Tehran Times

2026-06-21 20:55
No photo op: Iran wants action, not handshakes

Iran rejects a symbolic handshake with US officials, insisting that progress on implementing the MoU matters more than diplomatic optics

TEHRAN - Iran and the United States held talks in Switzerland on Sunday to advance the implementation of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed a few days ago.
- Iran re-closes Strait of Hormuz over Israeli crimes in Lebanon
- Iran seeking lasting and guaranteed US compliance in Geneva talks

Pezeshkian: Iran will not back down on uranium enrichment rights

TEHRAN - President Masoud Pezeshkian has stressed that Iran will never abandon its nuclear rights in negotiations with the United States.
Medvedev warns Israel may seek to undermine Iran–US MoU

TEHRAN– Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has warned that Israel may attempt to derail the recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States, arguing that the accord reflects Washington’s inability to achieve its military objectives against Tehran.
By Dr. Jin Liangxiang

Iran’s resistance will have a systematic impact on US hegemony

SHANGHAI- The past 100 days have witnessed Iran’s most resolute resistance to joint U.S.-Israeli aggression. While the bravery shown by the Iranian people in this war against two hegemonic powers will be remembered by history, the implications for the future international order will be deep and far-reaching, manifesting in many ways. Perhaps the most profound of these is that U.S. hegemony will be systematically impacted.
By Garsha Vazirian

The little girl from Gaza who became a global reckoning

Hind Rajab’s voice now echoes through every airport lounge and courtroom where Israeli war criminals once felt safe

TEHRAN — For three agonizing hours on January 29, 2024, a five-year-old girl named Hind Rajab was the only living soul in a car filled with the bodies of her family. Israeli tank fire had devastated their vehicle in Gaza City. Wounded and terrified, she stayed on the phone with emergency dispatchers and begged for rescue.
By Wesam Bahrani

Israeli casualties mount in southern Lebanon

TEHRAN – The Israeli military announces two more soldiers were killed and dozens were injured amid clashes and ambushes by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Politics

Netanyahu’s ‘hallucinations’: Israeli poll finds Iran clear winner of war

TEHRAN – President Masoud Pezeshkian has exposed Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to derail the recent memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States, as the embattled Israeli prime minister seeks to cling to power by inflaming regional tensions.
Iran seeking lasting and guaranteed US compliance in Geneva talks

TEHRAN— Iran is seeking firm assurances that the United States will fully implement its commitments under the recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU), Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Sunday ahead of high-level talks between Iranian and US delegations in Switzerland.
US-Iran agreement could advance Palestinian cause, Al-Barghouti says

TEHRAN– Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative Movement, has said the recent agreement between Iran and the United States could positively influence the Palestinian cause by easing regional tensions and creating conditions more conducive to addressing Palestinian concerns.

Sports

Iran, Belgium share the spoils in 2026 FIFA World Cup

TEHRAN – Iran's national football team and Belgium shared the spoils in a goalless draw in their second Group G match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday night.
Iran female kumite win gold in AKF Senior Championships

TEHRAN – Iran defeated Japan 2-0 in the Female Team Kumite final of the 2026 Asian Karate Federation (AKF) Senior Championships on Sunday.
Iran’s travel restrictions in U.S. to be eased

TEHRAN - Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei says he has been told U.S. travel restrictions on his World Cup team will finally be eased for their third group game.

Culture

Chinese translation of Nizami’s “Khamsa” unveiled at 32nd Beijing International Book Fair

TEHRAN – The complete Chinese translation of “Khamsa” (The Five Treasures), the most renowned work of Nizami Ganjavi, was unveiled on the sidelines of the 32nd Beijing International Book Fair in China.
43rd Munich International Film Festival to show restored version of Beyzai’s “Bashu, the Little Stra

TEHRAN – In honor of the renowned Iranian filmmaker Bahram Beyzai, who passed away last year, the 43rd Munich International Film Festival will present the German premiere of the restored version of “Bashu, the Little Stranger”.
ECI launches ECO Nameh to foster cultural connectivity across member states

TEHRAN- The Economic Cooperation Organization Cultural Institute (ECI) has announced the launch of ECO Nameh, a monthly cultural and artistic periodical dedicated to strengthening intellectual, artistic, and social bonds among the member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

Economy

Annual monetary, forex policy conference calls for structural economic reform, inflation control

TEHRAN- The 33rd Annual Conference on Monetary and Foreign Exchange Policies opened on Sunday morning under the theme “Requirements for Aligning Fiscal and Trade Policies with Monetary and Foreign Exchange Policies to Protect the National Currency and Control Inflation.” The event was attended by the President of Iran and held at the Central Bank of Iran’s conference center.
‘Reducing Iran's oil exports to zero; A wish that never came true’

TEHRAN- The admission of the ineffectiveness of oil sanctions against Iran comes after the signing of the memorandum of understanding ending the war between America and the Zionist regime against Iran, voiced by American officials. This follows Mohsen Paknejad, the oil minister, having previously responded decisively to Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" order aimed at reducing Iran's oil exports to zero, declaring that America's maximum pressure policy on Iran's oil exports has failed and that reducing Iran's oil exports to zero is a wish they will never achieve.
Robustness of Iran’s food security structure proven during crises: agriculture minister

TEHRAN- The minister of agriculture, emphasizing the high resilience of the country's food security system, stated: Despite wars and domestic and international challenges over the past year, not the slightest disruption has occurred in ensuring Iran's food security, and now, relying on science and technology, dependencies in strategic areas must be reduced.

Society

SCO education ministers censure attacks on Iran’s scientific centers

TEHRAN – The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Education Ministers have condemned military attacks on Iran’s civilian infrastructure, particularly scientific and educational centers, in the final statement of the tenth meeting, held in Minsk, Belarus, on June 16 and 17.
Healthy, restored wetlands hosting migratory birds

TEHRAN – Improved environmental conditions in western Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province and northwestern West Azarbaijan province have brought many birds back to wetlands and lakes to nest and breed.
IRCS proposes UN bodies set up humanitarian training center in West Asia

TEHRAN – The head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has proposed that the United Nations resident coordinator and the director of the Regional Office for West and Central Africa launch a humanitarian training center in West Asia, announcing readiness to take the leading role in this regard.

Tourism

Iran finalizing UNESCO World Heritage nomination for historical windmills

TEHRAN – Iran is completing preparations for the UNESCO World Heritage nomination of its historical Asbads, traditional vertical-axis windmills located in the provinces of South Khorasan, Khorasan Razavi and Sistan-Baluchestan, a senior cultural heritage official said on Saturday.
Archaeologists uncover rooms and corridors in underground hand-carved complex in western Iran

TEHRAN - Archaeologists conducting the first phase of excavation and documentation at an underground hand-carved complex in Aligudarz, western Iran, have uncovered four rooms and six corridors, with evidence indicating the site was used during the late Sasanian period and the medieval Islamic era, officials said.
Dehdasht development plan approved after 20-year delay, linking growth to historic preservation

TEHRAN - Authorities in Iran's southwestern Kohgiluyeh-Boyerahmad province have approved and issued a new comprehensive urban development plan for the city of Dehdasht after a 20-year delay, a move officials said would support tourism development and the preservation of the historic Belad-e Shapur district.

International

Israeli casualties mount in southern Lebanon

TEHRAN – The Israeli military announces two more soldiers were killed and dozens were injured amid clashes and ambushes by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The little girl from Gaza who became a global reckoning

TEHRAN — For three agonizing hours on January 29, 2024, a five-year-old girl named Hind Rajab was the only living soul in a car filled with the bodies of her family. Israeli tank fire had devastated their vehicle in Gaza City. Wounded and terrified, she stayed on the phone with emergency dispatchers and begged for rescue.
10 sobering lessons the war on Iran forced into the open

TEHRAN — Just four months ago, American and Israeli officials and pundits spoke about Iran as if it were a brittle structure waiting to collapse under enough force. They imagined that strikes, assassinations, sanctions, blockades and psychological pressure would force Tehran into surrender. Instead, the war produced the opposite result.