World
Iran declares three days of national mourning for Hamas chief
The Iranian government has declared three days of national mourning following the assassination in Tehran of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the early hours of Wednesday.
In an official statement issued on Wednesday, Iran’s newly elected government, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, said the assassination of the Hamas leader has “caused grief to the Islamic nation, the devotees of the resistance movement, and all the free people of the world.”
The new government said in reference to Israel that the assassination “adds another page to the disgraceful record of crimes by the sinister and usurping Zionist entity.”
Iran has blamed Israel for the assassination, but Tel Aviv has refused to confirm or deny its involvement.
“The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran condemns this barbaric act, which was carried out with specific goals at the beginning of the National Unity Government’s work, violating all human principles and international law, and targeting an official and diplomatic guest of the Islamic Republic of Iran who was attending the presidential inauguration ceremony,” the statement added.
“This act is a clear indication of the terrorist nature of the Zionist regime and the lack of safety from the malignancy of this corrupt and incorrigible entity anywhere on the planet.”
Iran’s government called on all “independent governments and honorable and free-thinking individuals” to “confront the criminal gang ruling the occupied territories.”
The state of mourning will be observed from Wednesday to Friday.
Anadolu reported the attack targeted Haniyeh at a guesthouse for war veterans in northern Tehran. The guesthouse was reportedly managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The assassination of Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards was confirmed by the IRGC in a statement on Wednesday morning.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also issued a statement and said Iran considers it a duty to “avenge the dear guest’s blood.”
Pezeshkian also condemned the assassination and pledged to “defend the country’s territorial integrity, honor and dignity.”
Haniyeh was in Tehran for the swearing-in ceremony of Pezeshkian, which took place on Tuesday.
Another country to declare three days of national mourning on Wednesday was Yemen.
President Mahdi Al-Mashat said in a statement offering his condolences that Haniyeh was a dedicated Muslim leader who devoted his life to jihad against the occupation, stating that his death is a significant loss for both Palestine and the Islamic world.
He reaffirmed Yemen’s support for Hamas and the resistance axis.
World
Trump says United States will get uranium from Iran
One of Trump’s central objectives in launching military strikes against Iran was to ensure Tehran does not develop a nuclear weapon.
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States would get enriched uranium from Iran, as the two countries struggle to reach an agreement on ending the Gulf war, Reuters reported.
“We’re going to get it,” Trump told a reporter as he left a White House event.
One of Trump’s central objectives in launching military strikes against Iran was to ensure Tehran does not develop a nuclear weapon. Iran has yet to hand over more than 900 pounds (408 kg) of highly enriched uranium.
World
Trump says Iran “should wave the white flag of surrender”
When asked what Iran would need to do to violate the ceasefire, Trump said: “Well, you’ll find out, because I’ll let you know … They know what not to do.”
President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed Iran’s military capability and said Tehran “should wave the white flag of surrender” but is too proud to do so, Reuters reported.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Iran’s military has been reduced to firing “peashooters” and that Tehran privately wants to make a deal despite its public sabre-rattling.
“They play games, but let me just tell you, they want to make a deal. And who wouldn’t, when your military is totally gone?” he said.
Trump heaped praise on the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports in the region. “It’s like a piece of steel. Nobody’s going to challenge the blockade. And I think it’s working out very well,” he said, read the report.
When asked what Iran would need to do to violate the ceasefire, Trump said: “Well, you’ll find out, because I’ll let you know … They know what not to do.”
Trump said Iran “should save the white flag of surrender.”
“If this were a fight, they’d stop it,” said Trump.
World
Secret Service says it exchanged gunfire with armed suspect near White House
The suspect was not on the White House property, Quinn said.
The U.S. Secret Service said on Monday its officers confronted an armed and “suspicious individual” near the White House who later fired at them before fleeing on foot and being shot by law enforcement, Reuters reported.
The incident led to a brief lockdown at the White House.
Agents patrolling the outer perimeter of the White House complex identified a person who Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said was a “suspicious individual that appeared to have a firearm.”
He briefly fled on foot after being approached by Secret Service officers and fired in their direction, Quinn said at a press conference.
Secret Service then fired at the suspect who was hit and subsequently hospitalized, Quinn added.
Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade transited through the area “not long before” the incident, Quinn said. There was no indication that the suspect intended to approach Vance’s motorcade, the Secret Service deputy director said.
A juvenile bystander was hit by the suspect but did not receive any life-threatening injuries and was being treated at a hospital, Quinn added.
Agents observed “visual print of a firearm” in considering the individual’s behavior as suspicious when he was spotted, Quinn told reporters.
The suspect was not on the White House property, Quinn said.
Law enforcement have been on alert in recent days in the U.S. capital following a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner late last month over which a man has been arrested, read the report.
Quinn was asked if Monday’s incident was linked to “other recent attempts” on President Donald Trump’s life. Trump was in the White House when this incident unfolded.
“Whether or not it was directed to the president or not, I don’t know but we will find out,” Quinn said.
The Secret Service deputy director confirmed that a weapon was recovered from the suspect but did not elaborate.
The Secret Service said earlier its personnel were on the scene of the officer-involved shooting at 15th Street and Independence Avenue in Washington, D.C.
The DC Police Department was handling the probe.
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