Renewed Protests in Iran’s Restive Southeast, Currency at New Low

People attend a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 21, 2022. (WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
People attend a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 21, 2022. (WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Renewed Protests in Iran’s Restive Southeast, Currency at New Low

People attend a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 21, 2022. (WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
People attend a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the republic's "morality police", in Tehran, Iran September 21, 2022. (WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Demonstrators marched in Iran's restive southeast on Friday amid reports on social media that security forces were surrounding a mosque at the center of weekly anti-government rallies.

Anti-government protests have been taking place across Iran since last September's death in custody of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini for flouting hijab policy, which requires women to entirely cover their hair and bodies.

"We swear on our comrades' blood to stand strong until the end," hundreds of demonstrators were seen chanting in a video from the flashpoint city of Zahedan posted by the activist news agency HRANA.

Another widely-circulated video purported to show security forces beating and arresting a Baluch man trying to enter the Makki Mosque in Zahedan, capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province.

Reuters could not immediately verify the videos.

The Baluch minority, estimated to number up to 2 million people, has faced discrimination and repression for decades, according to rights groups. Sistan-Baluchistan, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, is one of Iran's poorest provinces and has seen repeated killings by security forces in recent years.

Zahedan saw one of the deadliest days of protests after Amini's death, with at least 66 people killed in a crackdown there on Sept. 30, Amnesty International said.

As with previous bouts of unrest, authorities appeared to have disrupted internet services on Friday.

"Confirmed: Real-time network data show a significant disruption to internet connectivity in Zahedan, #Iran; the incident comes amid a growing security presence during Friday protests," NetBlocks internet monitor said.

There was no immediate word on state media of Friday's protests. Tehran says the protests are instigated by its foreign enemies.

Meanwhile, Iran's currency continued its slide to hit new lows, weighed by the unrest and Tehran's increased isolation under mounting Western sanctions.

The rial plummeted to a new record low of 539,200 against the US dollar on Friday, compared to 526,500 on Thursday, according to foreign exchange site Bonbast.com, amid reports of new sanctions against Iran.

The US Commerce Department targeted Belarus, Iran and others in its latest response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, imposing export control measures and adding more targets to its entity list.

While the nationwide unrest has diminished in recent weeks, probably because of executions and crackdowns, acts of civil disobedience have continued from anti-government graffiti to unveiled women appearing in public.



Seoul: US, South Korea in Talks over US Commander's Remarks

US President Donald Trump meets with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, October 29, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters
US President Donald Trump meets with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, October 29, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters
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Seoul: US, South Korea in Talks over US Commander's Remarks

US President Donald Trump meets with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, October 29, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters
US President Donald Trump meets with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, October 29, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters

South Korea and the United States are in talks over recent public remarks by the commander of US Forces Korea, Seoul's presidential office said Saturday, after the comments drew sharp criticism from China.

In a recent podcast interview, Xavier Brunson described South Korea as "the dagger in the heart of Asia" from China's east coast, prompting the Chinese embassy in Seoul to say this week that he had "truly crossed the line".

The interview came amid growing speculation that Washington may seek to expand the role of US Forces Korea in countering the growing regional influence of China, a key ally of North Korea and Russia, AFP reported.

Brunson last year also underscored South Korea's strategic value in the broader Indo-Pacific, describing the US ally as a "fixed aircraft carrier" in the region, Yonhap reported.

South Korea's presidential Blue House said Saturday that it was "aware of Commander Brunson's recent series of public remarks" and that Seoul and Washington "have been maintaining communication at various levels regarding all relevant issues".

South Korea's local media outlet News1 said the presidential office complained to the US over the remarks, while broadcaster JTBC reported that such concerns had been raised 10 times previously.

The Blue House said it was "unable to confirm the specific details of the discussions held through diplomatic and security channels between South Korea and the United States".

"When they (the Chinese) look out from the east coast of China, what they see is there's Korea, the dagger in the heart of Asia," Brunson said, according to a transcript posted on the Strategic Studies Institute of the US Army War College.

Then there's Japan, he added, "sort of that shield that's sort of a backstop, if you will, for them trying and their ambitions beyond that into the South China Sea and then down to their southeast is the Philippines".

The Chinese Embassy in Seoul said Brunson's comments "truly crossed the line", and asked the USFK commander: "are your remarks rife with hostility and aggression regarding China authorized by Washington?"

"By calling your host nation an 'aircraft carrier' or 'dagger' or other such instruments of war, are you merely showing your own belligerence, or are you seeking to use another country as a pawn?" an unnamed spokesperson said, according to a transcript posted on the embassy's website on Friday.

About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea to help guard against the nuclear-armed North.


Russia Recalls Envoy to Armenia for 'Consultations' over Yerevan's EU Ties

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gives a speech during a state dinner in honor of the French leader at the presidential palace in Yerevan on May 4, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gives a speech during a state dinner in honor of the French leader at the presidential palace in Yerevan on May 4, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
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Russia Recalls Envoy to Armenia for 'Consultations' over Yerevan's EU Ties

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gives a speech during a state dinner in honor of the French leader at the presidential palace in Yerevan on May 4, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gives a speech during a state dinner in honor of the French leader at the presidential palace in Yerevan on May 4, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

Russia said Saturday it had recalled its ambassador to Armenia for "consultations" over Yerevan's growing ties with the EU, a day after President Vladimir Putin warned the Caucasus country against pivoting to Brussels.

Armenia has angered the Kremlin by warming ties with the EU in recent years, frustrated with Russia's perceived failure to protect it during conflicts with Azerbaijan, AFP said.

"The Russian ambassador to the Republic of Armenia, S. Kopyrkin, has been recalled to Moscow for consultations on steps taken by the Armenian leadership on a rapprochement with the European Union, undermining cooperation within Eurasian Economic Union," Moscow's foreign ministry said in a statement, referencing the Russian-led customs union.

The diplomat was called back after Putin escalated his rhetoric on Armenia during a summit with allies.

Speaking in Kazakhstan on Friday, Putin said the "Ukrainian scenario" began with Kyiv trying to join the EU and called on Armenia to hold a referendum on the issue "as soon as possible".

Putin said Armenia had to choose between the EU and the EEU, as it was "impossible to reconcile the two".

Armenia will hold an election next Sunday in a test of the premiership of Nikol Pashinyan, who has pursued ties with both Russia and the West.

Armenia held a European summit earlier this month, with the EU hailing a "leap forward" in ties.


Ukrainian Drones Strike Port, Oil Depot in Southern Russia, Authorities Say

Servicemen of the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine take part in a tactical training exercise on a shooting range at an undisclosed location in the Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine, 29 May 2026, amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)
Servicemen of the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine take part in a tactical training exercise on a shooting range at an undisclosed location in the Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine, 29 May 2026, amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)
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Ukrainian Drones Strike Port, Oil Depot in Southern Russia, Authorities Say

Servicemen of the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine take part in a tactical training exercise on a shooting range at an undisclosed location in the Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine, 29 May 2026, amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)
Servicemen of the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine take part in a tactical training exercise on a shooting range at an undisclosed location in the Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine, 29 May 2026, amid the Russian invasion. (EPA)

Ukrainian ‌drones struck a tanker at Russia's port of Taganrog overnight and hit an oil depot in the city of Armavir, authorities in the southern regions of Rostov and Krasnodar said on Saturday.

Rostov region Governor Yury Slyusar said on Telegram ‌that fires on ‌the tanker and in ‌the ⁠port of Taganrog - ⁠a city of about 240,000 - had been extinguished, with no oil spill reported. Two people were injured, he said.

The city's mayor, Svetlana Kambulova, ⁠said a local state of emergency, ‌introduced ‌on May 27, had been extended.

In ‌the neighboring Krasnodar region, ‌authorities in Armavir, which has a population of 185,000, said a fire at an oil depot in the ‌city's industrial zone had been brought under control and ⁠that ⁠there were no injuries.

Rostov governor Slyusar said that almost 50 drones had been downed in the region, with attacks reported across the province, which borders Ukraine's Donbas, the focus of fighting between Russia and Ukraine.

Outside Taganrog, he said, only minor damage was reported.