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Tehran Signals Defiance as Supreme Leader Vows Retaliation and Strait Closure

  A man holds a picture of Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, while people attend a funeral ceremony for the Iranian military commanders who were killed in strikes, in Tehran Iran’s Supreme Leader issued his first public remarks following the deaths of senior Iranian commanders, vowing that the country will “avenge the martyrs” and maintain the closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz until what he described as “justice” is served. His comments, delivered during a nationally broadcast address, underscore a sharp escalation in rhetoric at a moment of heightened regional tension. The Supreme Leader framed the recent losses as sacrifices in the defense of Iran’s sovereignty, promising that those responsible “will face consequences.” He also reaffirmed Iran’s decision to keep the Strait closed, a move that has already disrupted global shipping routes and rattled energy markets. The strait, one of the world’s most critical chokepoints for oil transport, has long been a flas...
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ICC Opens Landmark In-Absentia Hearing Against Fugitive Warlord Joseph Kony

Uganda's Joseph Kony, the leader of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army, is the ICC's longest-standing fugitive. An arrest warrant was issued against him in 2005

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has begun a historic confirmation of charges hearing against Joseph Kony, the elusive leader of Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). This marks the court’s first-ever in‑absentia proceeding, nearly two decades after issuing an arrest warrant for Kony in 2005.

Kony faces 39 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy, and the conscription of child soldiers, allegedly committed between 2002 and 2005 in northern Uganda. Prosecutors argue that under his command, the LRA waged a campaign of systemic violence, abducting tens of thousands of children and killing over 100,000 people across East and Central Africa.

Despite years of international manhunts, Kony remains at large, with intelligence suggesting he may be hiding in remote border regions of the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, or South Sudan. His defense team is participating in the hearings to represent his interests, while victims’ lawyers are also presenting their case.

The proceedings are seen as a potential blueprint for future ICC cases against high-profile fugitives, including leaders accused of war crimes who continue to evade arrest. Judges will decide whether the evidence is strong enough to commit Kony to trial — though under ICC rules, no trial can begin until he is in custody.

For many survivors in northern Uganda, the hearings bring a mix of hope and frustration: hope that justice is moving forward, and frustration that the man accused of orchestrating decades of atrocities remains beyond reach.


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