Deputy FM Gharibabadi meets new UN Resident Coordinator in Tehran

🔹Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, met with Ms. Christine Weigand, the newly appointed United Nations Resident Coordinator in Tehran, on Tuesday.

🔹Gharibabadi emphasized the importance of Iran-UN cooperation and called for greater utilization of Iranian expert capacities within UN offices in the country .

🔹He also urged the UN to play a more active role in supporting reconstruction, assessing war damages, and mobilizing international resources for post-conflict recovery following the recent wars.

🔹Weigand, who took up her post on February 1 and has previously served as UNICEF Representative in Iran , expressed appreciation for Iran's cooperation and stressed the importance of using Iranian expert staff in UN agencies.

US floundering between threats and retreat

This analysis argues that President Trump's contradictory rhetoric—alternating threats against Iranian nuclear and civilian targets with claims of "friendly negotiations"—masks severe US strategic failures. Iran has denied direct talks, confirming only indirect mediation via Oman, Qatar, Pakistan, and Egypt. The core dispute remains sovereign control over the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran restricted after the US-Israel war began. Washington's frantic diplomacy follows depleted interceptor stockpiles, forcing rationing of defensive systems, with replenishment estimated to take four years. NBC News reported commanders selectively intercept Iranian missiles to preserve dwindling supplies. The piece concludes that US military strategy has failed, ending the era of uncontested American hegemony in West Asia.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/528663/US-floundering-between-threats-and-retreat

Avaye Chirok releases audiobook adaptation of "The Unfinished Note"

The audiobook version of "The Unfinished Note," written by Vahid Akbari, has been released by Iran's Avaye Chirok institute. Narrated by Bahman Vakhshour, the collection features concise stories exploring war, death, guilt, love, poverty, and hope—largely set in urban environments like hospitals, shrines, and old neighborhoods. The narrative blends reality with nightmare, using recurring sensory elements (sirens, rockets, call to prayer) to create thematic cohesion. Many protagonists face near-death experiences that force confrontations with their deepest fears and past choices. The production, managed by Vakhshour with editing by Hasti Sadeqi, runs for two hours and eight minutes.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha held a phone call on Tuesday evening.

Pentagon changes Iran war casualty reporting, raising questions over transparency

The Pentagon has quietly revised its casualty reporting for the war against Iran, shifting from the category "Operation Epic Fury" to a new "Overseas Operations" classification. The change reduced officially listed US troops killed from 18 to 14 and removed dozens of wounded from the operation's count. The new category shows 207 additional service members wounded since July 7, bringing the total reported wounded to at least 624. Critics, including Republican Representative Thomas Massie, accuse the Pentagon of portraying the conflict as two separate wars to circumvent legal restrictions on presidential war powers. The Pentagon attributed discrepancies to "site anomalies" without further explanation.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/528669/Pentagon-changes-Iran-war-casualty-reporting-raising-questions

Hoover's ghost stalks Trump as US energy reserves hit 40-year lows

This analysis argues that despite calm oil futures prices ($80/barrel), the US has failed to secure the Strait of Hormuz, instead manipulating markets through orchestrated statements and algorithmic trading. It claims insiders, including Jared Kushner, profited from price swings, with the CFTC probing $2.6 billion in suspicious trades. US Strategic Petroleum Reserves have collapsed to 311.4 million barrels—the lowest since 1983—after releasing 172 million barrels. Trump reportedly admitted at the G7 that reserves hold barely four weeks of supply. The piece warns that with midterm elections approaching, Trump faces a choice between wider war or accepting Iranian oversight, haunted by comparisons to Herbert Hoover.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/528664/Hoover-s-ghost-stalks-Trump-as-US-energy-reserves-hit-40-year

War as Trump's family business

This opinion piece argues that during Donald Trump's second term, the line between government decisions and his family's financial interests has blurred, with war and defense policy becoming "family business." Critics cite Washington Post reports on investments by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump in defense tech companies (SpaceX, Anduril, drone firms) that received billions in government contracts. The article highlights Trump sons' drone industry investments, Trump family crypto ventures (World Liberty Financial), and international business deals linked to Jared Kushner. Democratic Representative Johnny Olszewski raised conflict-of-interest concerns in Congress. While officials deny direct links, critics argue the overlap between political power, defense spending, and family investments creates systemic conflicts.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/528658/War-as-Trump-s-family-business

Capture of any Iranian island will be extremely costly and fatal to US

This analysis argues that any US attempt to capture Iranian islands—Kharg, Larak, Abu Musa, or Greater/Lesser Tunb—would prove extremely costly and ultimately futile. While Kharg Island (handling 90% of Iran's oil exports) might be captured, holding it would expose US troops to thousands of inexpensive Iranian drones and missiles. Larak Island's mountainous terrain with hardened underground bunkers makes destruction prohibitively expensive. The Tunb islands would become vulnerable outposts requiring massive defensive systems. The piece emphasizes Iran's strategic depth, geographic advantage, and political will, citing Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's warning that Trump's signature is "worthless." It concludes that the US may win battles but cannot win the war.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/528657/Capture-of-any-Iranian-island-will-be-extremely-costly-and-fatal

Kermanshah among West Asia’s oldest human settlement areas, researcher says

Kermanshah is one of the oldest known human settlement areas on the Iranian Plateau and West Asia, with evidence dating back one million years, researcher Mohsen Derekeh said. Abundant water, favorable climate, and the Zagros mountains made it an early habitat. Key sites include Bisotun Cave (excavated by Carlton Coon in the 1940s), Warwasi Rock Shelter (with Neanderthal and modern human tools), and Wezmeh Cave (yielding a Neanderthal child's tooth, 40,000–70,000 years old). Recent work continues to reveal early occupation evidence. Derekeh emphasized that studying Kermanshah's prehistoric sites is essential to understanding human settlement across the region.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/528653/Kermanshah-among-West-Asia-s-oldest-human-settlement-areas-researcher

The South Caucasus: The Persian Gulf of Eurasia's future?

This analysis argues that recent events—Ukraine's attack on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea, NATO's Ankara summit, and strikes on energy infrastructure—signal the emergence of a new security geography across Eurasia. The author contends that the Caspian Sea is becoming part of NATO's strategic reach through Ukraine, just as Russia extends influence to Bab al-Mandab via Iran. The South Caucasus is no longer merely a regional crossroads but a new fault line in great power competition. Regional states must recognize that they are choosing not just economic corridors but their future security geography—whether as bridges for cooperation or frontlines of geopolitical rivalry between major powers.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/528650/The-South-Caucasus-The-Persian-Gulf-of-Eurasia-s-future

🔴 Iran condemns US-Saudi aggression against Iraq, Arbaeen pilgrims

🔹The Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the US and Saudi attacks on Iraqi territories, including facilities of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF)—an official Iraqi security institution—and stations serving Arbaeen pilgrims, as a "blatant violation of Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as Article 2(4) of the UN Charter" .

🔹At least 20 PMF members were martyred and 32 wounded in the strikes across multiple Iraqi provinces, which were confirmed by CENTCOM as a joint operation against Iran-aligned targets following drone attacks on US forces and Saudi oil infrastructure .

🔹Tehran extended condolences to the Iraqi people and reaffirmed full solidarity with the government and nation, holding the US and its regional allies fully responsible for the consequences of these "criminal, inhumane, and provocative acts" .