Iran

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Sources: US Kept $400M Until Iran Freed Prisoners

They waited until plane was 'wheels up,' insider says

(Newser) - Administration officials insist that a $400 million cash payment to Iran on the same day Tehran released US prisoners was not a ransom—but sources tell the Wall Street Journal that it was certainly treated like one. Officials and other insiders say the US held onto the cash until a...

In Russia&#39;s Strikes on Syria, a Surprising First
In Russia's Strikes on
Syria, a Surprising First
the rundown
Aug 16, 2016 9:59 AM CDT

In Russia's Strikes on Syria, a Surprising First

Bombers take off from Iran

(Newser) - Russia has been dropping bombs on Syria for nearly a year now in its bid to help President Bashar al-Assad win his civil war, but Tuesday marked an important first in the fighting: Russian bombers took off from a base in Iran for strikes on Aleppo and two other provinces....

Execution Puts Sad Coda on Iran's Strange Spy Saga

Returning to see son may have been scientist's fatal move

(Newser) - We may never know the full story of Iranian nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri—but we know it ended very badly for him. Iran confirmed on Sunday that it had executed the 38-year-old , who disappeared on a 2009 trip to Saudi Arabia, was named as a defector to the US months...

Iran: We Executed Nuke Scientist Who Spied for US

Shahram Amiri had turned up in US, was returned to Iran in 2010

(Newser) - Iran has executed a nuclear scientist who gave the US intelligence about the country's contested nuclear program, Iran's official news agency, IRNA, is confirming. The Sunday report quotes a spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejehi, as confirming the execution of Shahram Amiri . He says Amiri "...

Trump: OK, I Didn't See Video of Iran Money Plane

Walks back claim he saw 'military tape' of 'money pouring off a plane'

(Newser) - As the White House continued to deflect accusations from conservatives that a $400 million payment to Iran was ransom for four American detainees released earlier this year, Donald Trump twice this week claimed he had seen video of a "top secret" transaction in which the huge supposed payout was...

US Sent Iran $400M Same Day Americans Were Released

It was coincidence, not ransom, administration says

(Newser) - " Smart diplomacy "—or dollar diplomacy? The US government quietly delivered the equivalent of $400 million in cash to Iran on Jan. 16 this year, the same day that Tehran released four detained American citizens , sources including US officials tell the Wall Street Journal . The cash, which was...

Friends, Family: Iran May Be Holding San Diego Man

Human rights advocate Robin Shahini taken by Iranian authorities, family says

(Newser) - After graduating from San Diego State University in May, Gholamrez "Reza" Shahini, known to most as Robin, headed to Iran to visit his mom and other family. But the 46-year-old San Diego man hasn't been heard from in more than 10 days, and friends and family back in...

Navy: Sailors Gave Info to Iran After Wildly Botched Mission

Lack of oversight, poor planning, and low morale blamed for January incident

(Newser) - On Thursday, the US Navy released its official report on the 10 sailors detained by Iran last January, and the whole thing sounds like something out of Down Periscope . Problems started instantly, as the two Navy vessels left Kuwait for Bahrain four hours behind schedule, Fox News reports. The vessels...

Historic Boeing Iran Deal Could Be Worth $25B

Sale of 100 planes needs Treasury approval

(Newser) - Iran's transportation minister says a possible deal between the Islamic Republic and Boeing Co. could be worth as much as $25 billion. Boeing didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, but the figure would be on par with a sale already made by its European rival Airbus...

Iran: We Foiled Biggest-Ever Terrorist Plot

'Takfiris' blamed for Ramadan bombing plan

(Newser) - Iranian intelligence officials have broken up "the biggest terrorist plot" to ever target Tehran and other provinces in the Islamic republic, the country's state television reported on Monday. An anchor on state television read off a statement attributing the information to Iran's Intelligence Ministry, the AP reports....

Number of Terror Attacks Actually Fell Last Year

There was a 13% decline from 2014: State Dept. report

(Newser) - The State Department says there was a 13% decrease in the number of global terrorist attacks between 2014 and 2015—the first such decline since 2012. There were 11,774 attacks that resulted in 28,328 deaths in 2015, compared with 13,463 attacks in 2014 that killed 32,727...

Actress's Apparent Tattoo Causes Uproar in Iran

Is it real? She's not saying

(Newser) - Iranian social media recently was consumed by two questions: Does Taraneh Alidoosti have a tattoo, and is she a feminist? To the latter, the 32-year-old "Natalie Portman of Iran" says via tweet , "Keep calm and YES I'm a feminist." But as for the tattoo, Alidoosti is...

Commander of the Sailors Iran Captured Is Fired

Officials say they've lost confidence in Commander Eric Rasch

(Newser) - The commanding officer responsible for 10 sailors captured by Iran is no longer commanding anybody. The Navy says Cmdr. Eric Rasch of Coastal Riverine Squadron 3 has been fired because of a "loss of confidence" in his ability to command after the embarrassing international incident in January, the Navy ...

Supreme Court Likely to Radically Alter Breath Tests

Justices seem to side against the US government

(Newser) - Laws in 13 states making it a crime for a driver to refuse an alcohol test might soon change radically, based on how a Supreme Court hearing went down Wednesday. Drivers from Minnesota and North Dakota, arrested for drunk driving after refusing a breath test, argued the test violated their...

Flight Attendants: No Way We're Wearing Headscarves

Air France attendants refuse order for Iran flights

(Newser) - Female flight attendants on Air France aren't too thrilled with being told to wear headscarves when they disembark in Tehran, the Telegraph reports. Their union is opposing the order, slated to kick in April 17, when the airline resumes flights to Iran's capital after an eight-year hiatus. "...

Nobel Panel Slams Fatwa on Rushdie—27 Years Later

Panel condemns 'flagrant breaches of international law'

(Newser) - Better late than never? The Swedish Academy, which selects the winners of the Nobel Prize in literature, has condemned an Iranian death warrant against British writer Salman Rushdie, 27 years after it was pronounced. Two members quit the academy in 1989 after it refused to condemn Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini's...

Feds Indict 7 Iranians in Hacks on US Banks, Dam

First time DOJ has taken action against Tehran

(Newser) - Seven hackers tied to the Iranian government were charged Thursday in a series of punishing cyberattacks on a small dam outside New York City and on dozens of banks—intrusions that reached into American infrastructure and disrupted the financial system, federal law enforcement officials said. The hackers were charged in...

Iran Fires Missiles Marked With 'Israel Must Be Wiped Out'

The tests don't technically violate Iran's nuclear deal with the US

(Newser) - Iran test-launched two ballistic missiles Wednesday emblazoned with the phrase "Israel must be wiped out" in Hebrew in a show of power as Joe Biden visited Jerusalem, the AP reports. The new missile firings were the latest in a series of tests in recent days, aimed at demonstrating that...

Iranian Billionaire Is to Be Executed

Country announced Babak Zanjani's sentence Sunday

(Newser) - In what is surely one of the most extreme reminders that money cannot buy everything, Iran on Sunday announced a death sentence had been handed to Babak Zanjani, whose fortune is worth an estimated $14 billion. The 42-year-old was arrested in December 2013, shortly after the election of President Hassan...

Reformists Make Big Gains in Iran Elections

But no political camp is expected to win a majority

(Newser) - Partial results released Sunday indicate that Iranian reformists will win all 30 parliamentary seats contested in the capital, Tehran, handing hard-liners an embarrassing defeat in the first elections held since last year's nuclear deal, which appears to be propelling moderates to their best nationwide electoral showing in more than...

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