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Iran Pressures Iraq to Prosecute Those Responsible for Soleimani’s Killing before Int’l Courts

Remains of the car in which Soleimani was killed in the US raid (AP)
Remains of the car in which Soleimani was killed in the US raid (AP)
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Iran Pressures Iraq to Prosecute Those Responsible for Soleimani’s Killing before Int’l Courts

Remains of the car in which Soleimani was killed in the US raid (AP)
Remains of the car in which Soleimani was killed in the US raid (AP)

A day after the Popular Mobilization Committee and a number of pro-Iran armed factions organized an event to commemorate the third anniversary of the assassination of the IRGC Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, Tehran renewed its calls on the Iraqi government to reveal the “killers”.

Ali Akbar Velayati, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's top adviser on international affairs, demanded on Wednesday the Iraqi judiciary to prosecute the plotters of Soleimani’s assassination before international institutions.

The Iranian general was killed in a US strike near Baghdad Airport on Jan. 3, 2020.

“The terrorist operation carried out by the United States to assassinate Soleimani, who was invited by the Iraqi government to travel to Iraq, is a flagrant violation of international laws and is considered a public crime according to the Charter of the International Criminal Court, and the perpetrators can be prosecuted in that court,” Velayati said during the first international conference on the assassination of Soleimani, which was held in Tehran.

He added that the assassination “contradicts many international laws and norms, including Articles 1 and 2 of the Charter of the United Nations and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents of 1973.”

In conjunction with Velayati’s call, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid met with the Iranian ambassador in Baghdad, Muhammad Kazem Al-Sadeq, on Thursday.

According to a presidential statement, Al-Sadeq described the relations between his country and Iraq as “historic,” but the meeting did not point to any reference to the killing of Soleimani and whether Baghdad had taken action in this regard.

Tehran did not exert pressure during the tenure of former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, contenting itself at the time with providing evidence of the Americans carrying out the assassination with accusations of a number of undisclosed elements. Based on statements by Iranian officials, Tehran was satisfied with the measures taken by the former Iraqi government.

But the mounting pressure on the current Iraqi government raises questions among political observers, who see that Iran is increasing its demands at a time when the Coordination Framework forces are divided over the relations with Washington.

Iraqi political sources said on Tuesday that the third anniversary of the assassination of Soleimani has sparked sharp divisions between the parties of the Coordination Framework, following reports that the government of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani agreed to a US request to prevent a “million-strong memorial march” for Soleimani in the country.

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World

Magnitude 7.6 Quake Triggers a Tsunami on Japan’s Northern Coast

A tsunami warning flashes over live footage of a waterfront area, on a television screen in Sapporo, in Japan's northern Hokkaido prefecture on December 9, 2025. (AFP)
A tsunami warning flashes over live footage of a waterfront area, on a television screen in Sapporo, in Japan's northern Hokkaido prefecture on December 9, 2025. (AFP)
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Magnitude 7.6 Quake Triggers a Tsunami on Japan’s Northern Coast

A tsunami warning flashes over live footage of a waterfront area, on a television screen in Sapporo, in Japan's northern Hokkaido prefecture on December 9, 2025. (AFP)
A tsunami warning flashes over live footage of a waterfront area, on a television screen in Sapporo, in Japan's northern Hokkaido prefecture on December 9, 2025. (AFP)

A powerful 7. 6-magnitude earthquake struck late Monday off northern Japan, triggering a tsunami of up to 50 centimeters (20 inches) in Pacific coast communities and warnings of potentially higher surges, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said.

Several people were injured, media reports said.

The quake struck at about 11:15 p.m. (1415 GMT) in the Pacific Ocean about 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan's main Honshu island, the agency said.

A tsunami of 50 centimeters was measured in Kuji port in Iwate prefecture, just south of Aomori, and tsunami levels of 40 to 50 centimeters struck other coastal communities in the region, the agency said.

The agency issued an alert for potential tsunami surges of up to 3 meters (10 feet) in some areas, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihar urged residents to immediately head to higher ground or take shelter inside buildings or evacuation centers until the alert is lifted.

Several people were injured at a hotel in the Aomori town of Hachinohe and a man in the town of Tohoku was slightly hurt when his car fell into a hole, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Kihara said nuclear power plants in the region were conducting safety checks and that so far no problems were detected.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in brief comment to reporters, said the government set up an emergency task force to urgently assess the extent of damage. “We are putting people’s lives first and doing everything we can,” she said.

The quake struck about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Hachinohe, and about 50 kilometers (30 miles) below the sea surface, the meteorological agency said.

World

Iran Opens Trial of Dual National Accused of Spying for Israel 

Iranians go shopping in Tajrish Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 08 December 2025. (EPA)
Iranians go shopping in Tajrish Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 08 December 2025. (EPA)
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Iran Opens Trial of Dual National Accused of Spying for Israel 

Iranians go shopping in Tajrish Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 08 December 2025. (EPA)
Iranians go shopping in Tajrish Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 08 December 2025. (EPA)

The trial of a dual national holding European citizenship has begun in Iran, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, saying they were indicted for "intelligence cooperation and espionage in favor of the Zionist regime (Israel)."

According to the Alborz provincial attorney general, the defendant - whose identity has not been disclosed - entered Iran about a month before the 12-day war in June, during which Israel and the US struck Iranian nuclear facilities.

They were arrested on the fourth day of the conflict by the elite Revolutionary Guards.

"Sophisticated spy and intelligence items and equipment were discovered in their villa in Karaj," the attorney general said, adding that the charges under investigation carry penalties for "waging war against God" and "corruption on earth" - offences often punishable by death.

In recent years, the Revolutionary Guards have detained dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on espionage and security-related charges.

Rights groups and some Western countries have accused Tehran of using such arrests to gain leverage in negotiations. Tehran denies arresting people for political reasons.

World

China Vows to Defend Sovereignty Over Taiwan as Trump Unveils Security Strategy 

08 December 2025, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, China's Foreign Office spokesperson, speaks to journalists. (dpa)
08 December 2025, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, China's Foreign Office spokesperson, speaks to journalists. (dpa)
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China Vows to Defend Sovereignty Over Taiwan as Trump Unveils Security Strategy 

08 December 2025, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, China's Foreign Office spokesperson, speaks to journalists. (dpa)
08 December 2025, China, Beijing: Guo Jiakun, China's Foreign Office spokesperson, speaks to journalists. (dpa)

China on Monday pledged to defend its sovereignty and warned against "external interference" after the US unveiled a new security strategy aimed at building up military power to deter conflict with Beijing over Taiwan.

Washington laid out its approach to one of the world's most sensitive diplomatic issues in its official National Security Strategy released on Friday.

The document came as Beijing last week deployed a large number of naval and coast guard vessels across East Asian waters in its largest show of maritime force to date.

Taiwan is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations and China brooks no external interference, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, told reporters in Beijing when asked about the document.

"The US side should ... handle the Taiwan question with the utmost prudence, and stop indulging and supporting 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces in seeking independence by force or resisting reunification by force," he said.

Guo added that China was willing to work with Washington to promote stable ties while safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has never renounced the use of force to take control of the island. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.

The new US document has been warmly welcomed in Taiwan, whose President Lai Ching-te wrote on X on Saturday: "Greatly appreciate that the US National Security Strategy prioritizes deterring a conflict over Taiwan."

Taiwan Defense Minister Wellington Koo told reporters on the same day that the United States still regards maintaining peace and stability in the region as its highest core interest.

"The United States is vigorously promoting that the countries in the Indo-Pacific region work together to establish an effective form of collective deterrence," he said.

"We in Taiwan must also strengthen our self-defense capabilities."

Lai has said Taiwan aims to spend 5% of its GDP on defense by 2030 and last month unveiled $40 billion in extra defense spending to run from 2026-2033.