Iran names Khamenei's son as new supreme leader
Tehran (AFP) Mar 8, 2026
Iran's ruling clerics on Sunday appointed their slain leader's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the country's new supreme leader, defying threats against him from the United States and Israel as they pummel the country. ... more
Trump suggests US troops could be sent to secure Iran's uranium
Aboard Air Force One (AFP) Mar 7, 2026
US President Donald Trump evoked Saturday the idea of sending ground troops into Iran to secure the country's stockpiles of enriched uranium, as part of efforts to dismantle Tehran's nuclear program. ... more
Kremlin says nuclear weapons in Finland would threaten Russia
Moscow (AFP) Mar 6, 2026
Russia said on Friday it saw Finland's move to lift restrictions on hosting nuclear weapons as a potential threat and vowed to respond if Helsinki followed through with the plan. ... more

Elevation of Mojtaba Khamenei suggests ultraconservatives steering Iran
Paris, France (AFP) Mar 9, 2026
With the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali as Iran's supreme leader, the country's ultraconservatives have defied the United States and Israel and signalled their intent to keep the war going, experts told AFP. ... more
China says opposes any targeting of new Iran leader
Beijing (AFP) Mar 9, 2026
China said Monday that Iran's decision to name Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader following the killing of his father was a domestic matter, and it opposed any attempt to target him. ... more
Four years after banning Russia, FIFA and IOC passive in the face of war
Lausanne (AFP) Mar 9, 2026
Four years after world sport rushed to ban Russia for invading Ukraine, the leading governing bodies are reacting guardedly to the US-led attack on Iran, raising accusations of double standards. ... more

Air strike hits Iraq base housing pro-Iran group: faction sources
Baghdad (AFP) Mar 3, 2026
An air strike hit a military base in southern Iraq housing the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah group on Tuesday, two sources from the armed faction said. ... more
Over 2,200 IS detainees transferred to Iraq from Syria: Iraqi official
Baghdad (AFP) Feb 7, 2026
Iraq has so far received 2,225 Islamic State group detainees, whom the US military began transferring from Syria last month, an Iraqi official told AFP on Saturday. ... more
Iraq starts investigations into IS detainees moved from Syria
Baghdad (AFP) Feb 2, 2026
Iraq's judiciary announced on Monday it has begun its investigations into more than 1,300 Islamic State group detainees who were transferred from Syria as part of a US operation. ... more

Kurdish rebels say ready to resist Iran, await uprising
Penjwen, Iraq (AFP) Mar 9, 2026
From their hideouts in the Iraqi mountains near Iran, leftist Kurdish rebels say they are ready to fight the Islamic republic, but hope for an uprising before they intervene, with or without US support. ... more
Strikes on Iranian opposition groups in Iraq's Kurdistan
Erbil, Iraq (AFP) Mar 7, 2026
Several strikes hit Kurdish Iranian militants in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region on Saturday, officials from the exiled groups told AFP. ... more
As Iran conflict spills over, Iraq's Kurds say 'this war is not mine'
Soran, Iraq (AFP) Mar 7, 2026
On a deserted road not too far from the border between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan, Satar Barsirini looked up at the sky, now streaked with jets and drones. ... more