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United Nations Iran is accusing US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of a brazen interventionist plan to change the current government that violates international law and the UN Charter.

Irans UN Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo said in a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres circulated on Tuesday that Tillersons comments are also a flagrant violation of the 1981 Algiers Accords in which the United States pledged not to intervene, directly or indirectly, politically or militarily, in Irans internal affairs.

Tillerson said in a June 14 hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the 2018 State Department budget that US policy is to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and work toward support of those elements inside of Iran that would lead to a peaceful transition of that government.

Those elements are there, certainly as we know, he said.

Khoshroo said Iran expects all countries to condemn such grotesque policy statements and advice the government of the United States to act responsibly and to adhere to the principles of the (UN) Charter and international law.

He noted that Tillersons comments came weeks after President Hassan Rouhanis re-election to another four-year term and local elections in which 71 percent of the Iranian people participated. Rouhani is a political moderate who defeated a hardline opponent.

The people of Iran have repeatedly proven that they are the ones to decide their own destiny and thus attempts by the United States to interfere in Iranian domestic affairs will be doomed to failure, Khoshroo said.

They have learned how to stand strong and independent, as demonstrated in the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

He said Tillersons statement also coincided with the release of newly declassified documents that further clarified how United States agencies were behind the overthrow of Mohammad Mossadegh, the popular and democratically elected prime minister of Iran on August 19, 1953.

At the June 14 hearing, Tillerson said the Trump administrations Iranian policy is under development.

But I would tell you that we certainly recognise Irans continued destabilising [role] in the region, Tillerson said, citing its payment of foreign fighters, support for Hezbollah extremists, and their export of militia forces in Syria, in Iraq, in Yemen.

US lawmakers have long sought to hit Iran with more sanctions in order to check its ballistic missile programme and rebuke Tehrans continued support for terrorist groups, and on June 15 the Senate approved a sweeping sanctions bill.

The bill imposes mandatory sanctions on people involved in Irans ballistic missile programme and anyone who does business with them.

The measure also would apply terrorism sanctions to the countrys Revolutionary Guards and enforce an arms embargo. It now goes to the House. Senators insisted the new Iran sanctions wont undermine or impede enforcement of the landmark nuclear deal that Former President Barack Obama and five other key nations reached with Tehran two years ago.

Meanwhile, tensions have been escalating between the US and North Korea following the death of US student Otto Warmbier, who was arrested in North Korea and sent home in a coma after 18 months, and in the face of Pyongyangs military and nuclear ambitions.

Moon Jae-in, the new leader of North Koreas neighbour and arch enemy, South Korea, is headed to Washington for talks this week. North Koreas state news agency KCNA said: The America-first principle . . . advocates the world domination by recourse to military means just as was the case with Hitlers concept of world occupation.

And it went on to accuse Trump of following Hitlers dictatorial politics to divide others into two categories, friends and foes in order to justify suppression.

It is not the first time the secretive state has evoked Hitler in propaganda against the US.

After George W Bush branded the North, along with Iran and Iraq an axis of evil, Pyongyang hit back, saying the then-US president was a tyrant that puts Hitler in the shade and a political imbecile bereft of even elementary morality.

America has been angling for tougher sanctions against North Korea because of the states insistence on developing missiles to carry nuclear warheads greater distances.

KCNA said the US policy of blocking medical supplies was an unethical and inhumane act, far exceeding the degree of Hitlers blockade of Leningrad. And it added: The Trump way of thinking that the whole world may be sacrificed, just for the better living of the US, has put even its allies and stooges in a pretty fix.

Moon is new in the job, but has already signalled he will move to pressure China on tightening the screws around North Korea. AFP

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Iran accuses US of 'brazen' plan to change its govt - Chronicle

Iran used a Star of David as a target for a missile test last year, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations revealed Wednesday.

Ambassador Danny Danon shared a startling satellite image of the Jewish and Israeli symbol with members of the UN Security Council, the Jerusalem Post reported.

This use of the Star of David as target practice is hateful and unacceptable, Danon told the Council. This missile test not only violates Security Council resolutions but also proves beyond doubt, once again, the true intentions of Iran to target Israel.

The Star of David was used as a target for a mid-range Qiam ballistic missile test in December, according to a statement from the Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN.

Alongside the symbol, a round crater caused by the rocket also can be seen.

The Security Council must act immediately against this demonstration of hate and Irans provocative violations that threaten the stability of the entire region, Danon said.

It is the Iranians who prop up the Assad regime as hundreds of thousands are killed, finance the terrorists of Hezbollah as they threaten the citizens of Israel, and support extremists and tyrants throughout the Middle East and around the world, he added.

Earlier this month, Iran fired missiles at Syria, targeting ISIS positions in the first attack by Iran outside its country in 30 years since the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-1988, the Times of Israel reported.

The missiles were seen as a threat to Israel and the US.

I have one message for Iran: Dont threaten Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the attack.

Iran has previously fired missiles with anti-Israel messages written on them in Hebrew.

In March 2016, it test-fired two ballistic missiles, which an Iranian news organization said were inscribed with the phrase Israel must be wiped out.

Meanwhile, it has been announced that Israel will test its Arrow 3 intercontinental ballistic missile defense system in the US next year.

The test will be carried out in cooperation with the US Missile Defense Agency, the Jerusalem Post reported.

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Iran once used Star of David as missile target - New York Post

After 18 months covering the battle against Islamic State fighters in northern Iraq, Emilienne Malfatto felt compelled to show a less-violent side of the war-torn nation. And she found one in Chibayish, a small district in the Mesopotamian marshes.

When you say Iraq, people just think war: the two wars in Baghdad or bombings, Ms. Malfatto said. But you also have this beautiful place with beautiful people. Its like another face of Iraq.

The marshlands, comprising a nearly 8,000-square-mile area, are at the junction of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Their denizens, the Madan also known as the Marsh Arabs live free from threats posed elsewhere by ISIS and militias.

She had first journeyed to Chibayish in late 2016, going alone to develop rapport and trust with members of the community. She benefited both from her command of the language and by being female. Women were quick to embrace and engage her, Ms. Malfatto said, explaining that a male stranger would not elicit that same quick trust or openness.

People were really willing to open up, said Ms. Malfatto, who extolled the Madans remarkable hospitality. She forged strong bonds with several families who offered shelter in their reed houses, provided food and arranged boat rides into the marshes, which she described as having a mythical quality. She also made sure to be respectful of their conservative customs.

I am absolutely not a religious person, and I am quite fascinated by faith as an object of study, she said. In particular, she was struck by the levity that accompanied daily prayer, and by the way such worship was integrated into everyday moments. She hopes her portrayal of Muslims will be a counterbalance to the current stigmatization of Islam in political debate and the media.

The families gave Ms. Malfatto intimate access to everyday life in the marshes, including a family eating a breakfast of fresh buffalo milk, sugary tea and homemade bread; boat drivers piloting along murky waters; and portraits of Madan women with well-worn faces and hands.

The last few decades have brought changes to the Iraqi marshlands. Once, they had been a tourist destination, home to a variety of wildlife. But in the 1990s, Saddam Hussein drained the marshlands in an attempt to flush out Shiite rebels who had fled there after the Persian Gulf war of 1991.

After U.S. forces toppled Husseins regime in 2003, the Madan returned to the marshes, destroying the dams and dikes that had been constructed. Water again flowed through the area, once more allowing vegetation and livestock to thrive.

However, threats to the marshlands remain, a result of climate change and dam construction on the rivers. Rising temperatures have led to large amounts of water evaporation. Construction of newer dams upriver in Turkey, where the headwaters of the Tigris and the Euphrates are located, has also reduced the rivers flow.

Twice in the last 10 years in 2008 and in 2015 those conditions led to the marshes nearly vanishing. Its likely they will dry up yet again, perhaps this time for good. And though Iraq is still grappling with ISIS and war recovery, Ms. Malfatto hopes that the threat to the Madan and their livelihood will not go ignored.

Iraq has other problems, she said. Maybe they think they have more important stuff to deal with. On the other hand, they cannot let this part of the country die.

Follow @emalfatto and @nytimesphoto on Twitter. You can also find Lens on Facebook and Instagram.

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In the Marshlands, 'Another Face of Iraq' - New York Times (blog)

Trudeau said: Its also something to be understood as being entirely consistent with what Canada is expected to be doing as part of the coalition against Daesh. Photograph: Canadian Press`/Rex/Shutterstock

A record-shattering lethal shot fired by a Canadian sniper in Iraq has reignited a longstanding debate over Canadas role in the region, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau telling reporters it was entirely consistent with the countrys non-combat mission and should be celebrated.

Last week, the defence department confirmed reports that a Canadian sniper had shot an Isis militant from 3,540 metres (2 miles) away. The shot surpassed the previous world military record for the longest confirmed kill held by a British sniper who took aim at a Taliban fighter in 2009 by more than a kilometre.

Officials said the sniper was a member of the Canadian militarys elite counter-terrorism unit. The shot was fired last month after Canadian snipers noticed that Isis fighters were poised to ambush Iraqi security forces, according to the Globe and Mail.

The news rekindled a long running debate based on a 2015 campaign promise by the Liberals, led by Trudeau, to end Canadas combat mission in Iraq.

Months after sweeping into power, they said they were doing just that; pulling Canadas six fighter jets out of the US-led coalition against Islamic State and instead putting roughly 200 special forces troops on the ground to support Kurdish forces in Iraq.

But questions as to what exactly this support entails have continued to plague the Liberals, particularly after Gen Jonathan Vance, Canadas chief of defence staff, told a parliamentary committee in November that Canadian troops have been allowed to fire first against Isis militants. We dont have to be shot at first, he said. We can take the first shot if it is to save lives.

The recent news of the sniper casts further doubt on the governments assertion, said Tom Mulcair, leader of the New Democratic party, last week. Has your definition of combat changed since forming government? Mulcair asked in a letter to Trudeau, adding: Canadians deserve no less than to know the true extent of our involvement in Iraq.

Reporters put those concerns to Trudeau on Tuesday. The prime minister began by addressing the kill shot. What happened there is, first of all, something to be celebrated for the excellence of the Canadian forces in their training, in the performance of their duties, he said. But its also something to be understood as being entirely consistent with what Canada is expected and Canadians expect our forces to be doing as part of the coalition against Daesh.

The sniper had been defending Iraqi and Kurdish forces when he took the shot, said Trudeau. The advise-and-assist mission that our forces are engaged in in northern Iraq has always had an element of defence of, obviously, Canadian troops and of our coalition partners.

Mulcair said he remained unconvinced. You cant have people shooting people to death on the frontlines and still claim this is not a combat mission, he told the Globe and Mail.

He said he was surprised to hear the prime ministers view on the sniper. It is certainly not part of my values to say that we should be celebrating the death of a human being, no matter what the circumstances.

The renewed debate comes just days before the mandate guiding Canadas mission to Iraq is set to expire. The Liberal government is expected to announce either an extension or changes to the mission shortly.

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Sniper's record kill shot in Iraq 'should be celebrated', Trudeau says - The Guardian

WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) - A Warren woman is in the fight of her life because every day could be her last.

Thirty-eight-year-old Mirvet Bahoura is battling a rare auto-immune disease, which requires daily medication - and a bone marrow transplant at any given moment.

In something most, would call a miracle, Mirvet found a match in her 55-year-old uncle, Ghassan Kassab.

He's already saved her life, not once but twice.

But on June 11th, a routine visit to ice, turned into a nightmare, which could be a matter of life and death for them both.

Kassab was detained because of his past criminal record and is now being held behind bars in Arizona, with the threat of being deported back to Iraq.

So now, her uncle -- her donor and lifesaver is gone.

"He's not here to provide and then I have to be put on a waiting list and that can take years and years and especially like with Mediterranean, Middle Eastern it's hard to find a match like that," says Mirvet Bahoura, tearfully.

Kassab did have a drug conviction two decades ago, and a DUI conviction almost 10 years ago.

According to a court of law, he has paid his debt to society.

Kassab has been in this country since he was 6-years-old and does not want to return to Iraq.

Mervit and her family have been working with CODE Legal Aid. They have helped them to secure legal counsel, with hope of bringing their case before the immigration court and bring her uncle back home.

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Man facing deportation to Iraq is only available donor for his ill niece - WXYZ