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Army General Declares Himself Niger Leader

Supporters of the Nigerien defense and security forces gather during a demonstration outside the national assembly in Niamey on July 27, 2023. (AFP)
Supporters of the Nigerien defense and security forces gather during a demonstration outside the national assembly in Niamey on July 27, 2023. (AFP)
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Army General Declares Himself Niger Leader

Supporters of the Nigerien defense and security forces gather during a demonstration outside the national assembly in Niamey on July 27, 2023. (AFP)
Supporters of the Nigerien defense and security forces gather during a demonstration outside the national assembly in Niamey on July 27, 2023. (AFP)

Niger's putschists named an army general as the new leader of the unstable nation on Friday and warned against any foreign military intervention.  

General Abdourahamane Tchiani, head of the Presidential Guard since 2011, appeared on state television saying he was the "president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland".  

The general presented the coup as a response to "the degradation of the security situation" linked to extremist bloodshed.

A statement followed from the putschists on TV which warned of "the consequences that will flow from any foreign military intervention".

"Certain dignitaries ... are in thinking of confrontation" which "will end in nothing but the massacre of the Nigerien population and chaos," they claimed.

On the third day since President Mohamed Bazoum was detained, former colonial master France demanded the restoration of the democratically elected government saying it "does not recognize" the putschists, and calling Bazoum "sole president".

The coup has prompted mounting international concern, and on Friday Kenyan President William Ruto called the army takeover "a serious setback" for Africa.  

"The aspirations of the people of Niger for constitutional democracy were subverted by an unconstitutional change of government," he said in a video message.

The European Union threatened to cut aid to Niamey after what it said was a "serious attack on stability and democracy" in Niger.  

Bazoum and his family have been confined since Wednesday morning to their residence at the presidential palace located within the Guard's military camp.  

He is said to be in good health and has been able to talk by telephone to other heads of state.  

Army backs coup leaders  

The Guard's chiefs who staged the coup on Thursday had won broad army support.  

Armed forces chief General Abdou Sidikou Issa swung his weight behind the putschists saying it was "in order to avoid a deadly confrontation".  

The latest target of a coup in Africa's turbulent Sahel, Bazoum has tried to stand his ground as condemnations swelled from African and international organizations, allies Germany and the United States, as well as France.  

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna had seemed to hold out hope for the president's position.  

"If you hear me talking about an attempted coup, it's because we don't consider things final," she said. "There is still a way out if those responsible listen to the international community."  

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) would hold a summit "probably on Sunday", where "possible sanctions could be decided", Colonna said.

France, which has 1,500 soldiers in Niger, would support sanctions, she added.  

ECOWAS has demanded Bazoum's "immediate release", saying he "remains the legitimate and legal President of Niger".  

Pro-coup demonstrations  

The landlocked state is one of the world's poorest. Since gaining independence in 1960, it has seen four coups as well as numerous other attempts -- including two previously against Bazoum.  

The 63-year-old is one of a dwindling group of elected presidents and pro-Western leaders in the Sahel, where an extremist insurgency has triggered coups in Mali and Burkina Faso.  

Their juntas have forced out French troops, and in Mali the ruling military has woven a close alliance with Russia.

"What happened in Niger is nothing more than the struggle of the people of Niger against colonizers, who tried to impose their own rules of life," Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to say Thursday night in a message shared by a Russian body linked to the mercenary group.

The coup plotters had on Thursday urged "the population to remain calm", after young men ransacked Bazoum's PNDS party headquarters, setting fire to vehicles.  

They had split off from a 1,000 people who had demonstrated in the capital.  

Some held Russian flags and chanted anti-French and pro-Moscow slogans.  

"We want the same thing as in Mali and Burkina Faso," shouted 19-year-old student Alassane Alhousseini.  

"We want to take our destiny in our own hands."  

Despite the violence and an army ban on demonstrations, a coalition of parties opposed to Bazoum called for a show of support Friday for the "motivations" of the putschists "while disapproving of all change by force".  

Bazoum took office after elections two years ago, in Niger's first peaceful transition since independence.  

The country of 22 million is two-thirds desert and frequently ranks at the bottom of the UN's Human Development Index.  

It faces two insurgent campaigns: one which swept in from Mali in 2015 and the other involving extremists from Nigeria.

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World

Tehran Races to Curb Inflation, Stem Rial’s Slide

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sits between Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh and Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati during a financial meeting on Wednesday. (Iranian Presidency)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sits between Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh and Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati during a financial meeting on Wednesday. (Iranian Presidency)
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Tehran Races to Curb Inflation, Stem Rial’s Slide

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sits between Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh and Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati during a financial meeting on Wednesday. (Iranian Presidency)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sits between Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh and Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati during a financial meeting on Wednesday. (Iranian Presidency)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed the foreign exchange market, liquidity, inflation and the balance of payments during a three-hour meeting at the central bank, two days after the rial fell to a record low and Washington announced an expanded campaign to “choke” Iran’s economy.

Pezeshkian stressed the need to maintain economic stability and curb inflation expectations amid war, an economic blockade and external pressure, calling for full coordination between the central bank and institutions responsible for managing financial and currency markets, state news agency ISNA reported.

The Iranian president reviewed reports on liquidity levels, the foreign exchange market, the international balance of payments, monetary regulation policies and measures planned to steer the economy during and after the war.

Pezeshkian called for continued meetings with economic experts and for their proposals to be considered in shaping monetary, fiscal, banking, trade and corporate management policies. He also urged officials to explain the country’s economic problems to Iranians directly and transparently.

The meeting came after the United States imposed a new package of sanctions targeting about 60 individuals, entities and vessels, while expanding the risk of secondary sanctions to the digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping sectors.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington was seeking to sever “every economic lifeline” keeping the Iranian government afloat, pledging to hold accountable countries and companies that continue to deal with Tehran.

Pezeshkian said Tehran would continue to resist economic pressure, arguing that just as the United States had failed to achieve its objectives in the war, it would also fail through economic pressure.

Fuel stations

Pressure on the currency and prices coincided with disruption in the fuel market. Fuel stations in Tehran saw growing lines of cars and motorcycles on Tuesday after authorities announced a rare reduction in long-standing fuel quotas and imposed higher prices on purchases exceeding the allocated amounts.

Brent crude, meanwhile, fell below $90 a barrel on Tuesday as markets interpreted the new US sanctions as reducing, for now, the prospect of a resumption of large-scale military operations, despite continued risks to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The dollar breached the 2-million-rial mark for the first time on Monday, trading at about 2.02 million rials on the open market, compared with an official central bank rate of about 1.5 million rials.

The dollar was worth about 1.65 million rials before the war began on Feb. 28, reflecting a further decline in the currency over the past six months.

Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati sought to calm markets, describing the latest rise in foreign currency prices as “temporary” and saying the current volatility did not warrant a change in monetary policy direction.

He said the central bank had supplied the economy with an average of $175 million in foreign currency a day since the start of the Iranian year, compared with about $205 million during the same period a year earlier.

Hemmati announced a plan to allocate $20 billion to meet the industrial sector’s foreign-currency needs through the end of the year and pledged to supply the currency needed for medicines and essential goods.

He said the central bank had anticipated the outbreak of war since February and had therefore distributed foreign currency reserves across “different locations” that could be accessed when needed to secure essential supplies.

Hemmati described the past six months as “extremely difficult” but drew a distinction between enduring pressure and the “collapse” that authorities say the United States is seeking to force upon Iran’s economy.

He pledged to focus on curbing inflation and the currency’s decline, saying the central bank could not “print money without purpose and increase liquidity”.

Official data showed that annual inflation reached 66% in July, while consumer prices rose 87.9% from the same month a year earlier and food-price inflation reached 128%.

Rice prices have risen about 60% since the war began, while beef prices have increased by more than 150%, according to the Associated Press. The International Monetary Fund expects Iran’s economy to contract by more than 5%.

Financing production

The central bank plans to provide 700 trillion tomans to finance production through instruments it says do not rely on issuing new money.

Deputy Governor for Monetary Policy Vahid Majid said financing provided through instruments linked to production chains reached 197 trillion tomans during the first four months of the current Iranian year, as the bank seeks to expand “sustainable, non-inflationary financing”.

The central bank is also working to give exporters and importers greater flexibility in foreign currency trading, including by allowing direct agreements between the two sides and reducing the role of some intermediaries.

Hossein Tajiknejad, an official responsible for foreign currency allocation, said the central bank no longer purchased foreign banknotes itself but had allowed banks and importers to buy them at mutually agreed prices.

Tehran is also facing mounting restrictions on its foreign trade channels after the United Arab Emirates announced last week that it was suspending trade dealings with Iran, while the new US sanctions threaten companies and countries that continue to provide it with financial and commercial channels.

China, the largest buyer of Iranian oil and one of Tehran’s leading trading partners, warned that it would defend its interests after Washington announced the expansion of secondary sanctions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the policy of “maximum pressure” and economic warfare would not resolve problems, warning that such measures could destabilize the global economic and financial system and harm other countries’ rights.

He said Beijing would “take all necessary measures” to protect its interests, posing a test of Washington’s ability to enforce the new restrictions on Iranian trade, particularly regarding Chinese-Iranian economic ties.

Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh said his country had prepared a “two-year plan” to counter the new sanctions and that Washington would not achieve through economic pressure what, in his words, it had failed to achieve militarily.

World

Iranian Messages Seek to Defuse Iraq Dispute Over Armed Factions

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attends a Coordination Framework meeting in Baghdad. (INA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attends a Coordination Framework meeting in Baghdad. (INA)
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Iranian Messages Seek to Defuse Iraq Dispute Over Armed Factions

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attends a Coordination Framework meeting in Baghdad. (INA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attends a Coordination Framework meeting in Baghdad. (INA)

Iran has urged leaders of Iraq’s Coordination Framework to contain a dispute over armed factions’ weapons and avoid a confrontation with groups that may refuse to disarm after a Sept. 30 deadline set by Baghdad.

Iraq’s judiciary, meanwhile, said it would take action against anyone carrying weapons after the deadline.

Local reports cited informed sources as saying Tehran had called for negotiations with the factions rather than confrontation. The proposed talks would cover which weapons could be surrendered, how they would be handed over, and what the factions might receive in return.

Committees could also be formed to manage the process and prevent a direct confrontation with the government or the United States.

The move comes as Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government pushes ahead with a plan to place all weapons under state control.

Baghdad has tied the end of September to the conclusion of the US-led international coalition’s military mission against ISIS and the start of a new phase in bilateral security relations.

National Security Adviser Qassem al-Araji said this week that the coalition’s mission would end on Sept. 30. Dialogue with the factions over restricting weapons could begin afterward, he said, in an apparent effort to ease tensions over the deadline.

An informed source said a senior Iranian official briefly attended a recent Coordination Framework meeting and delivered messages on how to handle the coming political and security developments.

The messages also addressed the communication channel between the Framework and Tehran.

The reports identified the official as Mohsen Qomi, a representative of Iran’s supreme leader. Qomi attended part of the meeting in Baghdad during a visit that the source said was also intended to formally introduce his role to the Iraqi government and political and religious leaders.

The source said Qomi left shortly afterward and did not take part in all the discussions.

Qomi also met Coordination Framework leaders in Baghdad, including Iraqi Islamic Supreme Council President Humam Hamoudi and al-Zaidi.

The meeting, held at Hamoudi’s office, covered issues of mutual interest, according to the Iraqi News Agency.

The reports said Qomi told Framework leaders that Hamoudi had been designated as a channel of communication between Iran and Iraq. The move would organize political contacts with Tehran as pressure mounts on Iran-aligned armed factions.

The reports attributed the delay in Qomi’s visit to security conditions in Iran. His arrival coincided with growing debate in Iraq over the future of armed groups after the coalition’s mission ends.

Ghalib al-Daami, a professor of media studies at Mustansiriyah University, said the Coordination Framework forces understood the risks of confronting the United States over the weapons issue.

But they also did not want disarmament to be carried out quickly or fully if that would strengthen the government and the prime minister, he said.

Daami said Shi’ite forces could seek a formula that partly meets US demands without handing the government a major political victory. In his view, those forces generally prefer to keep the prime minister’s success within limits they can control.

Washington says ending the coalition’s military mission does not mean abandoning its security relationship with Baghdad. Instead, the relationship will shift to a bilateral defense partnership.

The United States and Iraq agreed in 2024 on a timetable to end the coalition’s military mission in Iraq by September.

The deadline has brought growing pressure on Iran-backed armed groups to surrender their weapons or fully integrate into state institutions.

Iraqi officials say some factions are resisting the move, making the issue one of the most sensitive tests facing al-Zaidi’s government as the coalition mission draws to a close.

International coalition withdrawal

In the Kurdistan Region, German forces serving with the international coalition ended their military and advisory duties this week, another step in the coalition’s gradual withdrawal.

An official ceremony was held on Tuesday at Camp Stephan at Erbil International Airport.

Officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Peshmerga Ministry attended, along with representatives of the German Defense Ministry.

The Peshmerga Ministry said the German advisers and trainers had completed their mission after years of working with Peshmerga forces in the fight against ISIS.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani told a member of the German parliament that the region valued Germany’s support during the war against terrorism.

He highlighted the assistance Germany provided while Peshmerga forces were fighting and the region was receiving large numbers of displaced people.

The German withdrawal comes as US troops and the remaining coalition forces finalize plans to leave Iraq.

The United States and Iraq agreed in 2024 to end the coalition’s military mission and move to a bilateral security partnership. Cooperation against ISIS will continue under the new arrangements.

Separately, Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council President Faeq Zidan met with Joshua Harris, chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Baghdad, on Wednesday.

They discussed judicial measures against individuals and groups carrying weapons in violation of the Constitution and the law.

The meeting signaled a growing focus on the judiciary’s role as the end of the coalition’s military mission approaches.

The Supreme Judicial Council said the talks covered measures the judiciary would take after the mission ends on Sept. 30. They also discussed how to enforce the rule of law equally.

The meeting followed Zidan’s visit to Iran, where he met several senior officials.

They included Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Supreme National Security Council Secretary-General Mohsen Rezaei, according to statements from Iraq’s judiciary.

After meeting Zidan in Tehran, Rezaei said the countries of the region would determine their own future and that the US would have no place there.

He said Iran wanted “an independent and strong Iraq.”

Rezaei also called for resolving the status of groups opposed to Iran that are based along the two countries’ border, a reference to Iranian Kurdish parties in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region.

World

Trump Believes Iran’s Supreme Leader Is Still Alive

Iranians shop at a bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, 25 August 2026. (EPA)
Iranians shop at a bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, 25 August 2026. (EPA)
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Trump Believes Iran’s Supreme Leader Is Still Alive

Iranians shop at a bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, 25 August 2026. (EPA)
Iranians shop at a bazaar in northern Tehran, Iran, 25 August 2026. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he believes Iran's supreme leader, who has not been seen in public since taking over after his father's killing in February, remains alive. 

"I don't think he's dead. He was very seriously wounded. The left side of his body, the arm, the leg, the whole thing. He was very seriously wounded. But I don't think he's dead," Trump said in an interview with conservative radio host Glenn Beck. 

Officially, Mojtaba Khamenei continues to lead his country under US and Israeli attack. However, his public absence and the rise to power of veteran Revolutionary Guards figures has fueled speculation that he is either dead or not fully in command. 

His father was killed in bombing at the start of the US-Israeli assault. 

Trump -- who has already declared victory over Iran on multiple occasions but remains unable to force the opening of the Hormuz sea route or force Iran to surrender its nuclear materials -- said again that military and economic pressure was working. 

"Those things are going toward a very big victory," he said. "We're going to have a big victory here very soon." 

Trump also insisted that the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran's military has disrupted and to a large extent blocked shipping, is in fact fully open. 

"You could really say, you know, because the Strait is open. We take a lot of ships through the Strait now. We're taking them in. The mines are gone," he said. 

"We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That's what it's all about. That's 99.9 percent. We cannot let them because they are crazy and they will use it," he said, before adding that he had already "stopped it twice."