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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

Bolivian Court Orders Ex-president Jailed for 5 Months on Corruption Charges

Former Bolivian President Luis Arce Catacora enters San Pedro prison after a judge ordered him held in pre-trial detention for five months as part of an investigation into alleged embezzlement, in La Paz, Bolivia, December 12, 2025. REUTERS/Claudia Morales
Former Bolivian President Luis Arce Catacora enters San Pedro prison after a judge ordered him held in pre-trial detention for five months as part of an investigation into alleged embezzlement, in La Paz, Bolivia, December 12, 2025. REUTERS/Claudia Morales
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Bolivian Court Orders Ex-president Jailed for 5 Months on Corruption Charges

Former Bolivian President Luis Arce Catacora enters San Pedro prison after a judge ordered him held in pre-trial detention for five months as part of an investigation into alleged embezzlement, in La Paz, Bolivia, December 12, 2025. REUTERS/Claudia Morales
Former Bolivian President Luis Arce Catacora enters San Pedro prison after a judge ordered him held in pre-trial detention for five months as part of an investigation into alleged embezzlement, in La Paz, Bolivia, December 12, 2025. REUTERS/Claudia Morales

A Bolivian court on Friday ordered the country's former President Luis Arce to remain detained for five months while he awaits trial on corruption charges, the latest development in a case that threatens to exacerbate Bolivia's political tensions.

Arce, 62, a leader from Bolivia’s Movement Toward Socialism party, was elected in 2020 and left office a month ago following the election of Bolivia's first right-wing leader in nearly two decades. He strongly denies the charges of breach of duty and financial misconduct. He faces up to six years in prison if convicted.

Two days after Arce's sudden arrest on the streets of Bolivia's capital of La Paz, a judge ordered his detention in a virtual hearing Friday, The Associated Press reported.

Arce was transferred to one of Bolivia's largest prisons in La Paz at night. No trial date was announced.

The accusations concern the alleged diversion of millions of dollars from a state fund into private accounts and date back to when Arce served as economy minister under former President Evo Morales from 2006 until 2017.

Although the scandal first broke in 2017, investigations into the alleged graft stalled during Morales' presidency as Bolivia's courts proved submissive to the political power of the day. The case was reopened when conservative President Rodrigo Paztook office last month, ending almost two decades of dominance by the Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party.

Paz campaigned on a promise to clean up the government and seek justice for corruption as he rode to power on a wave of outrage over Bolivia's worst economic crisis in four decades.

Arce criticized the charges as political persecution.

“I’m a scapegoat,” he told the judge, insisting that he had no personal involvement in the government fund under scrutiny, which supported the Indigenous people and peasant farmers who formed the backbone of MAS support.

“The accusations are politically motivated.”

Officials involved in the previous iteration of the investigation say Arce is accused of siphoning off money from rural development projects to secure loyalty from MAS-allied union and Indigenous leaders during election campaigns.

Morales was elected to three consecutive terms, but was ousted in 2019 when his reelection to an unprecedented fourth term sparked accusations of fraud and mass protests.

Arce's lawyers asked the judge to grant his release pending trial, citing the ex-president's battle with kidney cancer several years ago.

But Judge Elmer Laura denied the appeal, and even exceeded the prosecution’s request of three months in a juvenile detention center by ordering five months in a state prison.

“These are crimes that directly affect state assets and resources that were allocated to vulnerable sectors," Laura said.

World

Iran Detains 18 Crew Members of Foreign Tanker Seized in Gulf of Oman

St Nikolas ship X1 oil tanker involved in US-Iran dispute in the Gulf of Oman which state media says was seized is seen in the Tokyo bay, Japan, October 4, 2020, in this handout picture. Daisuke Nimura/Handout via REUTERS
St Nikolas ship X1 oil tanker involved in US-Iran dispute in the Gulf of Oman which state media says was seized is seen in the Tokyo bay, Japan, October 4, 2020, in this handout picture. Daisuke Nimura/Handout via REUTERS
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Iran Detains 18 Crew Members of Foreign Tanker Seized in Gulf of Oman

St Nikolas ship X1 oil tanker involved in US-Iran dispute in the Gulf of Oman which state media says was seized is seen in the Tokyo bay, Japan, October 4, 2020, in this handout picture. Daisuke Nimura/Handout via REUTERS
St Nikolas ship X1 oil tanker involved in US-Iran dispute in the Gulf of Oman which state media says was seized is seen in the Tokyo bay, Japan, October 4, 2020, in this handout picture. Daisuke Nimura/Handout via REUTERS

Iranian authorities detained 18 crew members of a foreign tanker seized in the Gulf of Oman on Friday that they said was carrying 6 million liters of smuggled fuel, Iranian media reported on Saturday, citing the Hormozgan province judiciary.

It said those detained under the ongoing investigation include the captain of the tanker, Reuters reported.

The semi-official news agency Fars said the crew were from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The authorities said the tanker had committed multiple violations, including "ignoring stop orders, attempting to flee, (and) lacking navigation and cargo documentation".

Iran, which has some of the world's lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the plunge in the value of its national currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land and sea to neighboring countries.

World

2 People Killed in Russia’s Saratov Region as Peace Talks Press On

A handout photo made available by the press service of the 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces shows the recruits who take part in the short and intense march during their basic military training (BMT) in an undisclosed location in the Zaporizhzhia area, Ukraine, 12 December 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/Press service of the 65th Mechanized Brigade HANDOUT
A handout photo made available by the press service of the 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces shows the recruits who take part in the short and intense march during their basic military training (BMT) in an undisclosed location in the Zaporizhzhia area, Ukraine, 12 December 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/Press service of the 65th Mechanized Brigade HANDOUT
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2 People Killed in Russia’s Saratov Region as Peace Talks Press On

A handout photo made available by the press service of the 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces shows the recruits who take part in the short and intense march during their basic military training (BMT) in an undisclosed location in the Zaporizhzhia area, Ukraine, 12 December 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/Press service of the 65th Mechanized Brigade HANDOUT
A handout photo made available by the press service of the 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces shows the recruits who take part in the short and intense march during their basic military training (BMT) in an undisclosed location in the Zaporizhzhia area, Ukraine, 12 December 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/Press service of the 65th Mechanized Brigade HANDOUT

At least two people were killed in a drone attack in Russia’s southwestern Saratov region and parts of Ukraine were without power, local authorities said Saturday, as US-led peace talks on ending the war press on.

The drone attack damaged a residential building and several windows were also blown out at a kindergarten and clinic, Saratov regional Gov. Roman Busargin said.

Russia’s defense ministry said Saturday it had shot down 41 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight, The Associated Press reported.

In Ukraine, parts of the Kherson region, including the regional capital, also called Kherson, were without power Saturday following Russian strikes on energy infrastructure, regional head Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is trying to cripple the Ukrainian power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water for a fourth consecutive winter, in what Ukrainian officials call “weaponizing” the cold.

The latest round of attacks came after Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Friday that Russian police and National Guard will stay on in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas and oversee the industry-rich region, even if a peace settlement ends Russia’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine. This underscores Moscow’s ambition to maintain its presence in Donbas post-war. Ukraine is likely to reject such a stance as US-led negotiations drag on.

Moscow will give its blessing to a ceasefire only after Ukraine’s forces have withdrawn from the front line, Ushakov said in comments published in Russian business daily Kommersant.

Meanwhile, Germany says it is set to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday for talks as peace efforts gain momentum and European leaders seek to steer negotiations.

For months, American negotiators have tried to navigate the demands of each side as U.S. President Donald Trump presses for a swift end to Russia’s war while growing increasingly exasperated by delays. The search for possible compromises has run into a major obstacle over who keeps Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russian forces.