Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first televised appearance in nearly two weeks Thursday, claiming a “decisive victory” over Israel and the United States in the 12-day war that erupted earlier this month. In a broadcast aired on Iranian state television, Khamenei declared that Iran had “delivered a hand slap to America’s face” and vowed that any future aggression would come at a steep cost.

NATO military alliance leaders have agreed to invest 5 percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in defence by 2035, after Spain nearly torpedoed the deal by refusing to sign up to the pledge.

Iran’s parliament voted unanimously on Wednesday to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), erupting into chants of “Death to America! Death to Israel!” as lawmakers blamed the West for recent attacks on its nuclear facilities. The vote, which passed with 221 members in favor, signals a dramatic escalation in Tehran’s response to U.S. and Israeli strikes and the IAEA’s recent censure.

Iran executed three men on Wednesday accused of collaborating with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, part of a sweeping crackdown following the Islamic Republic’s military defeat in its 12-day war with Israel.

The U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 22, 2025, was met with widespread praise across the Arab world, particularly among liberal intellectuals and journalists who took to social media to thank President Donald Trump for what they described as a historic act that “saved humanity.”

Iran is suspected of hiding “hundreds if not thousands” of advanced centrifuges in secret locations across the country, raising renewed fears that Tehran retains the capacity to build a nuclear weapon despite U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on its known facilities, The Telegraph reported Monday.

As a ceasefire between Iran and Israel appeared to be holding Wednesday, U.S. President Donald J. Trump said it underscored the effectiveness of his policy of peace through strength.

French police have detained 12 people after 145 individuals, most of them women and girls, reported being pricked with syringes during a nationwide street music festival over the weekend, officials said.

Iran announced Tuesday that it plans to press ahead with its nuclear program despite its recent military clash with Israel. Mohammad Eslami, head of the Islamic Republic’s Atomic Energy Organization, told the state-run Mehr news agency that Tehran aims to avoid any disruption in its nuclear industry, though he did not clarify whether that included military activities.

NATO leaders gathered in The Hague on Tuesday for a pivotal summit aimed at reshaping the alliance’s defense posture with a historic new spending pledge — even as divisions over the goal and mounting global crises threaten to overshadow the event.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump suggested Monday he won’t retaliate for Iran’s missile strikes at U.S. bases in the Middle East, saying the attacks were “very weak” and thanked Tehran for the advance notice of the attacks.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced late Monday that Israel and Iran have agreed to a complete and total ceasefire, bringing what he dubbed “The 12-Day War” to an end. The announcement followed days of intense fighting that saw Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Iranian missile barrages on Israeli cities, and U.S. military intervention.

Air defense systems were activated across the Middle East after Iran said it had launched missiles at U.S. bases ,including in Qatar, as videos filmed by residents in Qatar showed flashes and explosions.

Iran launched a barrage of missiles Monday targeting U.S. military installations in Qatar and Iraq, marking its first direct military retaliation after President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.

The United States is bracing for potential Iranian retaliation against American forces in the Middle East, which could come as early as Tuesday, according to senior U.S. officials cited by Reuters. This follows U.S. and Israeli strikes over the weekend that targeted and reportedly destroyed key Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan during Operation Midnight Hammer.