Tehran Times

2026-01-26 21:24
Foreign Ministry’s warning regarding any possible aggression against Iran:

‘Sweeping and regret-inducing’

TEHRAN — Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei issued a definitive warning on January 26, declaring that the Islamic Republic is fully prepared to deliver a “sweeping, regret-inducing response” to any act of aggression.

Open Israeli role in Iran unrest marks new escalation: Canadian historian

Samir Saul says Mossad activity is increasingly visible following the June 2025 failure

TEHRAN — In an interview with the Tehran Times, Canadian historian and political economist Samir Saul offers a critical assessment of U.S. and Israeli involvement in the protests that unfolded in Iran in January, with a particular attention to U.S. President Donald Trump’s rhetoric.
By Sheida Sabzehvari

Iran will not fight alone this time

From Baghdad to Beirut, Tehran’s partners signal a wider war if US strikes

TEHRAN – As U.S. naval deployments in the Persian Gulf intensify and Washington hints at the possibility of renewed aggression, a constellation of Iran’s allied forces across West Asia are issuing coordinated warnings that a second war against the country would ignite a region-wide confrontation — one that neither the United States nor Israel, they say, is prepared to contain.
By Xavier Villar

The hidden strategic toll of confronting Tehran

MADRID - In Washington, there remains a persistent temptation to treat a confrontation with Iran as a modular option. Limited strikes, punitive operations, calibrated actions aimed at restoring deterrence without altering the broader strategic balance. That logic has proven effective in other contexts, but with Iran, it is increasingly less so. A US attack on Iranian territory would not be interpreted as a discrete operation or as another episode in a long-standing rivalry. It would be read as a strategic rupture: the moment when the accumulated power of the United States in the Middle East begins generating adverse effects that reinforce one another.
By staff writer

The ceasefire illusion: Israel’s cover for calculated aggression in Lebanon

TEHRAN — Despite the ceasefire agreement signed with Israel in November 2024, the promised peace remains a distant hope for the people of Lebanon. Israel’s military has effectively transformed a signed truce into a period of controlled aggression, conducting near-daily strikes that have claimed hundreds of innocent lives.
By Ranjan Solomon

Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza and the monetization of ruins

GOA — Gaza today is not emerging from conflict; it is still being crushed by its consequences. Entire neighbourhoods have been erased, civilians displaced en masse, famine conditions allowed to fester, and allegations of international crimes hang unresolved over the ruins. Any serious discussion of Gaza’s future would begin with a ceasefire, accountability, and the restoration of Palestinian political agency. Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” begins elsewhere. It begins with money, authority, and control.

Politics

Aggression against Iran would entail ‘serious destabilization’: Kremlin

TEHRAN — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov issued a sharp warning on Monday, stating that any military strike against the Islamic Republic would result in a “serious destabilization” of the Middle East.
Tehran slams foreign media’s ‘fictional storytelling’ on detainee medical neglect

TEHRAN — The Tehran Province Prisons Department issued a rebuttal on Monday against a wave of “fictional storytelling” and coordinated disinformation campaigns orchestrated by foreign-based Persian-language media.
UNHRC resolution ‘against Iran, not about rights’

TEHRAN — Iran’s government spokesperson sharply rejected a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on the country’s recent unrest, calling the measure a ‘politically motivated’ effort to exert pressure on the Islamic Republic while ignoring Western sanctions and Western-backed regional wars that constitute grave rights abuses.

Sports

Tractor, Esteghlal claim victories in 2025/26 PGPL

TEHRAN – Tractor and Esteghlal football teams secured important victories in Matchweek 18 of the 2025/26 Iran Persian Gulf Professional League (PGPL).
Iran has potential to compete at 16 sports at 2026 Asian Para Games

TEHRAN – Iran has the potential to participate in 16 of the 18 sports featured at the 2026 Asian Para Games, officials confirmed during the first expert meeting of the fifth edition of the Games.
Iran aim to continue dominating in Asia futsal

TEHRAN - Iran are counting on their revamped squad to take them all the way at the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 when they take on Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia in Group D.

Culture

12th Tehran International Cartoon Biennial concludes

TEHRAN – The closing ceremony of the 12th Tehran International Cartoon Biennial was held on Sunday evening in Tehran.
12th Kolkata International Children’s Film Festival screening Iranian modern, classic movies

TEHRAN – Five films from Iran are present at the 12th Kolkata International Children’s Film Festival, which is underway in India.
44th Fajr Film Festival to be held in February with 31 films vying for Crystal Simorgh

TEHRAN – The 44th Fajr National Film Festival will be inaugurated at Mellat Cineplex in Tehran on February 1, setting the stage for ten days of artistic celebration and competition.

Economy

Renewables capacity set to top 5,200 MW by late March

TEHRAN – Iran plans to raise its renewable power generation capacity to more than 5,200 megawatts by the end of the current Iranian year (late March), a deputy energy minister said, citing faster permitting and improved financing as key to meeting the target.
Over 21m tons of imported essential goods distributed across country in 10 months

TEHRAN – Iran moved 21 million tons of imported essential goods from its ports in the first 10 months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2025-January 20, 2026), a deputy minister said, highlighting the role of truck drivers in supplying basic commodities.
Industry Ministry approves $11b of foreign investment

TEHRAN – Iranian Industry, Mining and Trade Ministry has issued licenses for more than $11 billion in foreign investment projects so far, though actual capital inflows remain far lower, an official at the country’s investment authority said.

Society

Over 3 million students attend oral, dental health program

TEHRAN – A week-long national oral and dental health program in elementary schools provided services to more than three million students across the country.
Lake Urmia's level increases by 56cm

TEHRAN - The water level of Lake Urmia in the central area is 1,270.06 meters above sea level, an increase of 56 centimeters compared to the beginning of the current water year (September 23, 2025).
Family Physician Program to include more cities

TEHRAN - Family Physician Program - an initiative started in 2005 to improve the health sector’s efficiency - will add 59 cities to its network of services in the next Iranian year, which starts on March 21.

Tourism

Government backs tourism operators, prioritizes pilgrimage, medical tourism: deputy minister

TEHRAN – The Iranian government has put support for tourism operators through facilitation measures at the center of its agenda and sees pilgrimage and medical tourism as sustainable drivers of the sector’s development, a senior tourism official said.
Jashn-e Sadeh: Khur residents prepare for ancient fire festival

TEHRAN – Residents of Khur, a city in Isfahan province, are preparing to observe Jashn-e Sadeh, an ancient Persian festival marked by a communal fire ritual, local cultural heritage officials said.
Rab’-e Rashidi: archaeologists to return to 14th-century educational ruins in northwest Iran

TEHRAN--Plans are on the agenda to continue excavations in Rab’-e Rashidi area, an educational complex dating back to the 14th century, in Tabriz, East Azarbaijan province.

International

The ceasefire illusion: Israel’s cover for calculated aggression in Lebanon

TEHRAN — Despite the ceasefire agreement signed with Israel in November 2024, the promised peace remains a distant hope for the people of Lebanon. Israel’s military has effectively transformed a signed truce into a period of controlled aggression, conducting near-daily strikes that have claimed hundreds of innocent lives.
Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza and the monetization of ruins

GOA — Gaza today is not emerging from conflict; it is still being crushed by its consequences. Entire neighbourhoods have been erased, civilians displaced en masse, famine conditions allowed to fester, and allegations of international crimes hang unresolved over the ruins. Any serious discussion of Gaza’s future would begin with a ceasefire, accountability, and the restoration of Palestinian political agency. Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” begins elsewhere. It begins with money, authority, and control.
Lebanon: Rising pressures amid Syria’s instability and Israeli threats

BEIRUT — With the Israeli enemy maintaining continuous attacks from the south and the resurgence of ISIS and other extremist groups in Syria, Lebanon faces unprecedented security challenges.

Samir Saul says Mossad activity is increasingly visible following the June 2025 failure

From Baghdad to Beirut, Tehran’s partners signal a wider war if US strikes