Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi makes new appeal to Trump to weaken ayatollah's regime as killing continues

 

Reza Pahlavi says minimum 36,000 people killed in first two days of protests as anti-government demonstrations continue

Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi called for "humanitarian intervention" in his country and urgent international measures against Iran’s ruling regime amid protests and reported mass casualties.

Pahlavi appealed to President Donald Trump after Trump said regime change in Iran "would be the best thing that could happen."

The prince listed several measures the U.S. could take to weaken the ayatollah, including neutralizing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), cracking down on "ghost tankers" that secretly transport sanctioned oil and provide revenue to the regime, expelling diplomats or holding them to account for criminal behavior, freezing assets of oligarchs, supporting protesters with internet access and asking for the unconditional release of all political prisoners in Iran.

"These are specific measures... that the world can [take to] put more pressure on the regime, but it will also show much more support to the Iranian people," Pahlavi said on "Sunday Morning Futures."

He hoped those provisions would "expedite the process" of "getting rid of this regime."

"And finally, Iranians can have an opportunity to speak for themselves."

Pahlavi is positioning himself as a transitional leader for a post-regime Iran. He said he would serve to "galvanize and unify... the secular democratic opposition" with the ultimate goal of facilitating "a democratic process that will be completely transparent and under international observation" that would allow Iranians to decide the future of their country.

is comments come as Iran is roiled by anti-government demonstrations and regime retaliation against them. Pahlavi said a minimum of 36,000 people were killed by police in the first two days of protests, though it remains difficult to collect accurate data.

Russian Military Reports Largest Wave of Ukrainian Drone Attacks Since Early January

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that its air defense systems destroyed more than 150 Ukrainian drones overnight, marking one of the largest such attacks since the start of the year as officials from the two warring countries gather for a new round of peace talks in Switzerland.

The Russian military said 79 drones were downed over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, with 38 others destroyed over annexed Crimea and 18 over the Krasnodar region. It was the largest wave of Ukrainian drone attacks since Jan. 1, when the Defense Ministry reported downing 168 unmanned aircraft.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Kremlin-installed governor of the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, said a 9-year-old boy was hospitalized with minor injuries. He reported damage to vehicles, apartments, private homes and gas pipes as a result of drone strikes.

In the nearby Krasnodar region, authorities said Ukrainian attacks caused a fire at the small Ilsky Oil Refinery. The site includes six processing units with a total capacity of 6.6 million metric tons per year.

Ukraine’s military claimed the refinery, owned by the Kuban Oil and Gas Company, is involved in supplying the Russian military.

Iran partially shuts Strait of Hormuz as US, Iran hold nuclear talks

GENEVA, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader warned on Tuesday that U.S. attempts to depose his government would fail, as Washington and Tehran began indirect talks in Geneva on their long-running nuclear dispute amid a U.S. military buildup in the Middle East.

Just a few hours after the negotiations began, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported that parts of the strategic Strait of Hormuz will close for a few hours due to "security precautions" while Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards conduct military drills in the world's most vital oil export route.

Tehran has in the past threatened to shut down the strait to commercial shipping if it is attacked, a move that would choke off a fifth of global oil flows and drive up crude prices.

The U.S., which joined Israel in bombing Iran's nuclear facilities in June, has deployed a battle force to the region and U.S. President Donald Trump has said "regime change" in Iran may be the best thing that can happen.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are taking part in the negotiations, which are being mediated by Oman, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters, alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. 

Donald Trump said that he would be involved "indirectly" in the Geneva talks and that he believed Tehran wanted to make a deal.

"I don't think they want the consequences of not making a deal," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday. "We could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s in to knock out their nuclear potential. And we had to send the B-2s."

EVEN THE STRONGEST CAN BE 'SLAPPED'

Just after the talks started, Iranian media cited Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying Washington could not force out his government. The republic has been ruled by clerics since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

"The U.S. President says their army is the world's strongest, but the strongest army in the world can sometimes be slapped so hard it cannot get up," he said, in comments published by Iranian media.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday the success of the Geneva talks hinged on the U.S. not making unrealistic demands and on its seriousness on lifting crippling economic sanctions on Iran.

U.S. B-2 BOMBERS STRUCK NUCLEAR TARGETS

Tehran and Washington were scheduled to hold a sixth round of talks in June last year when Washington's ally Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran, and was then joined by U.S. B-2 bombers that struck nuclear targets. Tehran has since said it has halted uranium enrichment activity.

ran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran's views on the nuclear issue, the lifting of sanctions and a framework for any understanding have been conveyed to the U.S. side.

The meeting took place at the residence of the Omani ambassador to the U.N. amid a heavy security presence. Some cars with Iranian diplomatic license plates were visible outside.

The U.S. military is preparing for the possibility of weeks of operations against Iran if Trump orders an attack, two U.S. officials told Reuters.

IRAN-U.S. NUCLEAR TALKS UNDER SHADOW OF PROTESTS AND WAR

Washington and its close ally Israel believe Iran aspires to build a nuclear weapon that could threaten Israel's existence. Iran says its nuclear programme is purely peaceful, even though it has enriched uranium far beyond the purity needed for power generation, and close to what is required for a bomb.

Since the June strikes, Iran's Islamic rulers have been weakened by street protests, put down at a cost of thousands of lives, against a cost-of-living crisis driven in part by international sanctions that have strangled Iran's oil income.

Iran has joined the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which guarantees countries the right to pursue civilian nuclear power in return for requiring them to forgo atomic weapons and cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

Israel, which has not signed the NPT, neither confirms nor denies having nuclear weaponry, under a decades-old ambiguity policy designed to deter surrounding enemies.

Scholars believe it does, having acquired the first bomb in 1966. Israeli journalists, circumscribed by military censorship, often refer cryptically to such capabilities or cite foreign media reporting on them.

Washington has sought to expand the scope of talks to non-nuclear issues such as Iran's missile stockpile. Tehran says it is willing only to discuss curbs on its nuclear programme - in exchange for sanctions relief - and that it will not give up uranium enrichment completely or discuss its missile programme.

Iran partially shuts Strait of Hormuz as US, Iran hold nuclear talks

Greens demand US military flights be barred from Prestwick

 

The Scottish Greens have called on the Scottish Government to evict US military forces from Glasgow Prestwick Airport.

Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay MSP said the party will use a parliamentary debate on Wednesday to push for the US military to be barred from using Prestwick and other publicly-owned airports in Scotland, arguing that the scale of activity represents sustained routine use rather than occasional stop-offs. The Greens said their figures were compiled using Flightradar24 data and show activity on most days since 1 April 2025.

Mackay linked the issue directly to wider criticism of US President Donald Trump, accusing his administration of disregard for Scottish legal authority and international norms. “Donald Trump is no friend of Scotland. He has shown total contempt for our courts and for human rights around the world,” she said. She also referenced reports that the United States ignored a decision of the Court of Session and removed two individuals from Scottish waters in January, describing the incident as a breach of Scottish jurisdiction.

“We’ve now uncovered that the US military has landed at the Scottish Government’s Prestwick Airport more than 550 times, almost every single day, since the 1st April 2025,” Mackay added. “That is not just the occasional stop-off, that is sustained and routine military use of publicly-owned Scottish infrastructure.”

The Greens warned that continued access for US forces risks drawing Scotland into controversial foreign policy actions, with Mackay pointing to events including the reported US operation against Venezuela and heightened tensions surrounding Greenland. She argued that allowing the use of Prestwick could make Scotland complicit in actions that conflict with domestic and international law.

“Prestwick Airport is not a private military base. It is a publicly owned airport operated under the authority of the Scottish Government,” she said, adding: “It is simply unacceptable that a foreign military, which has shown a total disregard for Scottish and international law, is continuing to use our publicly-owned infrastructure.” Mackay said the Scottish Government must act immediately, calling for what she described as the eviction of US military operations from Prestwick and a halt to access at all Scottish Government-owned airports. “This is about ensuring no government, no matter how powerful, can disregard Scotland’s legal authority while enjoying unrestricted access to our public assets,” she said.

The Scottish Government said:

“Prestwick Airport operates on a commercial basis and at arms length from the Scottish Government. Operational decisions regarding the day-to-day running of the airport are a matter for its management.”

Labour MSP Paul Sweeney criticised the Greens’ proposal, warning it would undermine transatlantic defence links and damage Scotland’s economy. He argued Prestwick plays a strategic role in NATO cooperation and remains a key transit hub supporting wider Euro-Atlantic security efforts. “Prestwick Airport remains a strategic gateway for transatlantic defence links, supporting NATO’s vital work, including the new Atlantic Bastion programme, which is transforming how we protect our undersea cables, pipelines, and sea lanes from Russian aggression,” Sweeney said.

He claimed restricting access would weaken collective defence at a time of increasing threats from authoritarian states, and said the airport benefits from legitimate military transits.

“In a world where threats from authoritarian states are growing, closing off our closest ally’s access would weaken collective defence, hurt Scottish jobs reliant on the airport’s revenue from legitimate military transits, and signal division at a time when unity is crucial,” he said. Sweeney added that Scotland should focus on ensuring transparent and profitable use of the airport, rather than what he described as isolationist gestures, and argued the Greens should instead oppose any privatisation of Prestwick given its perceived strategic and economic value.

Additionally, Scottish Conservative MSP for South Scotland Sharon Dowey said: “Prestwick Airport is a huge asset to Ayrshire and to Scotland. We should be taking every opportunity to promote it and attract more investment into the area. Instead, the Scottish Greens are using it as a pawn to make a cheap political stunt.

We know the airport plays an important strategic role, supporting military operations and contributing to the security of the UK and our allies. Frankly, the Scottish Greens shouldn’t be meddling in matters they clearly know nothing about.”

Greens demand US military flights be barred from Prestwick

Starmer has confidence in minister linked to investigations into journalists

We've just been hearing from the prime minister's spokesperson.

They were asked about Josh Simons, the Cabinet Office minister, in connection with the revelations about Labour Together.

This is the thinktank that is linked to Labour, and reported over the weekend to have collected information on journalists.

Simons was in charge of the thinktank at the time - around the end of 2023 and start of 2024.

As we reported earlier, the Cabinet Office is looking into whether there is any connection to the government.

But the spokesperson stated that Sir Keir Starmer has full confidence in Simons.

In a statement to The Sunday Times report on Simmons said he "was surprised and shocked to read the report extended beyond the contract by including unnecessary information" on a journalist.

CIA, Pentagon reviewed secret 'Havana syndrome' device in Norway, Washington Post reports

Feb 14 (Reuters) - U.S. officials investigated a previously unreported experiment in Norway in which a government scientist tested a microwave device and developed neurological symptoms similar to so-called Havana syndrome, the Washington Post reported on Saturday citing people familiar with the matter.

Norway informed the CIA about the incident, prompting at least two visits by Pentagon and White House officials, the report said. People familiar with the test said the results did not prove U.S. diplomats and spies were targeted by a foreign adversary, though they showed pulsed-energy devices can affect human biology.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

CIA, Pentagon reviewed secret 'Havana syndrome' device in Norway, Washington Post reports | Reuters

Kremlin Rejects European Accusations of Navalny Poisoning

 

The Kremlin on Monday rejected an assessment by five European countries that Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny died from poisoning in an Arctic prison two years ago.

“We naturally do not accept such accusations. We disagree with them. We consider them biased and baseless,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a daily briefing call.

“In fact, we strongly reject them,” he said.

Peskov spoke after Britain, Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands on Saturday accused Russian authorities of killing Navalny with a rare toxin found in South American dart frogs, known as epibatidine.

Their claims, which they said were based on laboratory analysis of samples taken from Navalny’s body, came ahead of the second anniversary of Navalny’s death. 

On Monday, Navalny’s relatives and supporters who remain in Russia, as well as foreign diplomats, gathered at his grave at Moscow’s Borisovskoye Cemetery.

Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, called for justice following the European assessment that her son died of poisoning.

“We knew that our son did not simply die in prison. He was murdered,” Navalnaya told reporters outside the heavily guarded cemetery. 

“I think it will take some time, but we will find out who did it,” she said.

Navalny, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, died on Feb. 16, 2024, at age 47 in the “Polar Wolf” penal colony under unclear circumstances while serving a 19-year sentence on “extremism” charges seen as political retribution for his anti-Kremlin opposition.

Moscow has not fully explained Navalny’s death, saying only that he fell ill and collapsed during a walk in the prison yard in the remote town of Kharp in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district.

American intelligence assessments were previously reported to say that Putin, who was re-elected to his fifth presidential term a month later, “probably” did not personally order Navalny’s death.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “we don’t have any reason to question” the European assessment that Navalny died from epibatidine poisoning.

Kremlin Rejects European Accusations of Navalny Poisoning - The Moscow Times