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Iran Protests Target Basij Religious Schools, Offices

Students scuffle with police at the University of Tehran during a demonstration driven by anger over economic problems in the Iranian capital Tehran on December 30, 2017. (AP)
Students scuffle with police at the University of Tehran during a demonstration driven by anger over economic problems in the Iranian capital Tehran on December 30, 2017. (AP)
    London, Washington - Adel al-Salmi and Heba El Koudsy
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Iran Protests Target Basij Religious Schools, Offices

Students scuffle with police at the University of Tehran during a demonstration driven by anger over economic problems in the Iranian capital Tehran on December 30, 2017. (AP)
Students scuffle with police at the University of Tehran during a demonstration driven by anger over economic problems in the Iranian capital Tehran on December 30, 2017. (AP)

The level of protests in Iran escalated on Monday after demonstrators ignored President Hassan Rouhani’s calls for calm and instead attacked a religious school and offices for the Basij, in the absence of any accurate information about the number of victims in their ranks.

Protests continued to take to the streets of Tehran, Tabriz, Ardabil, Karaj, Abadan and Ahwaz despite the tight security measures.

In the country's second-largest city of Mashhad, where demonstrations first kicked off on Thursday in protest against a surge in the prices of basic food supplies, activists said that it has turned into a large military base.

Demonstrations also spread to other cities, including Bandar Abbas, Kermanshah, Yassouj, Zanjan, Takestan, Izeh and Shahin Shahr.

Iranian authorities later announced they were suspending schools in several cities for the third consecutive day on Sunday.

Video footage posted on social media showed protestors attacking public buildings, including religious centers and a Hawza (religious school) in Tuyserkan, in addition to banks owned by the Basij, a paramilitary militia of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

Other footage showed demonstrators burning police cars.

Reports later said that one police officer was killed and three others were injured in the Najaf Abad city in the province of Isfahan, while conflicting information emerged concerning the number of victims that fell among the ranks of protestors.

Official news agencies said that 10 Iranians were killed overnight Monday, while other sources asserted that at least 15 people were killed.

Despite the widening of the demonstrations on Monday, Ramadan Sharif, a spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said that the police and internal security forces "fully control the situation in Tehran and other cities where street protests took place."

Separately, and following reports about the suspension of the internet service in several cities, the Amad News channel, which played a leading role in mobilizing the people to protest in the streets, said the US may launch a satellite that provides free services for internet users in Iran.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said Monday it was “time for change” in Iran, adding that Iran is failing at every level “despite the terrible deal” made with them by the Obama Administration.

“The great Iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted,” Trump wrote in a tweet.

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World

India Says Defense Exports Hit 'All-time High' of $4 bn

India said it exported more than $4 billion of defense equipment including missiles, boats and artillery. Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP
India said it exported more than $4 billion of defense equipment including missiles, boats and artillery. Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP
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India Says Defense Exports Hit 'All-time High' of $4 bn

India said it exported more than $4 billion of defense equipment including missiles, boats and artillery. Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP
India said it exported more than $4 billion of defense equipment including missiles, boats and artillery. Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP

India's defense exports "skyrocketed" to an all-time high of more than $4 billion in the last fiscal year, as it looks to boost its arms manufacturing sector, the government said Thursday.

The figures mark a rise of more than 60 percent from 2024, the defense ministry said, and provide a shot in the arm for the South Asian country, which is determined to recast itself as a major producer and exporter of weapons, AFP said.

"India is marching ahead towards becoming a global defense manufacturing hub," the ministry quoted Defense Minister Rajnath Singh as saying.

"This big jump... in defense exports reflects the growing global trust in India's indigenous capabilities and advanced manufacturing strength," Singh said, adding that it had hit an "all-time high" in the fiscal year 2025-26 of 38,424 billion rupees ($4.15 billion).

Government defense companies produced nearly 55 percent of the exports, with the rest made by private companies.

"This milestone showcases the power of a collaborative and self-reliant defense ecosystem," Singh said.

India exports defense equipment to more than 100 countries, with the United States, France and Armenia among the top customers, according to the defense ministry.

Shipments range from missiles, boats and artillery to radar systems, rocket launchers and electronic components.

However, the country is still primarily a buyer, not a seller, and remains globally a minor player in exports.

New Delhi earlier this year announced a record $85 billion boost for its defense sector.

But India's arms purchases still make up around eight percent of all imports globally, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

 

World

Russia Repels Drone Attack on Gas Pipeline to Türkiye, Says Gazprom

File photo: Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. (Reuters)
File photo: Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. (Reuters)
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Russia Repels Drone Attack on Gas Pipeline to Türkiye, Says Gazprom

File photo: Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. (Reuters)
File photo: Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. (Reuters)

Russian forces repelled a drone attack early Thursday on part of the TurkStream gas pipeline connecting Russia and Türkiye, the pipeline's operator Gazprom said in a statement.

"The Russkaya compressor station, which ensures the reliable export of gas via the TurkStream pipeline, came under attack from three aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles," Gazprom said. "The attack was repelled and no damage was caused to the Gazprom facility."

The Russkaya compressor station is the starting point of the TurkStream pipeline. Russia has accused Ukraine of targeting it multiple times.

World

Erdogan Warns of Iran War Spillover, Stresses Türkiye’s Neutrality

 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkish Presidency) 
 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkish Presidency) 
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Erdogan Warns of Iran War Spillover, Stresses Türkiye’s Neutrality

 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkish Presidency) 
 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkish Presidency) 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday warned of the risk of a widening war in Iran, stressing that his government’s priority is to steer the country through the current regional turmoil unharmed and keep it away from escalating conflict.

Erdogan placed primary responsibility for the war on Israel’s government, describing the conflict as “illegitimate” and saying it has “not only turned the region into a battlefield but has also burdened all of humanity with economic costs”.

“We must not forget that every drop of blood shed in this war will prolong the time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains in power,” he stated.

Speaking at a meeting of the parliamentary group of the ruling Justice and Development Party, Erdogan said one of the greatest risks facing the region is not only the continuation of the war, but also the danger of it expanding into a broader regional conflict.

He stressed that retaliatory attacks targeting energy, transport and civilian infrastructure are increasing that risk.

Erdogan added that the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which began on Feb. 28, has entered its first month and continues with rising levels of threat and danger.

He continued that the war with Iran does not serve the vision of global peace but undermines it, stressing that diplomacy, dialogue and compromise are the best available means to resolve the crisis, and that common ground should be sought instead of clinging to extreme demands.

‘Path to peace’

The Turkish president expressed hope that a path to peace could be opened without further bloodshed.

“We will continue to do everything in our power, even if it requires putting ourselves at risk,” he stated.

He noted that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had taken part in a four-way meeting with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan, where concerns over the Iran war and steps to end it were discussed.

Erdogan added that Defense Minister Yasar Guler, intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and other officials are making intensive efforts within their respective fields.

“If there is even a glimmer of hope to end the bloodshed, silence the guns and resolve problems through diplomacy, it is our duty to seize that opportunity,” he said.

Incirlik claims denied

Meanwhile, Türkiye’s presidential communications directorate’s Center for Combating Disinformation denied claims circulating on social media that US B-1B Lancer bombers had used the Incirlik air base in the southern province of Adana.

In a statement posted on X, the center said the claims were misleading and that the images and videos being shared were old, dating back to routine training activities, and were unrelated to current regional conflicts.

It urged the public not to be misled by anonymous claims or provocative content from unofficial sources.