Israel Says Will 'Definitely' Stop Iran from Getting Nuclear Weapon

From left to right, Israel foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Cypriot foreign minister Nicos Chrisodoulides, Anwar Gargash of the United Arab Emirates and Greek foreign minister Nikos Dendias pose for a photo before the meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of Cyprus, Greece, Israel and United Arab of Emirates in city of Paphos, Cyprus, Friday, April 16, 2021. (Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via AP)
From left to right, Israel foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Cypriot foreign minister Nicos Chrisodoulides, Anwar Gargash of the United Arab Emirates and Greek foreign minister Nikos Dendias pose for a photo before the meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of Cyprus, Greece, Israel and United Arab of Emirates in city of Paphos, Cyprus, Friday, April 16, 2021. (Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via AP)
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Israel Says Will 'Definitely' Stop Iran from Getting Nuclear Weapon

From left to right, Israel foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Cypriot foreign minister Nicos Chrisodoulides, Anwar Gargash of the United Arab Emirates and Greek foreign minister Nikos Dendias pose for a photo before the meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of Cyprus, Greece, Israel and United Arab of Emirates in city of Paphos, Cyprus, Friday, April 16, 2021. (Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via AP)
From left to right, Israel foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Cypriot foreign minister Nicos Chrisodoulides, Anwar Gargash of the United Arab Emirates and Greek foreign minister Nikos Dendias pose for a photo before the meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of Cyprus, Greece, Israel and United Arab of Emirates in city of Paphos, Cyprus, Friday, April 16, 2021. (Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via AP)

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said Friday that his country was determined to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon, after Tehran promised to step up its uranium enrichment process.

“We will do whatever it takes to prevent the extremists (in Iran) from succeeding, and definitely will prevent this regime from having a nuclear weapon,” Ashkenazi told reporters on a visit to Cyprus.

Iran has begun 60% uranium enrichment at its Natanz plant, the country's nuclear chief said on Friday, days after an explosion at the site that Tehran blamed on Israel.

Askenazi met with the foreign ministers of Cyprus and Greece, Nikos Christodoulides and Nikos Dendias, as well as Anwar Gargash, a top presidential aide in the United Arab Emirates.

Ashkenazi said discussions centered around possibilities for building on prosperity and stability in the region.

"We also took time to discuss challenges that Iran and Hezbollah and other extremists pose to the stability of the Middle East and to the regional peace," he said. "

Israel and the UAE normalized relations in a landmark deal last year, and the four countries represented at the meeting Friday promised to boost cooperation in defense, energy, tourism, and other sectors.



Two Men Re-Arrested for Suspected Spying for Iran in Airbase Scare

A B‑1B Lancer bomber arrives at RAF Fairford airbase in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, September 29, 2026. (Reuters)
A B‑1B Lancer bomber arrives at RAF Fairford airbase in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, September 29, 2026. (Reuters)
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Two Men Re-Arrested for Suspected Spying for Iran in Airbase Scare

A B‑1B Lancer bomber arrives at RAF Fairford airbase in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, September 29, 2026. (Reuters)
A B‑1B Lancer bomber arrives at RAF Fairford airbase in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain, September 29, 2026. (Reuters)

British police said on Tuesday they had re-arrested two men on suspicion of assisting Iranian intelligence as part of their investigation into activity at the RAF Fairford air base ‌last month. 

Counter ‌Terrorism Policing said ‌in ⁠a statement that ⁠they had re-arrested a 24-year-old British national, who was initially arrested outside the military base in southwest England in the early hours ⁠of September 27. 

Police said ‌they ‌had also arrested a 25-year-old British-Iranian ‌dual national who had ‌previously been arrested in London. 

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, Head of National Counter Terrorism Policing in the ‌UK, said in a statement, "we consider it highly likely ⁠that ⁠there is Iranian state involvement." 

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham last week said that the activity at RAF Fairford, which had been used by US bombers to carry out strikes on Iran, was likely to have been coordinated in Iran. 


IRGC: 2 Tankers Hit Mines, Set Ablaze South of Hormuz

FILED - 27 December 2011, ---, --: FILE PHOTO - A satellite picture provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), shows the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman. Photo: -/The Visible Earth/NASA/dpa
FILED - 27 December 2011, ---, --: FILE PHOTO - A satellite picture provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), shows the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman. Photo: -/The Visible Earth/NASA/dpa
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IRGC: 2 Tankers Hit Mines, Set Ablaze South of Hormuz

FILED - 27 December 2011, ---, --: FILE PHOTO - A satellite picture provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), shows the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman. Photo: -/The Visible Earth/NASA/dpa
FILED - 27 December 2011, ---, --: FILE PHOTO - A satellite picture provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), shows the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman. Photo: -/The Visible Earth/NASA/dpa

Two tankers were set ablaze and brought to a halt south of the Strait of ⁠Hormuz after hitting Iranian ⁠mines, the Revolutionary Guards' Navy said ⁠in a statement shared by state media on Tuesday, without saying when the tankers were hit.

The statement also ⁠said a ⁠US drone was downed by Iran on Monday night.

Diplomatic efforts between Iran and the United States have stalled over issues including the future of the Strait of Hormuz.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington was responsible for insecurity in the strait, usually a key transport route for oil and gas but which Iran has sought to blockade during the war launched by the US and Israel in February.

Pakistan has played a key mediating role in the so far unsuccessful attempts to end the war. In June, it helped broker a short-lived memorandum of understanding, which Tehran insists should still form the basis of any peace deal.


Police Charge Driver with Intentionally Causing Serious Injury to Australian Federal Lawmaker

A TV crew works in front of a portrait of Australian politician Helen Haines (C) outside her office in the northern regional city of Wangaratta, about 250 kilometres north-east of Melbourne on October 20, 2026. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)
A TV crew works in front of a portrait of Australian politician Helen Haines (C) outside her office in the northern regional city of Wangaratta, about 250 kilometres north-east of Melbourne on October 20, 2026. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)
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Police Charge Driver with Intentionally Causing Serious Injury to Australian Federal Lawmaker

A TV crew works in front of a portrait of Australian politician Helen Haines (C) outside her office in the northern regional city of Wangaratta, about 250 kilometres north-east of Melbourne on October 20, 2026. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)
A TV crew works in front of a portrait of Australian politician Helen Haines (C) outside her office in the northern regional city of Wangaratta, about 250 kilometres north-east of Melbourne on October 20, 2026. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

Police on Tuesday charged a driver with intentionally causing serious injury to an Australian federal lawmaker who is a critical condition after being struck by a car.

A police statement said Brendan Nugent, 43, was charged with intentionally causing serious injury, dangerous driving causing serious injury and causing harm to a federal official.

Helen Haines, a 65-year-old independent politician, was in hospital in a critical but stable condition after being struck by a car outside her office in the city of Wangaratta in Victorian state on Monday, police said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised a barber who helped restrain the driver.

Haines was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV.

The incident shocked Australians as political violence is rare there and politicians have always been accessible to the public. Most lawmakers are not accompanied by security officers and go about their work and personal lives on their own.

The suspect’s father, Rod Nugent, released a statement Tuesday describing Haines as a “deeply respected, valued and much loved member of our local community.”

“Helen has been our friend for more than 20 years and what happened to her yesterday is devastating and unfathomable,” the father said.

Haines’s family released a statement expressing thanks for the “swift assistance of bystanders” as well as health workers and police.

Haines, who was first elected to Parliament in 2019 and had been reelected twice since, was initially taken to a hospital in Wangaratta, a city of 30,000 people. She was airlifted later on Monday to a hospital in the state capital, Melbourne, 236 kilometers away.