Syria shoots down Israeli F-16 fighter

The Syrian military has hit at least one intruding Israeli F-16 warplane that attacked positions inside Syrian territory, sending it down in flames and smoke.

Rouhani wants ties with Turkey to become ‘strategic’

TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone conversation on Thursday discussing bilateral ties and international issues.

By Mohammad Homaeefar

U.S. presence in other states ‘a recipe for disaster’: Qassemi

TEHRAN – The military presence of the United States in any country across the globe has almost always proven “a recipe for disaster”, leading to catastrophic consequences for different regions and the world, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi says.

Iran urges Turkey to respect intl. borders

TEHRAN – Being a vocal critic of the entry of Turkish troops into northwestern Syria, Iran reiterated on Wednesday that Ankara should respect international borders.

Zarif, Lavrov discuss Syria on the phone

TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov held a phone conversation on Tuesday, discussing the recent developments in Syria.

Syria calls for establishing joint chamber of commerce with Iran

TEHRAN – During a meeting with the head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA), Syrian Ambassador to Iran Adnan Mahmoud expressing his country’s willingness for establishment of Iran-Syria joint chamber of commerce.

Astana peace talks to be resumed in February

TEHRAN – The next round of the Astana peace talks on the Syrian conflict is planned to be held later this month, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov announced on Tuesday.

Rouhani and Putin discuss JCPOA, Syria on the phone

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have held a telephone conversation, during which they confirmed commitment to the 2015 nuclear deal, the Kremlin press service said in a statement.

ّّFormer diplomat calls Sochi meeting ‘promising’

TEHRAN - Hossein Sheikholeslam, a former Iranian ambassador to Syria, has said that the latest meeting on Syria in Russia’s northern city of Sochi was “promising”.

Press TV crew attacked in Turkish military operation in Syria

TEHRAN – Press TV’s crew has come under attack in the Syrian town of Rajo in the Afrin district near the Turkish border during Turkey’s military operation in northwestern Syria.

Tehran says military advisors to leave Syria after victory over terror 

TEHRAN – An Iranian diplomat who had participated in the Sochi talks on Syria said on Tuesday that Iranian military advisory forces will leave Syria after victory over terrorism.

Tehran, Beijing hold sideline Syria talks in Sochi

TEHRAN – The representatives of Iran and China met at a conference on the Syrian crisis in Russia’s northern city of Sochi on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing conference and ways to help resolve the seven-year-old conflict in Syria.

By Farzad Farhadi 

Afrin war a rude awakening for Kurds 

TEHRAN - On January 20, 2018, Turkey and the Free Syrian Army launched an air and ground strike in the Afrin Region of Syria, a Kurdish controlled enclave located northwest of the country.  

U.S. making desperate efforts to tarnish Iran’s image: lawmaker

TEHRAN - Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said on Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump is making desperate efforts to tarnish Iran’s international image.

U.S. plans to split Syria: Iran’s Velayati

TEHRAN – Ali Akbar Velayati, a top foreign policy advisor to the Leader, said on Saturday that the U.S. military deployment in Syria is aimed at disintegrating the war-torn country.

By Maryam layegh & Payman Yazdani

No exact time for end of Olive Branch Operation:Turkish amb.

TEHRAN - Turkey’s Ambassador in Iran Riza Hakan Tekin in an exclusive interview with Mehr News agency says one cannot provide an exact time frame for the end of the military operation in Afrin, Syria but Turkey want to complete the operation in a short period of time.

By Javad Heirannia

No-one condemns Turkish aggression in Afrin: Michael Walzer

TEHRAN - Michael Walzer is a well-known American political theorist and author who has written 27 books and published over 300 articles on topics such as unjust wars, economic justice and Zionism. Additionally, this prominent American intellectual has been professor emeritus at the Institute for Advances Studies in the U.S. and is the co-editor of the magazine Dissent.

By Javad Heirannia

Turkey is no longer an ally of U.S.: David Phillips

TEHRAN - David L. Phillips, Director of the Program on Peace-building and Rights at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights, believes that “Turkey is a member of NATO in name only.”

By Javad Heirannia

Actions of Turkey and U.S. in Syria are pure imperialism: LSE professor

TEHRAN - David Rolfe Graeber, professor of anthropology at the London School of Economics, says Turkey’s action in Afrin is “a violation of the most basic principles of civilized behaviour, and all those who claim to be the voices of moral conscience of the world are looking the other way.”

Iran’s Kharrazi meets Syrian president

TEHRAN – Former Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, who is the current chairman of Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, on Sunday held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad to discuss regional issues.

Iran urges quick end to military operations in Syria’s Afrin

TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Sunday that Tehran is concerned about developments in Afrin, Syria, urging an immediate halt to operations in the region.

Iranian, Russian diplomats discuss Syria

TEHRAN – Hossein Jaberi Ansari, Iran’s top negotiator at the Astana peace talks, held talks on Saturday with Sergei Lavrentyev, the Russian President’s special envoy for Syria.

IAU plans to establish universities in Iraq, Syria

TEHRAN – The Islamic Azad University (IAU) is planning on expanding overseas branches through setting up units in Iraq and Syria, Khabaronline reported on Tuesday.

By Ahmad Mohammad Bagher

Trump, the controversial president in 2017

A year into his presidency, U.S. President Donald Trump has made overwhelmingly controversial decisions and has taken stances that affected the world one way or another.

U.S. move in Syria may ignite ‘flames of war’: Iran

TEHRAN – Iran on Tuesday denounced a U.S. plan to deploy a militant force near Syria’s border with Turkey as a “blatant” and “clear example” of interference in Syria’s domestic affairs, saying the move “fans the flames of the conflict” there.

Turkey sends armored vehicles to southern border with Syria: sources

Turkey has reportedly dispatched a convoy of over 40 military vehicles and tanks to the southern regions along the Syrian frontier amid growing Ankara-Washington tensions over a US plan to create a “border force” at Turkey's doorstep.

Erdogan vows to 'strangle' Syrian border force formed by U.S.

Since the U.S. confirmed training new force in northern Syria, tensions with Turkey have been running high, with Ankara accusing Washington of building a "terrorist army."

All options on table if U.S. quits nuclear deal: Velayati

TEHRAN - Ali Akbar Velayati, a top advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, said on Tuesday that Iran has all options on the table if the U.S. quits the 2015 nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

By Mohammad Mazhari

What makes Iran stronger than Saudi Arabia?

TEHRAN - After the return of economic prosperity in Lebanon, Saad Hariri declared his resignation in Saudi Arabia, citing Iranian influence across the region and claiming he feared the same fate as his assassinated father if he remained leader. That was the spark that ignited the fire of war against Iran and served to remind the Lebanese of their civil war in which many lives were lost. Subsequently Hariri suspended his resignation after two weeks which prompted many questions and suspicion.

By Javad Heirannia

Ongoing protests in Iran were CIA/Mossad orchestrated: Lendman

TEHRAN- U.S. columnist Stephen Lendman says that “I strongly suspect ongoing protests in Iran were CIA/Mossad orchestrated, another futile color revolution attempt sure to fail.”