Iran Complains to UN Nuclear Watchdog about Israeli Threats against Its Nuclear Sites

People walk through the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP)
People walk through the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP)
TT

Iran Complains to UN Nuclear Watchdog about Israeli Threats against Its Nuclear Sites

People walk through the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP)
People walk through the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP)

Iran has written to the UN nuclear watchdog to complain about Israeli threats to strike its atomic energy sites, its foreign ministry spokesman said at a weekly news conference on Monday.

Israel has vowed to attack Iran in retaliation for a volley of Iranian missiles on Oct. 1, stirring widespread speculation that Iranian nuclear sites could be among the targets.

"Threats to attack nuclear sites are against UN resolutions.... and are condemned ... We have sent a letter about it to ... the UN nuclear watchdog," ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told the televised news conference.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel would listen to key ally the United States regarding a response to Iran's missile attack but would decide its actions according to its own national interest.

His statement was attached to a Washington Post article which said Netanyahu had told President Joe Biden's administration that Israel would strike Iranian military targets, not nuclear or oil sites.

Baghaei, responding to a question about the possibility of Iran changing its official nuclear doctrine, said "weapons of mass destruction have no place in our policy". Tehran would decide on how and when to respond to any Israeli attack.

Iran has repeatedly denied Western accusations that it has covertly sought to develop nuclear bombs in violation of its commitment to the global Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Iran fired scores of missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israeli strikes on its allies Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip - the second Iranian missile attack on Israel this year. Israel responded to the first missile volley in April with an airstrike on an air defense site in central Iran.



Helicopter Crashes in Houston, Killing 4 and Destroying Radio Tower

A US AH-64 Apache helicopter. Reuters file photo
A US AH-64 Apache helicopter. Reuters file photo
TT

Helicopter Crashes in Houston, Killing 4 and Destroying Radio Tower

A US AH-64 Apache helicopter. Reuters file photo
A US AH-64 Apache helicopter. Reuters file photo

A helicopter crashed Sunday in Houston, killing four people on board and destroying a radio tower, officials said.

The helicopter went down just before 8 p.m. in Houston's Second Ward, east of the city's downtown, after taking off from Ellington Field, which is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) away, Mayor John Whitmire said at a news conference. He didn't know its destination.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a social media post that it was investigating the crash of the Robinson R44 II helicopter.

The private helicopter with four people on board, including a child, either struck a cable or the tower, Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz said at the news conference. As far as officials know, there was no one on the ground when the crash occurred, he said. The identities of the victims and their ages have not yet been released, The AP reported.

Firefighters at a nearby station heard the crash and responded, Whitmire said. Area residents were safe, but there was a “terrible accident scene” with multiple fatalities and the tower and helicopter were destroyed, Whitmire said. Some area residents lost power, Whitmire said.

“It is surrounded by residences and that’s where we were very fortunate — that it didn’t topple in one direction or another,” Whitmire said.

A large area of grass caught fire, but no nearby residences were damaged, just the tower, according to Fire Chief Thomas Muñoz.

“The helicopter that crashed in Second Ward was not an HPD helicopter, it was a private touring helicopter,” Houston City Councilmember Mario Castillo said on X, although that could not be immediately confirmed.

Police and fire officials have urged residents near the crash site to call 911 if they find anything on their property that could help in their investigation. In addition to the NTSB, the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Public Safety and Houston fire and police were involved in the investigation, officials said.