As tensions escalate in Iran, residents are fleeing the capital Tehran to seek refuge in sanctuary cities such as Yazd, where hostels are extending free shelter to those displaced by the unrest.
In a modest hostel in Yazd, 25-year-old pharmacist Sadaf has found a brief moment of calm after fleeing Tehran, quietly practicing French while uncertainty about the future lingers.
"My friend urged me to take all important and valuable items, and she said there were some free hotels in Yazd. She said we could stay until the dust settles. On the road, we had a lot of stress over fuel and GPS malfunction. We finally got here and they readily gave us accommodation. We've been here for two nights. Yazd is much safer than other cities," said Sadaf.
Hostel manager Amirkhani described their open-door policy as an act of simple compassion, driven by a sense of duty.
"Since some people have problems for accommodation, we decided to help those having difficulties finding free accommodation," said Amirkhani.
In these uncertain times, Yazd has grown beyond being just a place of refuge. Without government aid, it stands as a testament to humanity, where people simply help one another.
Tehran residents escape to Yazd amid escalating tensions
Tehran residents escape to Yazd amid escalating tensions
Tehran residents escape to Yazd amid escalating tensions
The United States cannot legitimize an operation that attacked Venezuela and captured its president, a Chinese scholar said Sunday.
On Saturday, the United States launched a large-scale strike on Venezuela, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were 'captured and flown out of Venezuela' according to a post by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account.
Teng Jianqun, director of the Center for Diplomatic Studies at Hunan Normal University, said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) that the aim of this operation is to take full control of Venezuela’s natural resources.
"I don't think the United States can legitimize this operation to take custody of the president of Venezuela. And also I don't think the United States can legitimize its any action in taking the oil reserves of that country. This is actually a very dangerous game played by the Trump administration. And of course, the United States would like to take full control of that country and to take full control of the natural resources, especially the large reserve of oil in Venezuela," said Teng.
Teng said Venezuela is not an isolated case but a common practice by the United States. The United States launched an invasion of Panama on Dec. 20, 1989, which continued until January 1990, with the stated objective of capturing Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega on charges of drug trafficking and organized crime.
"We still remember the so-called sentence of the former president of Panama in the late 1980s. And this time, the president of Venezuela will be under some judicial condition (judicial proceedings) for the so-called drug trafficking and some other crimes. So I think this is not a single case for the Venezuela country, but also this is actually a practice by the United States -- to use force, to use so-called justice under law against any leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean waters," he said.
US cannot legitimize operation against Venezuela: Chinese scholar
