Iranian students achieve milestones at international Olympiads despite war

TEHRAN – Talented Iranian students have achieved remarkable success at international Olympiads, winning 13 medals and securing the championship title at the International Physics Olympiad despite the numerous challenges posed by the US-Israeli war against the country.

Last year, Iranian students took part in 14 international scientific competitions but were unable to participate in two Olympiads due to the outbreak of war. Despite the hardships and challenges brought about by the ongoing conflict, they demonstrated their outstanding abilities by setting new benchmarks in various competitions and proudly raising Iran’s flag on the international stage. Their remarkable achievements have become a source of great pride for the country, Mehr news agency quoted Seyyed Reza Hosseini, head of the Young Scholars Club, as saying.

The students performed outstandingly at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO); the five-member team ranked first globally, garnering three gold medals and two silver medals, which was exceptional over the past 20 years, he added.

Held from July 4 to 12 in Bucaramanga, Colombia, the IPhO 2026 brought together over 400 students from more than 90 countries.

Hirbod Foudazi, Kian Zarrabian, and Mohammad Mirmohammadi secured gold medals, while Amir-Sam Goharpey and Nima Koushki won silver medals.

Despite attacks on Iran’s national artificial intelligence infrastructure that disrupted the team’s access to computing resources and data centers, Iranian students won their first gold medal at the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), the official said.
The team also won two silver medals and one bronze at the third edition of the competition, held from August 2 to 8 in Astana, Kazakhstan, according to the official.

Shayan Rezaeizadeh grabbed the gold medal, Mohammad-Reza Darvishi, and Mohammad-Amin Nazmfar won the silver medals, while Mani Monjipor received the bronze medal.

Brilliant Iranian students proudly claimed their first-ever medals at the 67th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), which was organized on July 15 and 16 in Shanghai, China. They won two gold medals, one silver medal, and three bronze medals.

Alireza Joonbakhsh-Najafabadi and Alireza Sharifi won the gold medals, Amirhossein Tayyeb clinched the silver medal, and Arsha Azizeddin, Radin Nik-Eqbali, and Arian Zandi received the bronze medals.

Female Iranian students secured an unprecedented success at the 22nd International Geography Olympiad (iGeo), held from August 11 to 17 in Istanbul, Turkey. They succeeded in winning a bronze medal and three honorable mentions; their performance was inspiring to many other nations, Hosseini further noted.

Also, in the 19th International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO 2026) in Italy, the Iranian team won an impressive haul of two silver medals, six bronze medals, and a top prize.

Mehraneh Vashaqani-Farahani secured the world’s top ranking in the Young Reporters of the International Union of Geological Sciences short documentary category, delivering one of the most notable results for the Iranian team at this year’s competition, IRNA reported.

In the individual examinations, Shamim Molla-Qolizadeh and Javad Namjoo each won a silver medal, while Ghazal Qazizadeh took bronze.

Namjoo also won a bronze medal in the Earth System Project (ESP) category. In the International Team Field Investigation (ITFI), Molla-Qolizadeh, Namjoo, Qazizadeh and Vashaqani-Farahani each earned a bronze medal.

Iranian students clinched medals and an honorable mention at the 9th International Economics Olympiad (IEO 2026) held from July 12-20 in Shenzhen China, and the 38th edition of the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) held from August 9 to 16 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

This year, 270 students from 54 countries attended the IEO competition. Mobin Karimi Dizicheh secured a silver medal. He received an honorable mention and also won Best in Finance, Borna news agency reported.

Mohammad-Hossein Rahimi Nejad, Alireza Atashi, and Ehsan Zolfaghari won the bronze medals.

Meanwhile, a total of 386 students from more than 97 countries participated in this year’s IOI competition.

Hamed Ghaffariaghdas and Arash Ostadsharif-Memar grabbed the silver medals, while Mohammad Shayan won the bronze medal. Moreover, Bahamin Shafaqi received the honorable mention.

The 37th International Biology Olympiad (IBO 2026) took place from July 12 to 19 in the city of Vilnius, Lithuania. The event brought together participants from some 80 countries across five continents.

Radin Bayani, Mohammad-Reza Vaezi, and Amir-Hossein Nosrati grabbed gold medals, while Amir-Hossein Hemmati won the silver medal, IRIB reported.

The 58th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO 2026) was held from July 10 to 19 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Over 350 students from 90 countries attended the event.

Ali Shamsi-Mofakhar, Mahyar Najar, and Amir-Reza Hosseini secured silver medals, while Ario Seirafi won the bronze medal.

Four Iranian female students attended the Open International Geography Olympiad (OpenGeo) 2026, winning four medals, including a silver medal and three bronze medals for the first time.

Artina Heidari won the silver medal; Setayesh Haqnazari, Sana Karbalaei Vali, and Helia Khodabandelou received the bronze medals, IRIB reported.

The six-member Iranian team has shown brilliance, claiming the championship at the fourth International Mathematics Summer Camp (IMSC) held in Beijing, China, from June 17 to July 12, demonstrating exceptional teamwork and dedication to mathematics.

Aryan Zandi, Arsha Azizoddin, Seyyed Amir-Hossein Tayeb, Alireza Sharifi, Radin Nik-Eqbali, and Ali Joonbakhsh Najafabadi won 4 gold medals and two silver medals, outperforming students from Poland and Brazil, IRNA reported.

Iran’s Physics Olympiad team, consisting of five students, has achieved an astounding triumph at the International Scientific Physics Olympiad 2026, winning two gold medals, a silver, and a bronze.

Hirbod Foudazi was ranked first among all participants, receiving the title of absolute winner, achieving the best result in the Theoretical Exam, and grabbing the gold medal and the national diamond, IRNA reported.

Amir-Sam Goharpey won the other gold medal; Kian Zarrabian and Mohammad Mirmohammadi received a silver medal and a bronze medal, respectively.

The ISPhO-2026 Olympiad was held exclusively online from June 21 to June 30, 2026.

Tags

• Iran
• Iranian students
• International Olympiads

Some 75 foreign companies attending Pharmex intl. exhibition 2026

TEHRAN – A total of 547 knowledge-based firms, including 75 foreign companies, are participating in the 8th Pharmex international exhibition being held in Tehran from September 8 to 10.

The event marks the first major gathering of pharmaceutical supply chain stakeholders since the 40-day war imposed on the country by the United States and Israel, Mehr news agency reported.

Pharmex brings together industry stakeholders to highlight the country’s capabilities in the production of pharmaceutical and chemical raw materials, pharmaceutical packaging, as well as specialized equipment and machinery for the pharmaceutical sector.

This year’s exhibition features 135 educational sessions planned to be conducted through workshops and specialized panels.

To enhance pharmaceutical and medical cooperation with other countries, knowledge-based firms are scheduled to hold meetings with the ambassadors taking part in the exhibition.

There will also be specialized tours for students to visit different parts of the exhibition, get familiar with companies and the experts operating in the industry, and attend students league.

“This year, Pharmex is not simply an exhibition taking place in the aftermath of the war; it is an exhibition shaped by the lessons learned from it.

This distinction is particularly significant. During the recent crisis, Iran’s pharmaceutical industry demonstrated substantial capacity to sustain production and maintain the continuity of supply. At the same time, the crisis highlighted a number of structural vulnerabilities, including liquidity constraints, foreign exchange challenges, pricing policies, dependence on certain segments of the supply chain, and obstacles to long-term investment,” Hassan Bayrami, a member of the Board of Directors of the Syndicate of Pharmaceutical, Chemical, and Pharmaceutical Packaging Manufacturers, said.

“Pharmex 2026 must go beyond showcasing the strength of Iran’s pharmaceutical industry and serve as a platform for demonstrating its capacity to rebuild, strengthen resilience, drive innovation, and deepen its integration into the regional pharmaceutical value chain,” he highlighted, according to the Pharmex Secretariat.

Pharmex is recognized as one of the largest and most prominent international pharmaceutical industry events in Iran and West Asia. The exhibition brings together leading pharmaceutical manufacturers, packaging companies, suppliers, technology providers, and industry professionals from across the region and beyond.

Iran regional leader in health system

In May 2025, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) director for the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) said Iran is a leading country in expanding its healthcare system and providing access to universal health coverage.

Lauding the country’s achievements in recent years, Hanan Balkhi said that by expanding primary health care services, increasing access to health coverage in rural areas, maintaining high vaccination rates, and reducing maternal and newborn mortality, Iran has managed to become a successful role model in the region, the health ministry’s website reported.

The official made the remarks in a meeting with Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarqandi. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA).

Self-sufficiency in medicine, medical equipment is a priority

The issue of medicine and medical equipment production and self-sufficiency in these areas is one of the government’s priorities, Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarqandi has said.

Medicine and medical equipment are two important areas related to people’s health, he said, adding: “We are trying to reach self-sufficiency for the supply of medicine and medical equipment,” IRNA reported

On January 13, the head of Iran’s Union of Medical Equipment Manufacturers and Exporters said that medical equipment worth around $20 million is exported to more than 60 countries annually.

More than 70 percent of medical equipment and 100 percent of normal hospital beds are domestically made, IRNA quoted Abdolreza Yaqoubzadeh as saying.

Also, over 95 percent of specific ICU and CCU beds and more than 85 percent of operating room medical equipment, such as anesthesia machines and other equipment, are manufactured with cutting-edge technology in the country, he added.

Yaqoubzadeh went on to say that the country’s need for medical equipment production is three to four billion dollars per year, some one billion dollars of which is imported.

Some 600 medical equipment companies are active in the country, producing around 99 percent of the medicine supplied to the domestic market.

Medical equipment manufacturers in the country produce and supply over 10,000 types of medical equipment to domestic and foreign markets. Now, various pieces of laboratory equipment are manufactured at prices much lower than the same foreign products.

Tags

• Iran
• Pharmex
• pharmaceuticals

Iran attends Cosmoscow International Contemporary Art Fair for third consecutive year

TEHRAN – Officials at Iran’s pavilion in the 14th Cosmoscow International Contemporary Art Fair announced that the works of Iranian artists have been well-received by visitors to the event, which is considered Russia’s most important professional art showcase.

The event was held from September 4 to 6 at the Timiryazev Tsentr in Moscow, featuring 108 galleries. Modern and contemporary Iranian art was showcased at this international event through a dedicated “Persian” section, IRNA reported.

Iranian artists have been participating in this exhibition for the third consecutive year. Selected works from over 50 artists, represented by eight Iranian galleries, were displayed and available for sale.

The collection presented in this project showcased diverse experiences of modern and contemporary Iranian art across several generations and artistic movements. Works by established international artists, including Mansour Ghandriz, Massoud Arabshahi, Ali Akbar Sadeghi, Sirak Melkonian, Aydin Aghdashloo, Nikzad Nodjoumi, Mohsen Vaziri Moghaddam, Reza Derakhshani, Farideh Lashai, Hossein Kazemi, Farshid Maleki, and other pioneers, alongside contemporary Iranian artists, were met with visitor interest.

Kazem Jalali, Iran’s Ambassador to Russia, visited the Iranian pavilion at this fair and emphasized the importance of utilizing the potential of visual arts and fostering direct interaction between artists, galleries, and cultural institutions of both countries to develop cultural relations between Iran and Russia.

“The significance of the presence of Iranian artists and galleries in the Russian market is not limited to displaying and selling works. Participating in such an event means an Iranian artist entering the professional network of the Russian art market, gaining visibility among collectors, gallerists, experts, and cultural institution managers, and creating opportunities for future exhibitions, artwork sales, and collaborations,” Jalali stated.

“The continuity of such presence helps build trust and recognition in the art market, which in contemporary art usually only comes through consistent presence and direct interaction among artists, galleries, and collectors,” he noted.

Margarita Pushkina, Director and Founder of the Cosmosco International Contemporary Art Fair, also commented during her visit to Iran’s pavilion: “We all know that without any exaggeration, Iranian culture and art are very rich, and we have always been interested in it.”

“Before the participation of contemporary Iranian artists in our exhibition, we had heard and were aware of much about their capabilities. When the opportunity arose to invite Iranian galleries and artists to participate in this event, it was a great honor for us,” Pushkina added.

“Russian people have become acquainted with the work of talented Iranian artists over the past years and have become accustomed to Iran presenting its galleries and artists’ works to them.”

Also speaking during the visit, Abdolreza Rashed, the Cultural Attaché of the Iranian Embassy in Russia, said: “The presence of our country’s artists in Cosmoscow for the past three years is not merely a ceremonial act. This presence can be considered a practical example of cultural diplomacy through art, a path through which Iran is introduced not only through official programs but directly through the works and language of Iranian artists.”

“Over the past three years, by supporting the participation of Iranian galleries and artists, accelerating and facilitating negotiations with the Russian side, making necessary arrangements with the exhibition organizers, and assisting in establishing connections between art professionals of both countries, we have tried to pave the way for a more regular and effective presence of Iranian art,” Rashed further noted.

“In the Iran pavilion, titled ‘Persian Art: Dialogue of Generations,’ an effort has been made to present a contemporary image of Iranian art to the Russian audience, going beyond stereotypical perceptions. Through the presence of works from different generations, the historical continuity between modern and contemporary Iranian art has been showcased,” he stated.

Tags

• Cosmoscow International Contemporary Art Fair
• Ali Akbar Sadeghi
• Sirak Melkonian

Up to 14,000 bodies still lie under the ruins of Gaza homes

 By staff writer

TEHRAN — Thousands of mourners gathered in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood on Sunday for a mass funeral honoring 100 Palestinian martyrs whose remains were recently exhumed from beneath shattered residential buildings.

Draped in Palestinian flags, the victims included at least 70 children, alongside women and the elderly from the Malaka, Rahim, Balawi, Qanbour, and Salmi families.

They were killed when Israeli warplanes leveled their multi-story homes over two years ago. The Malaka family alone lost 55 members in a single strike during November 2023.

For years, grief-stricken survivors could only stand before mountains of crushed concrete, unable to reach the dead due to incessant shelling and a complete lack of extraction equipment.

A fraction of those still buried

Sunday’s ceremony near the Imam al-Shafi’i Mosque marks only a small portion of an overwhelming human tragedy.

While the Palestinian Health Ministry records over 73,600 killed since October 2023, this official figure excludes thousands trapped in the ruins.

Civil Defense officials and independent human rights monitors estimate between 8,000 and 14,000 Palestinians remain entombed beneath the debris across the enclave.

The recovery in Zeitoun formed part of the second phase of an emergency initiative launched in mid-July.

This phase targets 147 destroyed residential sites across northern and central Gaza, where over 1,000 martyrs remain buried.

Rescue crews recently pulled 233 bodies from just 20 residential buildings after more than 800 hours of intensive effort.

At other sites, such as the Engineers Tower in Nuseirat refugee camp, teams are attempting to recover 150 people using a single excavator.

Progress remains agonizingly slow because workers lack basic machinery, forcing them to sift through reinforced concrete using shovels and bare hands.

Israeli blockade starves rescue teams

The delay in unearthing these victims stems directly from the ongoing Israeli blockade and deliberate military targeting.

Israeli air strikes have systematically targeted Palestinian Civil Defense facilities throughout the war, destroying roughly 85 percent of the agency’s heavy equipment and emergency response vehicles.

Despite cease-fire stipulations requiring the regime to permit the entry of heavy excavators and bulldozers, Israeli forces continue to block all heavy equipment, spare parts, and fuel supplies.

Brigadier General Raed al-Dahshan, director of Gaza’s Civil Defense, stated that rescue crews operate under virtually non-existent capabilities.

He explained that what an excavator can accomplish in one hour takes manual laborers a full month. Rescuers frequently pull out children’s toys and schoolbooks alongside bone fragments.

Without heavy equipment, retrieving the thousands of martyrs still trapped under Gaza’s 40 million tons of debris will take years rather than months, prolonging the torment of grieving families who call civil defense offices daily asking for news of their missing relatives.

Erasing evidence of war crimes

The crisis is further exacerbated by Israeli military operations that dismantle and clear rubble in occupied zones.

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese warned that clearing debris without international oversight risks destroying physical evidence of genocide.

The Palestinian Center for Missing Persons warned that military bulldozers operate indiscriminately in restricted zones, crushing skeletal remains and mixing them with building materials, making future identification through DNA testing impossible.

Concurrently, reports indicate Israeli authorities are holding approximately 1,700 Palestinian bodies in detention facilities for potential leverage in negotiations.

For families such as the Balawis, receiving the remains of loved ones brings a bitter form of closure after years of waiting. Yet for thousands of families across Gaza, the wait continues.

By denying entry to basic rescue equipment, Israel continues its policy of collective punishment, ensuring shattered neighborhoods remain open mass graves.

Tags

• Gaza
• Israel
• Martyr
• Gaza rubble
• genocide

Maliki offers ‘containment’ for Iraqi resistance

 By Ali Minabi

TEHRAN – Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has rejected the disarmament of resistance factions, proposing “containment” as an alternative to stripping them of their weapons.

In a TV interview, Maliki, who leads the State of Law Coalition and serves on a key three-member committee tasked by the Shia Coordination Framework with negotiating with the resistance movements, argued that the very language of “disarmament” is counterproductive. 

He stated that the term creates significant “political and psychological resistance” among the factions, noting that the terminology of disarmament is not used because being described as “disarmed” carries a great psychological impact. He further elaborated that referring to a resistance faction as “disarmed” carries both a psychological and a practical weight that makes the term unworkable in negotiations.

Instead, Maliki proposed a fourth term for the issue of weapons: “containment,” adding it to a list that has included “disarmament,” “restriction,” and “regulation”. He stressed that the goal should be an “organizational step, not a retaliatory one,” and that the era of “challenge, threats, and intimidation” is over because “threats do not yield results”. 

“The language that was prevalent- challenge, threat, and intimidation- has ended, because threats do not produce results,” he said. 

“Calls for conflict, attacks on headquarters of the factions, and attacks on the government do not produce results. The government is not weak to be attacked, nor is it in the government’s interest to attack the factions.”

Maliki framed these realities as the foundation for a new approach. He noted that these are the first facts that have now become established, which have opened the door and the field for him and others interested in national affairs and the safety of the internal situation to find an opportunity for deliberation and dialogue. This, he argued, can help resolve the matter without exposing itself to a state of collision.

Central to Maliki’s argument was the assertion that the continued possession of light and medium weapons by resistance factions is a “necessity” to protect Iraq in the face of any future challenges. 

He revealed that a joint committee is actively discussing distinctions between the weapons of the Iraqi resistance. “There is a distinction between heavy weapons, medium weapons, and light weapons,” Maliki said. “This is one of the issues being raised: Does keeping or containing weapons include everything? Or only the type of weapon that is considered a weapon for targeting internally and externally? This is what the committee formed with the factions will resolve.”

Maliki, who was nominated for prime minister in January but ultimately failed to secure the position, used only his second televised interview since then to draw a clear line between the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and other armed groups. 

“The Popular Mobilization Forces are a state military institution formed by a cabinet decree; its arms are the state’s arms, and its command is under the state’s authority,” he stated. 

The veteran Iraqi politician insisted that the organization of arms must be carried out through the Popular Mobilization Forces law and by integrating groups within the legal framework. By emphasizing the PMF as an integrated state entity whose weapons, funding, and military operations are formally subject to government authority, he appeared to be offering a model for other groups to follow, while simultaneously resisting any move to dismantle their military structures.

Maliki also pushed back against American threats of sanctions or harsh measures. “Our goal is to agree on a specific framework for managing the crisis, not to surrender under the pressure of threats,” he said. He emphasized that all political groups and religious authorities agree on the need to organize arms, but that this must be done through legal and institutional channels rather than coercion.

Throughout the interview, Maliki also took time to praise the resistance factions, emphasizing that the Iraqi nation should never forget their sacrifices during the dark days of the al-Qaeda and Daesh eras. 

Terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda and Daesh, emerged as a result of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. 

He called for honoring the historical sacrifices of anti-terror and resistance fighters by integrating their capabilities within official state defense and security institutions. In his view, these factions played a decisive role in defeating Daesh and protecting the country when its formal security forces were overwhelmed, and their contributions must be recognized rather than erased through disarmament.

His comments come just weeks before the September 30, 2026, the deadline for the complete withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition forces, a date the Iraqi government has declared as “Sovereignty Day.” 

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has affirmed that September 30 is the final and irrevocable deadline for ending the U.S.-led coalition’s military presence in Iraq. 

Iraq and the United States had agreed in 2024 to end the military presence, which many Iraqis view as an occupation, but this was delayed by Washington. Resistance factions have threatened the U.S. occupation forces, vowing to take action should they fail to withdraw from Iraqi soil by the end of September 2026.

The slated withdrawal has come amid ongoing and intense U.S. pressure on Baghdad to rein in the armed factions. America views the deadline as a key moment to consolidate state authority over all arms. The U.S. administration has demanded the full disarmament of all resistance factions. 

Despite this pressure, powerful parties, backed by figures like Maliki, are determined to hold onto their weapons. U.S. officials have made clear that they expect the Iraqi government to assert full control over all armed groups operating within its borders as a condition for continued security cooperation. 

However, resistance leaders believe “disarming would serve the Zionist regime and the United States,” further complicating efforts to resolve the crisis before U.S. forces depart. 

The government initially hoped September 30 would mark both the departure of U.S. forces and the transfer of resistance weapons to government control, but negotiations between the Coordination Framework and resistance groups now appear to have passed the first step without U.S. involvement and interference. 

As the deadline approaches, the gap between Washington’s demands and Baghdad’s political realities remains wide, with Maliki’s intervention signaling that any resolution will likely require compromise, and that outright disarmament is off the table.

Tags

• Iraq
• Nouri Al-Maliki
• iraqi resistance
• Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF)

Yemeni forces strike Saudi facilities in retaliatory blitz

TEHRAN – The Yemeni Armed Forces announced the successful execution of a large-scale offensive targeting critical Saudi economic and military installations. 

This came in direct retaliation for a “brutal and unjust” three-day Saudi aerial campaign against civilian-populated areas across Yemen.

In a statement broadcast on national television, a spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF), Brigadier General Yahya Saree, detailed that dozens of ballistic missiles and combat drones struck the Aramco facilities in Abha, Najran, and Jizan. They also targeted the Economic City and the King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait. 

The strikes, he said, were “accurate and direct, by the grace of Allah,” and inflicted substantial damage on these strategic assets. The operation, code-named “Siege for Siege,” was presented as a proportionate and lawful response to Saudi Arabia’s intensifying aggression against the Yemeni people.

The YAF statement opened with a stark reminder that the Yemeni nation has endured twelve years of foreign military intervention and a crippling blockade imposed by the “Saudi enemy”. 

Over the past 72 hours, the Saudi air force has launched more than 120 airstrikes across five governorates: Marib, Al-Bayda, Hodeidah, Taiz, and Al-Jawf. The Sana’a government emphasized that these air raids marked a “major and comprehensive escalation” designed to break the will of the Yemeni people and serve the interests of the American and Israeli regimes.

The most heinous of these attacks, according to the statement, was the bombardment of the Central Prison in Al-Hazm, capital of Al-Jawf province. That strike claimed the lives of a large number of inmates, including women and children who were visiting their detained relatives. 

The YAF denounced the prison bombing as a war crime and a clear violation of international humanitarian law. They accused Riyadh of deliberately targeting non-combatants in a desperate attempt to demoralize the population.

“This is not a war against armed forces,” the statement read. “This is a war against our very existence, against our homes, our prisons, our children. The Saudi enemy seeks to occupy our country and exterminate our people, all while hiding behind the pretext of fighting terrorism. But the world knows the truth: they are the terrorists.”

Faced with this unprovoked escalation, the YAF declared that it would meet aggression with greater aggression. The missile and drone salvo against Saudi Aramco facilities and the Khamis Mushait airbase was underlined as only the opening act of a sustained campaign. 

Saree pointed out that the targets were chosen for their strategic and economic significance to the Saudi war machine. These are oil installations that fuel the “enemy’s” military logistics, and airbases from which the bombing sorties are launched.

“Every attack against our country and our people will be met with a decisive response,” the YAF pledged. “We will not hesitate to launch stronger and broader strikes against the criminal Saudi enemy, God willing. We have the means, the resolve, and the divine support to carry this fight to the very heart of the aggressor’s land.”

The Sanaa government also issued a direct warning to the Saudi leadership. All military mobilizations, troop movements, and aerial operations will not intimidate Yemen, the “land of Islam and Arabism.” Nor will they weaken the resolve of its faithful, freedom-loving people. Instead, the statement asserted, such brutality only steels the nation’s determination to confront every act of aggression.

Central to the YAF’s message was the reaffirmation of the “blockade for blockade” equation. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has imposed a comprehensive air, sea, and land blockade on Yemen, strangling its economy and depriving millions of essential goods, medicine, and fuel. 

The YAF declared that they would continue to target Saudi depth, both economic infrastructure and military staging points, until the siege on Yemen is lifted and all foreign forces withdraw from its territory.

“Our people stand on the side of truth, while our enemy stands on the side of falsehood,” the statement concluded. “And indeed, falsehood is destined to perish. We are a people of faith and wisdom; we do not start wars, but we do not shy away from finishing them. The Saudi regime, backed by its American and Israeli patrons, thought it could crush us with bombs and hunger. Today, they are learning that the Yemeni spirit is unbreakable.”

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Supreme Political Council strongly condemned the targeting of the detention center in the city of Al Hazm, Jawf province, holding Saudi Arabia fully responsible for the attack and its consequences. 

It said that “targeting detainees and civilians constitutes a dangerous escalation and a violation of international humanitarian law.”

The council said that “the Saudi escalation was not limited to the detention facility, but coincided with attacks on civilian homes in several Yemeni provinces,” stressing that “these attacks will not go unanswered or unpunished.”

The council stressed that it would not stand idly by in the face of the continued escalation, affirming its right to defend its people, sovereignty, and interests. It warned that continuing along this course would push the situation into a new phase for which Saudi Arabia would bear responsibility for the resulting consequences and repercussions.

The council called on the United Nations, the Security Council, and relevant international organizations to immediately and explicitly condemn the attack on the correctional facility and take a position on “the continued silence over crimes committed against the Yemeni people.”

Earlier, Saudi forces launched attacks on Yemen’s Al Jawf, Al Bayda, Ma’rib, and Taiz provinces, carrying out a number of airstrikes and cruise missile attacks, according to the Saba news agency in Sanaa.

The latest exchange marks one of the most significant escalations since the collapse of UN-brokered ceasefire talks earlier this year. The Sanaa government has repeatedly accused Saudi Arabia of exploiting the diplomatic lull to intensify its bombing campaigns. 

However, with the YAF demonstrating the capability to strike multiple high-value targets simultaneously deep inside Saudi territory, the military balance has shifted. The regular strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities, the kingdom’s economic lifeline, carry particular weight and have raised global oil prices. They signal that the YAF forces are prepared to inflict direct financial pain on their adversary.

International observers have expressed concern over the widening scope of the Saudi-initiated conflict, but the YAF remain unyielding. As their statement made clear, they view this as a war of existence, one in which every act of Saudi brutality will be met with an equal or greater response. Sanaa has voted that will continue until the aggression ceases and the deadly blockade on Yemen is lifted.

Tags

• Yemen
• Saudi Arabia
• Saudi Aramco

Isfahan to host 38th children’s film festival

TEHRAN- The 38th edition of International Film Festival for Children and Youth will be held in Isfahan, with the organizers planning a range of cinematic, educational and cultural programs aimed at children and teenagers.

The festival will be jointly organized by the Farabi Cinema Foundation and Isfahan Municipality, with Hamed Jafari serving as its secretary, Mehr reported on Tuesday. 

The arrangements for holding the event in the central Iranian city were finalized through a memorandum of understanding signed by Isfahan Governor Mehdi Jamalinejad, Deputy Culture Minister and Cinema Organization head Raed Faridzadeh, Isfahan Mayor Ali Qasemzadeh, and Farabi Cinema Foundation Managing Director Hamed Jafari.

The upcoming edition is expected to draw on Isfahan’s cultural and urban capacities to create broader opportunities for children, teenagers and families to engage with cinema.

Speaking about the event, Jamalinejad said Isfahan has extensive cultural, social and administrative capacities that should be utilized more effectively in this edition of the festival.

He called for the participation of provincial cultural institutions, artists and organizations active in the field of children and adolescents, emphasizing the need to create an inclusive atmosphere for the festival both in Isfahan and at the national level.

Faridzadeh described the festival as one of the region’s longstanding and reputable events dedicated to children’s cinema, saying that protecting and enhancing its standing is a responsibility that should be pursued seriously.

He noted that holding the festival in Isfahan, with the support of the provincial administration and city authorities, provides valuable potential for a successful edition.

Faridzadeh also stressed the need to strengthen the festival’s national and international standing and use it as a platform for the development of children’s and adolescents’ cinema in Iran.

For his part, Qasemzadeh said Isfahan Municipality is ready to provide its administrative, cultural and promotional capacities for the event.

He added that efforts would be made to ensure that the festival has a visible presence across the city and that municipal facilities are used to encourage greater participation by children and families.

Jafari said this year’s festival has witnessed an increase in the number of submitted works and applications for participation.

He expressed hope that the growing interest would result in the selection of a strong lineup of films for screening during the event.

Alongside film screenings, the festival will feature special programs designed to give children and teenagers a more active role in the event. The Adolescents Film Olympiad, educational workshops and other programs focusing on young audiences are among the activities planned for the 38th edition.

According to Jafari, the festival aims not only to screen films but also to provide an environment for discovering young talent, education and developing a stronger relationship between the younger generation and cinema.

The 38th International Film Festival for Children and Youth will be held in Isfahan in the near future with the participation of the Farabi Cinema Foundation and Isfahan Municipality.

Tags

• International Film Festival for Children and Youth
• Isfahan children’s film festival
• Isfahan