Tehran Times

2026-05-16 21:57
Iranian president writes to Pope Leo XIV

Pezeshkian thanks pope for his moral and fair stance on US-Israeli aggression

TEHRAN — President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for the pontiff’s strong moral stance condemning the US-Israeli aggression against Iran.
- Courageous faith versus cowardly blasphemy

Iran warns UN that US-Israeli aggression threatens global energy security and supply chains

TEHRAN- Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations warned that ongoing military aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime against the Islamic Republic has severely disrupted regional stability, damaged critical energy infrastructure, and now endangers global supply chains and worldwide energy security.
Why does Iran’s resolute defense meet with sympathy in Serbia?

SUBOTICA - Fifty-five years ago, in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia and then-Yugoslavia, a corrida was held. The “fight” with bulls was announced as the first classical Spanish corrida ever organized outside Spain, which attracted great attention from the Yugoslav and the world public of the time.
By Wesam Bahrani

Lebanon truce extension on fire

TEHRAN – The announcement of a 45-day extension to the so-called “ceasefire” in Lebanon has done little to stop the Israeli aggression. But it does raise questions about the Lebanese government.
European medicine supplies at risk due to Iran tensions

TEHRAN – European countries could face significant shortages of medicines and essential pharmaceutical components if tensions surrounding Iran escalate and lead to a blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, according to a recent analysis.
Backpacks of martyred Minab children sent to UN as symbols of lost innocence

TEHRAN – In a symbolic gesture to globalize the voice of innocent victims, the backpacks of two Iranian students martyred in the tragic bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab have been dispatched to the United Nations headquarters in New York and its museum in Vienna.

Politics

The siege that turned Iran into a transit hub

TEHRAN - The US Navy blockaded Iranian ports, but Pakistan opened six land routes. A new 89‑km corridor has cut travel time to Iran from 18 hours to just a fraction of that. Iran, which once conducted 90% of its trade by sea, now moves 40% of it on rails — and China and Central Asia are now part of the equation.
Iran: Palestinian self-determination only solution on Nakba anniversary

TEHRAN- As the world marked the 78th anniversary of Nakba Day (May 15), Iran intensified its diplomatic condemnation of the Israeli regime, calling the event a source of permanent regional instability and reiterating that the future of Palestine must be determined solely by its people.
Busy day for Iran's top diplomat; Araghchi holds diplomatic blitz in New Delhi

TEHRAN- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi engaged in an intensive diplomatic round in New Delhi this week, holding separate meetings with his counterparts from South Africa, India, Russia, Malaysia, and Thailand, as well as India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting.

Sports

Foolad Sirjan into AVC Men’s Champions League 2026 final

TEHRAN – Foolad Sirjan of Iran swept past JTEKT Stings Aichi of Japan in straight sets (25-22, 25-19, 25-20) in the AVC Men’s Champions League 2026 Saturday.
Iran volleyball to hold friendly matches in Brazil

TEHRAN - Iran's national volleyball team will face Brazil in two preparatory friendly matches at the Brazilian national team training camp as part preparation for the 2026 Men's Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
Iran’s women’s volleyball team beat Thailand in friendly

TEHRAN – Iran’s women’s volleyball team defeated Thailand in a friendly match as part of preparation for the 2026 CAVA Women's Volleyball Championship.

Culture

Backpacks of martyred Minab children sent to UN as symbols of lost innocence

TEHRAN – In a symbolic gesture to globalize the voice of innocent victims, the backpacks of two Iranian students martyred in the tragic bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab have been dispatched to the United Nations headquarters in New York and its museum in Vienna.
Iranian director restages “The Glass Menagerie” in Tehran

TEHRAN- Iranian director Ali Hazrati is restaging a loose adaptation of American playwright Tennessee Williams’ memory play “The Glass Menagerie” at Labkhand Theater Hall in Tehran.
Arabic translation of book on Martyr Leader’s father, upbringing unveiled

TEHRAN – The Arabic translation of the book “Agha's Narrative,” which explores the upbringing and formation of the personality of the martyred Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei was unveiled in Tehran on Thursday.

Economy

European medicine supplies at risk due to Iran tensions

TEHRAN – European countries could face significant shortages of medicines and essential pharmaceutical components if tensions surrounding Iran escalate and lead to a blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, according to a recent analysis.
IMF sees risks to global growth forecast over sustained Iran war

TEHRAN- The International Monetary Fund warned on Thursday that continuing disruptions due to the Iran war meant its global economic outlook was moving towards an "adverse" scenario, with growth pared down and greater risks to inflation, AFP reported.
TPO official outlines key pillars for achieving $10b Iran-Pakistan bilateral trade target

TEHRAN- The Director General of Asia and Subcontinent Department of Iran's Trade Promotion Organization said: Focusing on removing infrastructure barriers, activating the transit corridor, developing border market activities, and utilizing the barter mechanism under current circumstances are the main pillars of the Iran-Pakistan trade roadmap to increase bilateral trade to the level of $10 billion.

Society

Government announces policies, programs for infertility treatment

TEHRAN – To address infertility, which is known as one of the main challenges of health and population in the country, the government has adopted different measures, including infertility insurance to lower high-cost and out-of-pocket expenses of infertility treatment.
National Health Week marked by inaugurating 198 projects

TEHRAN – A total of 198 medical projects were inaugurated nationwide via video conference on Saturday morning by Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarqandi on the second day of the National Health Week.
WTISD 2026 highlights need for robust, secure digital infrastructure

TEHRAN – Celebrated every year on May 17, World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) highlights the growing role of digital technologies in our lives and commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – the United Nations Agency for Digital Technologies.

Tourism

Kerman advances bid for UNESCO recognition of historic urban area

TEHRAN - Authorities in Kerman are moving forward with plans to seek UNESCO World Heritage recognition for a 70-hectare section of the city’s historical core, provincial officials said on Saturday.
Tehran to host fifth intl. conference on tourism and spirituality

TEHRAN - The fifth International Conference on Tourism and Spirituality will be held on May 20 at the University of Science and Culture, bringing together Iranian and foreign scholars to discuss the role of spirituality in modern tourism, organizers said. The conference is being organized through cooperation among researchers and academics from several Iranian universities, according to conference officials.
Clues of Parthian-Sasanian tomb complex discovered in central Iran

TEHRAN - Iranian cultural heritage officials said they have identified traces of a tomb complex dating back to the Parthian-Sasanian period in Tiran-Karvan county of Isfahan province, central Iran, marking what authorities described as the first known burial complex of its kind discovered in the area.

International

Lebanon truce extension on fire

TEHRAN – The announcement of a 45-day extension to the so-called “ceasefire” in Lebanon has done little to stop the Israeli aggression. But it does raise questions about the Lebanese government.
Gaza mourns resistance commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad

TEHRAN — The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, confirmed the martyrdom of its commander-in-chief, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, following a treacherous Israeli airstrike in Gaza City late Friday.
The UAE’s dangerous overreach

TEHRAN - The geopolitical landscape of the Persian Gulf has been radically redrawn following the intense 40-day military campaign launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28. While the broader conflict reached a fragile, Pakistani-mediated ceasefire in April, the diplomatic and economic aftershocks are still reverberating across the region.