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US-Israeli strikes on Iran

Iran still mulls closing Strait of Hormuz, not knowing US next move — TV

The official cited by Al Jazeera confirmed that Iran and the US "exchanged messages through Egypt and Turkey to reduce tensions"

RABAT, March 23. /TASS/. Iran has not yet decided whether or not to close the Strait of Hormuz fully as it remains unclear what the United States will do next, Al Jazeera quoted a senior Iranian government official as saying.

"The issue of closing the Strait of Hormuz and laying mines remains on the table as any unpredictable actions can be expected from the United States," the Iranian official said, adding that Washington "still refuses to accept Tehran's two main conditions - the payment of reparations and public recognition of aggression against Iran."

The representative confirmed that Tehran and Washington "exchanged messages through Egypt and Turkey to reduce tensions."

US-Israeli strikes on Iran

Iran’s IRGC confirms delivering missile strikes on Dimona, Eilat in Israel, US army bases

The names of the military bases affected by the attack were not disclosed

India mulls scaling up oil imports from Russia — Russian deputy foreign minister

Andrey Rudenko added that many countries are already looking to scale up their purchases of our energy resources

US needs to curb Israel for dialogue with Iran — former head of counterterrorism center

Former director of the US National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent believes that Israel will try to destroy the negotiations

Sustainable economic growth in Russia must occur with slowing inflation — Putin

"It's not easy, of course, but we must strive for it," the Russian president added

US wants to wind down Iran war by mid-April ahead of Trump's Israel Prize awarding — Ynet

The Americans have marked April 9 as the date for the end of the war, the source said

Hungarian NGO supports Orban's call for creation of European security system with Russia

Head of the Hungarian Community for Peace Endre Simo says that good relations with Russia and a peace between East and West correspond to Hungary's national interests

Iran not to blame for Middle East conflict — Omani top diplomat

Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi said that Oman is working intensively to put in place safe passage arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz

Kiev needs to sign ‘capitulation documents’ to end Ukraine conflict — Russian MFA

Maria Zakharova stressed that any conflict was concluded by an agreement

Attack against Iran’s Bandar-e Anzali affected Russian economic interests

The Iranian port of Anzali on the Caspian Sea was bombed on March 18

Iran retains drone production capacity despite US, Israeli strikes — expert

Gary Samore, however, doubts that Iran is still able to produce larger, longer-range ballistic missiles because the US and Israel have destroyed or disabled known production facilities

Single incident involving ship in Strait of Hormuz could impact global economy — expert

The Strait of Hormuz acts as a kind of amplifier of global expectations in the energy and shipping industries, Nong Hong, Executive Director at the Washington-based Institute for China-America Studies, said

Ukraine loses 1,275 troops over past 24 hours — Russian Defense Ministry

The Ukrainian army suffered the heaviest losses in the Krasny Liman area, losing a tank, an armored combat vehicle, 20 motor vehicles and four ammunition depots

Upgraded frigate enters service with Russian Pacific Fleet’s constant alert forces

It has completed the program of shipbuilders’ trials

Russian FPV drone operators thwart attempted weapons delivery to Ukrainian positions

Apart from that, the battlegroup’s quadcopter dropped munition on Ukrainian positions near the village of Otradnoye

Fire in port of Primorsk, 249 UAVs: aftermath of attack on Russian regions

An apartment was damaged as a result of drone fragments hitting a multi-story building in the Tver Region

Iran’s late supreme leader repeatedly warned against nuke development — president

Ali Khamenei emphasized that nuclear weapons were prohibited for religious reasons

Kremlin Spokesman’s words of energy crisis in Europe resonate with Europeans — news portal

Dmitry Peskov said on March 20 that the EU member-countries continue "shooting in the leg of their voters" by rejecting Russian energy resources

US-led coalition’s aircraft violate Syrian airspace eight times in past day — deputy chief

Two shelling attacks on positions of Syrian government troops by militants of the Jabhat al-Nusra (outlawed in Russia) were reported during the day

Press review: Canada-EU monitor Russian tankers as Gaza talks resume amid Iran conflict

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, March 19th

FACTBOX: Gasoline price surge, other key details on global market situation

Chinese authorities have announced a rise in retail prices for gasoline and diesel fuel within the country

Slovenia’s ruling Freedom Movement winning parliamentary elections — exit poll

It received 29.9% of the votes

Death toll from US-Israeli attack on Iran’s Khorramabad up to nine — agency

According to the agency, as many as 45 people were injured

Iran warns US and Israeli personnel to never feel safety again — agency

Iranian army spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi vowed to ensure "the deserved punishment" for the "heinous deeds"

Meeting between US, Iranian negotiators may be organized later this week — TV

According to the official, Washington is looking at appointing Vice President JD Vance the United States’ chief negotiator at the potential talks

Israel hits Bir Abed and Ruwais on southern outskirts of Beirut

Strong explosions were heard in the entire city

Russia, Vietnam sign agreement on nuclear plant construction

Prime Ministers of Russia and Vietnam Mikhail Mishustin and Pham Minh Chinh took part in the document signing ceremony, as well as CEO of the Russian state nuclear corporation Alexey Likhachev

Russia successfully test-fires new ABM interceptor missile

An interceptor missile develops a speed of over 3 km/s or more than four times the speed of a Kalashnikov assault rifle’s bullet, according to the general

Kremlin spokesman calls tax on interest on deposits of over $12,772 restoration of justice

The initiative will affect less than 10% of depositors, according to the presidential press secretary

US orders 22 B-2 strategic bombers, Trump says

Washington is using these aircraft in the current US-Israeli military operation against Iran

Air France extends suspension of flights to Israel, Lebanon by April 4

Flights to Dubai and Riyadh are suspended until April 1

Preps for Putin’s visit to China, new Ukraine talks: MFA statements

According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, Moscow is ready for negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement, but no specific dates have been determined yet

Press review: Washington plans Iran ground move as oil surge adds $41.5B to Russia

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, March 23rd

Fire in central Moscow extinguished, three people died

Fire and rescue units evacuated 19 people, including five children

Bank of Russia’s gold reserves in ounces fell to their lowest level since March 2022

This is the second consecutive month of decline in gold reserves in ounces

Adviser to Iranian parliament speaker says talks with US won't go on as previously

According to Ebrahim Rasouli, Iran doesn’t want the countries that "have sold themselves out to America" and Israel to "derive profit from the Strait of Hormuz"

Chief of Russian General Staff holds video call with Chinese counterpart

It is reported that coordinated efforts by Russia and China on the international scene have a stabilizing effect on the global situation

Zelensky cares not about country but tries to remind West of his usefulness — Nebenzya

Russia's permanent representative to the UN mentioned Zelensky's deployment of Ukrainian military specialists and drone crews to the Middle East

Belarusian leader receives report on Polonez-M rocket drills

The report also touched upon the deployment of the Oreshnik missile system to Belarus and efforts to put it on combat duty

Kiev loses 8,500 troops, mercenaries in special op zone over one week — military expert

Andrey Marochko added that during this period, Russian forces destroyed more than 720 enemy combat vehicles

Russia ready to mediate in Middle East conflict — Foreign Ministry

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed Russia's readiness to provide all possible assistance in resolving the existing contradictions in the Middle East by peaceful means, taking into account interests of all regional countries

IN BRIEF: President Putin’s key statements at a meeting on economic issues

The president said that Russia needs to return to a path of sustainable economic growth

Russian Defense Ministry warns about strikes being prepared on military sites in Kiev

In order to thwart informational attacks against Russia, Russian forces will strike technological objects of the SBU and the 72nd Main PSO Center, the ministry informed

Russian army begins to actively use ZALA drones — Kalashnikov

The KUB UAV, developed by ZALA Aero, carries a three-kilogram warhead. Its maximum flight duration is 30 minutes and speed - 130 km/h

Around 800 Russian companies work in AI

Dmitry Chernyshenko noted that AI can increase the efficiency of digital transformation by 6-7 times

Oil refining depth in Russia reach 84.2% in 2025 — Energy Ministry

The light oil products yield gained 10 percentage points over that period and totaled 65.8%

Two Indian tankers passed through Hormuz Strait — ministry

The vessels are destined for India and are expected to reach ports in the country between March 26 and 28

Trump expects progress on halting hostilities with Iran within five days — TV

According to CNBC, the US leader also said that he considers a "regime change" in Iran to have already occurred

Russian stock market closes mixed on Monday

The yuan dropped by ten kopecks to 11.91 rubles

US administration starts discussing opportunity of peace talks with Iran — Axios

Washington expects that combat operations will last for two - three weeks more

US leader says ordered five-day delay on strikes against Iranian energy facilities

The US president said that "in-depth, detailed, and constructive conversations" will continue throughout the week

Middle East escalation drives demand for peacekeeping by Russia and China — expert

Timofey Bordachev urged against jumping to conclusions about Washington being completely entangled in the Iranian crisis, as less than a month has passed since the start of the direct armed conflict

Russia honors $65.6 mln Eurobond coupon payment — Finance Ministry

Payments were made in accordance with the decree of the Russian Federation on the temporary procedure of honoring state debt liabilities of the Russian Federation to residents and foreign creditors

Iran has no tankers at sea, no surplus of oil to export — ministry

The statement was made in response to an option proposed by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent of lifting sanctions on Iranian oil already loaded into tankers

Lavrov stresses unacceptability of attacks on Iranian nuclear sites

According to the Russian foreign minister, the strikes are fraught with catastrophic environmental consequences

Proposals on Middle East de-escalation must be addressed to US — Iranian Foreign Ministry

According to the statement, Iran is not the side that started that war

Trump hopes for regime change in Iran

The American leader talked about Venezuela and stressed that the US were very successful there

Moscow Military District receives new remote-controlled machine gun modules

The Trufel module is designed for remote operation of heavy machine guns and allows for real-time target observation and accurate fire at ranges of up to 2 km

Ex-deputy agriculture minister Bazhanov charged with embezzlement

The case concerns the theft of budget bunds allocated to Rosagroleasing to develop and maintain agriculture in the Voronezh region

Fortunes of richest Russians up $19.4 bln in January — Bloomberg

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, since the beginning of this year, Norilsk Nickel president Vladimir Potanin has earned $3.46 bln

IN BRIEF: What is known about the detention of the tanker Deyna in the Mediterranean Sea

French President Emmanuel Macron claimed that the tanker was part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet

Missile that landed inside Poland in December 2022 was no threat — Polish Defense Ministry

Marcin Ociepa denied Polish media reports that there had been a conflict between the Defense Ministry and top army brass

Strait of Hormuz to reopen immediately if US, Iran reach deal — Trump

The US leader said that in this case, the strait would be "jointly controlled"

Ukraine sustains over 1,500 casualties in three-day attempt to penetrate Russian borders

It is reported that all in all, over the past three days, from March 12 to 14, Russia’s Battlegroup West together with the Russian Federal Security Service’s border authorities have thwarted all attempts by Ukrainian fighters to enter the territory of the Belgorod and Kursk regions of the Russian Federation

US eyes taking over Strait of Hormuz as final Iran 'endgame' move — media

Such an operation may last "at least weeks," the newspaper reports

Russia says silence on Arctic Metagaz attack makes Europe accomplice to Kiev's outrages

No European nation has condemned such actions of its Ukrainian wards, the statement says

Venezuela severs diplomatic ties with Colombia - Maduro

The Venezuelan leader announced this during the rally of his supporters

By attacking targets in Middle Eastern countries Iran uses right to self-defense — MFA

The territories of Muslim countries in the region are being exploited by the United States and the Zionist regime to carry out attacks against Iran, Abbas Araghchi noted

EU last in line for Russian energy supplies — Putin’s envoy

Kirill Dmitriev commented on a post by the BRICS News account during Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to Russia

Netanyahu says Trump told him about possible Iran deal

President Trump believes there is an opportunity to leverage the tremendous achievements we have reached alongside the US military to realize the goals of the war through an agreement, an agreement that will safeguard our vital interests, Netanyahu said in a short video message distributed by his office

Russia’s air defenses down 526 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over past 24 hours

The Defense Ministry reported that artillery units of Russia’s Battlegroup North destroyed over 1,000 Ukrainian targets in the Kharkov and Sumy Regions over the past week

Israel believes US in contact with chairman of Iran’s Mejlis — TV

The source claimed that Israel was aware that several countries were making mediation efforts to start negotiations, but Israel was surprised by Donald Trump's statement that these contacts were progressing

Israel’s air defenses cannot withstand massive Iranian strikes — La Repubblica

Military observer Gianluca Di Feo said that eighty missiles were used to repel the first wave of Iran’s retaliatory strike, with another 50 or so used during the conflict last June

Former US House of Representatives Speaker Pelosi calls herself 'cold-blooded reptile'

Earlier, Nancy Pelosi announced her intention to run for the House of Representatives again in 2024

US energy secretary considers Iranian control over Strait of Hormuz unacceptable

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would reopen without delay if Washington and Tehran reach an agreement in their ongoing discussions

American threats to strike Bushehr NPP in Iran pose great danger — Kremlin

On March 21, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States would destroy a number of Iran’s power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not fully reopened to navigation within 48 hours

Russia has military resources, willpower to defend sovereignty — MFA

According to Sergey Ryabkov, the West ignored the opportunity for building a guaranteed system of global security

US destroys 158 Iranian ships, Trump claims

Trump also said that launches of Iranian drones and missiles allegedly decreased by more than 90%

EU agrees on 90 billion euro loan to Kiev breaking Hungary's veto — Bulgarian radio

On Tuesday European Council President Antonio Costa demanded that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban adhere to the decision adopted at the December summit, in which Budapest also participated

All fuel stations may close in Bangladesh due to fuel shortage — newspaper

According to reports, customers have to wait for fuel in queues for several hours

Russian troops liberate Potapovka community in Sumy Region over past day

Russian troops struck fuel and energy infrastructure used to support the Ukrainian army’s operations and enemy deployment areas over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported

Vietnam to have nuclear power generation capacity by 2034-2035 — Rosatom CEO

On March 23, Russia and Vietnam signed the intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in building the first nuclear power plant in Vietnam

Russia's top diplomat Sergey Lavrov celebrates his birthday

March 21 marks the 67th anniversary of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

Conflicting reports on talks, pause in strikes on energy sites: statements from Iran, US

TASS has compiled the main statements by the parties

Ukrainian Armed Forces tried to attack Donetsk, more than 20 explosions heard

Information about the victims is being clarified

Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan acting as mediators between US, Iran — media

According to correspondent Barak Ravid, senior officials from the three countries held separate talks with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi

Russia reaches Soviet-era level of arms trade with Africa — chief arms exporter

According to Alexander Mikheyev, the scope of interaction with the African countinent has significantly grown to include partnerships with as many as 43 countries

FACTBOX: The Nord Stream pipelines and what is known about their destruction

By 2022, Nord Stream was owned by several shareholders: Russia’s Gazprom (51% stake); Germany’s Wintershall Holding and E.on infrastructure (15.5% each); the Netherlands’ Gasunie (9%); and France’s Engie (9%)

Russia, UAE work together on upgrading Havana port infrastructure

In late January last year, a Tornado damaged some 1,200 residential buildings, tearing off more than 200 roofs and cutting more than 220,000 people off electricity

Iran still mulls closing Strait of Hormuz, not knowing US next move — TV

The official cited by Al Jazeera confirmed that Iran and the US "exchanged messages through Egypt and Turkey to reduce tensions"

NATO countries downing Russian drones over Ukraine to mean war with Russia — Medvedev

The politician stated that the "powerful European initiative ‘Eastern Sentry’" amused him and noted that it seemed all that remained of the ‘coalition of the willing'

Navigation in Bosphorus Strait suspended due to foul weather — authorities

It is also reported that more than seventy arriving and departing flights, mainly domestic ones, were canceled in Istanbul airports

Putin congratulates Kim Jong Un on his re-election

The Russian president stressed that Moscow highly values Kim’s personal contribution to strengthening bilateral ties

Delays with Dragon destroyer reveals uselessness of UK’s military ‘umbrella’ — diplomat

Ambassador Andrey Kelin says countries of the region expect protection for allowing London to deploy military facilities

US has no good options regarding Iran — The Economist

To almost everyone else it is clear that America entered this war with a "flawed strategy," the article said

Houthis reject as fake media reports about joining Iran in Middle East war — source

According to the source, statements of this nature have never been released

Iranian authorities announce arrest of group cooperating with Israel

The police also said that the identification and arrest of agents and traitors is ongoing

US in contact with ‘top person’ in Iran, but not supreme leader — Trump

According to the US President, information about the new contacts between the US and Iran probably "hasn't been conveyed" to the officials in the Islamic Republic who are denying it

Russian air defenses down over 70 UAVs over Leningrad Region — governor

According to Alexander Drozdenko, fire extinguishing operations around oil tanks at the port of Primorsk continue

Russia prioritizes strengthening relations with India — Lavrov

According to the top Russian diplomat, "New Delhi deserves the deepest respect for pursuing an independent foreign policy as part of its course toward strategic autonomy, consistently prioritizing the national interest"

Israel attacks missile systems, radar installations in Isfahan, Tehran — army

According to the report, "this strike expands the Israeli Air Force’s freedom of aerial operation in Iranian airspace, following the breakthrough to Tehran"

Ukrainian special services meddle in Hungary’s elections — top diplomat

Peter Szijjarto pledged that if the ruling party wins the elections, Hungary will remain committed to its position on Ukraine, will not provide any assistance to that country and will do its best not to let it be admitted to the EU