‘Help is on the way’: From regime change to toilet repair

Trump once promised Iranian protesters "help is on the way"—which became a brutal bombing campaign. Now, the same words describe emergency relief for the USS Lincoln, stranded 250 days with broken toilets, mold, and mental health crises. Senators demand Hegseth's firing. Washington's imperial overstretch laid bare.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529223/Help-is-on-the-way-From-regime-change-to-toilet-repair

Ghalibaf: Iran, Iraq can create unique opportunities across region; deepest solidarity shown against ISIS

🔹Iran Parliament Speaker thanked Iraq's nation and government for hosting the martyred Leader's funeral and providing exceptional services for Arbaeen pilgrims.

🔹He said the two nations share geography, history, faith, and common friends and enemies, adding they can create "unique opportunities" in the region.

🔹"The depth of Iran-Iraq friendship reached its peak during the fight against ISIS," he noted, highlighting the sacrifices of General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

🔹Iraq's Premier said Iran was the first country to respond to Baghdad's call for help against ISIS, adding: "If anyone takes steps for Iraq, we will take bold steps for them."

MAGA stands for 'Make America Grotesque Again'

The US war on Iran has cost $300 billion, with no end in sight. The USS Abraham Lincoln—sent to "deter" Tehran—is trapped in the Gulf with broken toilets, mold, and sailors in crisis. Meanwhile, Iran's missile strikes destroyed 15 US bases across eight countries. General Fadavi now threatens to target the carrier with hypersonic missiles. From "help is on the way" to a stranded fleet—the grotesque reality of imperial overstretch.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529229/MAGA-stands-for-Make-America-Grotesque-Again

Washington's post-Maduro plan for Venezuela

Former US officials and Venezuelan opposition figures are quietly discussing a post-Maduro transition, according to Iranian analyst Ruhollah Modabber. The plan includes political transition, potential US intervention if Maduro resists, economic restructuring via expropriation and privatization, and reengagement with international creditors. Washington views Venezuela as a strategic laboratory for reshaping Latin America—this time without the "covert" label.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529221/Post-Maduro-Venezuela-Washington-s-lab-for-Latin-America

📞 Iran FM, Mauritanian counterpart discuss Palestine, OIC cooperation

🔹Foreign Ministers Abbas Araghchi and Mohamed Salem Ould Merzouk held a phone call on Wednesday to discuss the latest regional developments and bilateral relations.

🔹Araghchi stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation among Islamic countries, particularly within the OIC, to support Palestine and counter Zionist plots against the Muslim world.

🔹The Mauritanian FM conveyed greetings from his president to President Pezeshkian, highlighting Iran's influential role in the OIC and his country's commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation.

🔹Both sides expressed readiness to develop ties and support each other in international forums.

📞 Iran FM, Pakistani Army chief discuss regional developments, diplomatic efforts

🔹Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a phone conversation with Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Wednesday to discuss the latest regional developments and the ongoing diplomatic efforts to advance political solutions.

🔹The two sides exchanged views on various aspects of the current situation and the importance of strengthening consultations and cooperation.

Iran and the new cartography of Eurasian power

Eurasia is emerging as the defining political space of the 21st century, with competing infrastructure corridors—BRI, IMEC, INSTC—reshaping global hierarchies. Iran sits at the heart of this map, yet six corridors were designed to bypass it. But the war changed that: Iran emerged as a central regional node, and global logistics will likely adapt to its renewed centrality. Tehran has made clear—if its security is threatened, the entire region's security is threatened with it.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529188/Iran-and-the-new-cartography-of-Eurasian-power

Gharibabadi: US has named its next defeat 'economic war'

🔹Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi responded to US claims that Iran is on the brink of collapse, stating: "They claim Iran is at a breaking point—yet they beg all their allies for help!"

🔹"The problem is repeated miscalculations. To cover each one, they are forced to create an even greater defeat for themselves," he added.

🔹"Military war didn't work. Now they've named their next defeat 'economic war.'"

Ghalibaf meets Iraq's top judiciary official in Baghdad

🔹Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf met with Judge Faiq Zaidan, head of Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council, on Thursday morning in Baghdad.

🔹The two sides discussed ways to enhance judicial and legal cooperation between the two brotherly countries, and the follow-up and implementation of joint agreements and memoranda of understanding.

🔹The meeting is part of Ghalibaf's three-day official visit to Iraq, which also includes talks with the Iraqi president, prime minister, and parliament speaker.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf met with Iraq's National Security Advisor Qassem al-Aboudi on Thursday morning in Baghdad.

Qal-e Kord Cave may shed new light on stone-tool evolution

The seventh excavation season at Qal-e Kord Cave could reshape understanding of early human tool-making on the Iranian Plateau. Researchers have identified three technological layers: upper Mousterian-style tools linked to Neanderthals, an intermediate phase, and deeper layers showing simpler, less standardized artifacts. The site may represent a local technological tradition dating to the late Lower Paleolithic and early Middle Paleolithic.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529240/Qal-e-Kord-Cave-may-shed-new-light-on-evolution-of-stone-tool

Israeli troops shoot children and abduct medical workers in West Bank

Israeli forces and settler militias are rampaging across the West Bank—shooting children, abducting doctors, and marking detainees with numbers on their foreheads. Settlers have besieged families, cut water and power, and blocked ambulances. Over 1,330 attacks since early 2026 have killed 18 Palestinians, wounded 880, and displaced over 2,300.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529217/Israeli-troops-shoot-children-and-abduct-medical-workers-in-West