Iran Calls on US to ‘Stop Hypocrisy’ in Gaza War

Members of the Iranian parliament chant slogans in support of Hamas on Oct. 7. (IRNA)
Members of the Iranian parliament chant slogans in support of Hamas on Oct. 7. (IRNA)
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Iran Calls on US to ‘Stop Hypocrisy’ in Gaza War

Members of the Iranian parliament chant slogans in support of Hamas on Oct. 7. (IRNA)
Members of the Iranian parliament chant slogans in support of Hamas on Oct. 7. (IRNA)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called on the United States to stop its “hypocrisy” in the Gaza war.

“More than 120 countries called for an end to the war. Millions of people took to the streets in cities around the globe, including Washington, in support of Palestine and to condemn ‘war crimes’. Yet, the White House prefers to be complicit and abet the collapsing regime of Israel at the expense of countering the global public opinion,” he said on X.

“Since last week, America has been after a humanitarian ceasefire. We received their message. They are completely wrong... They are running the game of war against Gaza and the West Bank simultaneously. Stop hypocrisy and genocide against Gaza,” he continued.

Abdollahian’s post came hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani met in Tehran with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Ibrahim Raisi, a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Baghdad.

With the escalation of the war of words between Iran and Israel, US forces in Iraq and Syria have been subjected to almost daily attacks since Oct. 17 by Iranian-backed armed groups. In response, US forces launched air strikes last week on two unmanned weapons storage facilities in Syria.

Meanwhile, Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani said on Tuesday that Israel will not achieve any of its goals in Gaza.

He added: “The support of America and the West for the crimes of the Zionist entity will increase the complications of the regional security situation,” Tasnim agency reported.

In turn, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi said on Tuesday that the Gaza developments are an “indication of a radical change in regional equations.”

The government-affiliated ISNA agency quoted the minister as saying: “The events in the Gaza Strip are taking place in an area of 350 kilometers, but they have brought about profound cultural changes.”

Vahidi, a prominent leader in the Revolutionary Guards, added that this “profound development” was not limited to Palestine, stressing that the demonstrations at universities, such as Harvard and Oxford, are “manifestations of this change.”

Iranian ambassador to Vienna Abbas Bagherpour warned of the consequences of the war in Gaza on Europe.

“What we are witnessing in Palestine is a failed international system, a broken United Nations, and defective international law,” he said on X, adding: “This situation will lead to devastating chaos for the collective security system.”



Nearly 400 Would-be Migrants Rescued Off Greek Island

A woman looks at sunset on Christmas Day, at a southern coastal suburb in Athens, Greece, December 25, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
A woman looks at sunset on Christmas Day, at a southern coastal suburb in Athens, Greece, December 25, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
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Nearly 400 Would-be Migrants Rescued Off Greek Island

A woman looks at sunset on Christmas Day, at a southern coastal suburb in Athens, Greece, December 25, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
A woman looks at sunset on Christmas Day, at a southern coastal suburb in Athens, Greece, December 25, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki

The Greek coastguard on Friday rescued nearly 400 would-be migrants from a fishing boat and another vessel off southern Crete, ANA news agency reported.

In one operation about 35 nautical miles from the small island of Gavdos, off Crete, a coastguard vessel, a Danish freighter and a helicopter took 365 people off a fishing boat, according to the agency.

Earlier about 30 people were moved onto a Frontex European frontier agency boat, about 25 nautical miles from Gavdos. They were taken to Crete, AFP reported.

Some 39 people on a rubber dinghy were rescued on Thursday just south of Crete.

The sea between Türkiye and Greece and Libya to Greece are popular routes for undocumented migrants trying to reach Europe.

There are many accidents however. Seventeen bodies, mainly Egyptians and Sudanese, were found and another 15 people were believed missing after one their vessel capsized this month.


Israel Becomes 1st Country to Recognize Somaliland as 'Sovereign State'

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem, December 22, 2025.  ABIR SULTAN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem, December 22, 2025. ABIR SULTAN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
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Israel Becomes 1st Country to Recognize Somaliland as 'Sovereign State'

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem, December 22, 2025.  ABIR SULTAN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem, December 22, 2025. ABIR SULTAN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Israel on Friday formally recognized Somaliland as an "independent and sovereign state" and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties, as the region's leader hailed its first-ever official recognition.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "announced today the official recognition of the Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state,” his office said, making Israel the first country to do so.

"The declaration is in the spirit of the Abraham Accords," Netanyahu's office said, referring to several agreements between Israel and Arab countries brokered by US President Donald Trump during his first presidency.

Netanyahu said Israel would seek immediate cooperation with Somaliland in agriculture, health, technology and the economy. In a statement he congratulated Somaliland's president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, praised his leadership and invited him to visit Israel.

Abdullahi, hailed the move, saying it marked the beginning of a "strategic partnership.”

"This is a historic moment as we warmly welcome... the Prime Minister of the State of Israel's recognition of the Republic of Somaliland and affirm Somaliland's readiness to join the Abraham Accords," normalizing relations with Israel, he posted on X.

He said Somaliland was committed to ⁠building partnerships, boosting mutual prosperity and promoting stability across the Middle East and Africa.

Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has for decades pushed for international recognition, the key priority for Abdullahi since he took office last year.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the two countries had agreed to establish "full diplomatic ties, which will include the appointment of ambassadors and the opening of embassies.”

"I have instructed my ministry to act immediately to institutionalize ties between the two countries across a wide range of fields," he said in a statement on X.


14 Injured in Japan After Stabbing, Liquid Spray Attack, Official Says

This photo taken on November 28, 2025 shows the view from the lobby of a high-rise building in Tokyo. (AFP)
This photo taken on November 28, 2025 shows the view from the lobby of a high-rise building in Tokyo. (AFP)
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14 Injured in Japan After Stabbing, Liquid Spray Attack, Official Says

This photo taken on November 28, 2025 shows the view from the lobby of a high-rise building in Tokyo. (AFP)
This photo taken on November 28, 2025 shows the view from the lobby of a high-rise building in Tokyo. (AFP)

Fourteen people were injured in a stabbing attack in a factory in central Japan during which an unspecified liquid was also sprayed, an emergency services official said on Friday.

"Fourteen people are subject to transportation by emergency services," Tomoharu Sugiyama, a firefighting department official in the city of Mishima, in Shizuoka region, told AFP.

He said a call was received at about 4.30 pm (0730 GMT) from a nearby rubber factory saying "five or six people were stabbed by someone" and that a "spray-like liquid" had also been used.

Japanese media, including public broadcaster NHK, reported that police had arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder.

The Asahi Shimbun daily quoted investigative sources as saying that the man in his 30s was someone connected to the factory.

He was wearing what appeared to be a gas mask, the newspaper and other media said.

Asahi also said that he was apparently armed with what it described as a survival knife.
NHK said the man told police that he was 38 years old.

The seriousness of the injuries was unknown, although NHK said all victims remained conscious.

Sugiyama said at least six of the 14 victims had been sent to hospital in a fleet of ambulances. The exact nature of the injuries was also unclear.

The factory in Mishima is run by Yokohama Rubber Co., whose business includes manufacturing tires for trucks and buses, according to its corporate website.

Violent crime is relatively rare in Japan, which has a low murder rate and some of the world's toughest gun laws.

However, there are occasional stabbing attacks and even shootings, including the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.

A Japanese man was sentenced to death in October for a shooting and stabbing rampage that killed four people, including two police officers, in 2023.

A 43-year-old man was also charged with attempted murder in May over a knife attack at Tokyo's Toda-mae metro station.

Japan remains shaken by the memory of a major subway attack in 1995 when members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult released sarin gas on trains, killing 14 people and making more than 5,800 ill.

On March 20, 1995, five members of the Aum cult dropped bags of Nazi-developed sarin nerve agent inside morning commuter trains on March 20, 1995, piercing the pouches with sharpened umbrella tips before fleeing.