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Iran Will Never Remain Silent in Face of Aggression, President Says

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. (File photo: AP)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. (File photo: AP)
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Iran Will Never Remain Silent in Face of Aggression, President Says

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. (File photo: AP)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. (File photo: AP)

Iran will never remain silent in the face of aggression against its interests and security, President Masoud Pezeshkian told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, state media reported on Wednesday, amid an increase in regional tensions following the killing in Tehran last week of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Pezeshkian also told Macron that Tehran considers avoidance of war and the effort to establish global peace and security as fundamental principles.

He stressed if the US and Western countries are truly seeking to prevent war, they must force Israel to stop the "genocide" in Gaza and accept a ceasefire.

Macron told Pezeshkian that he must do everything in his power to avoid escalation in the region and that the cycle of retaliation must stop, the Elysee palace said in a statement.

Macron said Iran has to call on the "destabilizing players it supports" to exercise the utmost restraint to avoid a conflagration.

Tensions have soared in the Middle East following the assassination of Haniyeh and after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Fuad Shukr, a top military commander from Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

Later, acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani said Iran's response to Haniyeh's killing will take place "at the right time and in the appropriate shape."

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UK Police Prepare for Another Night of Violence as Country Reels from Disorder

A view of damage to Holiday Inn Express hotel hotel after rioters attacked the building in Rotherham, Britain, August 5, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of damage to Holiday Inn Express hotel hotel after rioters attacked the building in Rotherham, Britain, August 5, 2024. (Reuters)
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UK Police Prepare for Another Night of Violence as Country Reels from Disorder

A view of damage to Holiday Inn Express hotel hotel after rioters attacked the building in Rotherham, Britain, August 5, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of damage to Holiday Inn Express hotel hotel after rioters attacked the building in Rotherham, Britain, August 5, 2024. (Reuters)

British police are gearing up for another night of violence amid concerns that far-right groups plan to target as many as 30 locations around the United Kingdom on Wednesday following a week of rioting and disorder.

Authorities are mobilizing about 6,000 specially trained officers to respond to disorder throughout the UK, and London’s Metropolitan Police Service said it would do "everything in our power" to protect the capital.

"We know about the events planned by hateful and divisive groups across the capital," Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine of the Met said late Tuesday. "They’ve made their intention to cause disruption and division very clear ... We will not tolerate this on our streets."

UK cities and towns across have been wracked by violence for the past week as angry mobs egged on by far-right extremists have clashed with police and counterdemonstrators sparked by the spread of misinformation about the identity of the suspect in a stabbing rampage that killed three young girls in the seaside community of Southport. The suspect was falsely identified as an immigrant and a Muslim.

Rioters spouting anti-immigrant slogans have attacked mosques and hotels housing asylum-seekers, with reports emerging of violent counterattacks in some communities.

Internet chat groups have shared a list of law firms specializing in immigration and advice agencies as possible targets for gatherings Wednesday. The messages have invited people to "mask up" if attending.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a second consecutive meeting of the government’s COBRA emergency response committee on Tuesday to coordinate the response to the crisis, which he has described as "far-right thuggery."

Police have already made more than 400 arrests around the country, and the government has pledged to prosecute and jail those responsible for the disorder.

The government has also announced new measures to protect mosques.

London's Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a post on X that the police, city hall and community leaders are working to protect targeted buildings and places of worship. Those involved in the disorder will feel the full force of the law, he said.

"I know the shocking scenes have left many Muslims and minority ethnic communities scared and fearful, so I ask my fellow Londoners to check on their friends and neighbors and show them that care and compassion is what Londoners are all about," he said. "In London, we have zero-tolerance for racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism or any form of hate."