Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.

RFL/RE – U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has strongly indicated that the U.S. military will not fire on Iranian cultural sites, targets that President Donald Trump had threatened to strike.“We will follow the laws of armed conflict,” Esper said during a briefing at the Pentagon. When asked if that ruled out targeting cultural sites, Esper said pointedly, “That’s the laws …

VOA – Iranian state media reported Tuesday a stampede at the funeral for top military commander Qassem Soleimani killed at least 32 people and injured 190 others. Tens of thousands of people had gathered to honor Soleimani in his hometown of Kerman before his burial, following similar ceremonies this week in Tehran, Qom and Ahvaz.  State media reports said the …

VOA – The leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened on Tuesday to “set ablaze” places supported by the United States over the killing of a top Iranian general in a U.S. airstrike last week, sparking cries from the crowd of supporters of “Death to Israel!’’ Hossein Salami made the pledge before a crowd of thousands gathered in a central square …

VOA – The United States has denied a visa to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that would have allowed him to attend a United Nations Security Council meeting in New York on Thursday, a U.S. official said. Monday’s comments by the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, came as tensions escalate between the two countries after the United …

Al-Monitor – Iran officially held the funeral for the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, in Tehran Jan. 6. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, flanked by President Hassan Rouhani and judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi, conducted the prayer service. Various processions across Iran were held in the days leading up to the funeral, drawing the largest crowds Iran has seen since the …