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Iran Warns ‘Harsh Retaliation’ after Soleimani’s Killing

FILE PHOTO: Combination photo of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Soleimani (L) and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a commander in the Popular Mobilization Forces. REUTERS/Stringer/Thaier al-Sudani
FILE PHOTO: Combination photo of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Soleimani (L) and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a commander in the Popular Mobilization Forces. REUTERS/Stringer/Thaier al-Sudani
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Iran Warns ‘Harsh Retaliation’ after Soleimani’s Killing

FILE PHOTO: Combination photo of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Soleimani (L) and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a commander in the Popular Mobilization Forces. REUTERS/Stringer/Thaier al-Sudani
FILE PHOTO: Combination photo of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Soleimani (L) and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a commander in the Popular Mobilization Forces. REUTERS/Stringer/Thaier al-Sudani

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei warned on Friday that “a harsh retaliation is waiting” after a US airstrike killed Quds Force Commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad.

Khamenei called for a three-day mourning and said Soleimani's killing will double the motivation of the resistance against the US and Israel.

Iran will be more determined to resist the US, President Hassan Rouhani said, Iranian state television reported.

"Soleimani's martyrdom will make Iran more decisive to resist America's expansionism and to defend our Islamic values. With no doubt, Iran and other freedom-seeking countries in the region will take his revenge," said Rouhani in a statement.

Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, slammed the killing as a dangerous escalation and warned Washington would bear responsibility for the consequences.

"The US' act of international terrorism, targeting and assassinating General Soleimani... is extremely dangerous and a foolish escalation," Zarif wrote on Twitter.

"The US bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism," he added.

Defense Minister Amir Hatami said Iran will take a crushing revenge, according to state news agency IRNA.

"A crushing revenge will be taken for Soleimani's unjust assassination ... We will take revenge from all those involved and responsible for his assassination," Hatami said.

According to The Pentagon, US President Donald Trump ordered Soleimani's "killing" after a pro-Iran mob this week laid siege to the US embassy.

Following Soleimani's death, Trump tweeted an image of the US flag without any further explanation.

Early Friday, a volley of missiles hit Baghdad's international airport, striking a convoy belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

Just a few hours later, Iranian state television carried a statement by the Revolutionary Guard Corps saying Soleimani "was martyred in an attack by America on Baghdad airport this morning."

An adviser to Iran's supreme leader threatened US troops in the Middle East and said “this is the time to clear the region from these insidious beasts.”

Ahmad Khatami made the comment while leading Friday prayers in Tehran. The hard-liner said Americans will never enjoy peace of mind again.

“I am telling Americans, especially Trump, we will take a revenge that will change their daylight into a nighttime darkness.”

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World

Pakistan PM Sharif to Seek Clarity on Troops for Gaza in US Visit

US President Donald Trump looks at Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaking following the official signing of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, during a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
US President Donald Trump looks at Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaking following the official signing of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, during a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
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Pakistan PM Sharif to Seek Clarity on Troops for Gaza in US Visit

US President Donald Trump looks at Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaking following the official signing of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, during a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
US President Donald Trump looks at Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaking following the official signing of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, during a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo

Before Pakistan commits to sending troops to Gaza as part of the International Stabilization Force it wants assurances from the United States that it will be a peacekeeping mission rather than tasked with disarming Hamas, three sources told Reuters.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to attend the first formal meeting of President Donald Trump's Board of Peace in Washington on Thursday, alongside delegations from at least 20 countries.

Trump, who will chair the meeting, is expected to announce a multi-billion dollar reconstruction plan for Gaza and detail plans for a UN-authorized stabilization force for the Palestinian enclave.

Three government sources said during the Washington visit Sharif wanted to better understand the goal of the ISF, what authority they were operating under and what the chain of command was before making a decision on deploying troops.

"We are ready to send troops. Let me make it clear that our troops could only be part of a peace mission in Gaza," said one of the sources, a close aide of Sharif.

"We will not be part of any other role, such as disarming Hamas. It is out of the question," he said.

Analysts say Pakistan would be an asset to the multinational force, with its experienced military that has gone to war with arch-rival India and tackled insurgencies.

"We can send initially a couple of thousand troops anytime, but we need to know what role they are going to play," the source added.

Two of the sources said it was likely Sharif, who has met Trump earlier this year in Davos and late last year at the White House, would either have an audience with him on the sidelines of the meeting or the following day at the White House.

Initially designed to cement Gaza's ceasefire, Trump sees the Board of Peace, launched in late January, taking a wider role in resolving global conflicts. Some countries have reacted cautiously, fearing it could become a rival to the United Nations.

While Pakistan has supported the establishment of the board, it has voiced concerns against the mission to demilitarize Gaza's militant group Hamas.

World

Türkiye Pleased with Alignment Steps by Syria, Kurdish Forces, Erdogan Says

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of male and female dormitories at Bogazici University, in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 13, 2026. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of male and female dormitories at Bogazici University, in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 13, 2026. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
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Türkiye Pleased with Alignment Steps by Syria, Kurdish Forces, Erdogan Says

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of male and female dormitories at Bogazici University, in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 13, 2026. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of male and female dormitories at Bogazici University, in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 13, 2026. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he is pleased to see steps taken in neighbouring Syria to integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into state structures, after a US-backed ceasefire deal late last month between the sides.

In a readout on Wednesday of his comments to reporters on a return flight from Ethiopia, Erdogan was cited as saying Ankara is closely monitoring the Syrian integration steps and providing guidance on implementing the agreement.

Meanwhile, a Turkish parliamentary commission voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to approve a report envisaging legal reforms alongside the militant Kurdistan Workers Party's (PKK) disarmament, advancing a peace process meant to end decades of conflict.

The PKK - designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and European Union - halted attacks last year and said it would disarm and disband, calling on Ankara to take steps to let its members participate in politics.

The roughly 60-page report proposes a roadmap for the parliament to enact laws, including a conditional legal framework that urges the judiciary to review legislation and comply with European Court of Human Rights and Constitutional Court rulings.

The pro-Kurdish DEM Party, which has been closely involved in the process and held several meetings with PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in prison, objected to the report's presentation of the Kurdish issue as a terrorism problem but generally welcomed the report and called for rapid implementation.

“We believe legal regulations must be enacted quickly,” senior DEM lawmaker Gulistan Kilic Kocyigit told Reuters. Parts of the report offered “a very important roadmap for the advancement of this process," she said.

Erdogan signaled that the legislative process would begin straight away. “Now, discussions will begin in our parliament regarding the legal aspects of the process,” he said.

World

Turkish FM to Attend Trump’s Board of Peace Meeting in Washington, Italy as ‘Observer’ 

28 November 2025, Berlin: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Wadephul. (dpa)
28 November 2025, Berlin: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Wadephul. (dpa)
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Turkish FM to Attend Trump’s Board of Peace Meeting in Washington, Italy as ‘Observer’ 

28 November 2025, Berlin: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Wadephul. (dpa)
28 November 2025, Berlin: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Wadephul. (dpa)

‌Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel to Washington in lieu of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" on Thursday, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

A Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters ‌that Fidan, during the ‌talks, would call ‌for ⁠determined steps to ⁠resolve the Palestinian issue and emphasize that Israel must end actions to hinder the flow of aid into Gaza and stop its ceasefire violations.

Fidan ⁠will also reiterate Türkiye's ‌readiness ‌to contribute to Gaza's reconstruction and its ‌desire to help protect Palestinians ‌and ensure their security, the source said.

He will also call for urgent action against Israel's "illegal ‌settlement activities and settler violence in the West Bank", ⁠the ⁠source added.

According to a readout from Erdogan's office, the president separately told reporters on Wednesday that he hoped the Board of Peace would help achieve "the lasting stability, ceasefire, and eventually peace that Gaza has longed for", and would focus on bringing about a two-state solution.

The board, of which Trump is the chairman, was initially designed to oversee the Gaza truce and the territory's reconstruction after the war between Hamas and Israel.

Meanwhile, Italy will be present at the meeting as an "observer", Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Wednesday.

"I will go to Washington to represent Italy as an observer to this first meeting of the Board of Peace, to be present when talks occur and decisions are made for the reconstruction of Gaza and the future of Palestine," Tajani said according to ANSA news agency.

Italy cannot be present as anything more than an observer as the country's constitutional rules do not allow it to join an organization led by a single foreign leader.

But Tajani said it was key for Rome to be "at the forefront, listening to what is being done".

Since Trump launched the Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, at least 19 countries have signed its founding charter.