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Iran shoots downs US spy drone

Iran Army’s electronic warfare unit successfully targeted the American-built RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft after it crossed into Iranian airspace over the border with neighbouring Afghanistan.

 

 

An unmanned American RQ-170 Sentine lreconnaissance aircraft

A senior unnamed Iranian military official said on Sunday that Iran Army’s electronic warfare unit successfully targeted the American-built RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft after it crossed into Iranian airspace over the border with neighbouring Afghanistan. The source added that the US reconnaissance drone has been seized with minimum damage.

 

The RQ-170 is a stealth unmanned aircraft designed and developed by Lockheed Martin Company. The US military and the CIA use the drone to launch missile strikes in Afghanistan and in Pakistan’s north-western tribal region.

 

The Iranian military official further added that “due to the clear border violation, the operational and electronic measures taken by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Armed Forces against invading aircraft will not remain limited to the Iran’s borders.”

In July, Iranian officials also claimed a US drone was shot down while flying over the city of Qom, which authorities say was gathering intel on a nearby nuclear facility. Sunday’s reports of the downed drone come as the conflict between the US and Iran centering on the Islamic republic’s alleged nuclear weapons program continue to intensify. The US military has yet to comment on the report

The report comes as the United States has beefed up its military presence in and around the  Gulf region in recent months in the wake of popular uprising in Bahrain, which is the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet and holds some 4,200 US service members.

In November, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors passed a resolution urging Iran to provide access to its nuclear facilities to UN experts.

The resolution followed a November 8 IAEA report which claimed Iran had been actively developing weapons.

While Iran has continued to maintain that their nuclear ambitions are for peaceful purposes, the US and the European Union have chosen to tighten sanctions on key Iranian industries.

Diplomatic tensions between Iran and the West continued to intensify after dozens of Iranian students stormed the British embassy in Tehran Tuesday in response to the unilateral imposition of sanctions.

Britain immediately shut down its embassy in Tehran and subsequently closed the Iranian embassy in London on Wednesday, expelling its entire staff.

Other European countries also responded in kind, as Norway closed its embassy in Tehran, while Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the Netherlands all opted to recall their ambassadors.

As the threats of even tighter sanctions loom over the country, Iran’s foreign ministry had responded that any attempts by the West to block oil exports would be met with a doubling of crude oil prices on the global market.

“As soon as such an issue is raised seriously the oil price would soar to above $250 a barrel,” foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast reportedly said.

Iran, which received some $56 billion in the first seven months of 2011 from crude oil exports, is the world’s third-largest crude exporter and heavily dependent on revenues generated from the trade.

 

SaebPress/RT/ PressTv/MP/HGH

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‘Saudis Arabia is not respecting its neighbours’: Commentator

Yemen will enter a new stage to fully reclaim its rights, Saudi Arabia will find itself in a major strategic deadlock and will bear high costs for its aggression. 

Picture from al-Masirah TV on July 13, 2026 shows smoke and fire rising from the airport in Sana'a, Yemen after Saudi attack.

Commenting to PressTV on Saudi Arabia’s attack on Sana’a International Airport, author and commentator Saeb Shaath said ”Saudi Arabia’s actions destroy neighbours’ trust and destabilize the region”.

Yemen’s Foreign Ministry in Sana’a has condemned Saudi Arabia’s attack on Sana’a International Airport, saying that the strike marks the end of the truce and the beginning of a new phase of war.

In a statement on Monday, the Ministry declared that Yemen will enter a new stage to fully reclaim its rights, warning that Saudi Arabia will find itself in a major strategic deadlock and will bear high costs for its aggression. 

Separately, the spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, stated that “the Saudi aggression will not go unpunished,” adding, “The Saudi enemy has ended the de-escalation phase, and must bear responsibility for all potential consequences.”
 
The Yemeni Ministry of Transport announced in a statement that “Saudi Arabia’s bombardment of Sana’a airport and violation of the Yemeni airspace signifies the Riyadh regime’s insistence, with Americans’ and Zionists’ push, to continue the siege.”

On March 26, 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies initiated a blockade on Yemen, marking the beginning of a comprehensive war, backed with military, political, and logistical assistance from the United States and other Western countries.

The war has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people in Yemen, while failing to achieve its primary goal of reinstating the previous government that was aligned with Riyadh.

Amid a power struggle, the government fled the country, leading Yemen’s popular resistance movement, Ansarullah, to take charge of state affairs.

After a delicate ceasefire brokered by the UN in 2022, multiple rounds of significant attacks were launched against Yemen by the United States, Britain, and the Israeli regime.

The assaults aimed to weaken Sana’a’s ability to conduct solidarity strikes against Israeli targets, which were being conducted in response to Tel Aviv’s genocidal actions in the Gaza Strip.

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Over 43 million join funeral ceremonies for Martyr Leader Imam Ali Khamenei in Iran, Iraq

Fra Hughes, reporting back From Iran, as he attending the funeral service in Mashhad for martyred Leader Imam Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .

Mourners-pack-the-streets-during-the-funeral-procession-for-martyred-Leader-of-the-Islamic-Revolution-Ayatollah-Seyyed-Ali-Khamenei-in-Mashhad

Fra Hughes, reporting back From Iran, as he attending the funeral service in Mashhad for martyred Leader Imam Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .

Tens of millions of Iranians and devotees from across the world turned the funeral ceremonies for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, into the largest procession the world has ever witnessed, according to a report.

The six-day grand farewell and burial rites for the revered Leader were held across five cities — Tehran, Qom, Najaf, Karbala, and Mashhad — drawing massive, passionate crowds that defied all previous records, the Fars News Agency reported.

The ceremonies included three days in Tehran, two days of public mourning at the Grand Mosalla and one day of the main funeral procession, with each of the other cities hosting a full day of tributes. Many mourners traveled between cities, multiplying the scale of participation and creating a continuous wave of devotion.

Official estimates, compiled from multiple independent field and government sources, confirm that between 41 and 43 million people took part in the historic events.

These figures are based on a rigorous combination of data including public transport passenger records to and from ceremony sites, active mobile phone signals in key areas such as the Mosalla and main procession routes, average individual attendance duration of approximately two and a half hours, detailed crowd density calculations along Tehran’s procession paths, physical area measurements from Jamkaran Mosque to the Holy Shrine in Qom, and the route from the airport to the Imam Reza Holy Shrine in Mashhad.   

The endless sea of mourners, who had gathered since early morning, accompanied the vehicle carrying the blessed bodies, transforming the streets of Mashhad into a scene of unparalleled grandeur and devotion.

The sheer scale of the gathering defied description. From the moment the funeral vehicle entered Imam Reza Street, it was completely surrounded by waves of mourners who had traveled from every corner of Iran, all united in grief and determination.

Their tear-streaked faces and fervent chants filled the air, creating an atmosphere that observers described as one of the most remarkable displays of national unity in recent history.

Iraqi authorities, through the Prime Minister’s Office, separately verified the presence of around 10 million mourners in Najaf and Karbala, providing an important independent pillar for the overall calculation.

Even when applying the most conservative methodologies, Iranian officials and relevant authorities emphasize that this monumental event has surpassed every comparable gathering of the past century.

It stands without doubt as the single largest funeral procession in recorded history, a powerful and everlasting testament to the deep love and unwavering allegiance of the Iranian people and the broader Islamic Ummah for their martyred Leader.

The Leader and members of his family were martyred in a terrorist attack on February 28, carried out by the United States and the Zionist regime against the leader’s residence.

Among those martyred were new Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife, the late leader’s son-in-law; a daughter of the late leader and his 14-month-old granddaughter.

The funeral ceremonies began last Friday, with tributes from political officials from over 45 countries and scholars from more than 90 nations. This was followed by farewell ceremonies at Tehran’s Mosalla over the weekend, where millions paid their respects.

Watch Fra Hughes, reporting back From Iran, as he attending the funeral service in Mashhad for martyred Leader Imam Ayatollah Ali Khamenei :

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNREVSqqW

Millions bid final farewell as Martyr Leader is laid to rest in Mashhad
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Culture & Arts

Sha’ath: Resistance axis to grow stronger after Ayatollah Khamenei.

Resistance axis to grow stronger after Ayatollah Khamenei

Iraqi mourners carry the coffin of martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in the holy city of Najaf, July 8, 2026.
Iraqi mourners carry the coffin of martyred Leader Khamenei in the holy city of Najaf, July 8, 2026. ( IRIB News)

 Thursday, 09 July 2026

An interview with, West Asia political expert Saeb Shaath discusses why massive participation in funeral processions held in Iraq for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, goes beyond symbolic mourning, arguing that it reflects growing regional solidarity with Iran, shifting political dynamics in West Asia, and the enduring influence of Ayatollah Khamenei on the regional Axis of Resistance.

He also examines how Ayatollah Khamenei’s leadership helped unite diverse resistance movements around a common anti-imperialist agenda and what this legacy could mean for the future of the region.

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