Iranians Are Left with No Internet Access Again

19 June 2025, Iran, Tehran: An Iranian Red Crescent ambulance, which was struck during an Israeli attack on June 16 in West Azerbaijan province, is currently on display in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran. (dpa)
19 June 2025, Iran, Tehran: An Iranian Red Crescent ambulance, which was struck during an Israeli attack on June 16 in West Azerbaijan province, is currently on display in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran. (dpa)
TT

Iranians Are Left with No Internet Access Again

19 June 2025, Iran, Tehran: An Iranian Red Crescent ambulance, which was struck during an Israeli attack on June 16 in West Azerbaijan province, is currently on display in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran. (dpa)
19 June 2025, Iran, Tehran: An Iranian Red Crescent ambulance, which was struck during an Israeli attack on June 16 in West Azerbaijan province, is currently on display in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran. (dpa)

Internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks.org reported on Saturday that the limited internet access that had come back up in Iran has once again “collapsed.” 

The group said on X that the disconnect came after “a brief period when residents could exchange messages with the outside world.” 

A nationwide internet shutdown has been in place for several days, isolating Iranians. 

Government officials had disconnected phone and web services earlier in the week for the more than 90 million people who live in Iran, citing cybersecurity threats from Israel. But many Iranians and activists see it as another example of state information control and targeted internet shutdowns the country has deployed during periods of protests and unrest. 

The shutdown left civilians unaware of when and where Israel would strike next and if their family or friends were among the victims. 



Italy’s Meloni Hopes to Nominate Trump for Peace Prize

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (not pictured) on the sidelines of an intergovernmental summit between Italy and Germany at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, 23 January 2026. (EPA)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (not pictured) on the sidelines of an intergovernmental summit between Italy and Germany at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, 23 January 2026. (EPA)
TT

Italy’s Meloni Hopes to Nominate Trump for Peace Prize

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (not pictured) on the sidelines of an intergovernmental summit between Italy and Germany at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, 23 January 2026. (EPA)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (not pictured) on the sidelines of an intergovernmental summit between Italy and Germany at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, 23 January 2026. (EPA)

Italian leader Giorgia Meloni said Friday she hoped US President Donald Trump would end the conflict in Ukraine so she could nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Meloni revels in her cordial ties with Trump, who has expressed frustration at failing to win the prize.

"I hope that one day we can award a Nobel Peace Prize to Donald Trump," Italian Prime Minister Meloni told a press conference after meeting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

"I trust that if he makes a difference... in achieving a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, for Ukraine too... finally, we too could nominate Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize."

In a message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store made public on Monday, Trump said failing to get the prize meant he no longer felt obliged "to think purely of peace".

On Thursday, Trump unveiled his "Board of Peace", initially designed to oversee the Gaza truce and the territory's revival, but which has morphed into a mechanism aiming to resolve all sorts of international conflicts.

Italy has been invited to join the "Board", but Meloni said she had told Trump that Italy faced "constitutional problems".

Italy's constitutional rules do not allow the country to join an organization led by a single foreign leader, according to media reports.

Trump is the chairman of the "Board", as well as serving as the US representative and the chair of its executive board.

Meloni said she had asked Trump to reopen the framework "to meet the needs not only of Italy, but also of other European countries".

"We must try to do this work," she said. "The presence of countries like ours can make a difference."


Turkish Court Rejects Bid by Erdogan Rival to Overcome Block to His Presidential Run

Turkish gendarmes block the way as supporters of jailed and suspended Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu rally outside the courthouse of the Marmara Prison Complex, formerly Silivri Prison, on the outskirts of Istanbul, Türkiye, 15 January 2026. (EPA)
Turkish gendarmes block the way as supporters of jailed and suspended Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu rally outside the courthouse of the Marmara Prison Complex, formerly Silivri Prison, on the outskirts of Istanbul, Türkiye, 15 January 2026. (EPA)
TT

Turkish Court Rejects Bid by Erdogan Rival to Overcome Block to His Presidential Run

Turkish gendarmes block the way as supporters of jailed and suspended Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu rally outside the courthouse of the Marmara Prison Complex, formerly Silivri Prison, on the outskirts of Istanbul, Türkiye, 15 January 2026. (EPA)
Turkish gendarmes block the way as supporters of jailed and suspended Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu rally outside the courthouse of the Marmara Prison Complex, formerly Silivri Prison, on the outskirts of Istanbul, Türkiye, 15 January 2026. (EPA)

A Turkish court rejected on Friday a lawsuit from jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu challenging the cancellation of his university degree, his legal team said, in a further blow to his plans to run for the presidency in the next election.

Imamoglu, who is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, has been in jail since last March, pending trial ‌on corruption charges. He ‌received a separate ‌prison ⁠sentence in July ‌for insulting and threatening the city’s chief prosecutor.

Without a university degree, Imamoglu cannot stand as a candidate for president. His legal team told Reuters that he would appeal against Friday's court ruling.

His jailing has been criticized ⁠by Imamoglu's opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), other opposition parties, ‌some Western leaders and rights ‍groups as an ‍anti-democratic move aimed at eliminating an electoral ‍threat to Erdogan.

Imamoglu himself has denied all the accusations against him, saying they are politically motivated. Erdogan's government denies political pressure on the courts and says the judiciary is independent.

Istanbul University said last March it had annulled Imamoglu’s ⁠degree, days before the opposition picked him as its presidential candidate in the next election, which is scheduled to take place in 2028.

Imamoglu has said the university's decision was illegal and outside its jurisdiction.

In a post on X, CHP Vice Chair Burhanettin Bulut said the court's dismissal of the diploma case amounted to a political decision that ‌showed the judiciary was being used against rivals.


US Targets Iran's 'Shadow Fleet' over Crackdown on Protesters

The Liberian-flagged tanker Ice Energy, chartered by the US government, takes Iranian oil from Iranian-flagged Lana (formerly Pegas) as part of a civil forfeiture action off the shore of Karystos, on the Island of Evia, Greece, May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Costas Baltas/File Photo
The Liberian-flagged tanker Ice Energy, chartered by the US government, takes Iranian oil from Iranian-flagged Lana (formerly Pegas) as part of a civil forfeiture action off the shore of Karystos, on the Island of Evia, Greece, May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Costas Baltas/File Photo
TT

US Targets Iran's 'Shadow Fleet' over Crackdown on Protesters

The Liberian-flagged tanker Ice Energy, chartered by the US government, takes Iranian oil from Iranian-flagged Lana (formerly Pegas) as part of a civil forfeiture action off the shore of Karystos, on the Island of Evia, Greece, May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Costas Baltas/File Photo
The Liberian-flagged tanker Ice Energy, chartered by the US government, takes Iranian oil from Iranian-flagged Lana (formerly Pegas) as part of a civil forfeiture action off the shore of Karystos, on the Island of Evia, Greece, May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Costas Baltas/File Photo

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on nine vessels of what is ​known as the shadow fleet and eight related firms, the US Treasury Department said in a statement, as Washington sought to escalate pressure on Iran over the recent killing of protesters.

"Today’s sanctions target a critical component of how Iran generates the funds used to repress its own people. As previously outlined, ⁠Treasury will continue to track the tens of millions ‌of dollars that the regime ‍has stolen and ‍is desperately attempting to wire to banks ‍outside of Iran," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the statement.

Rights groups say thousands of people, including bystanders, were killed during the unrest in Iran, ​which they describe as the biggest crackdown since clerics took power ⁠in the 1979 revolution.

Trump had repeatedly threatened to intervene against Iran over the recent killings of protesters there, but protests dwindled last week and President Donald Trump's rhetoric regarding Iran has eased.

The shadow fleet refers to ships that carry oil that is under sanctions. They are typically old, their ownership opaque and they sail without the top-tier insurance cover needed to meet ‌international standards for oil majors and many ports.