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Israel Army Says Destroyed Radars, Missile Launchers in Iran Strikes

A fire truck is seen outside a building that was hit by Israeli air strikes in central Tehran, Iran, 13 June 2025. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
A fire truck is seen outside a building that was hit by Israeli air strikes in central Tehran, Iran, 13 June 2025. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
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Israel Army Says Destroyed Radars, Missile Launchers in Iran Strikes

A fire truck is seen outside a building that was hit by Israeli air strikes in central Tehran, Iran, 13 June 2025. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
A fire truck is seen outside a building that was hit by Israeli air strikes in central Tehran, Iran, 13 June 2025. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Israel's military on Friday said it destroyed dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran in a wave of air strikes.

"In recent hours, Air Force fighter jets, guided by precise intelligence from the Intelligence Directorate, completed an extensive strike against the Iranian regime's air defense system in western Iran," a military statement said.

"As part of the strikes, dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers were destroyed."

Over the past year, Israel has been targeting Iran’s air defenses, hitting a radar system for a Russian-made air defense battery in April 2024 and surface-to-air missile sites and missile manufacturing facilities in October.

Some 200 Israeli aircraft took part in Friday's operation, hitting about 100 targets, including the country's nuclear program, Israeli army chief spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said.

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World

Iran Seizes 2 Foreign Oil Tankers in Persian Gulf, State Media Says

In this photo taken on August 18, 2019, an Iranian flag flutters on board an oil tanker that entered Syria’s Baniyas Port. (AFP File Photo)
In this photo taken on August 18, 2019, an Iranian flag flutters on board an oil tanker that entered Syria’s Baniyas Port. (AFP File Photo)
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Iran Seizes 2 Foreign Oil Tankers in Persian Gulf, State Media Says

In this photo taken on August 18, 2019, an Iranian flag flutters on board an oil tanker that entered Syria’s Baniyas Port. (AFP File Photo)
In this photo taken on August 18, 2019, an Iranian flag flutters on board an oil tanker that entered Syria’s Baniyas Port. (AFP File Photo)

Iran seized two foreign oil tankers in the Persian Gulf on Thursday, state television reported, claiming the vessels had been smuggling fuel.

The report did not provide a nationality of the tankers or say what flag they were flying under.

Gen. Heidar Honarian Mojarrad, a regional commander with the Revolutionary Guard’s navy, said the tankers had been carrying about 1 million liters of fuel (about 6,300 barrels), including diesel and were seized near Farsi island and transferred to Bushehr, The AP news reported.

Fifteen crew members on board the two tankers are “in custody of judicial bodies,” he said, without providing their nationalities.

Iran occasionally seizes oil-carrying vessels over similar charges in the region.

In December, it seized a foreign tanker as it traveled the strategic Strait of Hormuz, detaining 16 crew. It had also seized a ship in the Strait of Hormuz in November.

The West has blamed Iran for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as for a drone attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker that killed two European crew members in 2021. Those attacks began after US President Donald Trump, in his first term in office, unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

World

Germany's Merz Urges Iran to 'Truly Enter Talks' with US

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during a press conference with Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan(not pictured) at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 28 January 2026. (EPA)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during a press conference with Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan(not pictured) at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 28 January 2026. (EPA)
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Germany's Merz Urges Iran to 'Truly Enter Talks' with US

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during a press conference with Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan(not pictured) at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 28 January 2026. (EPA)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during a press conference with Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan(not pictured) at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 28 January 2026. (EPA)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Iran's leadership to "truly enter talks" on Thursday, the eve of their planned negotiations with US envoys, saying there was a "great fear of military escalation in the region".

Speaking to reporters in the Qatari capital Doha, Merz said Iran had to "stop its nuclear program" and avoid "further military threats" to Israel and other countries in the region.

"Talks will therefore be intensified in the next hours," Merz said, adding that Germany was "co-ordinating closely" with the US.

Merz also responded to comments from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in which he attacked Merz's "political naivety and distasteful character", recalling that Merz had described Israel's June 2025 attack on Iran as doing the "dirty work... for all of us".

Araghchi called Germany an "engine of regression" in a post on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.

"I have seen this tweet and can only say it seems to be a sign of great nervousness and insecurity," Merz said.

World

China Says Expiration of US-Russia Arms Treaty Regrettable

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping are seen during news coverage about a video call between the two leaders, on a giant screen outside a shopping mall in Beijing on February 4, 2026. (AFP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping are seen during news coverage about a video call between the two leaders, on a giant screen outside a shopping mall in Beijing on February 4, 2026. (AFP)
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China Says Expiration of US-Russia Arms Treaty Regrettable

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping are seen during news coverage about a video call between the two leaders, on a giant screen outside a shopping mall in Beijing on February 4, 2026. (AFP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping are seen during news coverage about a video call between the two leaders, on a giant screen outside a shopping mall in Beijing on February 4, 2026. (AFP)

The Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday that the expiration of the US-Russia arms treaty was regrettable, ‌and ‌urged ‌the ⁠US to ‌resume dialogue with Russia on "strategic stability".

The New START treaty expired at the ⁠close of ‌Wednesday, marking the end ‍of ‍over half ‍a century of limits on both sides' strategic nuclear weapons. Russia said on Wednesday ⁠it was open to security talks but would resolutely counter any new "threats".