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By Mostafa Salem, CNN

(CNN) — Hundreds of women lined up for a marathon on Iran’s resort island of Kish in early December wearing matching shirts and leggings with hair tied loosely behind their backs.

In a country where ignoring dress codes could land you hefty fines and prison sentences, the runners turned their focus on the course ahead, ignoring government directives and the complimentary headscarf placed by the race organizers in the marathon starter pack, in anticipation of violations.

In October, a band played the “Seven Nation Army” riff to a headbanging crowd on the streets of the Iranian capital Tehran in a viral moment on social media reposted by the American guitarist behind the White Stripes hit, Jack White.

This week, shopkeepers and bazaar merchants took to the streets in several Iranian cities, chanting anti-regime slogans over their inability to pay rent after the currency hit record lows. The protests were the largest since a 2022 nationwide uprising sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody after she was arrested for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly.

Despite being so far limited, the protests mark the latest chapter in growing discontent in Iran while a population quietly reclaims public spaces and personal freedoms through uncoordinated acts of defiance. The Islamic theocratic regime – long opposed to Western cultural influence – appears to be overlooking the growing civil disobedience to focus on its own survival.

At the helm is Iran’s ailing 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who spent decades trying to fortify his regime from domestic and foreign threats, but must now contend with a failing strategy. Domestically, a frustrated youth are showing unprecedented defiance of Islamic norms, the national currency has plummeted to record lows, Iranian cities are running dry and protests are beginning to emerge. Outside its borders, its arch-enemy Israel continues lobbying the United States over further military action against the Islamic Republic.

With limited options, Khamenei is now adopting a cautious waiting game, avoiding major decisions and drastic strategies despite the mounting domestic challenges.

“Many observers relay a sense of no one being at home; no one making any big decisions, or rather that Khamenei is not permitting any real decisions,” Mohammad Ali Shabani, editor of Amwaj.media, a London-based news site focusing on Iran, Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula countries, told CNN.

“Right now, whatever decision Khamenei may make will likely feature a significant downside, so it seems as if he’s sitting out any major decision,” he said.

The Supreme Leader, or “Vali-ye Faqih” – a significant title granting its holder ultimate authority over all state and religious affairs – was reporte

By Haley Britzky, CNN

(CNN) — Roughly two dozen ISIS operatives have been killed or captured in Syria by US and partner forces since US airstrikes earlier this month, which were carried out in response to the killing of two American service members.

“Nearly 25” operatives were killed or captured between December 20 and 29, a release by US Central Command said Tuesday; seven ISIS members have been killed, while the rest were captured during 11 missions. Four ISIS weapons caches were also destroyed, the release said.

The missions follow large-scale strikes by the US on December 19 in Syria that hit roughly 70 targets. The retaliatory strikes came after two US service members and one civilian interpreter were killed in an attack on December 13 that the US has said was carried out by ISIS.

“We will not relent,” Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, said in Tuesday’s release. “We are steadfast in commitment to working with regional partners to root out the ISIS threat posed to U.S. and regional security.”

The two US service members and civilian interpreter were killed in Palmyra, Syria, due to injuries sustained “while engaged with hostile forces,” the Army previously said. The Defense Department said the attack was carried out by a lone ISIS gunman.

The soldiers were identified as 25-year-old Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar of Des Moines, Iowa, and 29-year-old Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard of Marshalltown, Iowa. Both were members of the Iowa National Guard, which began deploying roughly 1,800 troops to the Middle East earlier this year as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the US mission to defeat ISIS. Three other Iowa National Guard members were injured in the attack.

The retaliatory strikes on December 19 “destroyed ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites across central Syria,” Tuesday’s release said.

Other partner nations joined the US in the strikes, including Jordan, which said it did so to prevent extremist organizations from threatening the security of neighboring countries, particularly after ISIS “reconstituted itself and rebuilt its capabilities in southern Syria.”

Hundreds of US forces are deployed to Syria as part of the US’ long-standing mission to combat ISIS. ISIS had not claimed responsibility for the attack that killed two Americans, and while the Trump administration vowed retaliation against the terror group, CNN previously reported that Syria’s Ministry of Interior Affairs said the attacker was a part of the country’s Internal Security service.

President Donald Trump, as well as Syrian leaders, were quick to distance the gunman from the country’s fledgling government, which has received strong American support in recent months.

The day after the attack, Trump vowed retaliation, saying there would be a “lot of damage done to the people that did it.”

“We had three great patriots terminated by bad people, and not the Syrian government, it was ISIS,” Trump said at the time. In the wake of the December 19 retaliatory strikes, Trump said on social media that Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, “is working very hard to bring Greatness back to Syria.”

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The post Roughly two dozen ISIS operatives killed or captured since US retaliatory strikes this

By Mostafa Salem, CNN

(CNN) — Hundreds of women lined up for a marathon on Iran’s resort island of Kish in early December wearing matching shirts and leggings with hair tied loosely behind their backs.

In a country where ignoring dress codes could land you hefty fines and prison sentences, the runners turned their focus on the course ahead, ignoring government directives and the complimentary headscarf placed by the race organizers in the marathon starter pack, in anticipation of violations.

In October, a band played the “Seven Nation Army” riff to a headbanging crowd on the streets of the Iranian capital Tehran in a viral moment on social media reposted by the American guitarist behind the White Stripes hit, Jack White.

This week, shopkeepers and bazaar merchants took to the streets in several Iranian cities, chanting anti-regime slogans over their inability to pay rent after the currency hit record lows. The protests were the largest since a 2022 nationwide uprising sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody after she was arrested for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly.

Despite being so far limited, the protests mark the latest chapter in growing discontent in Iran while a population quietly reclaims public spaces and personal freedoms through uncoordinated acts of defiance. The Islamic theocratic regime – long opposed to Western cultural influence – appears to be overlooking the growing civil disobedience to focus on its own survival.

At the helm is Iran’s ailing 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who spent decades trying to fortify his regime from domestic and foreign threats, but must now contend with a failing strategy. Domestically, a frustrated youth are showing unprecedented defiance of Islamic norms, the national currency has plummeted to record lows, Iranian cities are running dry and protests are beginning to emerge. Outside its borders, its arch-enemy Israel continues lobbying the United States over further military action against the Islamic Republic.

With limited options, Khamenei is now adopting a cautious waiting game, avoiding major decisions and drastic strategies despite the mounting domestic challenges.

“Many observers relay a sense of no one being at home; no one making any big decisions, or rather that Khamenei is not permitting any real decisions,” Mohammad Ali Shabani, editor of Amwaj.media, a London-based news site focusing on Iran, Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula countries, told CNN.

“Right now, whatever decision Khamenei may make will likely feature a significant downside, so it seems as if he’s sitting out any major decision,” he said.

The Supreme Leader, or “Vali-ye Faqih” – a significant title granting its holder ultimate authority over all state and religious affairs – was reportedly incommunicado and confined to a secure underground bunker for his own safety during a 12-day war with Israel in June, a conflict that caught Tehran off guard despite decades of preparation.

Khamenei emerged after the conflict with a weakened military, a heavily damaged nuclear program, and a population rapid

Por EFE

La presidenta de México, Claudia Sheinbaum garantizó este martes que su Gobierno realizará una “reparación integral” del daño a las víctimas y familiares del descarrilamiento de un tren del Corredor Interoceánico del Istmo de Tehuantepec, en el estado sureño de Oaxaca, que dejó 13 muertos y casi un centenar de heridos el domingo pasado.

“Evidentemente va a haber una reparación integral del daño si así lo deciden los familiares”, afirmó la mandataria durante su conferencia de prensa matutina.

La gobernante mexicana, que visitó el lunes por la tarde a las personas que permanecen hospitalizadas, señaló que hasta el momento se ha otorgado un primer apoyo de 30.000 pesos (unos 1.670 dólares) a las familias de los afectados, pero garantizó que habrá “una reparación integral del daño” conforme determinen la aseguradora y la Fiscalía General de la República (FGR).

“A todos se les va apoyar tanto a las personas que fueron hospitalizadas o que aún están hospitalizadas como a las personas que lamentablemente perdieron a un ser querido”, apuntó.

Asimismo, añadió que ya están en marcha las investigaciones para esclarecer las causas del accidente.

“Están con los peritos especializados en cada tema para que ellos puedan hacer su peritaje extrayendo la información de la caja negra que ayer informó el almirante y pues estarán ellos, por su parte, dando la información”, señaló.

Por su parte, el director general del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), Zoé Robledo, informó que 36 personas continúan hospitalizadas tras el accidente, y aseguró que existe seguimiento médico y acompañamiento permanente tanto a lesionados como a familiares de las personas fallecidas.

Detalló que 11 personas se encuentran en hospitales del IMSS principalmente Salina Cruz y Coatzacoalcos, 14 personas en hospitales del IMSS-Bienestar en Salina Cruz y en Oaxaca, siete personas son atendidas en hospitales del ISSSTE (Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado), principalmente en Tehuantepec y en la Ciudad de México.

El incidente ocurrió el domingo en un tramo del Corredor Interoceánico del Istmo de Tehuantepec, uno de los proyectos estratégicos del Gobierno mexicano para conectar los océanos Pacífico y Atlántico mediante una red ferroviaria, portuaria e industrial que atraviesa los estados de Oaxaca y Veracruz (sur del país).

El Corredor Interoceánico ha sido presentado por el Ejecutivo federal como una alternativa logística al Canal de Panamá y como un polo de desarrollo para el sur-sureste del país, aunque también ha enfrentado desafíos relacionados con infraestructura, seguridad y oposición de algunas comunidades.

Según la Semar, el accidente ocurrió a la altura de la comunidad zapoteca Nizanda, sobre la línea Z del tren “Istmeño”, en la ruta Salina Cruz–Coatzacoalcos, en Oaxaca.

La Línea Z, inaugurada en 2023, va desde Veracruz (Atlántico) hacia Salina Cruz (Oaxaca) y cuenta con 212 kilómetros de extensión.

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