Author: Steven Sahiounie

Moscow and Tehran have repeatedly rejected allegations of Russia’s use of Iranian drones in Ukraine Cooperation between Iran and Russia in the sphere of defense does not infringe upon the interests of third countries, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told the IRNA news agency on Wednesday upon arriving in Moscow. “Cooperation in the sphere of defense is one of the issues on the bilateral cooperation agenda while it is not directed against any third country,” the news agency quoted him as saying when the top diplomat was asked to comment on claims by the US Department of State that Iran…

Russia will continue to press for a comprehensive, transparent and unbiased investigation into all aspects of the sabotage acts, including identification of its perpetrators, their sponsors, organizers and abettors, Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin said The UN Security Council’s decision not to support the Russian-Chinese resolution on an international investigation into last year’s sabotage attacks on the Nord Steam pipelines is creating a dangerous precedent, Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin has said. “Efforts of Western countries have created a dangerous precedent. Instead of consolidating the international struggle against terrorism and crime, they have set a course towards differentiating…

Israel will not tolerate meddling in its internal affairs, even from the “best of friends,” the PM said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has responded after President Joe Biden voiced concerns about proposed judicial reforms in Israel, insisting his country would make its own decisions and not succumb to “pressure from abroad.” In a series of tweets shared on Tuesday night, Netanyahu noted that he has known his US counterpart for “over 40 years” and commended Biden for his “longstanding commitment to Israel.” However, he urged Washington not to meddle in his country’s internal affairs, after Biden said he was “very concerned” about the upcoming legal changes.…

Italy’s Foreign Minister urges the country to help Tunisia in light of numerous ongoing crises that the country is embroiled in. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani underlined the need for Rome and the international community to help Tunisia in light of the ongoing crises that the country is facing. “For two months we have been saying, in all international forums: we must help Tunisia with financing from the IMF and the World Bank, giving at least the first aid pending reforms and verification of progress,” Tajani underlined. Responding to a question about the US opposing the IMF unfreezing needed aid…

The United Nations has found that the funds from the European Union have facilitated the torture of migrants and sex slavery in Libya. Funding from the European Union has facilitated the commission of abuses against migrants in Libya, exposing them to systemic torture and sex slavery, a United Nations investigation said Monday. The investigation expressed concern over the worsening human rights situation in the country of conflict-torn North Africa, warning that the European Union was helping some groups abusing migrants. “We’re not saying that the EU and its member states have committed these crimes,” investigator Chaloka Beyani told reporters. “The…

The nation’s top bank regulators faced tough questions from Congress for the first time Tuesday about how Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank collapsed practically overnight earlier this month. The regulators defended decisions they made both before and after the collapse of SVB, particularly their unanimous vote to invoke the systemic risk exception to the FDIC’s deposit limit. Bank stocks turned negative following the hearing before the Senate Banking Committee, potentially spooked by the three top regulators each saying they favored more stringent rules for banks with more than $100 billion in assets. The SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF fell 1% in afternoon trading. At times,…

Expansion on the global LNG market is a key goal after a drop in gas pipeline supplies to Europe, the deputy prime minister has said Russia intends to boost production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and increase its export share to offset a decline in pipeline gas supplies to Western Europe, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak said on Tuesday. He argued that expansion of the global LNG market share should become a priority for Russia’s energy policy, and urged production of the fuel to be ramped up. “I believe that this is a key task in the current conditions, when…

The Paris offices of five major banks were searched on Tuesday amid a probe into suspected money laundering and tax evasion related to dividend payments, several media outlets reported on Tuesday. The raids in question took place at the offices of Societe Generale, BNP Paribas, Exane and Natixis, as well as those of British banking giant HSBC, according to Le Monde, which was the first to break the news. Societe Generale confirmed the searches to Reuters, but abstained from further comments. The other four banks did not comment on the reports. France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) later confirmed reports…

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani reacted to the severe political crisis that has engulfed the Israeli regime, saying the house of the war-mongering occupiers is on fire. “The house of the war-mongering occupiers is on fire,” Kanaani said in a post on his Twitter account on Monday after tens of thousands of Israelis poured into the streets across the occupied territories for the third consecutive day this week in protest at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms. “The efforts of the criminal prime minister of the Israeli regime to increase his power and survive has triggered the most…

In February, Aleksandar Vucic opined that the conflict in Ukraine would only worsen over the next five to six months, eventually spiraling out of control Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday that he was ‘very afraid’ about what is going on in the world. “I am not much of an optimist, I am a small leader of a small country. There are many leaders from big countries in Europe who know better about everything,” Vucic said at a joint news conference with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou. “I fear that the consequences of this will be far worse than what…