US Announces Aid to Bolster Thailand, Cambodia Truce

This handout photograph taken and released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) on January 2, 2026 shows a general view of damaged houses following clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers, in Chouk Chey village in Banteay Meanchey province. (Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) on January 2, 2026 shows a general view of damaged houses following clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers, in Chouk Chey village in Banteay Meanchey province. (Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) / AFP)
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US Announces Aid to Bolster Thailand, Cambodia Truce

This handout photograph taken and released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) on January 2, 2026 shows a general view of damaged houses following clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers, in Chouk Chey village in Banteay Meanchey province. (Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) on January 2, 2026 shows a general view of damaged houses following clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers, in Chouk Chey village in Banteay Meanchey province. (Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) / AFP)

The United States on Friday announced some $45 million in aid as it tries to bolster a fragile truce between Thailand and Cambodia.

Michael DeSombre, the top State Department official for East Asia, was visiting Thailand and Cambodia to discuss ways to strengthen the ceasefire, which President Donald Trump has sought to highlight as an achievement.

DeSombre said the United States would offer $20 million to help both countries combat drug trafficking and cyber scams, which have become a major concern in Cambodia.

He also said the United States would give $15 million to help support people displaced by the recent fighting as well as $10 million for demining, AFP said.

"The United States will continue to support the Cambodian and Thai governments as they implement the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords and pave the way for a return to peace, prosperity and stability for their people and the region," DeSombre said in a statement.

He was referring to an agreement signed between the two countries in the presence of Trump during an October visit to Malaysia, then head of the ASEAN regional bloc.

Major new clashes erupted last month. The two sides reached a truce on December 27 after three weeks of fighting, although Thailand accused Cambodia of violating in apparent accidental fire.

Cambodia has called on Thailand to pull out its forces from several border areas that Phnom Penh claims as its own.

The nations' long-standing conflict stems from a dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometer (500-mile) border, where both sides claim territory and centuries-old temple ruins.

Trump has listed the conflict as one of a number of wars he says he has solved as he loudly insists he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump on taking office drastically slashed foreign aid, including for months freezing longstanding assistance to Cambodia for demining, with the administration saying it will provide money only in support of narrow US interests.



Shamkhani: Iran Does Not Seek Nuclear Weapons

Ali Shamkhani, advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (AFP)
Ali Shamkhani, advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (AFP)
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Shamkhani: Iran Does Not Seek Nuclear Weapons

Ali Shamkhani, advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (AFP)
Ali Shamkhani, advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (AFP)

Ali Shamkhani, adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, spoke on the nuclear issue late Monday saying that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons and suggesting that if the talks with the US happened, they would be indirect at the beginning, then moving to direct talks if a deal appeared to be attainable.

The pan-Arab satellite channel Al Mayadeen, which is politically allied with the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, aired the interview with Shamkhani.

He also said that the US “must offer something in return” if Iran were to reduce the level of enrichment.

Shamkhani, who now sits on the country’s Supreme National Security Council and who in the 1980s led Iran's navy, wore a naval uniform as he spoke.

He suggested if the talks happened, they would be indirect at the beginning, then moving to direct talks if a deal appeared to be attainable.

Direct talks with the US long have been a highly charged political issue within Iran's theocracy, with reformists like President Masoud Pezeshkian pushing for them and hard-liners dismissing them.

The talks would solely focus on nuclear issues, he added.

Asked about whether Russia could take Iran's enriched uranium like it did in Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Shamkhani dismissed the idea, saying there was “no reason” to do so. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday said Russia had “long offered these services as a possible option that would alleviate certain irritants for a number of countries.”

“Iran does not seek nuclear weapons, will not seek a nuclear weapon and will never stockpile nuclear weapons, but the other side must pay a price in return for this," he said.

Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels. The International Atomic Energy Agency had said Iran was the only country in the world to enrich to that level that wasn't armed with the bomb.

Iran has been refusing requests by the IAEA to inspect the sites bombed in the June war.

“The quantity of enriched uranium remains unknown, because part of the stockpile is under rubble, and there is no initiative yet to extract it, as it is extremely dangerous," Shamkhani said.


Almost 140 Foreigners Arrested in Central Iran over Protests

Iranians walk in a street in Tehran, Iran, 02 February 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranians walk in a street in Tehran, Iran, 02 February 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
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Almost 140 Foreigners Arrested in Central Iran over Protests

Iranians walk in a street in Tehran, Iran, 02 February 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranians walk in a street in Tehran, Iran, 02 February 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Iranian authorities arrested 139 foreign nationals in central parts of the country during recent anti-government protests, local media reported Tuesday.

Iran's Tasnim news agency quoted the police chief in the city of Yazd as saying those arrested were involved "in organizing, inciting and directing riotous actions, and in some cases were in contact with networks outside the country".

The nationalities of those held were not specified, AFP reported.

"During the review of cases related to the recent rioters, it was determined that 139 of those arrested in these disturbances were foreign nationals," police chief Ahmad Negahban said.

Protests against the rising cost of living broke out in Iran on December 28 before morphing into nationwide anti-government demonstrations.

Tehran has acknowledged that more than 3,000 deaths occurred during the unrest, but insists that most were members of the security forces and innocent bystanders, attributing the violence to "terrorist acts".

The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based NGO, says it has confirmed 6,854 deaths, mostly protesters killed by security forces, with other rights groups warning the figure is likely far higher.

Iranian authorities have said the rallies began as peaceful demonstrations before turning into "riots" involving killings and vandalism that were inflamed by arch-foes the United States and Israel.


Fire Breaks Out at Western Tehran Bazaar

People walk near an anti-US mural on a building in Tehran, Iran, January 31, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
People walk near an anti-US mural on a building in Tehran, Iran, January 31, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Fire Breaks Out at Western Tehran Bazaar

People walk near an anti-US mural on a building in Tehran, Iran, January 31, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
People walk near an anti-US mural on a building in Tehran, Iran, January 31, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

A massive fire broke out Tuesday at a bazaar west of the Iranian capital, state media reported, although the cause of the blaze was unclear.

The fire had "so far resulted in no injuries", said Mohammad Behnia, operations commander of Tehran emergency services.

The fire erupted at a market in the Jannat Abad neighborhood in Tehran's west, an area filled with stalls and shops, state TV quoted a spokesman for Tehran's fire department as saying.

"The fire is extensive, to the extent that it is visible from various parts of Tehran," Jalal Maleki said.

State TV said firefighters were immediately dispatched to the site to contain the blaze.

Footage of the fire showed thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky and blanketing the surrounding area.