Political reporting on Iran — the government and Supreme Leader, elections, nuclear negotiations, and the factional struggles inside the Islamic Republic — collected from independent English-language outlets.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Congratulating Khalil al-Hayya on his appointment as the new political chief of Hamas, Iran’s foreign minister described it as an achievement for the Palestinian resistance movement.
'You can neither threaten us, nor bribe us', Iran's Araghchi tells US, Israel Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said during an interview that was released on Sunday that he resisted attempts by the United States and Israel to bribe his country. “In the negotiations before the 12-day war, they had come to bribe, not to bribe me, to bribe the Islamic Republic, saying we will do this and that, we will build this and that. I told them there that our enrichment is not for sale … I said there: no bribes and no threats.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) reiterated the country’s stance on maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz.
France has accused Iranian security services of detaining two members of its embassy staff for several hours and physically assaulting one of them, in what Paris called a serious breach of diplomatic immunity that "cannot go without consequences.
Foreign intelligence penetration of Iran is hardly a secret. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has now suggested the operation goes beyond locating officials or stealing information and seeks to influence decision-making inside the Islamic Republic itself.
Kash Patel, a longtime ally of US President Donald Trump, is reportedly scheduled to visit Russia in October FBI Director Kash Patel is planning to travel to Russia later this year, Politico reported on Monday, citing a US official and another person familiar with the matter. According to the publication, Patel is set to visit Moscow and St.
Iran's Araghchi congratulates Khalil al-Hayya as new head of Hamas' political bureau The Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in a message to the newly appointed head of Hamas' political bureau, Khalil al-Hayyah, congratulated him on his position. "I sincerely congratulate you on your election as the new head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas," Araghchi told Hayya according to state news agency IRNA. The Iranian foreign minister also "honoured the memory" of previous leaders within the Palestinian movement, emphasising Iran's continued support for the "legitimate struggles of the Palestinian people to be freed from the occupation, apartheid, and colonialism of the genocidal Zionist regime".
Watch: Hamas elects Khalil al-Hayya as head of its political bureau Hamas has elected Khalil al-Hayya as the new head of its political bureau, placing one of the movement’s most experienced negotiators at the centre of its leadership as Gaza continues to face what the group describes as Israel’s genocide. Middle East Eye takes a look at this development: Hamas has elected Khalil al-Hayya as the new head of its political bureau, placing one of the movement’s most experienced negotiators at the centre of its leadership as Gaza continues to face what the group describes as Israel’s genocide. pic.
Wes Streeting appointed to UK defence minister New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appointed former health secretary Wes Streeting to be the UK's defence minister. Wes Streeting enabled the US tech firm with links to Israel's genocide in Palestine, Palantir, to have access to NHS patient data and refused to disclose details of the contracts. Former foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, who defended the government decision to proscribe direct action group Palestine Action, will replace Streeting as health secretary.
Lebanese president to meet Trump as 'pilot zones' experiment begins Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is about to break a nearly two-decade streak in which no Lebanese head of state has been inside the White House. The former head of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is set to meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, nearly a month after a trilateral framework was signed by the US, Israel, and Lebanon towards ending a war that has cost more than 4,000 Lebanese lives. The framework's first phase went into effect Monday, with the Trump administration announcing that "pilot zone operations began in the villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar Al-Gharbiya...
Lebanese president to meet Trump as 'pilot zones' experiment begins Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Mon, 07/20/2026 - 20:17 The move is the first practical test for the US-negotiated military coordination group for Lebanon Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the US State Department in Washington, DC, on 19 July 2026 (Lebanese president's office handout) Off Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is about to break a nearly two-decade streak in which no Lebanese head of state has been inside the White House. The former head of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is set to meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, nearly a month after a trilateral framework was signed by the US, Israel, and Lebanon towards ending a war that has cost more than 4,000 Lebanese lives. The framework's first phase went into effect Monday, with the Trump administration announcing that "pilot zone operations began in the villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar Al-Gharbiya...
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Iranian foreign ministry officials hinted at an openness to resume negotiations on Monday as the countries continue to exchange blows.
Washington, DC [US], July 21 (ANI): US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will 'not be arrested while in the United States of America' after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated that his administration is examining legal avenues to detain the Israeli leader.
Opinion: Arab recognition of Israel rewards its relentless land theft One of the most intimidating aspects of modern US relations with the Arab and Muslim world is Washington's insistence that all Arab and Muslim-majority countries normalise relations with the state of Israel as a reward for its ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. These demands have intensified since the US and Israel launched their war of aggression against Iran in February. Washington's long-standing push for Saudi normalisation continues unabated, as does its pressure on Qatar , Iraq , Libya , Tunisia , Syria , and Indonesia, among others, to follow suit.
Republicans now face a worst-case political scenario of being asked to fund an unpopular war over which they have exercised little oversight.
Arab recognition of Israel rewards its relentless land theft Submitted by Joseph Massad on Mon, 07/20/2026 - 16:13 Successive normalisation agreements have accepted Israel's changing territorial claims, allowing each new conquest and annexation to become the basis for the next Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler and Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh sign a framework agreement in Washington, DC, 26 June 2026 (Saul Loeb/AFP) Off One of the most intimidating aspects of modern US relations with the Arab and Muslim world is Washington's insistence that all Arab and Muslim-majority countries normalise relations with the state of Israel as a reward for its ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. These demands have intensified since the US and Israel launched their war of aggression against Iran in February. Washington's long-standing push for Saudi normalisation continues unabated, as does its pressure on Qatar , Iraq , Libya , Tunisia , Syria , and Indonesia, among others, to follow suit.
US greenlights Saudi nuclear enrichment without safeguards: Report Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 07/20/2026 - 17:36 Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously said he would acquire a bomb if Iran did Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and US President Donald Trump prepare to depart the US-Saudi Investment Forum at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on 19 November 2025 (Brendan Smialowski/AFP) Off The Trump administration has greenlit Saudi Arabia's nuclear enrichment project, but with no safeguards in place to prevent the development of a bomb, CNN reported on Friday. The draft deal, viewed by the news outlet, showed Washington's support for Riyadh’s civilian nuclear programme is still awaiting President Donald Trump’s signature, despite US-Saudi negotiations concluding in October. Unnamed officials cited in the story indicated that the documents, which include the mandatory "123 agreement" and safeguards protocols, have not yet been sent to Congress, potentially for fear of bipartisan pushback.
Ed Miliband appointed as UK foreign minister, Shabana Mahmood as interior minister New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appointed Ed Miliband, former leader of the Labour Party and energy secretary under Keir Starmer, as foreign minister, according to Burnham’s office on Monday. He has also appointed former Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who was behind the ban on direct action group Palestine Action and harsher immigration reform policies, to be the UK's interior minister.
Burnham appoints former Defence Secretary John Healey as UK finance minister Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, has appointed John Healey to replace Rachel Reeves as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Downing Street announced on Monday. Healey served as defence secretary under Burnham’s predecessor, Keir Starmer, and resigned in June over a military spending row, saying that the prime minister was unable to commit to a high enough defence budget.
Trump: Netanyahu will not be arrested while in US Trump said in a social media post on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America”. This comes after New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani said that he was consulting with city authorities over the possibility of arresting Netanyahu if he visits the city for the United Nations General Assembly in September.
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