UNITED NATIONS: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres sent a congratulatory message to Iran marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution, a move that drew sharp criticism from anti-regime Iranian voices and human rights advocates.

In a letter addressed to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Guterres «extended his warmest congratulations on the National Day of the Islamic Republic of Iran,» describing such anniversaries as an opportunity to reflect on a country’s path and contributions to the international community, according to Iranian state and regional reporting published Wednesday.

The message comes weeks after the U.N.’s top human rights body condemned Iran over abuses tied to a violent crackdown on anti-government protests and mandated further investigation into alleged violations, with some reports citing casualty figures that could reach 30,000, pending verification.

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Furthermore, according to the NGO U.N. Watch, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, is expected to address the U.N. Human Rights Council on Feb. 23.

Against that backdrop, critics said the secretary-general’s congratulatory message risked sending a conflicting signal.

«The U.N. secretary-general’s congratulatory message is not merely diplomatic routine — it is abjectly tone-deaf,» said Iran analyst Banafsheh Zand. «At a time when the Iranian people continue to endure executions, repression and systemic abuse at the hands of the Islamic Republic, offering formal congratulations to the architects of that suffering reads as a moral failure.»

Zand added that such gestures «erode [the U.N.’s] credibility and deepen the wound for those still fighting for freedom inside Iran.»

Andrew Ghalili, policy director at the National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI), said the message amounted to legitimizing a repressive system.

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Cars burn in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency’s value in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 8, 2026. (Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)

«The United Nations is legitimizing a regime built on repression, executions and the systematic destruction of basic freedoms,» Ghalili said. «Offering celebratory recognition to the Islamic Republic on the anniversary of its revolution ignores the bloodshed, the repression of protesters and the ongoing hostage-taking of innocent people.»

Human rights groups have repeatedly warned that impunity has enabled ongoing abuses in Iran, urging U.N. member states to pursue accountability for what they describe as systemic violations and mass killings of protesters.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the secretary-general, told Fox News Digital during a press briefing that the message to Tehran was part of a long-standing U.N. protocol.

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi holds a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Istanbul, Turkey, on Jan. 30, 2026. (Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/Anadolu via Getty Images)

«The letter that came out from the secretary-general is a standard letter. Every year, each member state gets the exact same letter… congratulating them on the national holiday and conveying best wishes to the people of that country.»

The spokesperson added that similar letters were sent the same day to other countries marking national holidays and «should not be interpreted… as an endorsement of whatever policies may be put in place by the government.» He said the message «doesn’t change the secretary-general’s view» on Iran, noting Guterres has previously spoken out against the crackdown and violence.

On reports that Iran’s foreign minister is expected to address the Human Rights Council later this month, the spokesperson said the matter falls under the council’s authority.

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«That’s a decision of the Human Rights Council,» he said. «This is a membership organization. Every member state has a right to address legislative bodies… It’s not within the secretariat’s authority to bar member states from addressing a legislative body.»

Cuba atraviesa una de las peores crisis de su historia reciente, marcada por apagones masivos, la suspensión de vuelos internacionales, el colapso del sector turístico y un desplome sin precedentes de su moneda, en medio de una economía asfixiada por falta de petróleo y presión internacional.

A partir de este miércoles, la situación en la isla se agudizó con la suspensión temporal de vuelos de las aerolíneas rusas Rossiya y Nordwind, que se suman a cuatro compañías canadienses que ya habían cancelado sus operaciones hacia La Habana.

Las empresas extranjeras justificaron la decisión en la imposibilidad de abastecerse de combustible en los principales aeropuertos del país. La falta de queroseno no solo deja a miles de turistas y cubanos varados, sino que golpea directamente a uno de los pocos sectores que aún generaba divisas para el régimen: el turismo.

Rusia y Canadá representaron en 2025 más de la mitad de los visitantes extranjeros, con una caída que amenaza con asestar el golpe definitivo a la economía local.

Este nuevo aislamiento aéreo se produce en paralelo a un escenario de escasez extrema. El mercado informal de divisas marcó este miércoles un récord histórico: 500 pesos cubanos por un solo dólar. Se trata de una devaluación acelerada que refleja la debacle monetaria desde la llamada “Tarea Ordenamiento” de 2021.

La reforma oficial estableció un tipo de cambio irreal de 24 pesos por dólar, pero la inflación, el déficit fiscal y la total falta de confianza en el peso han hundido la moneda cerca de un 2.000% desde entonces.

El corte en el suministro de petróleo venezolano, consecuencia de la presión de Estados Unidos, agravó el colapso. La orden presidencial estadounidense de aplicar aranceles a cualquier país que exporte crudo a Cuba ha dejado a la isla sin aliados energéticos. El último petrolero atracó en enero y, según expertos, si para marzo no llegan nuevos cargamentos, la crisis energética será aún más severa.

El martes, más del 64% del territorio nacional quedó sin electricidad durante las horas de mayor demanda, el peor registro en los sistemas de monitoreo oficiales. Las centrales termoeléctricas, obsoletas y sin repuestos, no logran cubrir ni una fracción de las necesidades del país. La ausencia de diésel y fueloil para alimentar los motores de generación ha paralizado la red durante cuatro semanas consecutivas, según reconoció la dictadura cubana.

La vida cotidiana se ha visto drásticamente alterada. El régimen ha limitado los servicios hospitalarios y el transporte público a lo esencial, la venta de gasolina prácticamente desapareció y la agricultura prioriza solo cultivos básicos.

Universidades y oficinas operan en modalidad remota o con horarios restringidos, mientras gran parte de la fuerza laboral se ha visto obligada a aceptar cambios drásticos en su rutina para sobrevivir a la escasez.

El turismo, vital para el ingreso de divisas, está paralizado. Hoteles han cerrado y los pocos turistas son trasladados a instalaciones con reservas mínimas de combustible. Alemania y Suiza han recomendado a sus ciudadanos evitar viajes a Cuba por el “déficit agudo de combustibles”, alertando sobre riesgos logísticos y sanitarios.

En un intento por mantener la narrativa oficial, el dictador de Miguel Díaz-Canel insiste en la “resistencia” y en que la crisis es consecuencia de un “asedio” externo.

Sin embargo, el discurso oficial apenas tiene eco en las calles, donde la frustración por la inflación, la escasez y los apagones crece a diario. El Partido Comunista, único legal, llama a la unidad y promete que “Cuba vencerá”, pero el desgaste social y el éxodo masivo de ciudadanos marcan la realidad de una isla al borde del colapso.

La perspectiva es desoladora: sin combustible, sin turismo, sin divisas y sin un plan viable de recuperación. El aislamiento internacional y la parálisis interna exponen la fragilidad de un modelo incapaz de responder a las necesidades mínimas de la población.

(Con información de EFE)

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security is speaking out against immigration rhetoric from Democrats and launching an investigation after a U.S. citizen in Oregon was arrested and found with a manifesto stating his plans to kill U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. 

Last week, the St. Helen’s Police Department north of Portland arrested an 18-year-old during a traffic stop after he was found with knives and materials used to manufacture Molotov cocktails, according to police, Fox 12 Oregon reported.

The individual, Rayden Coleman, is also alleged to have authored a manifesto outlining a plan to kill ICE agents at a Portland ICE office in an attack using Molotov cocktails and a gun. Additionally, Coleman reportedly told investigators about his plan and that he was set to pick up an AR-15 the next day from a licensed dealer to carry out the attack, and he is also reported to have admitted making statements about beheading ICE agents. 

«Every day there are more assaults, more vehicle-ramming attacks, more attempts to kill our officers,» Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. «Now, we have an American citizen planning to kill ICE officers with Molotov cocktails and gun them down. It’s disturbing.»

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«Sanctuary politicians comparing ICE day-in and day-out to the Nazi Gestapo, the Secret Police, and slave patrols have real world consequences. The men and women of ICE and CBP are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters. They get up every morning to try and make our communities safer. Like everyone else, they just want to go home to their families at night. The violence and dehumanization of these men and women who are simply enforcing the law must end.» 

The DHS statement comes the day after several House Democrats railed against ICE during a hearing with acting ICE Director Todd Lyons comparing ICE agents to Nazis and the Gestapo as they slammed the Trump administration over the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two anti-ICE activists killed during interactions opposing federal immigration authorities. 

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Protesters, using whistles to alert neighborhoods to ICE activity, face off with Minneapolis police officers in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 24, 2026.  (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

DHS says there is an ongoing investigation into the Oregon arrest with ICE Homeland Security Investigations, and that Coleman is facing state charges on six counts of manufacturing a destructive device, and two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree assault. 

Coleman is being held in the Columbia County jail and is listed as having a bail of $400,000.

ICE officers are facing a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them, according to DHS, along with an 8,000% increase in death threats. 

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US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, along with other federal law enforcement agencies, attend a pre-enforcement meeting in Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025.  (Getty Images)

As Democrats rally against ICE across the country, Congress has until Friday at midnight to fund DHS, with Democrats threatening to shut down the government if their demands for ICE reforms are not meant and as the days go by, the odds of doing so are becoming increasingly slim.

«I think they (Democrats) are using families as political weapons,» DHS Secretary Kristi Noem exclusively told Fox News Digital last week. «And this is a little bit different, because when it’s the whole government that they shut down, they’re not necessarily just attacking security.»

«This feels like a direct attack on the security of our country, our homeland. And it’s almost as though they’ve gotten so extreme, they don’t care if we’re out there on the front lines keeping our country safe from terrorists, keeping our country safe from murderers and rapists,» Noem added. 

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller and Emma Colton contributed to this report.