TEHRAN -- Iran's Public Security Police Chief Seyed Majid Feiz Jafari said Tuesday his forces have detained 297 "thugs" during the recent "riots" in the country.
He made the remarks in an interview with state-run IRIB news agency, stressing that the detainees were Israel- and U.S.-affiliated organizations involved in inciting "riots" in the country.
The detainees had damaged religious places, government buildings and public property, and looted people's belongings during the "riots," he said. (Iran-National Protests-Detainees)
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TEHRAN -- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country is ready for war but remains open to dialogue, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military is considering "very strong options" regarding Iran amid recent unrest.
In an interview with Al Jazeera on Monday, Araghchi said, "If Washington wants to test the military option it has tested before, we are ready for it," adding that he hoped the United States would choose dialogue.
He added that communications with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff had "continued before and after the protests and are still ongoing." (Iran-Unrest)
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DAMASCUS -- Syria's army declared on Tuesday the Kurdish-held areas of Deir Hafir and Maskanah east of Aleppo in northern Syria as "closed military zones," warning civilians to stay away as it moves to prevent what it described as renewed armed activity by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and its allied groups.
In a warning broadcast by state television Al-Ikhbariya and accompanied by a map, the Operations Command of the Syrian Arab Army said all armed groups in the designated areas must withdraw east of the Euphrates River "to preserve their lives," adding that the zones are now considered off-limits for security reasons. (Syria-Military Zones-Designation)
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GAZA -- More than 100 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire went into effect in October 2025, a spokesperson for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Tuesday.
James Elder told reporters at a U.N. briefing by video link from Gaza that the agency has recorded reports of at least 60 boys and 40 girls killed in the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire. (Gaza-Children Fatality-UNICEF) ■
