Iran has appointed influential parliament speakerMohammad Baqer Qalibafas its special representative for China affairs, a move analysts say carries a message that extends well beyond bilateral ties, and may be as much about Washington as it is about Beijing. There has been no formal government announcement.
Iran has appointed influential parliament speakerMohammad Baqer Qalibafas its special representative for China affairs, a move analysts say carries a message that extends well beyond bilateral ties, and may be as much about Washington as it is about Beijing. There has been no formal government announcement.
Iran's foreign ministry: US talks ongoing through Pakistan Iran's foreign ministry has confirmed that talks with the US are ongoing through Pakistan as a mediator. Speaking at a press conference, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that the US had rejected the 14-point proposal submitted by Iran, before later submitting amendments through the Pakistani mediator. He added that Iran discussed the amendments with the US on Sunday via Pakistan.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A source close to the Iranian negotiating team told Tasnim that, unlike its previous texts, the United States has accepted in its new proposal to waive Iran’s oil sanctions during the negotiation period.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has reduced the scale of violence in the Gaza Strip but killings and destruction continue, while forced displacement in the occupied West Bank has reached a rate “unseen in decades”, a senior official with the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Monday in Geneva.
The head of the UN atomic watchdog on Monday underscored the need to safeguard nuclear security in wartime, a day after a drone strike near a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The president has sought to force Iran to accept his terms on its nuclear program or else face renewed war. An emboldened Iran has rebuffed Trump’s demands.
Iran's nuclear project is 'unchanged', says senior ex-Israeli intelligence officer Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 05/18/2026 - 11:32 Tamir Hayman, who served during first two months of current war, said that Israel had failed to meet both its political and military aims Iranian army soldiers stand in front of a picture of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojataba Khamenei in Tehran on 29 April 2026 (AFP) Off A former senior Israeli intelligence officer, who served during the current war on Iran , has said that the Iranian nuclear project remains “essentially unchanged” despite Israeli and US attacks. Tamir Hayman, the executive director of Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, served in a senior position in Israeli military intelligence over the first two months of the US-Israeli war on Iran. On Sunday, he disclosed details about Israel’s operations during the war in a policy paper published by the institute, as first reported by Haaretz.
Washington, DC [US], May 18 (ANI): In a dramatic escalation of rhetoric, United States President Donald Trump launched a massive social media blitz, deploying an array of artificial intelligence-generated images and videos depicting American military strikes against Iran.
Tehran [Iran], May 18 (ANI): Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday defended Tehran's decision to pursue negotiations with the United States, saying dialogue conducted 'with dignity' is necessary while stressing that Iran will continue defending its national rights.
IRGC says it struck US-Israeli backed 'terrorist groups' in Iraq Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says its fighters struck US-Israeli backed "terrorist groups" in northern Iraq who were attempting to smuggle US weapons into the country. In a statement carried by Iran's Fars News Agency, IRGC's Hamzeh Sayyed al-Shuhada Command said that the groups were attacked while attempting “to smuggle a large consignment of sealed American weapons and ammunition into the country and were struck in Kurdistan Province". It added that “a large quantity of arms and ammunition [were] discovered and seized”.
More than 149 historical landmarks and museums have been damaged in the strikes, Tehran has said Tehran will take the US and Israel to court over attacks on Iranian cultural sites, the Islamic Republic's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, has said.
French judge to probe complaints against Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi killing Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 05/18/2026 - 11:19 The opening of the investigation follows complaints filed by NGOs against Mohammed bin Salman, accused of ordering the assassination of the journalist in 2018 A protestor wears a mask depicting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman next to people holding posters of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a demonstration outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, on 25 October 2018 (Yasin Akgul/AFP) Off A French judge will investigate the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi , following a complaint filed by NGOs against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, sources told AFP on Saturday. The Middle East Eye and Washington Post journalist was murdered by Saudi Arabian agents at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. His body was dismembered and has never been found.
Global figures Global executions Violating international law Global death sentences Abolishing the death penalty Regional analysis Americas Asia-Pacific Europe and Central Asia Middle East and North Africa Sub-Saharan Africa The post Death penalty in 2025 – Facts and figures appeared first on Amnesty International .
Israel advances plan to seize Palestinian property near Al-Aqsa Mosque Submitted by Samah Watad on Mon, 05/18/2026 - 11:16 New committee to implement historic confiscation orders in Jerusalem’s Old City as Palestinians warn of efforts to ‘Judaise’ the area A large Israeli flag at the Western Wall Plaza, Judaism's holiest prayer site, during the annual Jerusalem Day, in Jerusalem's Old City, 14 May 2026 (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters) Off The Israeli government has advanced plans to confiscate Palestinian-owned property near Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City, in a move Palestinians say is aimed at “Judaising” the city. On Sunday, ministers approved the creation of an inter-ministerial team to examine the implementation of historic expropriation orders in the area around Chain Gate (Bab al-Silsila in Arabic), a main route leading directly to Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israeli officials and Hebrew media described the move as part of efforts to strengthen Israeli sovereignty in the Old City and secure routes linking Jaffa Gate, the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall.
Vijayapura (Karnataka) [India], May 18 (ANI): BJP MP Ramesh Jigajinagi on Monday rode an electric bike to the Deputy Commissioner's office in Vijayapura, saying the move was aimed at setting a positive example after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to conserve fuel amid the West Asia crisis.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A source close to the Iranian negotiating team told Tasnim that Iran has submitted its latest text in 14 points through the Pakistani intermediary, who will present it to the Americans.
Tehran [Iran], May 18 (ANI): Iran confirmed on Monday that indirect negotiations with the United States are actively continuing through Pakistani mediation. However, Tehran firmly signalled it will not compromise on its 'nuclear rights,' even as U. S.
Amnesty International said on Monday that executions worldwide rose to their highest recorded level in more than four decades in 2025, with the Islamic Republic responsible for the vast majority of the increase.
Europol said on Monday that 14,200 posts and links tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) had been targeted in a coordinated operation against online terrorist material.
