Intelligence: US Can Only Confirm about a Third of Iran's missile Arsenal Destroyedhttps://english.aawsat.com/world/5255955-intelligence-us-can-only-confirm-about-third-irans-missile-arsenal-destroyed
Intelligence: US Can Only Confirm about a Third of Iran's missile Arsenal Destroyed
Motorists drive along an expressway as plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran on March 5, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
The United States can only determine with certainty that it has destroyed about a third of Iran's vast missile arsenal as the US and Israeli war on the country nears its one-month mark, according to five people familiar with the US intelligence, Reuters reported.
The status of around another third is less clear but bombings likely damaged, destroyed or buried those missiles in underground tunnels and bunkers, four of the sources said. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the information.
One of the sources said the intelligence was similar for Iran's drone capability, saying there was some degree of certainty about a third having been destroyed.
The assessment, which has not been previously reported, shows that while most of Iran's missiles are either destroyed or inaccessible, Tehran still has a significant missile inventory and may be able to recover some buried or damaged missiles once fighting stops.
Erdogan Says He Conveyed Türkiye's Concerns on Potential Attacks on Iran to Trumphttps://english.aawsat.com/world/5339232-erdogan-says-he-conveyed-t%C3%BCrkiyes-concerns-potential-attacks-iran-trump
Erdogan Says He Conveyed Türkiye's Concerns on Potential Attacks on Iran to Trump
Erdogan pledged to continue investigations into the investment funds scandal until its eradication and to prevent its recurrence (Turkish Presidency)
Türkiye does not want to see a new wave of attacks against Iran, President Tayyip Erdogan said, adding that he conveyed his concerns to US President Donald Trump in a recent phone call.
"We emphasize at every opportunity that it is possible to resolve these issues through dialogue and diplomacy. Unfortunately, we see a negative shift once again. We are doing our utmost to prevent this," Erdogan told reporters on a return flight from Azerbaijan, according to a transcript shared by his office on Monday.
World Entering ‘Age of Climate Extremes’, Warns UN Chiefhttps://english.aawsat.com/world/5339220-world-entering-%E2%80%98age-climate-extremes%E2%80%99-warns-un-chief
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at the UN headquarters, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (AP)
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World Entering ‘Age of Climate Extremes’, Warns UN Chief
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at the UN headquarters, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (AP)
The world is entering a new reality where climate extremes are the norm, the United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned Monday, urging leaders at the COP31 climate conference in Türkiye to "get serious".
"A supersized El Nino is colliding with a planet already superheated by manmade climate change," the UN secretary general said in a statement.
"We have entered a new age of climate extremes."
As leaders gathered in Antalya for the UN climate summit, Guterres called on them to "get serious by cutting emissions faster, accelerating a just transition from fossil fuels and delivering the finance and protection vulnerable countries need".
His statement came as the UN's World Meteorological Organization released a report indicating that 2026 has continued a streak of exceptional global temperatures, melting ice and rising sea levels.
Each of the past 12 years have been among the hottest 12 years on record, the agency said, with this year expected to be among the hottest ever.
- 'Off the charts' -
"What we are seeing gives new meaning to the phrase off the charts," WMO chief Celeste Saulo told reporters in Geneva, cautioning that the current exceptionally strong El Nino could unleash more heat and extreme weather well into next year.
"We should prepare for another record-breaking year in 2027."
The global average surface temperature between January and September this year was around 1.47 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average, the WMO said.
And this year's El Nino -- expected to be the strongest since 1950 at least -- could push the figure higher by the end of the year.
Houses damaged by recent flash floods stand amid thick layers of sludge, mud and debris in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP)
Preliminary data shows 2026 figuring among the four hottest years on record, WMO climate information chief John Kenned told reporters, adding though that "with the El Nina developing, we might see when the final numbers come in that we're close to the top".
The naturally occurring weather phenomenon releases heat from the ocean, which this year has been the warmest ever measured, Saulo pointed out.
El Nino is declared when the sea surface temperature is half a degree above average in the tropical Pacific, but from now through January, WMO forecasts "it may be 3.8C above average", she said.
The WMO also reported that the global sea level was the highest on record, freshwater was dwindling and glaciers were continuing a long-term retreat.
In 2025, the annual mass loss of ice was enough to fill five Olympic pools every second that year, it said.
At the same time, "we are supercharging our weather and El Nino will be a risk multiplier", Saulo said, warning that "heatwaves, tropical cyclones, and rainstorms are intensifying faster than our historical baselines prepared us for".
On a positive note, the WMO hailed a significant increase of countries with essential multi-hazard early warning systems in place, from 55 in 2015 to 136 last year.
It urged the COP31 to ensure more investment in the sustained global observations, data-gathering and forecasting needed for such systems to work.
"We cannot afford to fly blind," Saulo said.
China Urges Return to Stability in Middle Easthttps://english.aawsat.com/world/5339219-china-urges-return-stability-middle-east
Iranians wave flags during an anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Tehran's Enqelab Square on November 4, 2026. (AFP)
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China Urges Return to Stability in Middle East
Iranians wave flags during an anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Tehran's Enqelab Square on November 4, 2026. (AFP)
China is willing to pursue stronger ties with Iran, China's special envoy to the Middle East Zhai Jun said in talks with Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.
Zhai met Kani in Iran, according to a readout from China's foreign ministry on Monday. He is visiting Iran and Oman this month, as China steps up efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East.
There needs to be a "focus on political solutions with a rational and pragmatic spirit, and promote the early restoration of stability and development in the region," Zhai said.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said all parties in the Middle East conflict should focus on political solutions rather than resorting to arms again.
President Xi Jinping has also previously said China was willing to work with African countries to address the spillover effects of the Middle East conflict.
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