The comment follows footage released by Tehran showing its forces boarding two vessels Iran’s seizure of two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz was not a ceasefire violation because they were not US or Israeli-owned, the White House has said, after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released footage of the operation. READ MORE: Oil jumps after US seizes Iranian ship near Hormuz The video, published on Wednesday, shows IRGC personnel intercepting and boarding two MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company container ships – the Epaminondas, a mid-sized vessel, and the larger MSC Francesca. A third vessel, identified as the Euphoria and bound for Jeddah, was also struck and disabled in the operation. The seizures were reported between April 22 and April 23 in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint for global trade and a central flashpoint in the confrontation between Tehran and Washington since US-Israeli strikes on Iran began in late February. The IRGC footage...
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Italy, whose failure to qualify sparked outrage at home, should be granted the Islamic Republic’s spot, a special envoy has claimed A US special envoy is pressuring FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the three North American nations. Italy failed to qualify for the tournament for a third successive time after a humiliating loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a playoff, triggering widespread backlash at home and leading to the resignation of the head of the national football federation. Paolo Zampolli, an Italian-American who heads the Office of Global Partnerships at the US State Department, told Corriere della Sera he wanted “to assure Italians that I will do everything possible to welcome them with open arms to the World Cup in the United States” by pushing for them to replace Iran. His lobbying efforts were first reported by the Financial Times. Zampolli argues that “Italy, not Iran, should go to the World Cup” and says he would ...
Study based on Eurostat and UN data shows uneven inflows as anti-immigration sentiment grows The number of immigrants in the European Union reached a record 64.2 million in 2025, a study by the Berlin-based Center for Research and Analysis on Migration (RFBerlin) shows, citing Eurostat and UN data. Of this total, approximately 46.7 million were born outside the EU. The total rose by more than 2 million year-on-year and from about 40 million in 2010. Germany remains the bloc’s largest host of foreign-born residents at nearly 18 million, while Spain has recorded the fastest recent growth, adding about 700,000 people – roughly one-third of last year’s EU-wide increase. The study highlights an uneven distribution of arrivals, with Germany and Spain accounting for nearly half of the increase, while smaller states such as Malta, Cyprus and Luxembourg face the highest inflows relative to population size. Read more Germany rejecting 95% of Syrian asylum claims – media Applications ar...
Tehran’s online response to the US-Israeli attack was surprisingly sleek, agile, and effective One of the more surprising turns of the US-Israeli war on Iran has been the sophistication of Tehran’s multi-pronged PR response. From memes to sleek AI-generated cartoons to official messaging, pro-Iranian online content looks like anything but the product of a stiff-necked self-centered bureaucracy stuck in an outdated mindset – what was broadly expected from the Iranian government. The posts hit the right buttons, adapt to local environments, and react to current events lighting-fast. RT explores how Iran has shown off its edge in the fight for the hearts and minds of people around the world. from RT World News https://ift.tt/rZdMwhk
The conflict has left US credibility damaged and its president weaker at home, the Quincy Institute’s Trita Parsi has told RT The war with Iran has been a strategic disaster for the US, leaving President Donald Trump in a weaker position at home and damaging American credibility, Quincy Institute co-founder Trita Parsi has told RT. He added that the conflict, which he said Israel had pushed for, had not unfolded as Washington expected. The war, which began with the US-Israeli bombing campaign on Iran on February 28 under the pretext of dismantling Tehran’s nuclear program, has dragged on far longer than Trump’s initial prediction of “two to three weeks.” The attacks have killed dozens of senior officials, including Iran’s longtime supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, as well as more than 1,300 civilians. Iran has responded by striking US bases in Gulf states, saying the strikes are an exercise of its right to self-defense. The crisis has resulted in the de facto closure of the Strait...
Aleksey Dedov made the statement to RT while inspecting damage to civilian and medical infrastructure in the Islamic Republic’s capital The US and Israel have committed war crimes in Iran, Russian Ambassador to Tehran Aleksey Dedov has declared while inspecting the ruins of a hospital in the Iranian capital destroyed in the strikes. The diplomat made the remarks to RT on Monday during a visit to damaged residential areas alongside a group of foreign ambassadors. According to RT correspondent Saman Kojouri, the hospital was hit without prior warning while patients and staff were inside. It was not immediately clear how many people were injured. “It’s a horrible thing to see,” Dedov said, assessing the damage to civilian medical infrastructure. “This is evidence of an inhumane approach by Israel and the US… it’s very clearly a war crime.” READ MORE: US and Iranian negotiators set to arrive in Pakistan for new talks as ceasefire nears expiry (PHOTOS, VIDEOS) The visit was organize...