Globalsecurity.org

In May, an explosion at a police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan was followed by an intense firefight in which 21 people were killed. It was just one in a series of violent incidents in which militants operating out of Afghanistan, with support from Al-Qaeda, have launched attacks on targets in neighboring Pakistan.

Farhad N. was just a few months old when hijacked airliners were deliberately piloted into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001, part of attacks on the United States that killed thousands of people.

Twenty-five years after serving as the global launchpad for the 9/11 attacks, Afghanistan has come "full circle" -- with the Taliban retaking power after a 20-year US-led military presence and Al-Qaeda operatives again finding safe haven in the country.

As Ebola sweeps across the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), ensuring families meet their basic food needs is crucial to halt the spread of the deadly disease.

The closure of the British Consulate in Jerusalem is part of a series of Israeli countermeasures in response to the new sanctions announced by the British Foreign Secretary of the Labour Government and following a series of anti-Israel decisions by the Labour Government.

The Prime Minister spoke to President Xi Jinping of China this morning.

Iranian media reported that a US strike hit a tanker near Kharg Island, the country's main oil export hub.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy has announced the seizure of an unmanned American submarine in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) reiterated that Iran's armed forces maintain full command and control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Major General Mostafa Izadi, Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), says IRGC firmly controls the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's Armed Forces remain fully prepared in southern regions.

The United States has imposed sanctions on all of Iran's remaining active airlines, sharply escalating pressure on Tehran's aviation sector as part of a broader campaign aimed at cutting the Islamic republic off from international trade and finance.

"Today, the United States continues implementation of Operation Economic Outcast by sanctioning 36 entities and individuals in multiple jurisdictions for aiding Iran's aviation sector. This sector has enabled the regime to support proliferation and terrorism worldwide."

Today, under Operation Economic Outcast, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 36 targets for supporting Iran's aviation sector, which the regime uses to move weapons, personnel, and illicit cargo. Today's action also targeted covert front companies, foreign intermediaries, and deceptive transshipment routes that Iran relies on to obtain U.S.-origin aircraft and sensitive technology. In addition to OFAC's action, Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is issuing an Alert asking financial institutions to report procurement networks supporting Iran's aviation industry.

The Islamic Republic of Iran emphasized at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting that its nuclear capabilities are rooted in knowledge, determination, and human resources of a proud nation and no amount of force can change it.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says coordination between the country's diplomatic and defense efforts will continue to safeguard national interests.

Minister of Justice Amin Hossein Rahimi says the crimes committed during the US-Israeli imposed war on Iran, and the material damage are being documented for lawsuits as well as, judicial and legal follow-up at international forums.

President Masoud Pezeshkian says Iran will continue its resistance with strength until the aggressors fully regret their actions, and will safeguard the rights of the Iranian nation.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the way to restore normal conditions in the Strait of Hormuz is for the United States to return to and honor its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding with Iran.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mostafa Izadi has said that the enemy sought to push the Iranian people out of the field through pressure, sanctions, economic hardship, and war, but the nation stood firm and remained on the scene.

The Minister for the Middle East, Stephen Doughty MP, has provided a written update to parliament on Iran Sanctions measures.