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North Korea's Kim Lauds Ruling Party as Foreign Delegations Visit for 80th Anniversary

HANDOUT - 08 February 2025, North Korea: A picture released by the North Korean state news agency (KCNA) on 09 February 2025, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks as he visits the country's defense ministry, to mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of its armed forces. Photo: KCNA/KNS/dpa
HANDOUT - 08 February 2025, North Korea: A picture released by the North Korean state news agency (KCNA) on 09 February 2025, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks as he visits the country's defense ministry, to mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of its armed forces. Photo: KCNA/KNS/dpa
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North Korea's Kim Lauds Ruling Party as Foreign Delegations Visit for 80th Anniversary

HANDOUT - 08 February 2025, North Korea: A picture released by the North Korean state news agency (KCNA) on 09 February 2025, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks as he visits the country's defense ministry, to mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of its armed forces. Photo: KCNA/KNS/dpa
HANDOUT - 08 February 2025, North Korea: A picture released by the North Korean state news agency (KCNA) on 09 February 2025, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks as he visits the country's defense ministry, to mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of its armed forces. Photo: KCNA/KNS/dpa

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has praised the legacy of the country's ruling party in a speech ahead of Friday's 80th anniversary of its founding, as delegations from China, Russia and Vietnam arrived in Pyongyang to attend celebrations. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, a delegation from Russia led by former President Dmitry Medvedev as well as Vietnam's Communist Party chief To Lam, are among foreign dignitaries joining events to mark the anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea in the isolated state this week.

Li, who was met by an honor guard at Pyongyang's airport, said that China and North Korea "as socialist neighbors connected by mountains and rivers had a profound traditional friendship," China's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Vietnam's top leader Lam and his delegation attended a welcome ceremony at a Pyongyang sports center, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported. It is the first visit by a Vietnamese Communist Party leader to North Korea in nearly 20 years and cooperation agreements are expected to be signed during the visit, according to people familiar with the planning.

Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, is visiting with a delegation that includes Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov and the governor of the Kursk region, Russia's TASS news agency reported.

Kim visited the Party Founding Museum in Pyongyang on Wednesday with senior party officials and delivered what state media called a "significant speech" honoring the party's founders and revolutionary forerunners, North Korean state media KCNA reported.

The North Korean leader paid tribute to his late grandfather and state founder Kim Il Sung and anti-Japanese fighters for laying a "solid cornerstone" for the party's enduring strength and success, the report said.

Reflecting on eight decades of party history, Kim said it was a time for the current generation to renew its understanding of its "revolutionary obligations and duties" to complete the socialist cause begun by its predecessors, reported Reuters.

Kim also pledged to preserve the party's ideological purity and vitality "without decrepitude and discoloration," calling the Party Founding Museum a "sacred sanctuary" representing the party's tradition.

Last month, the North Korean leader stood alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a massive military parade in Beijing to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Japan's defeat at the end of World War Two, a move aimed at bolstering Kim's diplomatic standing.

Nuclear-armed North Korea has not yet confirmed whether a military parade will take place to mark this week's holiday. South Korean officials said there were signs that Pyongyang will stage a military parade to commemorate the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Yonhap news agency reported last week.

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World

Iran President Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’

Iranian women volunteers receive military training at a military training center for ordinary citizens at Imam Hussein Square in central Tehran, Iran, October 4, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Iranian women volunteers receive military training at a military training center for ordinary citizens at Imam Hussein Square in central Tehran, Iran, October 4, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Iran President Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’

Iranian women volunteers receive military training at a military training center for ordinary citizens at Imam Hussein Square in central Tehran, Iran, October 4, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Iranian women volunteers receive military training at a military training center for ordinary citizens at Imam Hussein Square in central Tehran, Iran, October 4, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that negotiations with the United States were "meaningless" and only resulted in renewed attacks, state media reported, with progress on ending the Middle East war stalled for months.

"So far, they have attacked us three times after talks, and this shows that they are not seeking dialogue; rather, their goal is to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran," Pezeshkian was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA.

"With an enemy that every day resorts to assassination, sanctions, pressure and threats, and that breaks its commitments, negotiations are meaningless."

The Middle East war was started in late February by the US and Israel when they launched a wave of surprise attacks on Iran, even as Washington and Tehran were in the midst of negotiations on Iran's nuclear program.

The warring parties agreed a memorandum of understanding in June that spelled out a framework for a permanent resolution to the conflict, but Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz prompted a return to US military operations.

Negotiations have effectively been at an impasse since then, and recent indirect talks between the US and Iran on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly failed to produce a breakthrough.

Washington in recent weeks has dialed back military operations in favor of economic pressure, and has not struck Iran since September 1.

On Sunday, Iran's top diplomat insisted the United States' war against Tehran would not be resolved by military means.

Vowing a stronger defense if any attacks resumed, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: "There is no military solution, nor any solution based on new sanctions."

"Only negotiations based on justice and fairness" could end the conflict, he added.

The United States and Israel have said the war is necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons -- a goal it has long denied pursuing -- though the focus soon shifted to reopening the Strait of Hormuz after its closure sent shockwaves through world energy markets.

Iran has sought to impose its control over the vital shipping lane since the start of the war, striking vessels that attempt to transit without its authorization.

The US has imposed its own counterblockade of Iranian ports, and has also struck vessels it accuses of violating it.

A tanker was struck while attempting to transit the waterway on Sunday, while another turned back on Monday after being threatened with attack by Iranian forces, according to the British maritime agency UKMTO.

World

Trump Says US Bombers Moved from UK Due to Threats

A B-1 bomber takes off from RAF Fairford in Fairford, England, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP)
A B-1 bomber takes off from RAF Fairford in Fairford, England, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP)
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Trump Says US Bombers Moved from UK Due to Threats

A B-1 bomber takes off from RAF Fairford in Fairford, England, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP)
A B-1 bomber takes off from RAF Fairford in Fairford, England, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP)

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that a threat linked to Iran had prompted the removal of American B-1 bombers from a British airbase.

The planes had been stationed at RAF Fairford, the preferred European base for US bombers, and had recently been used in US strikes on Iran. Last week, five British men were arrested near the base — which Iran's Revolutionary Guards previously said was a legitimate target — on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts.

"We had an idea that there might be a threat, and why would I leave them there? It costs very little money to move them," Trump told reporters on Monday. "So we had a threat, and if we're going to be threatened, we just move them, and that sort of alleviates that. And we actually know the people that made the threat."

When asked if they were linked to Iran, Trump responded: "They would be linked to Iran."

Earlier on Monday, Vice President JD Vance said the US moved the bombers out of an abundance of caution.

"We do feel with some confidence that the Iranians are, you know, they're trying to do what the Iranian state has done for 49 years, which is ‌engaged in acts ‌of terrorism against the United States (and others), so we are being extremely cautious, and that's all I'd say about ‌that," ⁠Vance told reporters.

However, ⁠US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was no direct link between the sudden removal of the bombers and the suspected Iranian plot. He said the Pentagon is "constantly reallocating resources where they need to be."

A NATO military source had said on Monday: "It is still believed that Iran poses an acute threat to US assets in the UK."

While much about the incident remains unexplained, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said any plot was likely backed by Iran.

Iran has said accusations that it was involved in any plot are baseless, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X: "I can confirm Iran's belief that releasing supposed terrorists working for foreign states really says it all. You're barking up the wrong tree."

KEY AIR BASE FOR US STRIKES

Rubio said on Monday the US had confidence in the security of all its bases.

Fairford, located 90 miles (145 ⁠km) west of London, is one of the most important European bases for the US, being one of only ‌a few suitable for heavy bombers such as the B-1 aircraft. It has played a key role ‌in previous US campaigns in the Middle East, although its bombers are not stationed there permanently.

During the current conflict, the US had permission to use Fairford only to ‌strike Iranian missile sites that were attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz, or so-called defensive strikes. London had refused permission for the US to ‌use British bases for offensive strikes on Iran.

That approach has strained ties between the US and Britain, typically one of Washington's closest allies.

A Pentagon official confirmed on Sunday that all US bombers that had been deployed to Fairford had headed to their home stations in the US.

The Pentagon said the US bomber force remained ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities "anywhere, anytime".

The New York Times, citing two US officials, said the US had rushed over the weekend to move the bombers after commanders received new threats about an Iran-backed ‌plot. It said some of the planes had left while aerial refueling aircraft were still being scrambled.

A US official declined to comment. The British government also declined to comment, although a spokesman for Burnham said the base was ⁠safe.

Christoph Bergs, research analyst at defense ⁠think tank the Royal United Services Institute, said the redeployment would in the short term reduce US capacity "to quickly surge sorties against Iran, reducing the threat level somewhat".

But he noted that use of Fairford was already limited given London's stipulation on defensive strikes. The aircraft could now potentially be sent to either Diego Garcia or bases in the Gulf, to reduce the need for more air-to-air refueling to cover the additional distance, but that would depend on capacity availability, negotiations with allies and security, he added.

TRUMP SAID PLOT WAS FOR 'BIG DAMAGE'

In the early hours of September 27, five British men in their 20s were arrested after being seen running into fields from three white vans parked near the base. Police said no explosive devices were found but a quantity of petrol was present.

The men have since been released on bail. A sixth man, a dual UK-Iranian national arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts four days later, has also been released on bail.

Trump said at the time of the first arrests that the plot had planned "big damage" and that it might have been connected to Iran. Trump later said he would not have released the suspects on bail.

A senior NATO military official said the removal of the bombers would have no impact on the alliance: "NATO's defensive agility towards any aggression remains unchanged and unmatched thanks to the unity, strength, and combined capabilities of 32 nations."

The Wall Street Journal first reported the removal of the US bombers.

World

US Warns Foreign Financial Institutions Not to Do Business with Iran

The US Department of the Treasury building in Washington, DC, US, July 11, 2026. (Reuters)
The US Department of the Treasury building in Washington, DC, US, July 11, 2026. (Reuters)
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US Warns Foreign Financial Institutions Not to Do Business with Iran

The US Department of the Treasury building in Washington, DC, US, July 11, 2026. (Reuters)
The US Department of the Treasury building in Washington, DC, US, July 11, 2026. (Reuters)

The United States on Monday warned foreign financial institutions that if they conducted any business with Iran or its banking sector they could be sanctioned by Washington.

"Foreign financial institutions continuing to transact with sanctioned Iranian financial institutions could be targeted at any time without advance notification and should take immediate action to terminate such activity and relationships," the US Treasury said in an "alert" statement.

The United States launched its war against Iran in late February, killing the country's leadership and demanding it cease any nuclear-related activities.

The war has plunged the Middle East into violence, with Tehran's retaliatory action targeting Gulf countries and sending global energy and fertilizer prices skyrocketing after it virtually shut a key trading route.

Since late August, Washington has stepped up its campaign to economically isolate Tehran, warning its allies that they would be hit by secondary sanctions if they continued to conduct transactions with the country's government.

The US Treasury has also announced a slew of new sanctions as part of that push, targeting Iran's financial, cryptocurrency, rail, automotive and manufacturing sectors.

It has also taken action against two banks -- one in the United Arab Emirates and another in Türkiye -- over their alleged aid to the authorities in Tehran.

In Monday's statement, the Treasury said Iran's government operated so-called "shadow banking" channels to circumvent US sanctions, and that foreign financial institutions should aim to identify and avoid any such activities.