Major General Seyed Abdolrahim Mousavi, the Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, attained martyrdom in a cowardly Israeli-American aggression on Saturday.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, was also martyred in the Saturday aggression, alongside many top-ranking military commanders and defense officials.

Major General Mousavi succeeded Major General Mohammad Bagheri following the 12-day war in June last year and carried forward the remarkable legacy of his predecessor.

He played a particularly vital role in the June 2025 war, leading the Iranian armed forces in their retaliatory operations that forced the Israeli regime to beg for surrender.

Mousavi previously served as the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and played an instrumental role in bolstering the might of the army.

On August 21, 2017, he was promoted from Brigadier General to Major General and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army by the Leader, replacing Seyed Ataollah Salehi.

Later, on May 28, 2019, Ayatollah Khamenei appointed him as the commander of the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base, while he continued to serve as the army’s top commander.

Mousavi was born in 1960 in the holy city of Qom in central Iran. He was a graduate of the Army’s Ground Forces Officers’ University and held a doctorate in defense studies from the Supreme National Defense University. He joined the Iranian army in 1979.

During the years of the Imposed War in the 1980s, Major General Mousavi served in the Army’s artillery unit on various fronts, including the western battlefields in Kurdistan (28th Kurdistan Division) and the southwestern fronts (33rd Artillery Group of the Ground Forces) in Khuzestan province.

He participated in many operations such as Valfajr 4, Valfajr 9, Beit al-Moqaddas 5, Qader, Nasr, and several others. He is recognized as a veteran of the war.

After the Imposed War ended in 1997, he completed the Advanced Command and Staff Course (DAFOS) and later earned a doctoral degree in defense management at the Supreme National Defense University.

From 1999 to 2005, he served as the Chief of Joint Staff of the Army, and from 2008 to 2016, he was Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army. Following that, from 2016 to 2017, he held the position of Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.

Mousavi held several significant leadership positions within Iran’s military. From 1999 to 2005, he served as the Chief of Joint Staff of the Army, later assuming the role of Deputy Commander-in-Chief from 2008 to 2016.

In 2016, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, a position he held until 2017, when he was named Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, a role he held until today.

Additionally, since May 2019, served as the Commander of the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base, further solidifying his central role in the country’s military strategy and operations.

Major General Mousavi also served as the Commander of Imam Ali (PBUH) Officers’ University, where he contributed to the training and development of military personnel.

He also led the Army’s Northeast Operational Base, overseeing strategic operations in the region.

In addition, he was the Deputy for Training and the Deputy for Planning and Programs within the Army Ground Forces, playing a key role in shaping military preparedness and strategy.

Mousavi’s expertise in operations led to his appointment as the Head of Operations for the Army, and later, he became the Director of the Army Strategic Studies Center, where he engaged in high-level research and policy development.

Source: Presstv

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has announced the launch of a massive wave of missile and drone strikes against targets inside the Israeli-occupied territories, after Israel and the US initiated military assault against Iran.

In a statement on Saturday, the IRGC said it launched the first wave of Iran’s extensive missile and drone strikes targeting the occupied territories in response to the “aggression by the hostile and criminal enemy.”

The IRGC said they had targeted the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, other American interests in the Persian Gulf and Israel.

Explosions were also heard over central Doha and near Al-Udeid military base, the largest US facility in the region.

Iran’s region wide missile salvo could be heard in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE, as well as Israel and Iraq, in the hours following the first strikes, after it had repeatedly vowed to retaliate fiercely should it be attacked.

Earlier in the day, the Israeli regime and the United States launched unprovoked assaults targeting several cities in Iran, including the capital Tehran.

On Saturday morning, a number of loud explosions were heard in Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, Tabriz, and Kermanshah.

A strike on a school in southern country of Minab in Iran killed at least 24 civilians and injured 45.

Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, the UAE and Israel all closed their airspaces to civilian traffic, at least in part, and multiple airlines cancelled flights to the Middle East.

US embassies in the Persian Gulf region urged American citizens to take shelter.

Source: Presstv

Bill and Hillary Clinton will testify in a US House investigation surrounding deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesman for the ex-president said, heading off a potential vote to hold the couple in contempt.

They had originally refused to appear before lawmakers examining how authorities handled earlier investigations into the disgraced financier, who had connections and correspondence with the world’s business and political elite.

“The former President and former Secretary of State will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone,” Angel Urena said on X.

The House Rules Committee had advanced resolutions accusing the Clintons of defying subpoenas to appear in person to explain their links to Epstein, who died in custody in 2019.

The Epstein affair continues to cast a long shadow over Washington, entangling some of the most prominent names in US politics and highlighting the sharp partisan battles that have shaped the scandal.

Democrats say the probe is being weaponised to attack political opponents of President Donald Trump – himself a longtime Epstein associate who has not been called to testify – rather than to conduct legitimate oversight.

Trump spent months trying to block the disclosure of investigative files linked to Epstein, who moved in elite circles for years, cultivating ties with billionaires, politicians, academics and celebrities.

Democratic divisions

Neither Trump nor the Clintons have been accused of criminal wrongdoing related to Epstein’s activities.

In letters where they initially refused to appear in Washington, the Clintons had argued that the subpoenas were invalid because they lacked a clear legislative purpose.

Republicans say the Democratic couple’s past links to the business tycoon, including Bill Clinton’s use of his private jet in the early 2000s, justify in person questioning under oath.

Instead, the couple submitted sworn written statements describing their knowledge of Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.

Bill Clinton acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian work, but said he never visited his private island.

Hillary Clinton said she had no meaningful interactions with Epstein, never flew on his plane and never visited his island.

The contempt vote and its targeting of the Clintons could have exposed divisions among congressional Democrats.

Some Democrats have privately acknowledged that their party has long argued no one should be beyond scrutiny in efforts to uncover the full scope of Epstein’s crimes.

But others feared that advancing the contempt resolutions would have played into a partisan strategy to shift attention away from Trump’s past contacts with Epstein.

The Justice Department released last week what it said would be the final batch of files related to the investigation into Epstein.

Source: AFP

President Vladimir Putin says developing Russia’s nuclear forces is now an “absolute priority” following the expiry of its last remaining nuclear treaty with the US.

“The development of the nuclear triad, which guarantees Russia’s security and ensures effective strategic deterrence and a balance of forces in the world, remains an absolute priority,” Putin said in a video speech on Sunday to mark Russia’s “Defender of the Fatherland Day.”

Putin pledged to further reinforce the army and navy, and draw on military experience gained during the nearly four-year conflict in Ukraine.

Moscow and Washington, the world’s two largest nuclear powers, are no longer bound by any arms control agreement following the expiration of the “New START” agreement earlier this month.

Russia and the US possess more than 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.

As of January 2025, Russia had more than 4300, and the US had approximately 3700 nuclear warheads.

Analysts say both the US and Russia are modernizing their nuclear forces, effectively fueling an arms race already underway.

With nuclear weapons gaining renewed prominence and no breakthrough from talks such as Trump and Putin’s Alaska meeting last year, New START’s end signals a more volatile and dangerous phase in global security.

Source: Presstv

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution has responded to repeated US military threats against Iran, saying that the weapons that can sink the American carriers are “more dangerous” than the warships. 

“The American president [Donald Trump] repeatedly says that their military is the strongest in the world. The strongest military in the world, however, can sometimes be struck so hard that it cannot even get back on its feet,” Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday while addressing thousands of people from East Azarbaijan Province.

“They keep saying, ‘We have sent an aircraft carrier toward Iran.’ Fine—an aircraft carrier is certainly a dangerous piece of equipment. But more dangerous than the carrier is the weapon capable of sending it to the bottom of the sea,” he added.

Source: Presstv

US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson has died at the age of 84.

Jackson died peacefully on Tuesday morning surrounded by his family, they say in a statement

“Our father was a servant leader – not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family say.

Jackson fought for civil rights alongside Martin Luther King Jr in the 1960s and was twice a candidate for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988

He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2017 and was hospitalised for observation last November after being diagnosed with a degenerative condition.

Source: BBC

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has moved out of his home in Windsor to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.

The former prince left Royal Lodge on Monday night and is currently living at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate while his permanent home undergoes renovations.

Buckingham Palace had said the move would happen in early 2026, but the fallout from the latest drop of Jeffrey Epstein files appears to have sped up his departure.

Pressure has been building on Mountbatten-Windsor to give evidence in the US over his relationship with the paedophile financier. He has always denied any wrongdoing.

The Palace announced that he would be moving from Royal Lodge in October, at the same time his title of prince was removed.

The Sandringham Estate is privately owned by the King and he will pay the costs of his brother’s new home. It is believed he will ultimately live at Marsh Farm on the estate.

The Andrew problem has been challenging for the Royal Family and, at times, decisions around how to handle the former prince have seemed slow and ineffective.

His lease of Royal Lodge had become symbolic of the wider problems his relationship with Epstein has caused. It raised questions about privilege, transparency and the use of public money.

It is hoped the move to Sandringham will be a decisive change that keeps Mountbatten-Windsor out of the public eye where possible.

Sources close to the Royal Family also say that although Mountbatten-Windsor’s poor judgement needed sanction, he does remain a member of the family and on a personal level there is a duty of care owed to him, hence the provision of a home in Norfolk funded by the King.

Mountbatten-Windsor, also formerly known as the Duke of York, is expected to return to Windsor over the next few weeks to collect the remainder of his belongings but his permanent base is now officially in Norfolk.

He was last seen in Windsor on Monday, riding on horseback close to his previous home. He was also photographed driving away from Windsor Castle waving at passers by.

The images were poorly received by the Palace.

Source: BBC

South Africa ordered Israel’s top diplomat to leave the country within 72 hours on Friday, citing a “series of violations” and prompting the Israeli government to expel Pretoria’s own diplomatic representative.

Several protests have taken place in South Africa against Israel’s actions in Gaza, with some calling for the embassy in Pretoria to be closed

Ties between the nations are already strained by South Africa’s case before the United Nations top court in 2023 to argue that Israel’s war on Gaza amounts to genocide.

The South African foreign ministry said it had informed Israel that its charge d’affaires, Ariel Seidman, was “persona non grata” and “required to depart from the Republic within 72 hours”.

“This decisive measure follows a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty,” it said.

Breaches included “the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks” on President Cyril Ramaphosa, the statement said.

The foreign ministry also accused the embassy of a “deliberate failure” to inform South Africa of visits by senior Israeli officials.

The Israeli foreign ministry swiftly responded that South Africa’s senior diplomatic representative, Shaun Byneveldt, “is persona non grata and must leave Israel within 72 hours”.

South Africa laid a case before the United Nations top court in 2023 to argue that Israel’s war on Gaza amounted to genocide, which it denies.

In a statement on X, it accused Pretoria of “false attacks against Israel in the international arena” and described Seidman’s expulsion as a “unilateral, baseless step”.

Seidman was Israel’s most senior representative in South Africa after Tel Aviv recalled its ambassador in 2023.

‘Abuse of privilege’

South African officials were angered by a tweet from the Israeli embassy in November that commented: “A rare moment of wisdom and diplomatic clarity from President Ramaphosa.”

The post was in reaction to a news story citing Ramaphosa as saying “boycott politics doesn’t work”, in reference to US President Donald Trump’s decision to not attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg.

Source: France 24