Iran approves 20-year strategic pact with Russia
Iran’s parliament on Wednesday ratified a 20-year strategic cooperation agreement with Russia, a move that signals deeper military and economic alignment between the two countries.
"Our action is concluded unless the Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on X early on Wednesday.
Iran said early on Wednesday that its missile attack on Israel was over barring further provocation, while Israel and the U.S. promised to retaliate against Tehran as fears of a wider war intensified.
Washington said it would work with longtime ally Israel to make sure Iran faced "severe consequences" for Tuesday's attack, which Israel said involved more than 180 ballistic missiles.
The United Nations Security Council scheduled a meeting about the Middle East for Wednesday, and the European Union called for an immediate ceasefire.
"Our action is concluded unless the Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation. In that scenario, our response will be stronger and more powerful," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on X early on Wednesday.
Israel renewed its bombardment early on Wednesday of Beirut's southern suburbs, a stronghold of the Iran-backed armed Hezbollah group, with at least a dozen airstrikes against what it said were targets belonging the group.
Large plumes of smoke were seen rising from parts of the suburbs. Israel issued new evacuation orders for the area, which have largely emptied after days of heavy strikes.
Tensions flare in the India-France Rafale deal as France refuses to share the fighter jet’s source code, limiting India’s ability to integrate indigenous weapons and reducing its combat autonomy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on May 15, with discussions reportedly focusing on upcoming peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegates in Istanbul.
France has rejected India’s request to share source codes needed to integrate indigenous weapons into Rafale fighter jets. Despite repeated appeals, French manufacturer Dassault Aviation has refused to compromise on the issue
AnewZ and Kazakhstan’s Jibek Joly/Silk Way TV channel co-hosted a special AnewZ Talks in Astana at Maqsut Narikbayev University (MNU), uniting global experts and young leaders at Silk Road Media Group’s journalism school to explore the growing intersection of media and diplomacy.
The Tehran Dialogue Forum 2025, scheduled for May 18–19, will host 200 international guests, including 40 current and former European officials.
The UK is set to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining long-term control over the Diego Garcia military base under a 99-year lease. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mauritian officials are expected to formalize the deal in a virtual ceremony this week.
The European Union has approved a landmark €150 billion (nearly $170 billion) Defense Industrial Readiness Loan Instrument, known as SAFE, aimed at bolstering the bloc’s defense sector in the face of rising geopolitical threats.
President Donald Trump has unveiled an ambitious $175 billion missile defense initiative called the "Golden Dome," designed to protect the United States from advanced missile threats through a multi-layered shield that integrates ground, sea, and space-based components.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for May 22th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has publicly condemned a serious accident involving the launch of a new 5,000-ton destroyer as a “criminal act” rooted in “absolute carelessness,” marking a rare and unusually candid acknowledgment of failure by Pyongyang’s leadership.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.