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US-Israeli strikes on Iran

Iran downs over 160 US, Israeli drones since start of conflict — commander

Among them are US MQ-9 and Israeli Hermes and Lucas drones, Alireza Elhami stated

TEHRAN, April 4. /TASS/. The Iranian Armed Forces have shot down more than 160 Israeli and US drones since February 28, Commander of Iran’s Air Defense Force Alireza Elhami stated.

The country’s air defense capabilities "destroyed several advanced enemy fighter jets, over 160 drones," including US MQ-9 and Israeli Hermes and Lucas drones, as well as dozens of cruise missiles, Elhami said, as quoted by the Fars News Agency.

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US, Israel strike petrochemical facilities in southwestern Iran

As a result of the air attack by the American and Israeli enemy on Mahshahr, the Fajr-1, Fajr-2, Redzhal, and Amir Kabir petrochemical companies were hit, the deputy governor of Khuzestan Province reported

Upper house speaker slams US-Israeli operation against Iran as geopolitical mistake

Valentina Matviyenko emphasized that this intervention has destabilized the Middle East, triggering an energy crisis, yet it ultimately changes nothing

Russia will not kidnap Zelensky the way US kidnapped Maduro — Matviyenko

If the Russian Federation continues to use such methods, it will lose its credibility, the Federation Council Chairwoman said

IRGC calls for US Air Force chief to resign after aircraft downed in Iran

The IRGC Navy also congratulated the air defense forces of the Islamic republic’s army on intercepting an US F-15E fighter jet and an A-10 attack aircraft in the skies over Iran

Israeli PM says 70% of Iran’s steel production capacity destroyed

This is a tremendous achievement that deprives the IRGC of both funding sources and the ability to produce large quantities of weapons, Benjamin Netanyahu said

Russian troops liberate seven communities in Ukraine operation over week — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted more than 1,535 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed eight enemy armored combat vehicles in its areas of responsibility over the week, the Defense Ministry reported

Europe moving away from idea of sending troops to Ukraine — Reuters

In addition to Kiev's position and Washington's stance, the initiative to send European troops is hampered by fierce opposition from Russia and logistical constraints, the sources said

US military aircraft struck by Iran makes it to Kuwait — TV

Iran also fired at two US UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters conducting a search and rescue operation

WHO chief confirms more than 20 attacks on medical facilities in Iran over month

According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, many attacks were recorded in Tehran

Norwegian Foreign Ministry says it regrets behavior of consulate employee in Murmansk

Ministry is working on the incident via corresponding channels

US-Iran ceasefire talks at impasse now — media

According to The Wall Street Journal, Tehran has refused to meet with US officials in Islamabad and has called Washington’s demands unacceptable

Restoration of EGA aluminum smelter in UAE after Iranian attack may take up to 12 months

The Al Taweelah complex, which includes a smelter, power plant, and alumina production and processing plants, was completely evacuated, and operations were urgently halted

US journalist Carlson calls Trump’s speech an announcement of the end of American empire

"There’s turbulence ahead, but long term it’s a huge win for the United States," Tucker Carlson said

FACTBOX: What we know about foiled bombing plot against senior security official in Moscow

The SBU planned to remotely trigger an explosion during the official’s visit to a business center

United Russia leads with 54.21% with 90% of ballots counted

The Communist Party comes second with 13.53% of the votes, and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) is in the third place with 13.28% of the votes

Russia could boost helium output amid Middle East crisis — expert

Valentin Bogomolov said that there are also strong prospects for increasing helium output through the development of new gas fields, particularly in Eastern Siberia

Accident at plant in Russia's Nizhnekamsk claims seven lives — company

According to the statement, work is underway at the Nizhnekamskneftekhim site to address the aftermath of the incident

Strike by Kinzhal missile in Ukraine confirmed its efficiency — Defense Ministry

The Kinzhal missile is used with a conventional warhead

UN says shelling wounds three peacekeepers in southern Lebanon

The command is investigating the details of the incident, in particular, from where the Blue Helmets post was hit

Trump often gives right assessments of conflict in Ukraine — Russian upper house speaker

Valentina Matviyenko said that Ukraine is fooling everyone

US Army top brass not happy about Chief of Staff's firing — NYT

According to the report, the decision has irritated senior officers

Russian UAV operators in Zaporozhye using fiber optics, have no need for Starlink

According to the Russian serviceman, the unmanned system operators are successfully carrying out their missions

Iran offers agreement on use of Strait of Hormuz

Tehran is ready to reach agreements with European, Asian, and Arab countries on this issue, Head of the Government Information Council Elias Hazrati said

Russia to go ahead with Ka-31 helicopters’ delivery to India, says arms seller

India filed a request to Russia for the purchase of Ka-31 helicopters in May 2019

Attack on Arctic Metagaz tanker shows Zelensky getting out of control — expert

Ralph Bosshard said there is "almost an awkward silence in Western media" regarding the incident

Defense minister to lead Chinese delegation at Victory Parade in Moscow

Most of the Chinese delegation’s members have already arrived in Moscow and China’s servicemen are training together with the Russian military personnel in the run-up to the parade, the ambassador said

US would side with Russia if it understood Donbass conflict — Ritter

According to the former US Marine Corps intelligence analyst, there is an inherited policy in the United States that downplays Russia’s importance in the eyes of American politicians

First Japanese ship sails through Hormuz from start of strikes against Iran

As of the start of April, 45 ships related to Japan remained blocked in the Persian Gulf

Iran’s will power stronger than United States’, says Japanese expert

Iran is demonstrating political will and it has no reason to agree to make peace with the United States through a compromise, Ryoji Tateyama pointed out

Ukraine must withdraw troops from Donbass to stop hot stage of special op — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov emphasized that there was no deadline for a Ukrainian troop withdrawal

Iran rejects US proposal for 48-hour ceasefire — Fars

According to the news agency, the proposal followed the emergence of serious problems for the US Armed Forces due to a miscalculation of the military potential of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Iran war puts Europe in difficult position amid rejection of Russian resources — media

With the escalation of tensions in the Middle East, European countries are seeing "a second important source of energy supplies dry up," the newspaper said

Iran divides countries into three categories based on use of Strait of Hormuz — TV

According to the TV channel, all states are divided into three categories — "hostile," "neutral," and "friendly"

Russian Defense Ministry starts mass production of Tsirkon missiles - Shoigu

Russian Defense Ministry to continue production of Kinzhal missiles

Tanker with Iranian oil change course, heading to China — PTI

The change in the destination of Pin Shun appears to be payment-related, Sumit Ritolia, Lead Research Analyst at Kpler, noted

Russia outraged by news that its church in Tehran was damaged in airstrike — diplomat

Maria Zakharova pointed out that we are talking about a unique historical and architectural site, "a one-of-a-kind Orthodox church operated by the Russian Orthodox Church and included in the Iranian national cultural heritage list"

EU becomes 'bit player' in new multipolar world — Italian expert

According to Gianluca Savoini, Europe’s decline is largely a self-inflicted process - an act of voluntary abdication

US shifts focus from 'regime change' to search for pilots — Majlis speaker

The Iranian Armed Forces General Staff said earlier that a US F-35 fighter jet had been shot down on Friday morning over central territory of the Islamic Republic

FACTBOX: What we know about passenger train derailment in Russia’s Ulyanovsk Region

According to available information, the eight-car train was carrying 415 passengers

Some Middle Eastern countries may be helping US, Israeli aggression — Iranian diplomat

According to Esmaeil Baghaei, a downed UAV is neither American nor Israeli

Russia suggests UN Security Council commission look into US biolabs in Ukraine

The draft document is to be considered during the Security Council’s session on October 27

Ukraine to supply naval drones to unnamed Persian Gulf country — Zelensky

According to Vladimir Zelensky, the agreement term is 10 years, but the specific company supplying the drones may change

'Forgotten' Palestine, attempts to disrupt Middle East talks: Lavrov statements

The Russian foreign minister noted that Russia and Egypt are trying to achieve real results in crisis management, not just feigning diplomacy

German foreign minister supports getting rid of unanimity rule in EU

Johann Wadephul supportы a system of qualified majority voting in the EU

Macron calls for 'coalition of independence' from US, China

The French president said that the objective is not to be the vassals of two hegemonic powers

General HQ of Iranian army warns of potentially larger strikes on Tel Aviv

The Iranian military also advised "host countries of US military bases to force the Americans to leave their territory, if they want to avoid damage"

US puts Cuba on backburner amid operation in Iran — Politico

Steps against Cuba also risk further upsetting already tenuous relations with Russia, the publication notes

Crisis facing UN caused by West, senior Russian diplomat says

According to Kirill Logvinov, "work in the interests of all member countries based on the principle of sovereign equality was substituted with the promotion of approaches of the Western minority who usurped key posts at the UN and have been acting on instructions from their capitals"

Russian military satellite delivered into target orbit — top brass

The Defense Ministry reported that stable telemetry contact was established and was maintained with the space vehicle and its onboard systems were operating in normally

US military budget provides for modernization, diversification of nuclear forces

As the White Hose reported, the deterrent is the foundation of America’s defense against threats to the homeland

US must stop its strikes, not demand that Iran open Strait of Hormuz — Lavrov

As soon as the US finishes military operations, the shipping in the Strait of Hormuz will resume normally, the Russian foreign minister noted

Drone crashes at oil facility in Iraq’s Basra, fire breaks out — TV

No information on casualties is available so far

Iran strikes US landing craft in Kuwait, radar station in Bahrain — army

According to the military, in a subsequent phase of the attack, the Iranian Armed Forces struck the Israeli Ramat David Air Base, home to squadrons of Israeli F-16 fighter jets

Russia not to be flexible for states providing airspace to Ukraine — upper house speaker

Moscow has issued very harsh warnings to these countries, the Federation Council Speaker emphasized

Spain to refrain from seizing personal items of Russian arrivals in EU from outside Russia

Russian travelers may also import gold jewelry into the European Union if it is intended for personal use and not for sale

Iran offers reward for capture of US pilot whose plane was shot down

Earlier, the NourNews agency reported that the pilot had already been detained by members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

US rescue mission for pilot of shot down F-35 fighter jet fails — agency

According to the report, Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 Hercules aircraft took part in the operation

Dubai calls incident with falling debris that affected Oracle office building ‘minor’

No injuries were reported, Dubai Media Office said

Kiev’s actions look like agony of mortally wounded animal to Finnish journalist

Janus Putkonen noted that Ukraine has never been weaker in geopolitical terms than it is today

Iran wipes out anti-drone warehouse in Dubai with over 20 Ukrainian experts — commander

The Iranian broadcaster never mentioned the severity of wounds sustained by Ukrainian servicemen

IN BRIEF: Attacks on TurkStream, Middle East: what Putin, Erdogan spoke about over phone

The presidents noted that the escalation surrounding Iran is leading to "serious negative consequences on both a regional and global scale

Trump says US Air Force plane crash in Iran to have no effect on negotiations

The US leader declined to discuss the details of the ongoing search and rescue operation in Iran

US F-35 jet fails 'stress test' in Middle East — expert

Alexander Stepanov said the incident points to the lack of air supremacy, poor planning of aviation and precision weapons use

EU may turn into very hostile military alliance for Russia, worse than NATO — Medvedev

The deputy head of the Russian Security Council that said until now the Russian rhetoric about EU membership had been restrained and calm in relation to all neighbors, even to Ukraine

Libya, Russia discuss coordination on Arctic Metagaz tanker

The parties paid special attention to cooperation on technical and environmental issues

Ukrainian forces used OSCE mission’s cameras to adjust fire on DPR troops, says Pushilin

The DPR head added that this is how they directed fire on infrastructure facilities - gas distribution stations and water purification stations

US Air Force fighter jet downed in Iran was F-15E — media

This information was confirmed to CBS News by sources among US officials

Press review: Trump puts NATO at risk as Houthis threaten to block Bab el-Mandeb

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, April 3rd

Russia’s MFA puts forward its requirements for a future UN chief

Kirill Logvinov emphasized that in any conflict situation, the UN chief should hold an equidistant position, use neutral terminology, focus on mandatory or consensus decisions, and refrain from making legally void conclusions

UNSC draft resolution on Strait of Hormuz cannot be approved — Russian foreign minister

It does not contribute to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, Sergey Lavrov said

Belarus gets Russia fourth battalion of Russian S-300 air defense systems

Two of the four S-300 battalions provided by Russia will be stationed in the Polotsk district and the two others in the Grodno and Brest regions

Iran threatens to throw US military back to period before Stone Age — TV

According to the report, the Iranian troops "after many years of intensive training are fully ready" to defend their country

US fighter jet downed over Iran likely conducted strikes on ground targets — media

According to CBS News national security analyst Aaron MacLean, the pilots of the downed fighter had sidearms

Most Americans expect their financial situation to worsen due to war in Iran — poll

Regarding the threat to the lives of US military personnel, public opinion was even more unequivocal

French court approves Lithuania's request for extradition of ex-banker Antonov

Vladimir Antonov owned 68% of shares of Lithuania’s fifth largest commercial bank Snoras

Russian Energy Ministry eyeing construction of new power plant in Far East

The energy system of the Far East has three zones of energy deficit forecast by 2031, Sergey Tsivilyov said

Developer of Russian industrial zone in Egypt to be determined soon

Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Roman Chekushov said that several candidates are now present

Russian MP warns of nuclear proliferation risk if Israel uses nukes against Iran

Alexey Pushkov noted that the question of whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will use nuclear weapons in Iran has been actively discussed on American television in recent days

Kremlin spokesman says Russia will endure standoff with West

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that in modern conditions, a single country won’t be able to maintain its dominance

One killed, four others injured in drone attack on southern Russia’s Taganrog

Also, a bulk carrier sailing under a foreign flag was damaged by falling debris from a drone interception, Rostov Region Governor Yury Slyusar added

Russia testing new night-time FPV interceptor drones in special military op in Ukraine

The use of night-time homing UAVs operating by the "fire and forget" principle will complement the actively used Yolka-type daytime interceptor drones

Russia almost completed transition to national currencies in payments to CIS, China

Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk said the issue of creating a system of payments and settlements not depending on the banking service and currencies of Western countries is the critical area of Eurasian cooperation

Pope proposes meeting with Patriarch Kirill at Moscow Airport

The pontiff's plane must stop there for refueling on the way to Mongolia or back

Leaving with reservations: what we know about Moldova’s withdrawal from CIS

The CIS Executive Committee has not yet received a formal note on Moldova’s withdrawal

Second US jet crashes in Persian Gulf region in 24 hours — newspaper

The newspaper specified that it was an A-10 Warthog attack aircraft

Russia downs 85 Ukrainian drones over nine regions, Crimea and Black Sea last night

Alert air defense capabilities intercepted and destroyed the unmanned aerial vehicles over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol, Rostov, Samara, Saratov, Tula, and Voronezh regions, Russia’s Defense Ministry siad

Putin, Erdogan discuss Middle East conflict consequences for energy sector

During the telephone conversation, the two leaders stated coincidence of positions as regards the need for the soonest possible ceasefire

Gazprom expects heating season in Europe to be extended due to severe cold snap

According to Gas Infrastructure Europe data as of April 1, the level of reserves in European underground gas storage facilities fell to 27.9%, and in the Netherlands, to 4.6%

US prioritizes revenue and oil, not human rights — Lukashenko

The Belarusian leader emphasized that the republic adhered to a different approach

Europe is forming decision-making center without US participation — Russian senator

Grigory Karasin observed that the trend of convening meetings without US involvement is becoming "not just indicative, but increasingly routine"

Oil refinery in Kuwait on fire after Iranian drone attack

According to available information, there were no casualties

Europe needs Brussels to lift ban on Russian energy, not its advice — Szijjarto

If this happened, Europe would be able to avoid a sharp increase in prices and a shortage of energy resources, as well as a weakening of energy security, the Hungarian Foreign Minister said

EU, NATO representative cannot be effective as UN chief — senior Russian diplomat

Kirill Logvinov said such a candidate "may continue attempts to turn the global organization into a kind of supranational structure"

US journalist Carlson met with Edward Snowden in Moscow — Semafor

According to the portal, he also met with Tara Reade, an American woman who accused US President Joe Biden of sexual harassment

FSB foils terrorist plot in Karachay-Cherkessia

Components and tools for making an improvised explosive device have been confiscated from the terrorist

Russian Pacific Fleet reinforced with newest nuclear-powered submarine

The Vladimir Monomakh (project 955) sub has arrived at its permanent base Viliuchinsk in the Kamchakta Peninsula

Russia coordinates with China on support of candidates for UN chief — senior diplomat

Moscow and Beijing are explaining their rationale regarding candidates in detail to other countries, including CIS and BRICS members, Kirill Logvinov siad

Iran launches another wave of missiles at Israeli territory — news agency

Mehr reported that the main target of the strike is northern Israel

Pezeshkian asks global community to judge which side, Iran or US, actually favors dialogue

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian invited the world to judge which side engages in terrorism

Russia grateful to Egypt for its objective stance on Ukraine situation — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister provided detailed information on Russia’s principles and approaches, as well as on developments in the Ukrainian crisis

IN BRIEF: Downed F-35 in Iran, failure of the US rescue operation

Axios reported that US forces are actively seeking to recover the two pilots of the downed aircraft