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☆ Why Israel-Hezbollah tensions risk boiling over now
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In Lebanon, Hezbollah is officially considered a “resistance” group tasked with confronting Israel, which Beirut classifies as an enemy state. Since then, the two sides have traded fire sporadically, but tensions boiled over in 2006 when Israel went to war in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. More than 1,000 Lebanese were killed in that conflict, mostly civilians, as well as 49 Israeli civilians and 121 soldiers. The military capability of the Lebanese group has grown since 2006, when it relied largely on inaccurate Soviet-era Katyusha rockets. Hezbollah has fired 35 kilometers into Israel, while Israel has targeted areas of Lebanon more than 120 kilometers north.

Persons: CNN —, Israel, Rina Castelnuovo, Hassan Nasrallah, Heiko Wimmen, ”, Ramot Naftali, Peter Lerner, ” Amal Saad, ” Saad, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Ronni, Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich, Benjamin Netanyahu, Amir Cohen, ” Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s, Al, ” Qassem, Jack Guez, Itamar Ben Gvir, Yair Lapid, ” Lapid, Matthew Miller, Biden, “, ” Shaked, Iran – Organizations: CNN, Hezbollah, Lebanese, Crisis, Wednesday, Israel Defense Forces, Cardiff University, Truman Institute, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, Holocaust, Reuters, Crisis Group, Getty, Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, National, State Department Locations: CNN — Israel, Lebanese Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Beirut, Palestinian, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Brussels, Israeli, Cross, Jerusalem, Kiryat Shmona, Lebanese, Al Jazeera, AFP, United States, Iran

☆ Tensions ramp up on Israel-Lebanon border as IDF warns decision is approaching on fresh offensive
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | Mike Schwartz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Israel attributed the blaze to rocket fire from southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah said it had launched a “swarm of drones” at Israeli military sites. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the northern city of Kiryat Shmona near the Lebanese border, saying that Israel is prepared for “very intense action” in the north. Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been trading fire since the start of Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza in October. In April, the IDF said it is “preparing to move from defense to attack,” referring to operations on the northern border. Ten Israeli civilians and 18 soldiers have also been killed on the border, the Israeli military said.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Staff Herzi Halevi, ” Halevi, Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s, Al, Kiryat Shmona, ” Amos Harel, of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Benny Gantz, Jack Guez, Gantz, that’s, ” Harel Organizations: Abu Dhabi CNN, Hezbollah, Israel Defense Forces, Staff, Lebanese, Gaza, GPO, IDF, Reuters, Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, CNN, Haaretz, of National Security, “, ”, Getty, Israel Locations: Jerusalem, Abu Dhabi, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Kiryat Shmona, Lebanese, “, Gaza, Al Jazeera, Israeli, Alma, Golan, Syria, AFP, An Iran, East, United States

Saeed Abiyar, an adviser to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Syria, died in the attack, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. Israel fired back, a US official told CNN, targeting a major Iranian military airbase near the city of Isfahan. Iran has deployed military advisers to Syria in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since civil war broke out there in 2011. “The era of strategic patience is over,” said Mohammad Jamshidi, deputy chief of staff to the Iranian president. Israel contested this, claiming the target was an Iranian military headquarters.

Persons: Saeed Abiyar, SANA, Israel, Bashar al, Assad, ”, Mohammad Jamshidi, Monday’s, Trita, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir, “, ” Parsi, Joe Biden, Parsi Organizations: CNN, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Islamic, Washington DC, Quincy Institute, Foreign Locations: Syrian, Aleppo, Israel, Iran, Syria, Damascus, Lebanon, Isfahan, Gaza, Washington, Iranian, Tehran

☆ Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Iran’s ex-President Ahmadinejad to run again for leader, state TV says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Iran’s hardline former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has registered to run for president in the country’s June 28 election, organized after the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month, Iran’s state television reported on Sunday. However he could be barred from the race: the country’s cleric-led Guardian Council will vet candidates, and publish the list of qualified ones on June 11. Ahmadinejad, a former member of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, was first elected as Iran’s president in 2005 and stepped down because of term limits in 2013. In 2018, in rare criticism directed at Khamenei, Ahmadinejad wrote to him calling for “free” elections. Khamenei had backed Ahmadinejad after his 2009 re-election triggered protests in which dozens of people were killed and hundreds arrested, rattling the ruling theocracy, before security forces led by the elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) stamped out the unrest.

Persons: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ebrahim Raisi, Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “, Khamenei Organizations: Guardian, Revolutionary Guards, Guardian Council, Revolutionary Guards Corps

☆ What seven more months of war would mean for Palestinians, Israelis and the world
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Abbas Al Lawati | Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Israel has warned that its war in Gaza could extend until the end of the year. Prolonging the war could have catastrophic consequences for Palestinians in the already ravaged territory and significant repercussions for Israel and beyond, experts said. “And currently Hamas doesn’t seem to be ready to release them.”Impact on Israel’s economyThe war hit Israel’s economy hard in the immediate aftermath of October 7. As of January, the Israeli military was spending $272 million per day on the war, according to the Israeli news site Ynet. Despite these efforts, the war persists, civilian casualties rise and famine spreads in Gaza, intensifying pressure from some of his electorate.

Persons: CNN — Israel, Tzachi Hanegbi, ”, Joe Biden, “, Assaf Orion, Juliette Touma, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Yohanan Plesner, Plesner, Israel, Malcolm Shaw, Yaron Wax, Johanna Geron, INSS, Amir Levy, Orion, Daniel Hagari, ” Plesner, Biden Organizations: CNN, National, Institute for National Security Studies, Israel Defense Forces, London School of Hygiene, Tropical Medicine, Johns Hopkins Center, Humanitarian Health, Israel, United Nations, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israeli, Israel Democracy Institute, International Criminal Court, International Court of Justice, United, P Global, Moody’s, Service, Troops, American, West Bank Locations: Gaza, Israel, Tel Aviv, Rafah, Europe, Palestinian, British, The Hague, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Egypt, United Arab Emirates

Rafah, Gaza and Jerusalem CNN —Dozens of people were killed on Sunday after a fire broke out following an Israeli airstrike on a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, Gaza. “Several civilians are still trapped inside the camp, which was attacked without warning,” a Palestinian man filming the fire said. Palestinians mourn over the bodies of relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, the Gaza Strip on Monday. It was among the deadliest strikes by the Israeli military on Gaza’s southernmost city since Israel began its operation there on May 7. Qatar, another key mediator, said Israel’s strike could “hinder” ongoing negotiations, and called the attack a “serious violation of international law.”Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp housing internally displaced people in Rafah, Gaza on Monday.

Persons: ”, Jehad, ” Avichay Adraee, Yifat, Yerushalmi, “, ” Israel, Staff Yassin Rabia, Khaled Nagar, peered, Abed Rahim Khatib, Mohammad Abu Al Subeh, Abu Al Subeh, “ It’s, ” Abu Nidal Al Attar, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Israel, Emmanuel Macron, Critics, Israel’s, Eyad Baba Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, CNN, Gaza Health Ministry, Hamas, Sunday, Israel Defense Forces, IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, IDF, West Bank, Staff, International Court of Justice, United Nations ’, Ministry of Health, Getty, UN, ” Medical, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, ICJ Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Israel, “, rummaging, Kuwait, Nuseirat, Egypt, Qatar, AFP

☆ Opinion: Alito’s second red flag
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Kirsi Goldynia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

This is not the first time Alito has found himself in hot water over displaying a controversial flag on his property. The upside-down flag, a signal of distress, was adopted by Trump supporters who believed the false claim that the election had been stolen. (Alito said his wife had raised the upside-down flag in response to a disagreement with a neighbor. The discovery also comes at a time when the Supreme Court will be making a decision about Trump’s claims of sweeping presidential immunity, his get-out-of-jail-free card for the federal cases he faces. “The notion that the Supreme Court can be trusted to be an arbiter above partisan politics has suffered major blows in recent years.

Persons: ”, Scott Peck, Samuel Alito, “, Alito, Joe Biden’s, Trump, Julian Zelizer, Walt Handelsman, Michael J, Broyde, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Donald Trump, ‘, ’, ” Nikki Haley’s, Nikki Haley’s, Nikki Haley, Haley, Nancy Pelosi, She’s, Joe Biden ‘, I’ve, ” Clay Jones, Drew Sheneman, Judge Juan Merchan, Robert Costello, Michael Cohen, Norm Eisen, Costello, ’ Merchan, cautioning, …, Eisen, Sunak, Rishi Sunak, Henry Nicholls, Holly Thomas, Sunak —, Thomas, Joel Pett, Adolf Hitler, Ruth Ben, Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Said Ben, Anna Sauerbrey, Sauerbrey, Biden, America —, Richard Curtis ’, Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Laura Beers, it’s, —, Ebrahim Raisi, Frida Ghitis, Ali Khamenei, Peter Kuper, Cagle, “ I’m, What’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al, Masri, Ismail Haniyeh, Peter Bergen, ” Netanyahu, Israel’s, Netanyahu, Kerri Kennedy, Biden “, Israel, ” Don’t, Agency Carrie Sheffield, Noah Berlatsky, Singleton, Biden’s Morehouse, Jill Filipovic, Diddy, Cassie Ventura, Catherine Tan, Shanahan, Brian Castrucci, Frank Luntz, Mark Zandi, Trump Will Cathcart, Joyce M, Davis, Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel, Randy Holmes, Bill, ” Nicole Hemmer, Said Will, Maher, Hemmer, ” “ Maher, It’s Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Agency, Trump, South Carolina Gov, Republican, NHS, Labour, Tory, Social, Italiana, European Union, ”, Islamic, Education, Workforce, Harvard, University of California, Columbia University, Columbia, Criminal Court, ICC, Israeli, International Court of Justice, United Nations Security, American Friends Service Committee, RFK, Disney, Entertainment, Democrats Locations: Alito’s Virginia, New Zealand, AFP, ”, England, Trump’s America, America, Italian, Germany, Poland, France, Berlin, Hill, American, British, London, Notting Hill, Iran, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic, University of California Los Angeles, Gaza, United Kingdom, Rafah, Georgia’s, Moscow, Africa

☆ Opinion | A Nuclear Iran Has Never Felt More Possible
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( John Ghazvinian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Up to now, for reasons experts often debate, Iran has never made the decision to build a nuclear weapon, despite having at least most of the resources and capabilities it needs to do so, as far as we know. But Mr. Raisi’s death has created an opportunity for the hard-liners in the country who are far less allergic to the idea of going nuclear than the regime has been for decades. Even before Mr. Raisi’s death, there were indications that Iran’s position might be starting to shift. The recent exchange of hostilities with Israel, a country with an undeclared but widely acknowledged nuclear arsenal, has provoked a change of tone in Tehran. “We have no decision to build a nuclear bomb but should Iran’s existence be threatened, there will be no choice but to change our military doctrine,” Kamal Kharrazi, a leading adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said on May 9.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi’s, ” Kamal Kharrazi, ”, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Locations: Israel, Iran, Tehran, “, Iranian

☆ Raisi’s funeral is about a lot more than the late Iranian president
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Unlike previous Iranian presidents, Raisi seemed content to serve as an empty vessel that carried out the reactionary policies of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the final arbiter on policymaking. So, when foreign dignitaries from a whopping 68 countries gathered for Raisi’s funeral on Thursday, they may not have been preoccupied with thoughts of the late president. Iranians follow a truck carrying the coffins of the late President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions during a funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran. “This (funeral) is a way for countries to show the progress they have made in repairing relations with Iran,” said Parsi. He could also decide to change tack, opening it up so that Iran’s next president enjoys broad popular support.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi’s, Raisi, Ali Khamenei, Hassan Rouhani, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad –, Qassem Soleimani, Quincy Institute Trita Parsi, –, Ismail Haniyeh, Ebrahim Raisi, Majid Saeedi, Donald Trump, ”, Khamenei, “, ” Mohammad Ali Shabani, Amwaj.media, CNN’s Becky Anderson, that’s Organizations: CNN, Quincy Institute Trita, United Arab, Getty, Obama, country’s Guardian Council, Supreme Locations: East, Iran, ” Washington, Gaza, Tehran, Israel, Damascus, Turkey, India, China, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Kuwait, Europe, Islamic Republic, country’s

☆ Russian media cited fake rumors of a Mossad agent named 'Eli Copter' being involved in the helicopter crash that killed Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewAn online joke about Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi being killed in a helicopter crash by a Mossad agent named "Eli Copter" has fooled several media outlets — including Russian state TV host Vladimir Solovyov. Raisi, 63, died on Sunday in a helicopter crash alongside several senior officials in northwest Iran, with state media saying the vehicle struck a mountainside. An Israeli official said Tel Aviv was not involved in the crash, which Solovyov challenged. AF - The IDF Mourns The Loss Of Their Undercover Agent, Eli Copter pic.twitter.com/G0tok0TFyV — Associated Fress (@AssociatedFress) May 19, 2024Several people reporting about Raisi's death seemed to have missed the joke. Haik later quoted the Hamas message on i24, saying that the involvement of "Eli Copter" was a rumor that couldn't yet be confirmed.

Persons: —, Ebrahim Raisi, Eli Copter, Vladimir Solovyov, Solovyov, Daniel Haik, Eli Copter pic.twitter.com, Haik Organizations: Service, Business, Tel, Russia Media Monitor, IDF, Hamas, Telegram, i24 France, Kremlin, West, Washington, Observatory, MIT Media Lab, Center for Locations: Iran, Israel, Tel Aviv, Russia, Tehran, Moscow, Ukraine

☆ Iran Prepares to Bury President Raisi
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Iran’s president will be laid to rest in his hometown on Thursday, capping days of funeral observances after his death in a helicopter crash left the country without one of its highest-profile leaders. The deceased president, Ebrahim Raisi, will be buried at the Imam Reza shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad, one of the holiest sites of Shiite Islam. Before that, his body was flown from Tehran, the capital, to the eastern city of Birjand for a funeral procession. Ayatollah Khamenei led funeral prayers on Wednesday for Mr. Raisi and the other victims of the crash before the coffins were driven through the packed streets of Tehran in a large-scale procession. Several had private sit-downs with the supreme leader, who that night visited Mr. Raisi’s family at their home, according to the state news media.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Reza, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Ayatollah Khamenei, —, Raisi’s Organizations: Mr Locations: Mashhad, Islam, Tehran, Birjand, Iranian, Jolfa, Iran

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Iran President Raisi funeral, ICC arrest warrant request
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

A rescue team works following the crash of a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, in Varzaqan, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran, on May 20. West Asia News Agency/ReutersThe chief of staff for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has revealed new details about the hours after the presidential helicopter went missing. "However, the president's helicopter, which was flying between the two others, suddenly disappeared," Esmaili added, as cited by Mher news. The pilot circled around to search for the president's helicopter, he said. "Pilots of the two other helicopters had contacted Captain Mostafavi, who was in charge of the president's helicopter," he said.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Gholam Hossein Esmaili, Esmaili, Raisi's, Esmail, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Mostafavi, Mohammad Ali Alehashem, Alehashem Organizations: West Asia News Agency, Reuters, Iran's, Mehr, Mehr News, Iranian, Pilots Locations: Varzaqan, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran, Azerbaijan, Varzeghan —, Abdollahian

☆ Watch: CNN on the ground as funeral underway for late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Frederik Pleitgen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Iran’s Use of Proxy Warfare Likely to Persist, Experts Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Those groups — Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, multiple militias in Iraq and Hamas in the Palestinian territories — are central to Iran’s ability to wield influence far beyond its borders despite being under strict economic sanctions for decades. Iran works with these groups through the Quds Force, a division of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. answers directly to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, not to the government run by the president. On Tuesday morning, Iran-linked groups in Iraq announced that they had launched a strike at a base in Israel. It was as if Iran’s allies were signaling that it was business as usual by making the kinds of attacks that have become commonplace in recent months.

Persons: Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, ”, Parsi Organizations: Quds Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iraq, Quincy Institute, Responsible Locations: Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanese, Israel

☆ Iran’s Supreme Leader Leads Funeral Prayers for President
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, performed funeral prayers on Wednesday for the country’s president who was killed in a helicopter crash, as thousands of Iranians packed the streets of Tehran on an official day of mourning. The president, Ebrahim Raisi, 63, was killed along with Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, 60, and five others traveling with them on Sunday. Funeral observances began on Tuesday with a procession in Tabriz, the closest big city to the crash site in northwestern Iran. Iran’s security forces implemented tight restrictions on vehicle movement and parking in the area where funeral processions would begin, the Tehran police chief, Col. Abdolfazl Mousavipour, told state television overnight. State television also reported that public transportation would be free on Wednesday — declared a national holiday — to enable people to attend the funeral.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Raisi, Abdolfazl Mousavipour, — Organizations: Tehran police, University of Tehran Locations: Tehran, Tabriz, Iran, Qom

☆ New Iranian foreign minister a familiar face for US officials
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Katie Bo Lillis | Mj Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

One familiar name stood out to US officials: the new acting foreign minister, Ali Bagheri Kani. Just last week in Oman, Kani was part of a delegation of senior Iranian officials that met indirectly with US officials, current and former officials said. In the wake of the death of so many of his top officials, US officials believe that Khamenei will work to ensure that replacements adhere to his hardline worldview. “It’s difficult to see there will be any major changes in the way Iran behaves on the world stage,” a senior administration official said. In talks with Iranian officials in Oman last week, US officials once again laid out for their counterparts the consequences of Iran’s destabilizing actions, behavior and policies, according to the senior administration official and a US official.

Persons: Ali Bagheri Kani, Kani, Biden, Ebrahim Raisi, Ali Khamenei, Raisi, Jonathan Panikoff, ” Khamenei, Khamenei, ”, Panikoff, “, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Vahid, –, Matt Miller Organizations: CNN, US, Supreme, Experts, Tehran ”, State Department Locations: Iran, United States, Oman, Gaza, Washington, Tehran, Israel, Kani

☆ After Raisi’s Death, Elections Pose Tricky Test for Iran’s Rulers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Erika Solomon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For decades, Iran’s leaders could point to high voter turnouts in their elections as proof of the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic’s political system. He could ensure that the presidential elections, which the Constitution mandates must happen within 50 days after Mr. Raisi’s death, are open to all, from hard-liners to reformists. Or he can repeat his strategy of recent elections, and block not only reformist rivals but even moderate, loyal opposition figures. That choice might leave him facing the embarrassment of even lower voter turnout, a move that would be interpreted as a stinging rebuke of his increasingly authoritarian state. Voter turnout in Iran has been on a downward trajectory in the last several years.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Ali Khamenei, Raisi’s Locations: Iran

☆ Iran begins days of nationwide funeral rites for President Ebrahim Raisi after helicopter crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

People attend funeral ceremony, held for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his senior officials died in a helicopter crash, in Tabriz, Iran on May 21, 2024. Thousands of mourners descended on Tabriz on Tuesday for a funeral ceremony honoring Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who perished in a helicopter crash over the weekend, leaving an indelible void in the country's leadership succession plans. Some mourners are shown brandishing photographs of Raisi, while others trooped behind lines awaiting the procession. Services for Raisi will be held between Tuesday and Thursday in Tabriz, Qom, Birjand and Iranian capital Tehran. "Our honorable Raisi worked tirelessly," Khamenei said on the X social media platform on Monday.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amirabdollahian, IRNA, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Raisi, Khamenei, Butcher, Mahsa, Amirabdolahian, Bashar Assad Organizations: Iranian, Islamic Republic News Agency, CNBC, Raisi, Human Rights Watch, Palestinian, Hamas Locations: Tabriz, Iran, Qom, Birjand, Tehran, Mashhad, Azerbaijan, East, Israel

☆ Raisi helicopter crash: Some in Iran claim US sanctions to blame but the truth may be more complicated
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Nic Robertson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Even before Iran’s army chief Mohammad Bagheri ordered an investigation into the helicopter crash that cost the Islamic Republic the lives of two of its top politicians, blame was being laid at America’s door. People mourn the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash the previous day, at Valiasr Square, on May 20, 2024 in Tehran, Iran. The next question might be, knowing the weather was bad and having three helicopters on the journey, why put both president and foreign minister in the same aircraft? Former Foreign Minister Zarif would want the world to believe Iran’s technological core has been hollowed out by US sanctions, but that allegation too is tainted by hubris. Iran’s presidents are not idle, they need to go places.

Persons: Mohammad Bagheri, Ebrahim Raisi, Javad Zarif acidly, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Raisi –, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, Malek Rahmati, Mohammed Ali Alehashem –, Ilham Aliyav, Majid Saeedi, Yemen’s Houthis, AKINCI, Ali Khamenei, –, Russia –, Zarif, Raisi Organizations: CNN, Islamic, Bell, Turkish Transport, Revolutionary Guard Corps, Former Locations: Islamic Republic, America’s, United States, Iran, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Tabriz, Tehran, Turkish, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey

☆ Oil prices fall on fear of high U.S. interest rates depressing demand
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil storage drums stacked in the Keihin industrial area of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on Monday, April 15, 2024. Oil prices fell in early Asian trade on Tuesday, with investors anticipating higher-for-longer U.S. inflation and interest rates will depress consumer and industrial demand. "Fears of weaker demand led to selling as the prospect of Fed rate cut became more distant," said analyst Toshitaka Tazawa at Fujitomi Securities. Lower interest rates reduce borrowing costs, freeing up funds which could boost economic growth and demand for oil. OPEC+ could extend some voluntary output cuts if demand fails to pick up, people with knowledge of the matter previously told Reuters.

Persons: Toshitaka Tazawa, Philip Jefferson, Michael Barr, Raphael Bostic, Ebrahim Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mohammed Bin Salman, Fujitomi's Tazawa Organizations: Brent, . West Texas, Federal, Fujitomi Securities, Atlanta Fed, Reuters, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Iranian, Investors, Organization of, Petroleum Locations: Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, Saudi, OPEC

☆ Iran President Raisi: Days of funeral ceremonies begin as investigators probe helicopter crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Funeral ceremonies are set to begin on Tuesday for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi following his death in a helicopter crash, as authorities probe what caused the aircraft to smash into the side of a remote mountainside during foggy weather on Sunday morning. A helicopter carrying Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi takes off on May 19, 2024, before the crash took place. There is no indication what might have caused the crash – and why so many senior Iranian government officials were traveling in a single, decades-old helicopter. A high-ranking delegation will go to the crash site in Eastern Azerbaijan, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. Inside Iran, where many of the country’s restive youth population have grown tired of rule by conservative clerics, Raisi had a much more polarizing legacy.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Ayatollah Khamenei, Mohsen Mansouri, Ali Hamed Haghdoust, Mansouri, Reza, Khamenei, “, ”, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Uraloglu, Iran’s, ’, Ayatollah Khamenei —, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong, Kim, Xi, Raisi’s, Azin, ” Xi, Putin, Russia, ” Raisi, Raisi Organizations: CNN, Wana News Agency, Reuters, Mehr, Iranian, Turkish Transportation, Infrastructure, TRT, Moj News Agency, AP, Kremlin, US Locations: Tabriz, Iran, Qom, Tehran, Mashhad, Turkey, Turkish, Eastern Azerbaijan, Israel, Korean, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, China, North Korea, Russia, Iranian

☆ Iran Begins Funeral Events for President Raisi
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Funeral events for Iran’s president and foreign minister began in northwestern Iran on Tuesday as investigators looked into the helicopter crash that killed them and the country grappled with the shock of losing two of its most prominent leaders at a volatile moment. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has announced five days of mourning for the president, Ebrahim Raisi, 63, and the foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, 60, who died when their helicopter plunged into a mountainous area near the Iranian city of Jolfa on Sunday. The state news media said the crash had resulted from a “technical failure.” Iran’s Armed Forces said it had begun an investigation and sent a team to the site. Some people held photographs of Mr. Raisi; the semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported that the country’s interior minister and acting president had been spotted in the crowd. He had been widely viewed as a potential successor to Ayatollah Khamenei, 85.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Raisi, Amir Abdollahian, Ayatollah Khamenei Organizations: Iran’s, Forces Locations: Iran, Iranian, Jolfa, Tabriz

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Benny Gantz ultimatum, Netanyahu government in turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rescue teams' vehicles are seen near the site of the incident of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Varzaghan in northwestern Iran, on May 19. It has also brought a decades-long shadow war between Iran and Israel out into the open. But the proxy war continues with Iran-backed militias such as Hamas and Hezbollah continuing to fight Israel’s forces. The powers of Iran's president are ultimately dwarfed by those of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is the final arbiter of domestic and foreign affairs in the Islamic Republic. That means Iran's clerical establishment, headed by Khamenei, must now find a new leader they can throw their support behind against a backdrop of intense regional insecurity and domestic discontent.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Azin, Israel —, Israel, Mahsa, Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, —, Mohammad Mokhbar —, Khamenei Organizations: Moj News Agency, Hamas, Revolutionary Guards, United Locations: Varzaghan, Iran, Gaza, Israel, Damascus, Iranian, Isfahan, United Nations, Islamic Republic

☆ Live updates: Iran President Ebrahim Raisi dead in helicopter crash in East Azerbaijan Province
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Jerome Taylor | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

Iranian state broadcasters are airing Islamic prayers in between their news broadcasts following the announcement that President Ebrahim Raisi and eight others died after the helicopter they were traveling in crashed in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. Iran's government convened an "urgent meeting" on Monday, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA. A photo shared by IRNA showed that the chair that Raisi usually sits in was vacant and draped with a black sash in memory of the president.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, IRNA Organizations: IRNA Locations: Iran's East Azerbaijan province, Iran's

☆ President Ebrahim Raisi's death: What lies ahead for Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailPresident Ebrahim Raisi's death: What lies ahead for IranKarim Sadjadpour, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Middle East Program, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss what the death of Iran's president and foreign minister means for the United States, how succession will take place in Iran, and more.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi's, Iran Karim Sadjadpour Organizations: Carnegie Endowment, International Peace Middle Locations: Iran, United States

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