International
Iran warns that it will hit Israel’s energy industry if it attacks it
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned this Friday that it will hit Israel’s energy industry if it is attacked by that country, which in turn has promised revenge for the Iranian missile bombing on Tuesday night.
“If the Zionist regime makes a mistake, we will attack all its energy sources, stations, refineries and gas fields,” said the deputy commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Brigadier General Ali Fadavi, in statements collected by media such as Dideban.
“The Zionist regime has only three power plants and a few refineries, but Iran is a huge country,” Fadavi said.
The threats of the elite Iranian military corps occur amid speculation about the possible Israeli retaliation against Iran and the oil sector is one of the possible targets for the economic damage it would cause it, according to Israeli media.
The attack against Israel was “the least of punishments”
Tehran (EFE).- The supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, said on Friday that the attack against Israel was “the least of the punishments for the Israeli aggression.”
Khamenei today led a collective prayer in tribute to the murdered leader of the Lebanese militia Hezbollah Hassan Nasrala, in which he assured that “the brilliant action of our armed forces a couple of nights ago was completely legal and legitimate,” in reference to the 200-missile attack on Tuesday night against Israel.
“What our military forces did was the least of the punishments for the aggression of the Israeli regime,” Iran’s highest political and religious authority said at the mosque of Imam Jomeiní in Tehran, where thousands of faithful gathered.
“Every blow to the Zionist regime is a service to all humanity,” he said.
Call for Islamic unity and criticism of the United States
The religious remarked that “every nation has the right to defend its country and territory against the aggressor.”
In this sense, he called on the Muslim world to unite before the enemy, “whose policy is divide and you will defeat.”
“The policy of the Koran is that Muslim nations must be united,” while stressing that the “enemy of Iran is the enemy of Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and Yemen.”
Khamenei reiterated that Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 was legitimate.
“The Al-Aqsa storm was a legal and international measure and a legitimate right of the Palestinians,” who in their opinion have “the right to face any enemy who has destroyed their home and their life.”
And in reference to the murders of Nasrala and an Iranian general a week ago in Beirut, he warned that “Hezbulah and his heroic leader and martyr are the essence of Lebanon’s historical virtues and identity.”
He also pointed to the United States as guilty of tensions in the Middle East.
“The United States seeks control of the region’s resources through the Israeli regime,” he said.
First collective prayer in 4 years
After the speech, the Iranian supreme leader proceeded to direct his first collective Friday prayer since 2020, when he did so after the death of Qasem Soleimani, former general at the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds Force, murdered by the US in Iraq.
Tuesday’s bombing was the second Iranian missile attack against Israel, since last April it attacked its territory for the first time with another series of missile and drone bombings in response to the death of seven soldiers at the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
After the attack, Israel has assured that it will respond, to which Iran has in turn said that it will reply more strongly.
International
U.S. to suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 countries
The United States announced on Wednesday that it will suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 nationalities, marking another move by President Donald Trump’s administration to curb the entry of migrants into the country.
“ The United States is freezing the processing of all visas for 75 countries, including Somalia, Russia and Iran,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X. According to Fox News, the measure will take effect on January 21 and will remain in force indefinitely.
Based on an internal State Department memorandum obtained by Fox News Digital, consular officers have been instructed to deny visa applications under existing law while the agency conducts an in-depth review of screening and vetting procedures. The stated goal is to tighten criteria to prevent the entry of foreigners who could eventually rely on public assistance.
The list of affected countries includes several nations in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Afghanistan, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Somalia and Yemen, among others. Fox News reported that exemptions to the suspension will be “very limited” and will only be granted once applicants pass an assessment related to the public charge requirement.
Other countries in the Americas subject to the suspension include Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The decision is based on a strict interpretation of the so-called “public charge” clause of U.S. immigration law. A cable sent to U.S. consulates worldwide in November 2025 had already signaled the shift, instructing officials to apply tougher standards when evaluating applicants, taking into account factors such as age, health status, English proficiency, financial situation, history of public assistance, and even the potential need for long-term medical care.
International
Peruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
A court of Peru’s National Superior Court of Specialized Criminal Justice ordered the definitive dismissal of the criminal proceedings for alleged money laundering and criminal organization against presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, authorities reported on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
The ruling was issued by the Tenth National Preparatory Investigation Court in compliance with a previous decision by the Constitutional Court (TC). The decision was confirmed by Fujimori’s attorney, Giuliana Loza, who said on social media platform X that “there was no money laundering nor criminal organization.”
According to the defense, the case was closed for lacking legal grounds and for violating due process. “The proceedings concluded because they lacked a legal basis and constituted clear prosecutorial persecution,” Loza stated.
Judge Wilson Verastegui, whose ruling was reported by local media, said the Constitutional Court determined that the facts alleged in the so-called ‘Cocktails Case’ do not constitute a criminal offense under the principle of legality. The court noted that the crime of illegal financing of political organizations was not in force at the time the alleged acts occurred.
The dismissal also applies to other leaders of the Fuerza Popular party, including Pier Figari, Ana Rosa Herz, Jaime Yoshiyama and José Chlimper, as well as the party itself.
Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori (1990–2000), had been under investigation for the alleged irregular financing of her 2011 and 2016 presidential campaigns, a case that exposed her to a possible 30-year prison sentence. However, one year ago the National Superior Court annulled the trial and returned the case to the intermediate stage.
Fujimori is currently pursuing her fourth presidential bid, ahead of Peru’s general elections scheduled for April.
International
Colombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
Colombia’s Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez Suárez, is in the United States this Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss bilateral cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, Colombian officials said, in a visit that comes as ties between Bogotá and Washington begin to ease after a period of diplomatic tension.
The trip is seen as a prelude to a scheduled visit by Colombian President Gustavo Petro to Washington, where he is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time in early February. Sánchez will remain in Washington through Wednesday, according to Colombian government sources.
During his stay, Sánchez is slated to meet with senior U.S. officials, including representatives from the Department of Defense, members of the U.S. Senate, and White House advisors, to outline a joint strategy to “defeat drug trafficking” and expand cooperation on intelligence against transnational crime.
According to a statement from the Colombian Defense Ministry, the agenda will include strengthening collaboration on technology, intelligence sharing, and efforts to disrupt criminal networks that operate across borders. Officials said the discussions will also help set the stage for Petro’s upcoming talks with Trump.
The visit follows a period of strained U.S.–Colombia relations last year, when Washington revoked Petro’s visa and withdrew Colombia’s certification as a key partner in anti-drug efforts — moves that coincided with disagreements over counter-narcotics strategy and broader diplomatic frictions. However, a recent phone call between Petro and Trump, described as cordial by officials, helped lower tensions and reopened channels for dialogue ahead of the presidential meeting.
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