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Assad Signs Iranian Credit Line to Supply Syria with Energy

Syrians await the release of their relatives on May 3, 2022 in the centre of Damascus, after a general amnesty was issued by the Syrian president. (AFP)
Syrians await the release of their relatives on May 3, 2022 in the centre of Damascus, after a general amnesty was issued by the Syrian president. (AFP)
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Assad Signs Iranian Credit Line to Supply Syria with Energy

Syrians await the release of their relatives on May 3, 2022 in the centre of Damascus, after a general amnesty was issued by the Syrian president. (AFP)
Syrians await the release of their relatives on May 3, 2022 in the centre of Damascus, after a general amnesty was issued by the Syrian president. (AFP)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad signed an Iranian credit line during a surprise visit to Tehran on Sunday, Syrian local media reported.

The official Syrian News Agency (SANA) said that Assad had signed a “new phase” of the credit line, which included supplying Syria with energy and other basic materials to fill the shortage.

A credit line is a flexible loan from a bank or financial institution, with a defined amount of money that can be accessed as needed and then repaid immediately or over a specified period of time.

The first credit line opened by Iran to Syria was in 2013, with a ceiling amounting to $1 billion dollars with soft interests, followed by another worth $3 billion to finance the country’s needs of oil and its derivatives.

In 2015, a new credit line worth $1 billion was opened, the revenues of which were used by Damascus to finance the import of goods and merchandise and the implementation of projects.

Despite international sanctions imposed on the two countries, Iranian economic support for the regime in Syria included, in addition to credit lines, many economic cooperation agreements that covered vital areas, mainly electricity and railways.

Syria has been facing a severe fuel and energy crisis since mid-March, after the halting of Iranian oil deliveries and the decline of Russian support, with Moscow’s engagement in the Ukrainian war.

According to media sources, Damascus has asked several Arab countries to supply it with oil through the private sector, but the economic sanctions imposed on Syria prevented the urgent demand from being met.

Economic sources in Damascus said that there was no solution but to activate the Iranian-Syrian credit line and circumvent the Iranian conditions, which require cash payment for oil, due to the international sanctions on Iran and Syria.

Assad’s surprise visit to Iran culminated in the activation of the credit line and Iran’s announcement that it would maintain its support to the Syrian president. The latter met with Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who underlined Tehran’s continued support to Syria, according to the sources.

Syria’s fuel and energy crisis led to a sharp rise in the prices of all commodities, necessities and foodstuffs, which reached more than 800 percent – the highest increase since 2013, according to a statement issued on Monday by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).

“With years of conflict, a severe economic downturn, and food prices rising relentlessly since 2020, the Ukraine crisis is exacerbating what was already an alarming food security scenario in Syria. In March, food prices increased by 24 percent in just one month, following an 800 percent increase in the last two years. This has brought food prices to their highest level since 2013,” the WFP said.

It added: “Some 12 million people in Syria - more than half the population – currently face acute food insecurity. That is 51% more than in 2019 and an additional 1.9 million are at risk of sliding into hunger. With basic meals becoming a luxury for millions, nutrition is becoming a serious issue.”

WFP Executive Director David Beasley urged the international community to take immediate action in this regard.

“The international community must recognize that not taking action now will inevitably lead to a catastrophic future for Syrians. They deserve our immediate and unconditional support,” he stated.

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World

Australia to Toughen Gun Laws after Deadly Bondi Shootings

Police patrol in the early morning following a shooting Sunday at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Police patrol in the early morning following a shooting Sunday at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
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Australia to Toughen Gun Laws after Deadly Bondi Shootings

Police patrol in the early morning following a shooting Sunday at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Police patrol in the early morning following a shooting Sunday at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Australia's leaders agreed on Monday to tougher gun laws after the country's worst mass shooting in almost three decades saw a father and son open fire on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people including a child.

The duo fired into crowds packing the Sydney beach for the start of Hanukkah on Sunday evening, sending people fleeing in panic across the tourist hotspot, said AFP.

A 10-year-old girl, a Holocaust survivor and a local rabbi were among those killed, while 42 more were rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds and other injuries.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a meeting of the leaders of Australia's states and territories in response, agreeing with them "to strengthen gun laws across the nation".

Albanese's office said they had agreed to look into ways to improve background checks for firearm owners, bar non-nationals from obtaining gun licenses and limit the types of weapons that are legal.

Mass shootings have been rare in Australia since a lone gunman killed 35 people in the tourist town of Port Arthur in 1996.

That massacre led to sweeping reforms that were long seen as a gold standard worldwide.

These included a gun buyback scheme, a national firearms register and a crackdown on the ownership of semi-automatic weapons.

But Sunday's shootings have raised fresh questions on how the father and son -- who public broadcaster ABC reported had possible links to the ISIS group -- obtained the weapons.

- 'We thought it was fireworks' -

Police are still unravelling what drove the shootings, although authorities have said it was clearly designed to sow terror among the nation's Jews.

Albanese called it "an act of pure evil, an act of antisemitism, an act of terrorism on our shores".

The gunmen targeted an annual celebration that drew more than 1,000 people to the beach to mark the Jewish festival.

They took aim from a raised boardwalk looking over the beach, which was packed with swimmers cooling off on a steamy summer evening.

Witness Beatrice was celebrating her birthday and had just blown out the candles when the shooting started.

"We thought it was fireworks," she told AFP.

"We're just feeling lucky we're all safe."

Carrying long-barreled guns, they peppered the beach with bullets for 10 minutes before police shot and killed the 50-year-old father.

The 24-year-old son was arrested and remained under guard in hospital with serious injuries.

Hours after the shooting, police found a homemade bomb in a car parked close to the beach, saying the "improvised explosive device" had likely been planted by the pair.

Rabbi Mendel Kastel said his brother-in-law was among the dead.

"It's unbelievable that this has happened here in Australia, but we need to hold strong. This is not the Australia that we know. This is not the Australia that we want."

Wary of reprisals, police have so far dodged questions about the attackers' religion or ideological motivations.

Misinformation spread quickly online in the wake of the attacks, some of it targeting immigrants and the Muslim community.

Police said they responded to reports on Monday of several pig heads left at a Muslim cemetery in southwestern Sydney.

- Panic and bravery -

A brave few dashed towards the beach as the shooting unfolded, wading through fleeing crowds to rescue children, treat the injured and confront the gunmen.

Footage showed one man, identified by local media as fruit seller Ahmed al Ahmed, grabbing one of the gunmen as he fired.

The 43-year-old wrestled the gun out of the attacker's hands, before pointing the weapon at him as he backed away.

A team of off-duty lifeguards sprinted across the sand to drag children to safety.

"The team ran out under fire to try and clear children from the playground while the gunmen were firing," said Steven Pearce from Surf Life Saving New South Wales.

Bleeding victims were carried across the beach atop surfboards turned into makeshift stretchers.

A grassy hill overlooking Bondi Beach was strewn with discarded items from people fleeing the killing, including a camping table and blankets.

People gathered flip-flops, sneakers and thermos flasks and lined them up in the sand for collection.

Australia mourned the dead by lowering flags to half-mast.

And at Bondi beach on Monday evening, a crowd gathered to mourn and sing in tribute to the victims.

- 'Oil on the fire' -

A string of antisemitic attacks has spread fear among Jewish communities in Australia following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Australia's government of "pouring oil on the fire of antisemitism" in the months leading up to the shooting.

Other world leaders expressed revulsion and condemnation, including in the United States where President Donald Trump said it was a "purely antisemitic attack".

The Australian government this year accused Iran of orchestrating a recent wave of antisemitic attacks and expelled Tehran's ambassador nearly four months ago.

Tehran directed the torching of a kosher cafe in Sydney's Bondi suburb in October 2024, and a major arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne in December 2024, the government said in August citing intelligence findings.

World

Iran: Our Armed Forces Are in Full Readiness to Deal with Any Emergency

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Mehr)
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Mehr)
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Iran: Our Armed Forces Are in Full Readiness to Deal with Any Emergency

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Mehr)
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Mehr)

Iran on Sunday said its armed forces are in full readiness to deal with any emergency, while reiterating its continued contacts with the International Atomic Energy Agency to reach a solution to its nuclear file.

On Sunday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei denied the presence of mediation, in the conventional sense, between Tehran and the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“Iran is in contact with the Agency whenever it is necessary and based on the law passed by parliament,” he said during his weekly press briefing, according to state-run IRNA agency.

Baghaei then commented on IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi, who, last week, asked Iran to uncover the fate of its uranium stockpiles and allow inspectors to return to the country.

“The statements made by Grossi regarding Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium merely repeat previous claims and do not change existing realities,” he said, calling on the IAEA chief to address parties responsible for the current situation rather than repeatedly singling out Iran.

He then criticized the “unfair approach” by the IAEA and its Board of Governors, noting that they have failed even to condemn US attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities earlier this year.

“Targeting one side cannot resolve the issue,” Baghaei said, urging the IAEA director general to apply a strictly technical perspective in line with the agency’s statutory mandate.

Iran had 441 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% level before US and Israeli airstrikes last June hit its key nuclear sites.

Unclear Negotiation Path

Concurrently, there is no clear prospect of nuclear negotiations between Iran and Western countries, which reimposed UN sanctions against Tehran last October.

Commenting on the future of those talks, Baghaei reiterated that diplomacy remains one of Iran’s tools for safeguarding national interests. However, he added, Tehran faces parties that do not value negotiations.

The spokesperson also emphasized that Iran’s armed forces are fully prepared to confront any form of adventurism, and that this message is crystal clear to opposing parties.

Last Thursday, US President Donald Trump told reporters that he is strongly seeking a deal with Iran, but warned that Tehran would face a new US attack if it resumes nuclear activities.

Iran and Venezuela

In a separate development, Baghaei commented on the US seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker, saying, “We have adopted an official position on this matter. Washington’s action has no legal basis whatsoever.”

The spokesman then rejected claims about Iran's interference in Venezuela's affairs as “utterly irrelevant.”

Last week, Trump said the US has seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.

“We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually, and other things are happening,” said Trump, who has been pressuring Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down.

In response, the Venezuelan government in a statement accused the US of “blatant theft” and described the seizure as “an act of international piracy.” It said it would denounce the incident before international bodies.

In his weekly briefing on Sunday, Baghaei accused the US of having a long history of regime-change efforts in Latin America and that, in Venezuela’s case, it is “entirely clear” Washington is seeking to impose its will on an independent country. “This behavior violates all principles and rules of international law,” he said.

Commenting on a Wall Street Journal report, which said the US commandos have intercepted a vessel en route from China to Iran, Baghaei said Iranian authorities are awaiting verified details from relevant bodies.

“So far, we have not received any information from competent sources,” he said.

 

 

 

World

Thailand Cuts Laos Fuel Route as Cambodia Border Conflict Deepens

TOPSHOT - Soldiers carry the coffin of Special Forces volunteer Mustakim Majehma, who died amid clashes along Cambodia-Thailand border, during a military ceremony at Narathiwat airport in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat on December 14, 2025. (Photo by Madaree TOHLALA / AFP)
TOPSHOT - Soldiers carry the coffin of Special Forces volunteer Mustakim Majehma, who died amid clashes along Cambodia-Thailand border, during a military ceremony at Narathiwat airport in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat on December 14, 2025. (Photo by Madaree TOHLALA / AFP)
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Thailand Cuts Laos Fuel Route as Cambodia Border Conflict Deepens

TOPSHOT - Soldiers carry the coffin of Special Forces volunteer Mustakim Majehma, who died amid clashes along Cambodia-Thailand border, during a military ceremony at Narathiwat airport in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat on December 14, 2025. (Photo by Madaree TOHLALA / AFP)
TOPSHOT - Soldiers carry the coffin of Special Forces volunteer Mustakim Majehma, who died amid clashes along Cambodia-Thailand border, during a military ceremony at Narathiwat airport in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat on December 14, 2025. (Photo by Madaree TOHLALA / AFP)

Thailand's military said on Monday that it has stopped fuel shipments passing through a border checkpoint with Laos because of fears they were being diverted to Cambodia, with which it is fighting a fierce border conflict.

The Thai and Cambodian militaries are clashing at multiple locations along their 817 km (508 mile) land border, both sides said, with no signs of the fighting abating despite international efforts to negotiate a ceasefire, including calls by US President Donald Trump, Reuters said.

A special meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers - where top diplomats from both sides could have met - that was scheduled to take place on Tuesday had been pushed back to December 22 at Thailand's request, the Malaysian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The neighbors have long disputed sections of the frontier, but the scale and intensity of the latest clashes - that stretch from forested inland areas near the Laos border to coastal provinces - are unprecedented in recent history.

Over half a million people have been displaced by the fighting, which has killed at least 38 on both sides over the past eight days, according to national authorities, who mounted a round of evacuations in July when the neighbors clashed for five days before Trump helped broker a truce.

RESTRICTIONS AT LAOS BORDER CROSSING

Thailand's military has restricted the movement of all fuel supplies through the Chong Mek border crossing into Laos after receiving intelligence that these were being routed to Cambodian troops, said Thai defense ministry spokesperson Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri.

"Our intention is not to cause impacts on the Lao people or government," he said at a press conference.

The Laotian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

The military is also considering limiting the movement of Thai vessels into "high-risk areas" in Cambodian waters where they could be fired upon, a navy official said, adding that any such measures would not impact shipments from other countries.

A sizeable portion of Cambodia's refined fuel imports such as gasoline, gasoil and jet fuel comes via the sea route, according to multiple trade sources, though an exact percentage of market share could not be confirmed.

Singapore is currently the largest supplier of these fuels to Cambodia, Kpler ship-tracking data showed, with volumes so far this year totaling around 915,000 metric tons.

Volumes from Thailand have fallen to around 30,000 tons this year, from less than 180,000 tons last year, the data showed.

In a statement issued on Friday, Thailand's energy ministry said there had been no exports of oil to Cambodia after July.

DRONE ATTACKS AND AIRSTRIKES

Fighting is continuing at least nine locations along the frontier, with heavy exchanges of firing across four border provinces, including at the coast, Thai defense ministry spokesperson Surasant said.

Cambodia said Thai forces had used drones and heavy artillery at multiple areas, alongside deploying its F-16 fighter jets for airstrikes in Siem Reap Province, which houses the country's second-largest city and the major tourist center of Angkor Wat.

"It is also noteworthy that the number of fighter jets and cluster bombs used by the Thai military to attack Cambodia has been increasing significantly," Maly Socheata, Cambodia Defense Ministry spokesperson, said in a briefing.

Thailand's military is vastly superior to that of its neighbor, including a much larger navy and one of the best-equipped and trained air forces in Southeast Asia that has a fleet of 28 F-16s and 11 Swedish Gripen fighter jets.

Thailand and Cambodia accuse each other of moves that led to a breakdown of July's Trump-brokered truce, which was expanded into a wider agreement to help settle the conflict in October.

Bangkok insists that any end to the current fighting must start with a cessation of hostilities by the other side and a clear ceasefire proposal, even as Phnom Penh maintains that it is defending itself against military actions by its neighbors.