Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev warned on Wednesday that facilities across Europe used for manufacturing drones for Ukraine might become targets of Russian strikes.
Medvedev drew attention to a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry earlier today about a "sharp escalation" with Europe, which he said "must be taken literally," adding that sites used for the production of other types of military equipment may also be struck. "When strikes become a reality depends on what comes next. Sleep well, European partners!" Medvedev concluded.
The rhetoric marks a noticeable shift in Moscow's position, seemingly indicating a willingness to consider direct attacks on European countries that aid Ukraine.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and United States President Donald Trump talked over the phone on Wednesday, the former's office shared in a statement.
During the conversation, Trump praised Qatar for its regional mediation role, adding that Washington is ready to continue coordinating with the country on various matters, including energy security.
On his part, Al-Thani stressed that it is important to boost international efforts to "prevent further escalation in the region," also underlining that diplomatic means should be the primary way to deal with the crisis in the Middle East.
The top US derivatives regulator is investigating a series of suspiciously well-timed trades in the oil futures market ahead of recent policy pivots by PresidentDonald Trumprelated to the war in Iran, according to people familiar with the matter.
In Iran, people are struggling to afford meat and eggs — thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, many from the same country are building real estate empires.
“If you cannot afford your rent, if you cannot pay for food, then you have nothing to lose,” says Sarmen Gorjian, an insurance agency owner, who immigrated to the US from Iran in 2010.
“Especially in Los Angeles, a lot of Persians share that — It doesn’t matter if you’re a doctor, a lawyer, a dentist, you probably own four or five properties as well. And you have two under construction,” says Shervin Roohparvar, a real estate developer who also starred onreality TV series “Shahs of Sunset.”
There are even reality TV shows riffing off the reputation of Iranians in LA as wealthy and glamorous.
Ironically, Tehrangeles grew out of the same revolution in 1979 — that helped set the stage for the financial struggles of Iranians in Iran today, as well as the war rocking Iran and the wider Middle East today. That revolution set in motion two very different realities on opposite sides of the world.
The Iranian community in LA largely started from refugees fleeing regime change in the ’70s and ’80s, who avoided the devastating currency collapse and inflation that eventually followed. Many lost nearly everything in the transition.
Iranian immigrants to the US report median income that is about 23% more than the total immigrant population.
They rebuilt in Los Angeles, somewhere that felt… kind of familiar.
“I think at least the Tehran that I remember was not very different from Los Angeles at the time. It was a really vibrant city. You had people from all over the world there all the time,” said Bobby Samini, a celebrity lawyer who has represented the likes of T-Pain and former Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
“So I think they almost would have been parallel cities. They would have been sister cities if things had been different.”
It’s not unusual for Iranian immigrants to the US to own multiple homes.Instagram/@ninatakesh
Much of Rodeo Drive was developed by the Mahboubi family, who moved to LA from Iran in the 1970s.
The exiled crown prince’s daughter Princess Noor now lives here.
There are even reality TV shows, like “Shahs of Sunset” and “The Valley: Persian Style” riffing off the reputation of Iranians in LA as wealthy and glamorous.
But it’s not just LA. In the US, Iranians are better off than average. Iranian immigrants report median income that is about 23% more than the total immigrant population, and about 20% more than all US-born Americans.
Watch the video to find out how so many Iranian refugees got rich in Los Angeles, and how the same moment in history sent millions of Iranians down paths that look drastically different today.
Iran’s science minister says the country’s communications ministry is facing “considerations beyond its authority” over ongoing internet restrictions, despite repeated contacts between the two ministries.
Speaking on Wednesday, he said his office had held numerous discussions with the communications ministry about restoring connectivity.
He warned that education and technological research cannot function without internet access.
A Malta-flagged crude tanker has passed west through the Strait of Hormuz, becoming the first such transit since the United States blocked Iranian ports, the Associated Press reported, citing a global shipping tracking monitor.
The Malta-flagged VLCC Agios Fanourios I is expected to arrive in Basra, Iraq, on Thursday, where ports are not under a US blockade, according to MarineTraffic.
MarineTraffic said the vessel attempted the transit again after anchoring in the Gulf of Oman for nearly two days.
The European Commission plans to propose temporary measures such as grants, subsidies, tax breaks and loans to mitigate the impact of the Iran war on agriculture, fisheries and transport, Reuters reported, citing a draft Commission document.
The Commission is consulting member states before adopting a final version by the end of April, the report said.
Once adopted, the aid measures will run until the end of the year and cover up to 50% of additional fuel and fertilizer costs arising from the Iran crisis, the report added.
