ramadan, in support of the Palestinian cause.
Turkish-owned ship allowed to pass through Strait of Hormuz, minister says
A Turkish-owned ship that had been waiting near Iran was allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz after authorities received permission from Tehran, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu was reported as saying by local media.
Ankara was continuing contacts with Iranian officials regarding the situation of the remaining 14 Turkish-owned vessels there, Uraloglu told reporters late on Thursday, news website Haberturk said.
« Fifteen ships (with Turkish owners) were there; we obtained permission from the Iranian authorities for one of them, which had used an Iranian port, and it passed, » Uraloglu was quoted as saying.
Google Maps renames major Tehran boulevard ‘Pahlavi Street’
Google Maps has renamed one of Tehran’s most iconic boulevards, restoring the name it used before the Islamic Revolution.
Google’s widely used digital street map now refers to « Valiasr Street » (meaning « Imam of the Age » in Persian) as « Pahlavi Street » – the name it bore during the rule of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran.
Google has not commented on the change.
Israeli strikes target residential building in Beirut’s Nabaa suburb
FRANCE 24’s Assiya Hamza is on the ground in the Beirut suburb of Nabaa, where Israeli strikes hit a residential building this morning.
Residents of the building were in shock following the targeted strike and the Lebanese army has taken the building’s caretaker away for questioning.
Click here to read more of Assiya’s reporting from Lebanon.
Israeli army warns residents it will target two Tehran areas
The Israeli military has warned it will strike two areas in the Iranian capital Tehran, Villa and Moniriyeh, and told residents to evacuate.
« In the coming hours, the IDF will operate in these areas, as it has in recent days across Iran, to strike military infrastructure belonging to the Iranian regime. Dear citizens, for your safety and well-being, we ask that you immediately evacuate the marked area, » the army posted on its Persian-language account on X, attaching maps of the affected neighbourhoods.
D8 summit in Indonesia delayed due to Middle East war, foreign ministry says
A summit of eight major Muslim developing countries, including Iran, that was to be held in Jakarta next month has been delayed due to the war in the Middle East, an official with Indonesia’s foreign ministry has said.
Sri Lanka to repatriate remains of 84 Iranians killed in US attack, ministry says
The remains of 84 Iranian sailors killed when their frigate was torpedoed off Sri Lanka earlier this month will be repatriated on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Thushara Rodrigo said.
« All domestic procedures have been completed, and the Iranians are bringing a chartered aircraft for the repatriation, » Rodrigo told AFP.
« The 32 sailors who were rescued by our navy will remain in Sri Lanka. »
Red Cross Society of China will provide $200,000 to Iran Red Crescent, foreign ministry says
The Red Cross Society of China will provide $200,000 in emergency humanitarian aid to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, specifically for condolences and relief to parents of the students who have been killed in the conflict, China’s foreign ministry said on Friday.
« China condemns all indiscriminate attacks on civilians and non-military targets, » China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a daily press briefing.
Beijing is prepared to provide further necessary assistance to Iran and support for the Iranian people, Guo said.
Australia tells non-essential diplomats to leave Lebanon
Australia has ordered all non-essential officials in Lebanon to leave, Canberra’s foreign minister said Friday, after issuing the same command to diplomats in Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
In a post on X, top diplomat Penny Wong said they had been ordered to depart due to the « deteriorating security situation ».
« Essential Australian officials will remain in-country to support Australians who need it, » she added.
Large explosions shake Tehran as IDF launches ‘wide-scale’ strikes
The Israeli military said it launched a new wave of strikes in Tehran, on the 14th day of its campaign against the Islamic Republic.
« The IDF has just begun a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran, » the military said.
AFP journalists reported that a series of powerful explosions shook the Iranian capital. The unusually intense blasts occurred around 10am (0630 GMT) and shook the homes of two AFP journalists located several kilometres apart in the north and centre of the capital.
Two dead as Oman thwarts drone attack, state media reports
Two people died after security forces intercepted a drone in northern Oman, state media has said without giving further details.
Both victims in the incident at Al Awahi industrial area were expatriates, the Oman News Agency said, adding that other people were injured.
Iran Guards vow ‘stronger’ response than in January if new protests erupt
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the country’s military, warned on Friday that any new protests against the authorities would be met with a stronger response than in January, when several thousand people were killed.
« The evil enemy, failing to achieve its field battle goals, is once again pursuing the instillation of fear and street riots, » the Guards said in a statement broadcast on TV, promising « a stronger blow than on January 8 » in the event of new unrest.
In photos: Mourners attend a funeral for victims of air strike in Iraq
Members of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Forces attend a funeral in Najaf, Iraq, for fighters from the group who were killed in an air strike in Qaim, on the Syrian border.
© Anmar Khalil, AP
Israel widens Lebanon bombing campaign to target north and central Beirut
FRANCE 24’s senior reporter Catherine Norris-Trent reports from Beirut.
Israeli military strikes Zrarieh bridge over Litani river in Lebanon
The Israeli military struck the Zrarieh Bridge over the Litani River in Lebanon because it was a key crossing used by Hezbollah, it said on Friday.
The military said Hezbollah had recently positioned launchers near the bridge and carried out attacks from there toward Israel.
It appeared to be the first time in the current campaign against Hezbollah that the Israeli military acknowledged it had targeted civilian infrastructure.
In photos: Iranian strikes hit northern Israel
Residents and officers from Israel’s Home Front Command inspect a house destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Zarzir, northern Israel.
© Ariel Schalit, AP
Saudis down drone targeting Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, defence ministry says
Saudi forces intercepted a drone targeting Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter housing foreign embassies, the defence ministry has said.
The « hostile drone » was downed « during an attempt to approach the Diplomatic Quarter », the ministry posted on X. Three more drones were intercepted elsewhere in Saudi Arabia around the same time, the ministry said.
Sirens heard at Incirlik air base, key NATO facility in south Turkey, state news reports
Siren were heard early on Friday at Turkey’s Incirlik airbase, a key NATO facility where US troops are stationed near the southeastern city of Adana, state news agency Anadolu reported.
There was no immediate official comment on the incident, which took place four days after NATO air defences shot down a ballistic missile in Turkish airspace that was fired from Iran, the second in five days.
Source:
www.france24.com