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NATO Secretary-General Calls for Continuing War on ISIS

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (Petra News)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (Petra News)
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NATO Secretary-General Calls for Continuing War on ISIS

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (Petra News)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (Petra News)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg underlined the need to continue fighting ISIS at the political and intellectual levels following its military defeat.

In a joint news conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman, Stoltenberg said: “We need to continue our fight against the terrorist group at the political and intellectual levels,” praising Jordan’s role in fighting terrorism and extremism at the regional and international levels.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II discussed with Stoltenberg in Amman the efforts to fight terrorism and cooperate in the military and training fields, according to a statement by the Royal Court.

The meeting focused on “the importance of strengthening cooperation between Jordan and NATO in the military and training fields and efforts to combat terrorism, which threatens global security and peace,” the statement added, highlighting the Arab country’s keenness to strengthen its partnership with the organization.

For his part, Stoltenberg expressed appreciation for the important role assumed by Jordan to achieve peace, enhance security and stability in the region, and deal with regional challenges, stressing that the organization was seeking to improve cooperation with the Kingdom to the highest levels.

The NATO secretary general arrived in Jordan on Tuesday from Iraq as part of a regional tour.

In the joint news conference with Safadi, Stoltenberg expressed his concern over the situation in Syria, pointing to the humanitarian situation of the population of Eastern Ghouta and other parts of the country.

Safadi emphasized the kingdom’s interest in strengthening cooperation with NATO and deepen the strategic partnership in order to promote joint action to consolidate security and stability in the region.

He stressed, in this regard, the importance of cooperation programs between Jordan and NATO to strengthen and develop defense capabilities.

Safadi added that he discussed with Stoltenberg developments in the Palestinian issue, stressing the need to commit to the two-state solution, which guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders.

The foreign minister noted that talks also touched on the Syrian crisis, to which he said there was no military solution, highlighting the necessity to unite all efforts to reach a political solution that would be acceptable to the Syrian people on the basis of Security Council Resolution 2254 and through the Geneva process.

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World

Iran Vows to Retaliate Against Any US Strike on Pickaxe Mountain

Tunnel entrances at Pickaxe Mountain near Iran's Natanz nuclear facility on June 30 (Reuters)
Tunnel entrances at Pickaxe Mountain near Iran's Natanz nuclear facility on June 30 (Reuters)
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Iran Vows to Retaliate Against Any US Strike on Pickaxe Mountain

Tunnel entrances at Pickaxe Mountain near Iran's Natanz nuclear facility on June 30 (Reuters)
Tunnel entrances at Pickaxe Mountain near Iran's Natanz nuclear facility on June 30 (Reuters)

Iran on Tuesday vowed to retaliate against any US strike on its fortified Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility, following US President Donald Trump’s threat to target the site.

Major General Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, warned that any new war against Iran would escalate and engulf the entire region.

“The outbreak of any new war against Iran would inevitably spread its fire to engulf everyone,” he said.

Addressing Trump, he stated that Iran’s strategic moves remain entirely independent of American domestic politics and upcoming elections.

Concerning Israeli reports saying Iran’s nuclear program had entered an advanced stage, Abdollahi dismissed the allegations as a delusional tactic meant to instill fear, according to the state-run ISNA news agency.

He criticized "the profound hypocrisy of a regime possessing hundreds of nuclear warheads mocking international law while making baseless accusations against Iran's peaceful nuclear activities."

The chief of staff also warned the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to stop acting as a “wolf in sheep's clothing,” affirming that the Iranian military is currently stronger and more prepared than ever to counter threats at any level.

Later during a visit to the Army's drone production lines, Abdollahi highlighted the expansion of drone manufacturing capabilities and praised efforts to establish and expand multiple drone production lines, saying the systems he saw demonstrated the Armed Forces’ readiness, motivation and capacity for innovation.

“Our enemies possess modern and new equipment, and if necessary, we must respond to the enemy with different methods and asymmetric equipment,” he said.

Abdollahi threatened to neutralize the impact of the enemy's expensive and advanced equipment with a wide range of inexpensive yet effective equipment, “which will be annoying, worrying, and costly for the enemy.”

In a related development, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei warned that Tehran would not leave any US military attack unanswered.

He said Iran would respond with equal or greater force, rejecting suggestions that Washington could strike the country without facing retaliation.

Speaking at his weekly press conference, Baghaei argued that Iran’s actions over the past two years demonstrated its determination to respond to military aggression.

He also responded to media reports saying Israeli officials had discussed another war against Iran with regional parties, noting that Tehran was constantly assessing potential threats.

“We live with this possibility and face it day and night,” he said.

Last Thursday, Trump said the US may have to target Pickaxe Moutain.

In an interview with Newsmax, Trump also said he would not use a nuclear weapon in the war on Iran, which began ⁠in February with US-Israeli strikes.

The President said the US wanted to make sure Iran will never have a nuclear weapon “because if they had it, they would use it.”

“Their nuclear is buried under millions of tons of mountain. Now we're looking at Pickaxe Mountain. We may have to go there. We'll take a shot at that one. We'll knock it out fast,” Trump ⁠told the news outlet.

He ⁠did not say if he had authorized the use of GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, also known as ⁠the “mother of all bombs,” against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites. He did say the MOAB bomb was not a nuclear bomb.

Lavrov in Tehran

Baghaei said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s visit to Tehran on Monday was part of regular consultations between the two countries.

He noted the visit had been planned for months and aimed to discuss bilateral relations and regional and international developments.

Baghaei said Tehran had not entered nuclear negotiations with Washington and thus had no details of such talks to discuss with Russia or other countries.

Baghaei noted that Tehran would continue pursuing diplomatic opportunities despite its longstanding distrust of Washington.

During his visit to the Iranian capital, Lavrov called for conditions in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region to return to what they were before the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Later at a joint press conference, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi blamed US and Israeli military attacks for instability in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, as well as recent security incidents in the Caspian Sea involving attacks on Iranian and Russian vessels and port infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the conservative newspaper Khorasan, associated with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, rejected a settlement on US terms, favoring preparations for renewed fighting, retaining Iran’s strategic leverage and keeping open the possibility of a negotiated settlement.

World

Albanian Police Clash with Anti-government Protesters for an 8th Day

TOPSHOT - A protester faces riot police officers during an anti-government demonstration in central Tirana on October 20, 2026, after a week of violent anti-government protests. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP)
TOPSHOT - A protester faces riot police officers during an anti-government demonstration in central Tirana on October 20, 2026, after a week of violent anti-government protests. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP)
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Albanian Police Clash with Anti-government Protesters for an 8th Day

TOPSHOT - A protester faces riot police officers during an anti-government demonstration in central Tirana on October 20, 2026, after a week of violent anti-government protests. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP)
TOPSHOT - A protester faces riot police officers during an anti-government demonstration in central Tirana on October 20, 2026, after a week of violent anti-government protests. (Photo by Adnan Beci / AFP)

Police fired tear gas and used water cannons to push back protesters Tuesday on the eighth straight day of violent anti-government demonstrations in the Albanian capital, Tirana.

High school and university students demanding lower tuition fees, greater state investment in education and protesting corruption in the education system have joined a broader anti-government movement calling for the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.

For days, protesters have hurled rocks, flares, firebombs and fireworks at police who have used batons, water cannons and tear gas in clashes in the city center, said The Associated Press.

Albania is one of a number of European countries experiencing protests over rising fuel costs, discontent with the state of schools, declining public services and a housing crisis, including France and Italy. In Spain and Portugal, tent camps have sprung up to protest unaffordable housing, while a rally and a protest were also being planned in Greece on Tuesday evening and Wednesday.

In Albania, the latest protests follow months of rallies organized by the so-called Flamingo movement, launched in opposition to a major luxury tourism development on Albania’s southern coast linked to an investment firm founded by Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

“A wave of stones, an attempt to overthrow the government and change those in power through the imposition of violence — something that will never be allowed to happen, in any form or for any reason,” Rama said after a meeting Tuesday with teachers and representatives of Tirana’s schools.

He argued that legitimate concerns were being hijacked by people deliberately causing violence during the protests.

“This is a hybrid war that naturally works to the extent that it does because it is based on real concerns, not fantasies. Concerns about the cost of living are certainly real. Concerns about a secure future, housing, and greater opportunities to get ahead are also real,” Rama said.

The prime minister accused protesters of “hold(ing) the city under a climate of terror” and said students involved in the protests “belong to emerging currents of political extremism.”

World

Trucker Protest Leaves Supermarket Shelves and Gas Pumps Empty in Southern Italy

Demonstrators clash with Police during an anti-government protest organized by the Italia in Piazza movement, at Piazza Duomo in Milan, on October 17, 2026. (Photo by Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP)
Demonstrators clash with Police during an anti-government protest organized by the Italia in Piazza movement, at Piazza Duomo in Milan, on October 17, 2026. (Photo by Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP)
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Trucker Protest Leaves Supermarket Shelves and Gas Pumps Empty in Southern Italy

Demonstrators clash with Police during an anti-government protest organized by the Italia in Piazza movement, at Piazza Duomo in Milan, on October 17, 2026. (Photo by Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP)
Demonstrators clash with Police during an anti-government protest organized by the Italia in Piazza movement, at Piazza Duomo in Milan, on October 17, 2026. (Photo by Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP)

Some supermarket shelves and gas station pumps were empty in the southern city of Naples on Tuesday due to a weeklong protest by truck drivers against the high cost of diesel driven up by the Iran war.

Protesters blocked the loading and unloading of fresh food and other goods at supermarket distribution warehouses near Naples on Monday, Sky TG24 reported. The truckers are adding their voices to demonstrations that have spread across Europe as the war disrupts economies, The Associated Press said.

One supermarket in the city posted a note on empty shelves apologizing that “some products may be temporarily unavailable or available in a reduced range" due to the truckers' strike.

Shortages of fresh pasta, packaged cheeses and meats as well as produce have been reported in Sicily, partly due to stockpiling by shoppers. Partially empty supermarket shelves were also reported in the southern regions of Calabria and Puglia.

Transport Minister Matteo Salvini met Tuesday with national trucking associations to help the truckers cope, promising tax credits to offset soaring diesel prices and funds to modernize trucking fees.

Diesel prices are roughly a third higher than before the Iran war, despite government-backed efforts to curb pump prices. A temporary diesel tax discount expired earlier this month.

The president of the Unatras group of trucking associations, Paolo Uggè, said Salvini promised that payments would begin Wednesday and pledged legislation to address operating costs, the news agency LaPresse reported. Another meeting was set for next week.