WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT July 19, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, July 20, 2017.

Iran missile might

The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps says Tehran will defend its missile power by all means possible. Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari says Iran’s missile power in the air, at sea and on land is improving rapidly. He stressed the significance of the missile capability in creating deterrence, and said Iran’s missile program is by no means negotiable. He added that if the US wants to continue its sanctions against Tehran’s defense programs or against the IRGC, it should first move its bases to a distance of one-thousand kilometers away from Iran. The IRGC chief also stressed that Washington should be aware that it would pay a high price for any miscalculation. The senior commander was speaking at a gathering of IRGC commanders in the city of Mashad. His comments are in reaction to Washington’s new sanctions against Iran.

Bahrain criticized

Amnesty International has criticized Bahrain for slapping terrorism charges on a political activist who has slammed the regime's treatment of women. Ebtisam al-Saegh was accused of undermining Bahrain's status abroad. She was detained after retweeting a series of posts on July 3 critical of Bahrain’s crackdown on dissent. The Amnesty says the Manama regime is attempting to intimidate and silence civil society by pressing terrorism charges. A group of UN special rapporteurs warned al-Saegh may be subjected to torture in detention. Amnesty’s regional office in Beirut has called for the immediate and unconditional release of the activist. Al-Saegh who was arrested and released in May has accused Bahraini security forces of torture and assault during her detention. Manama has been cracking down on political dissent since 2011, killing dozens of anti-regime protesters.

Syria army advances

Government forces and allied army units have reported important gains in the vast Syrian Desert close to the Jordanian and Iraqi borders. The Syrian army liberated five strategic hills and six surrounding villages previously controlled by the Daesh terror group. Meanwhile, government forces liberated 15 oil and gas fields south of the flashpoint city of Raqqah. Military experts say the gains by the Syrian forces are aimed at cutting terrorist supply lines. The gains also help expand the buffer zone around the Syrian capital Damascus.

Netanyahu's hot mic moment

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced the European Union’s political demands on Israel as absolutely crazy. In remarks leaked from a closed-door meeting with eastern and central European leaders in Budapest, Netanyahu was heard saying that the EU sets conditions for relations with Israel. Brussels has repeatedly condemned Israel's settlement expansions in the occupied West Bank and its crackdown on rights groups. Netanyahu described the EU's criticism of Israel as an anomaly. He made the remarks on the second day of his visit to Budapest.

Trumpcare fails again 

Demonstrators have been arrested in the US capital after gathering to voice their opposition to a Republican-backed healthcare bill. Police in Washington DC say around 155 demonstrators were detained inside three Senate office buildings. Local media reported that the demonstrators were angry over plans to repeal former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare bill, commonly known as Obamacare, without offering an immediate substitute plan. The protests came hours before Vice President Mike Pence was due to tour Capitol Hill Wednesday night to encourage Republican lawmakers to reach agreement on repealing or overhauling Obamacare. Demonstrations against GOP efforts to overhaul healthcare plan have been commonplace in the US, since the election of President Trump.

Fallout from tower fire in UK

Hundreds of Grenfell Tower residents and protesters in London have demanded that the entire cabinet of the local council step aside. The protestors called the officials murderers, saying they have blood on their hands after the deadly fire inside the building last month. Roshan Muhammed Salih reports from the British capital.

No renegotiation with US

The Iranian foreign minister has slammed US anti-Iran sanctions, saying that the message Washington is sending to the rest of the world is that it is not reliable. Mohammad Javad Zarif said the White House’s message is that nobody can count on the US’ commitment to its international undertakings. The Iranian foreign minister described the recently imposed anti-Iran measures as a bad signal. Zarif described Donald Trump’s policy towards the nuclear deal as confused and ambiguous. He said it is not clear whether the US President wants to scrap the agreement altogether, renegotiate it or apply so many punitive measures that Tehran would be tempted to walk away from the accord on its own. Zarif stressed that the US should have come to understand that ditching the deal would not be globally welcomed.

US ends aid for Syria militants

US President Donald Trump has reportedly decided to halt the CIA’s years-long secret program to arm and train militants fighting the Syrian government. The US media says trump promised to do so in a secret meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the recent G20 summit in Germany. The report has also quoted US officials as saying phasing out the covert operation reflects Trump’s interest in finding ways to work with Russia. The White House has declined to comment on the report and has not ruled out whether the issue was discussed during a recent meeting between Trump and Putin. The CIA began its covert operations to arm, fund and train militants in 2013. Many of the weapons supplied to the militants have ended up in the hands of Daesh.

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