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Iran Dismisses European Condemnation of Satellite Launch

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
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Iran Dismisses European Condemnation of Satellite Launch

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

Iran on Saturday dismissed three European countries’ condemnation of its launch of the Soraya satellite, saying peaceful technological advancement in the aerospace field was the country’s legitimate right.
France, Germany and Britain on Friday condemned the launch of the Soraya last week using the Ghaem-100 Space Launch Vehicle (SLV), Reuters said.
The SLV uses technology essential for the development of a long-range ballistic missile system, which could also allow Tehran to launch longer-range weapons, the countries said in a joint statement.
“Such interventionist statements,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani in a post on X, “will not make a dent in Iran’s determination to advance in science and technology.”
Iran, he said, “considers the use of peaceful technologies” as its given right.
Last week, the Soraya satellite, which is being developed by the research arm of the civilian Iranian Space Agency, was put into a 750 km (470 mile) orbit, the highest successfully reached by Iran, according to Iranian media.
The 50 kg (110 lb) satellite was launched by the Qaem 100, a three-stage solid-fuel rocket built by the elite military Revolutionary Guards, they said.
Tehran denies US assertions that such activity is a cover for ballistic missile development and says it has never pursued the development of nuclear weapons.
Iran, which has one of the biggest missile programs in the Middle East, has suffered several failed satellite launches in recent years due to technical issues.

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World

Explosions Heard Overnight in Ethiopia's Capital

(FILES) Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters prepare to leave for another field at Tigray Martyr's Memorial Monument Center in Mekele, the capital of Tigray region, Ethiopia, on June 30, 2021. (Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP)
(FILES) Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters prepare to leave for another field at Tigray Martyr's Memorial Monument Center in Mekele, the capital of Tigray region, Ethiopia, on June 30, 2021. (Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP)
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Explosions Heard Overnight in Ethiopia's Capital

(FILES) Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters prepare to leave for another field at Tigray Martyr's Memorial Monument Center in Mekele, the capital of Tigray region, Ethiopia, on June 30, 2021. (Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP)
(FILES) Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters prepare to leave for another field at Tigray Martyr's Memorial Monument Center in Mekele, the capital of Tigray region, Ethiopia, on June 30, 2021. (Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP)

Explosions were heard overnight in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, three diplomatic sources told Reuters.

A source linked to the opposition alliance that has been fighting federal forces in northern Ethiopia since last week said the alliance had carried out several drone strikes in Addis Ababa, including some targeting the military's headquarters there.

Reuters could ‌not independently ‌verify the claim.

If confirmed, ‌the ⁠strikes would mark ⁠the first known drone attack by anti-government forces on the Ethiopian capital.

Spokespeople for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office, the federal government and the military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Last ⁠week's clashes in northern Ethiopia ‌were the biggest escalation ‌of violence in Ethiopia since the end ‌of a 2020-2022 civil war.

The national intelligence ‌service announced on Wednesday that it was banning for an indefinite period all drone flights over Addis Ababa and its surroundings for ‌security reasons.

Opposition alliance forces were not previously known to operate armed ⁠drones. ⁠However, there is growing evidence they may possess at least some drone capability.

On Tuesday, a pro-government militia in the northern region of Tigray said it had captured drone frames and batteries from forces linked to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), one of the alliance's main members.

Reuters could not independently verify that claim.

World

Immigration Judge Rules US Can Deport President of Wisconsin's Largest Mosque

FILE - This photo provided by Yaseen Jajeeb shows Islamic Society of Milwaukee President Salah Sarsour on June 18, 2026, shortly after his release from Clay County Jail in Brazil, Indiana, where he was detained after his arrest by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in March. (Yaseen Najeeb via AP, File)
FILE - This photo provided by Yaseen Jajeeb shows Islamic Society of Milwaukee President Salah Sarsour on June 18, 2026, shortly after his release from Clay County Jail in Brazil, Indiana, where he was detained after his arrest by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in March. (Yaseen Najeeb via AP, File)
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Immigration Judge Rules US Can Deport President of Wisconsin's Largest Mosque

FILE - This photo provided by Yaseen Jajeeb shows Islamic Society of Milwaukee President Salah Sarsour on June 18, 2026, shortly after his release from Clay County Jail in Brazil, Indiana, where he was detained after his arrest by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in March. (Yaseen Najeeb via AP, File)
FILE - This photo provided by Yaseen Jajeeb shows Islamic Society of Milwaukee President Salah Sarsour on June 18, 2026, shortly after his release from Clay County Jail in Brazil, Indiana, where he was detained after his arrest by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in March. (Yaseen Najeeb via AP, File)

An immigration judge ruled that the US government can deport Palestinian American Salah Sarsour, who is the president of Wisconsin's largest mosque and a US permanent resident, under a Cold War-era law.
Sarsour, who grew up in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in late March and released in mid-June after a federal judge said he had raised a substantial free speech retaliation claim that would render his detention unlawful, reported Reuters.
Chicago Immigration ‌Court Judge Jayme ‌Salinardi sided late on Tuesday with the government's argument that ‌Sarsour ⁠posed a security and ⁠foreign policy threat under the Cold War-era Immigration and Nationality Act, while rejecting the government's allegation that he lied on his green card application.
The US Department of Homeland Security welcomed the ruling, saying the judge "sustained multiple grounds of removability" in the case.
Sarsour said his legal team will appeal the ruling, which he called "deeply disappointing."
"I will not stop standing up for what's right and for justice in Palestine," he said in a statement. Sarsour cannot ⁠be deported until all legal avenues available to him are ‌exhausted. He says his life will be at risk ‌if deported to the West Bank.
Islamic Society of Milwaukee, Wisconsin's largest mosque, says Sarsour has ‌lived in the US for over three decades.
The mosque has said Sarsour ‌was "being targeted on the basis of his Palestinian and Muslim background, and his advocacy for Palestinian rights."
He has type 2 diabetes and lost more than 30 pounds in ICE detention, his legal team said.
Sarsour has no criminal record in the US and was convicted as a teenager ‌in Israeli military court before he came to the United States, which the Trump administration noted to cast him as a ⁠threat. Sarsour says ⁠the government has known that information for decades.
Israeli rights group B'Tselem says military courts in the West Bank, where Palestinians are tried for alleged crimes, have a 96% conviction rate and a history of extracting confessions through torture.
President Donald Trump's administration says Sarsour was convicted of throwing Molotov cocktails at the homes of Israeli armed forces.
Sarsour denies committing such crimes and says he was tortured and coerced into past confessions.
Trump has attempted to deport foreign pro-Palestinian protesters, threatened funding freezes for universities where protests were held, enforced a social media screening of immigrants and sanctioned Israel's critics.
Trump alleges pro-Palestinian voices are antisemitic and support extremists. Advocates, including some Jewish groups, say their criticism of Israeli attacks on Gaza and of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories does not amount to antisemitism, and their advocacy for Palestinian rights should not be conflated with supporting extremism.

World

Ukraine Urges US to Sanction Entities Supporting Russia's Starlink Rival

Plastic letters arranged to read "Sanctions" are placed in front of Ukraine's and Russia's flag colors in this illustration taken February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/ File Photo
Plastic letters arranged to read "Sanctions" are placed in front of Ukraine's and Russia's flag colors in this illustration taken February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/ File Photo
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Ukraine Urges US to Sanction Entities Supporting Russia's Starlink Rival

Plastic letters arranged to read "Sanctions" are placed in front of Ukraine's and Russia's flag colors in this illustration taken February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/ File Photo
Plastic letters arranged to read "Sanctions" are placed in front of Ukraine's and Russia's flag colors in this illustration taken February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/ File Photo

Ukraine is urging the United States to impose sanctions on several Russian entities that it says are helping develop Moscow's Rassvet satellite network as a domestic alternative to SpaceX's Starlink, its acting ambassador said on Wednesday.

Denys Sienik, deputy chief of mission at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, told reporters Russia was rapidly expanding the Rassvet satellite network, saying its goal to start operations in 2027 would pose grave risks to Ukraine.

"If they launch Rassvet by the end of 2026, they will be able to target to hit Ukrainian targets real time on our territory," Sienik said, adding that he would share details with the US government and Congress about ‌the firms and ‌individuals that Kyiv accuses of aiding Rassvet.

"If these entities are not sanctioned, ‌it ⁠will actually make this ⁠program possible for Russia and that will be a game-changer," Sienik said. He also stressed Ukraine's urgent need for some 300 additional Patriot interceptors by winter, saying that Russia was producing more than 100 ballistic missiles per month.

The US Treasury Department had no immediate comment on Ukraine's push for new sanctions, Reuters said.

Russia plans to start operating Rassvet, a smaller version of Elon Musk's Starlink system, in 2027, Alexei Shelobkov, CEO of Iks Holding, the company developing the service, said in June. The company launched its first 16 low-orbit satellites in March ⁠and plans to reach 900 over several years.

SpaceX currently has more ‌than 10,000 satellites in orbit. Starlink is banned in Russia, ‌and the use of its equipment is subject to fines.

Western nations have targeted the infrastructure behind Russia's space-based communications ‌efforts, but gaps remain. Kyiv has been pressing Washington to expand sanctions against a broader group of ‌Russian companies and individuals.

Ukraine has been pressing for access to expanded Starlink satellite internet coverage so it can strike Russian ballistic missile launchers located inside Russian territory, a position backed by Finnish President Alexander Stubb last week.

SHORTAGE OF AIR DEFENSE

With winter looming, Ukraine has an acute shortage of air defenses to repel Russian ballistic missiles, ‌and Kyiv officials believe that turning on Starlink over Russian territory would help it target the Russian launchers that fire the missiles.

Sienik also questioned ⁠the lack of US ⁠response when Russian strikes hit American firms in Ukraine, saying US complaints about Ukrainian strikes that hit US assets in the Caspian Sea had resulted in closer cooperation and more precise targeting.

But Washington remained silent in terms of messaging to Moscow when US firms in Ukraine were struck, and officials were even reluctant to name the companies affected, he said.

Sienik last week posted details of US firms being hit by Russia missiles in Ukraine, including offices of Boeing, Flex and Bunge. A Coca-Cola facility in the Kyiv region was also hit in September, along with a logistics facility serving McDonald’s, he said in his message on X.

"It is not a coincidence, Russia knows what it is doing by attacking regular businesses operating in Ukraine, supported by American investment and serving civilian needs," he wrote.

"While Russia must be deprived of the possibility to cause more deaths and destruction by strong sanctions, Ukraine must have enough air defense capabilities to protect itself but also to ensure the security of the American businesses operating and investing in Ukraine."