News about Ali Khamenei

This is the shocking moment a suspected female morality police officer attacked a screaming teenager and forced her to the ground. It was reported that the teenager was accosted by the officer for refusing to cover her hair, thus breaching Iran 's strict laws governing what women can wear. Footage of the incident was captured in what appears to be a busy public park in Iran - reportedly Borujerd - and shared to social media.

New 'hijab enforcers' have been ordered to stand on the streets of cities in Iran over the past three weeks, patrolling cafes, restaurants, supermarkets, metro stations and universities. It comes after a number of recent videos showed officials stalking the streets of Iran looking for women in breach of the Islamic Republic's dress code laws, with one clip showing a woman being bundled into the back of a white van. Women discovered without a headscarf on, or found to be wearing fitted trousers, are approached and sent to the morality police. Then, patrol locations are decided and assigned to the enforcers by the Iranian authorities.

Israel listened to its allies. Yesterday's retaliation for Iran's mass missile and drone attack last weekend was limited and ­carefully calibrated, just as its friends had urged. Even Iran doesn't regard it as a cause for further escalation. This is all to the good but, it is far from the end of the ­matter, for Israel and its allies have much work to do if they are to build a united front which can thwart Iran's determination to dominate the Middle East and bring about the speedy demise of the medieval mullahs who rule from Tehran and spread such misery and bloodshed.

Israel 's muted show of force, which was criticised by hardline members of its coalition government, came after Iran sent 300 missiles and drones towards the Jewish state last Saturday. There were no casualties in the Israeli attack, which came on the 85th birthday of the country's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. It centred on the province of Isfahan, home to several nuclear facilities, missile factories and an airbase. None of the nuclear sites was damaged. Further explosions were reported near the northern city of Tabriz. Iranian state TV said: 'Three drones were observed in the sky over Isfahan.

Mousavian, who was the Iranian Ambassador to Germany at the time, seems to throw his support behind Hamas during the interview which has resurfaced. According to a translation by the US Middle East Media Research Institute, he said: 'If by that you mean that we supply Hamas with weapons: No, we do not. But if you mean that we support the Palestinians in their struggle, yes, we do.' When asked by the outlet if Iran provided Hezbollah with material or financial support, he added: 'We support Hezbollah morally and not by supplying weapons.'

The G7 pledged support for Israel's security and condemned 'in the strongest terms' what the foreign ministers described as Iran's 'unprecedented attack against Israel of April 13-14', announcing it is ready to adopt more sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Rounding on Beijing, the ministers declared 'strong concern' that Chinese businesses were transferring dual-use materials and weapons components to Russia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of 'fuelling' the Ukraine war by helping Moscow's 'most ambitious defence expansion since the Soviet era'. And finally, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Western governments are reviewing the possibility of using Russian assets frozen in Europe to replenish Ukraine's war chest as Vladimir Putin's forces continue to make gains in the Donbas (Pictured L-R: Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin)

A number of videos have shown officials stalking the streets looking for women in breach of the Islamic Republic's dress code laws, and in one clip are seen grappling with a woman before bundling her into the back of a white van. The crackdown on women across Iran follows Tehran announcing the 'Nour Project', according to the Jerusalem Post , which is aimed at 'dealing with anomalies.' This has resulted in the heavy presence of the country's so-called Guidance Patrol, or morality police - its Islamic police and vice squad in several cities. Police have been instructed to focus on 'positive behaviours' and avoid using 'negative behaviours,' according to Iran's Mehr News Agency. However, the Jerusalem Post's report suggests that the crackdown has been violent.

A member of the Saudi Arabian royal family reportedly told an Israeli broadcaster that, in his view, Iran had started the Gaza war by instructing its proxy group Hamas to massacre Israelis on October 7. Tehran's intention, according to this nameless royal, was to thwart the imminent normalisation of diplomatic relations between Israel and the Saudis. Why is that so important? Because it symbolises the extraordinary transformation under way in the politics of the Middle East. To understand how all this has come about, you need to go back to the very roots of Islam - and the schism within it.

The Israeli military's most important strategic target should be Iran's nuclear weapons program. Israeli attention, which in recent decades has focused on delaying Tehran's progress in fissile material production, must now shift to neutralizing Iran's nuclear scientists and their ability to build an actual weapon. Right now, Tehran is building a new heavily fortified facility near Natanz in central Iran that is reportedly designed to extend over 100 meters underground and is buried under a mountain. It is here that Iran could develop an enrichment plant powered by advanced centrifuges capable of producing multiple nuclear weapons without detection. If completed, the Natanz facility could be impervious to Israeli and even American bombs.

Iran sent more than 300 missiles and drones streaking towards Israel early Sunday morning in what was the first-ever direct strike on the Jewish state by Tehran. The Islamic Republic announced the attack was in response to a suspected IDF strike in Syria on April 1 that damaged the Iranian consulate in Damascus and killed two of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) generals. Tehran's attack was ultimately ineffective - Israel said almost all the over 300 drones and missiles were shot down by its sophisticated air defence system, with only one person wounded. But the attack has forced tensions in the region to breaking point, with the possibility of a full-scale clash between the two arch-enemies - and a wider confrontation that could consume the Middle East - looking closer than ever before. MailOnline assesses the myriad approaches Israel could take following Iran's attack and explains the potentially catastrophic consequences that could ensue should Tel Aviv decide to strike back.

DAVID PATRIKARAKOS: When Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his acolytes decided to torpedo a long-standing regional norm and attack Israel directly on Saturday night, they no doubt thought they had chosen their moment perfectly. But they appear to have made an egregious strategic error. After Hamas raped, massacred and kidnapped about 1,400 Israelis on October 7, most of the world looked on Israel with sympathy. Jerusalem set out to destroy Hamas and bring its own hostages home - as it was morally obliged to do. But the narrative soon changed. As more footage emerged of the horrific human cost of the war, especially on Gazan civilians, opinion turned.

Time and again, our leaders make the same mistakes. History should have taught them long ago that appeasement emboldens dictators. The only way to make ourselves secure is by arming ourselves properly and responding to aggression with dauntless courage. Iran has felt emboldened to launch this ferocious attack for one key reason: the West has spent years trying to placate(itals) its odious mullahs, rather than making it clear that their malign actions will have sharp consequences. In recent weeks, all too belatedly, President Biden has stated that Washington's commitment to Israel is 'iron-clad'.

A defense official told CNN that troops had managed to bring down the drones as part of their 'ironclad commitment' to Israel - echoing an earlier statement from President Biden. Iran 's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have now issued a chilling warning to the US saying any act from America would see a 'reciprocal' response.

Former President Trump addressed Iran's attack on Israel where he said it was because the United States was showing 'great weakness.' 'I want to say God bless the people of Israel,' Trump said at the top of his political rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. They're under attack right now. That's that's because we show great weakness,' the ex-president said at the top of the event.

The former president added that if he was commander in chief 'this would never have happened' in a number of posts made to his Truth Social platform. He also claimed President Biden had recorded a message to address the nation, which advisers had to convince him not to release.

US Congressional sources say the amphibious war ship Bataan is leading a US naval task force in the Eastern Mediterranean following the drone attacks on Israel. The Bataan has two support ships and together they have about 2,500 Marines onboard. The US also has several guided missile destroyers including the Carney in the area.

The president canceled hs weekend break and rushed back to Washington DC Saturday to tackle the crisis.

Biden, 81, is set to leave Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home on Saturday afternoon so he can meet his national security team just 24 hours after he said an Iranian strike on Israel would happen 'sooner rather than later'. He was due to stay until Sunday, but will now return to Washington D.C. following reports Tehran was moving more than 100 cruise missiles and drones to prepare for an assault. The Pentagon has already moved aircraft carriers into the Red Sea amid fears of a full-scale war and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant today to tell him he has 'unwavering' support from the U.S.

Officials briefed on the matter told both ABC News and CNN that the US has observed Iran readying over 100 cruise missiles, indicating they could be ready to attack. ABC also reported that a large number of drones that could be use in an attack on Israel have also been readied by the nation. On Friday, The Pentagon said the US would beef up its presence in the region and the USS Dwight Eisenhower would be sent into the Red Sea in a warning to Tehran.

The Pentagon is beefing up its presence in the region and the USS Dwight Eisenhower has been sent into the Red Sea in a warning to Tehran and to protect American personnel should the violence spill over, multiple reports suggest. U.S. officials fear that hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles could be used in a retaliation for an April 1 strike on a building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria. The USS Dwight Eisenhower could would be able to intercept missiles and drones fired by Iran.

Professor Gerald Steinberg, an expert in conflict management and founder of Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor, said a potential war between Iran and Israel would be both futile and devastating. 'They are on the verge of a confrontation similar to the October 1962 Cuban missile crisis between Washington and Moscow. Both countries can do massive damage to the other, but neither can ''win'',' he said. Wyn Bowen, Professor of International Security at King's College London's Department of War Studies, told MailOnline that it is unlikely Iran will seek to directly attack targets on Israeli soil, lest it risk an uncontrollable military response from Israel and its chief ally, the US. But he also cautioned 'the Iranian leadership is under significant pressure to respond robustly' to the consulate attack, suggesting that a direct conflict, albeit unlikely, must be considered. With any major military escalation between the two arch-enemies sure to subject citizens of both countries and their neighbours to yet more violence and misery, MailOnline breaks down Iran and Israel's military capabilities and assesses what a war between them could look like.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who attended the funeral ceremonies of the Iranian victims yesterday, declared in the wake of the strike: 'The evil Zionist regime will be punished'

Following Monday's assassination of two IRGC generals, the Syrian capital was largely destroyed, causing the Islamic Republic to swear revenge. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its presence, but it is widely believed that the IDF is behind the assault. In the aftermath of the attack, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (inset), who attended the funeral services of the Iranian victims, said: 'The evil Zionist regime will be punished at the hands of our brave soldiers.' We'll make them regret this murder and the others.' Israeli diplomats serving abroad expressed concern their embassies will be the target of Iranian retaliation, and some have been informed not to attend public events as a precaution, diplomatic sources told JPost and other Israeli media outlets (Iranian demonstrators burn Israeli and US flags bottom right)

The Jerusalem Post reports that Iran issued the order after becoming aware of Israeli plans to invade Rafah, the southern Gaza city. The regime is concerned that southern Lebanon will'be next', repeating US warnings that the Israeli military intends to launch a ground operation in Lebanon in late spring or early summer. Thus far, Israel exchanged near-daily missile fire with Hezbollah, wraging Lebanon's cities, but the IDF has resisted from a full-out invasion. If diplomatic efforts to lure Hezbollah back from Israel's northern border fall apart, the US administration and intelligence officials are concerned that a ground incursion could be next.