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Rubio Trip to Israel on Iran Tensions 'Subject to Change'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio waves as he departs at the Liszt Ferenc International Airport in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio waves as he departs at the Liszt Ferenc International Airport in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
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Rubio Trip to Israel on Iran Tensions 'Subject to Change'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio waves as he departs at the Liszt Ferenc International Airport in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio waves as he departs at the Liszt Ferenc International Airport in Budapest, Hungary, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio may push back a trip to Israel in which he is expected to speak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about potential strikes on Iran, a US official said Monday.

"Secretary Rubio is still planning to travel to Israel but the schedule remains subject to change," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Rubio had earlier been expected to meet Netanyahu on Saturday, but Israeli media reports said he was now expected in the country on Monday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier told CBS News that he expected new talks on Thursday with the United States and held out hope for progress.

President Donald Trump has sent a major deployment of air and sea power to the Middle East and has threatened to strike Iran if it does not reach a deal on key concerns starting with its nuclear program.

Netanyahu has long advocated a hard line on Iran's clerical state and last June ordered a 12-day bombing campaign inside the country, which the United States briefly joined.

Netanyahu visited Washington on February 11 to speak with Trump, who said afterward that he "insisted" on giving time for diplomacy.

Iran has publicly insisted that it has a right to uranium enrichment.

The United States and Israel have threatened new military action against Iran after mass protests against the Islamic republic, which authorities crushed at a cost of thousands of lives.

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World

Russia Vows Strikes on Kyiv in Response to Election-day Attacks

Smoke rises behind a multi-story building following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Dzerzhinsky, Moscow region, Russia, 20 September 2026. EPA/STRINGER
Smoke rises behind a multi-story building following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Dzerzhinsky, Moscow region, Russia, 20 September 2026. EPA/STRINGER
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Russia Vows Strikes on Kyiv in Response to Election-day Attacks

Smoke rises behind a multi-story building following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Dzerzhinsky, Moscow region, Russia, 20 September 2026. EPA/STRINGER
Smoke rises behind a multi-story building following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Dzerzhinsky, Moscow region, Russia, 20 September 2026. EPA/STRINGER

Russia vowed Sunday to "intensify" its strikes on Kyiv in response to a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow during three-day parliamentary elections.

"In response to the Kyiv regime's attacks on civilian targets within Russia, the Russian army will continue and intensify its high-accuracy strikes against military targets in Kyiv," the Russian defense ministry said, accusing Ukraine of attempting to "disrupt the democratic will of Russian citizens.”

Ukrainian forces fired more than 1,000 drones at Russia overnight, including hundreds that were launched toward Moscow, officials said Sunday, as the Kremlin was wrapping up the third and last day of its parliamentary elections.

Moscow’s mayor described the wave of drones as the “largest ever” drone attack on the Russian capital and said there had been damage to the Moscow Oil Refinery, which is among several sites that supply the Russian capital, and a residential building.

Across the wider Moscow region, the attack killed two people and wounded 20, local Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said. The dead were a 74-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman, he said.

Writing on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv had used a range of missiles and drones in the attack — including Ukraine's domestically made Flamingo and Pelican missiles — to hit oil and logistics facilities.

World

Iran Shuts Language Center Affiliated with French Embassy in Tehran

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force take part in a military rally named Jan-Fada (those willing to sacrifice their lives) in Tehran September 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force take part in a military rally named Jan-Fada (those willing to sacrifice their lives) in Tehran September 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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Iran Shuts Language Center Affiliated with French Embassy in Tehran

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force take part in a military rally named Jan-Fada (those willing to sacrifice their lives) in Tehran September 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force take part in a military rally named Jan-Fada (those willing to sacrifice their lives) in Tehran September 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Iranian authorities on Sunday announced the closure of a French language center associated with the embassy, accusing it of having undertaken "illegal activities".

"Based on the Tehran prosecutor's office, the illegal center affiliated with the French embassy in Tehran, which has operated for years under the guise of language instruction, was closed," the judiciary's Mizan news website said, referring to the French Language Centre (CLF).

According to AFP, the judiciary accused the center of conducting "illegal acts that violated diplomatic conventions".

It alleged the center "abused its status as a language training facility" and sought to "identify and build networks among the country's elite figures while facilitating their departure".

There was no immediate comment from the French embassy.

Relations between Tehran and Paris have been strained in recent months.

Last month, France announced the expulsion of two Iranian diplomats in response to the brief arrest and banning of two French envoys to Iran.

Tehran had accused the two French diplomats of "interference in Iran's internal affairs".

World

Iran Reportedly Informed that US Plans to Resume Action

A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard salutes while riding on a float displaying drones during the state-organized "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard salutes while riding on a float displaying drones during the state-organized "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
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Iran Reportedly Informed that US Plans to Resume Action

A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard salutes while riding on a float displaying drones during the state-organized "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard salutes while riding on a float displaying drones during the state-organized "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran received information that the United States, with the backing of some regional countries, was preparing to resume actions against ⁠Iran, the country's central military ⁠command said in a statement on Sunday, according to ⁠state media.

The military said that any US attack would trigger sustained strikes on US bases and interests in the region, the report ⁠added, ⁠warning that regional countries supporting US aggression against Iran would be considered parties to the conflict.

This came after US President Donald Trump cut short a weekend at Camp David to return unexpectedly to the White House on Saturday.

Iranian parliament speaker ⁠Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that Tehran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and US commitments are ⁠implemented.