Iran International
Articles about Iran International
Kayhan attacks Ghalibaf’s role in talks. Didn’t Khamenei approve it?
An editorial questioning Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf’s role as Iran’s lead negotiator has raised an awkward question in Tehran: who exactly is Kayhan criticizing, given that senior officials have said the parliament speaker was given the job with the Supreme Leader’s approval?
China’s turn to Iraqi crude shows growing impact of Iran oil blockade
China’s independent refiners are turning to Iraqi crude to replace dwindling Iranian supplies as a US blockade chokes Tehran’s exports, forcing some of Iran’s biggest oil customers to seek barrels elsewhere.
Tehran divided over $2 billion plan to prop up rial
Iran’s central bank is offering as much as $2 billion in cash dollars to the public in an effort to slow the rial’s slide, triggering a fierce debate over whether the intervention can stabilize the currency or merely burn through increasingly scarce foreign reserves.
Rubio says Iran missed deal chances as Tehran digs in on enrichment
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that Iran had failed to take advantage of repeated opportunities to reach an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program, while also saying Tehran had “lost complete control” of the Strait of Hormuz.
Parsian Exchange transferred millions of dollars for Iran despite sanctions
Iran’s Bank Parsian, under US sanctions, used its foreign-exchange arm to move millions of dollars abroad through a network of intermediaries, according to an Iran International investigation based on leaked internal correspondence and transaction records.
Iran protester recounts torture, mock execution after January arrest
“Write your will.” Those were the words Iranian protester Erfan Nabian says he heard in solitary confinement before he was handed a sheet of paper and asked what he wanted for his final meal before his execution.
Family of executed January protester says Iran concealed burial site
The family of Alireza Raisi, executed this week over the January protests in Isfahan, still does not know where he was buried after security agents took his father blindfolded to the burial site, a source close to the family told Iran International.
Iran lawmaker named in alleged illegal treasure excavation
A senior hardline Iranian lawmaker has been named in an allegation involving unauthorized excavation for antiquities and treasure, while parliament is also examining a reported excavation case involving an unnamed member of the legislature.
Iran’s own surveys reveal demand for ‘fundamental change’
Two surveys emerging from within or around Iran's political establishment paint a bleak picture of public confidence: deep skepticism toward state institutions, single-digit trust in political officials and overwhelming demand for change.
Iran says economy holding up as pressure mounts on oil, rial
Iran’s central bank chief has rejected what Tehran portrays as a US prediction of economic collapse, even as the rial trades near record lows and Iranian oil exports have fallen to zero.
How Iran’s 2022 crackdown was coordinated from the top
Iran’s repression of the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising was coordinated from the top through a functioning chain of command linking senior authorities to security forces on the streets, Amnesty International says.
‘Let ’em take out Los Angeles’: Trump’s Iran remarks ignite backlash
President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles or San Diego has sparked a backlash from California officials and prompted the White House to insist that he was misunderstood as he defended the mounting costs of the war with Tehran.
‘Hugging actors are married’: Tehran theatre navigates contact restrictions
A theater production in Tehran displayed a notice to spectators before a performance saying two actors who embrace on stage are married, underscoring the restrictions governing physical contact between men and women under the Islamic Republic.
Iran executes nearly two people a week since January protests
Iran has executed nearly two people a week in political and security cases since the January protests, including over protest- and war-related accusations, while another 194 people face death sentences, an Iran International review of cases shows.
Iran, US back to ‘square one’ as diplomacy stalls
Rhetoric is hardening on both sides of the Iran-US standoff, with even Iranian analysts traditionally optimistic about diplomacy warning that relations are slipping back to “square one” as military and economic pressure intensifies.
Three Iranians spied on Iran International journalists in UK, prosecutors say
Three Iranian men spied on Iran International journalists to assist Iranian intelligence services and prepare for serious violence against at least one target, prosecutors told a London court Tuesday.
Iranians cross into Armenia to earn what they cannot at home
Economic crisis is driving some Iranians across the border to Armenia for construction, taxi and delivery work, turning a longtime holiday destination into a source of income for families struggling to make ends meet at home.
Houthi gains reversed at Bab al-Mandab, but Iran’s leverage runs deeper
Saudi-backed Yemeni forces on Monday reversed weeks of Houthi gains around Bab al-Mandab, the strategic strait linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, exposing vulnerabilities in the Iran-backed group even as fighting elsewhere showed how far Yemen remains from a decisive shift.
Tehran police warn cafes over live music, DJs and hookah
Police in Tehran have warned cafes that they could face closure or lose their licenses for hosting live music, using DJs or serving hookah, extending a broader campaign of enforcement against businesses over entertainment, mandatory hijab rules and support for protests.
Clothes, diaries, dolls: Iran forces raid slain protesters’ rooms
Clothes, diaries, books and childhood dolls are being taken from the bedrooms of protesters killed in Iran, as security forces extend pressure on families seeking accountability into the most private spaces of their grief nearly nine months after the January 2026 killings.
Iran releases cleric who called for replacing Islamic Republic on bail
Iranian authorities have released hardline cleric Mohammad-Bagher Kharrazi on bail after about a month in detention, the judiciary said on Tuesday.
Iran sentences 38-year-old to death as January protest executions mount
Hadi Abbasian, a 38-year-old resident of northeastern Iran, has been sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court in Bojnurd after being arrested over his support for the nationwide protests in January, according to information obtained by Iran International.
Why Iran’s oil minister quit at a critical moment for exports
Iran’s oil minister left office as exports fell sharply and questions mounted over billions of dollars in sanctioned crude sales, bringing disputes over oil intermediaries, corporate management and political pressure into focus.
IRGC commander, son helped build new oil-sales network
Senior IRGC commander Hossein-Reza Sadeghi and his son Saeed played central roles in efforts to preserve an IRGC Intelligence oil-sales network and shift its financial operations from the United Arab Emirates to Russia, an Iran International investigation found.
IRGC commander says his wife founded Minab school hit in February strike
The school struck in February in Iran’s Minab was founded by the wife of senior IRGC commander Ali Fadavi as part of a wider educational project linked to the Guards’ navy, according to his remarks and an earlier Iranian media account.
Iran says US talks ‘meaningless’ as third tanker hit near Hormuz
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that talks with the United States were meaningless, even as President Donald Trump remained open to direct negotiations, while a third tanker in two days was struck near the Strait of Hormuz.
Pezeshkian nominates missile-industry veteran as defense minister
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has nominated Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi as defense minister, moving to fill a post left vacant since Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh was killed in US-Israeli strikes in February.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan activate defense pact over Houthi attacks
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan activated collective deterrence measures Monday and agreed to rapidly deploy forces and military capabilities to the kingdom, as Saudi-backed Yemeni troops advanced against the Iran-backed Houthis.
Netanyahu predicts Iran’s fall, top general warns of new war
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predicted the eventual fall of Iran’s leadership while the Islamic Republic’s top armed forces commander warned a new conflict would engulf the region, sharpening exchanges over the prospect of renewed fighting on Monday.
Two more January protesters executed in Iran
The Islamic Republic executed two more people detained in connection with the January 2026 protests, bringing to seven the number put to death in the Alikhani Square case in Isfahan, rights groups and the judiciary reported Monday.
Iran escalates Starlink threats over fears of losing internet control
Iranian authorities have stepped up warnings against Starlink as the cost-of-living crisis deepens and the prospect of renewed public protests grows, signaling mounting concern over citizens’ access to satellite internet.
Iran workers face delayed wages, lost benefits and job fears
Workers across several sectors in Iran say employers are delaying or splitting wage payments, cutting benefits and warning staff they could lose their jobs for protesting, as inflation and rising living costs deepen pressure on households.
What can Iran’s new oil chief change under the US blockade?
Iran’s oil minister Mohsen Paknejad resigned Sunday, leaving acting minister Hamid Bovard with crude exports choked by a US blockade and scrutiny of intermediaries used to sell sanctioned oil, raising questions over what he can change.
Iran’s Olympiad paradox: Building scientific talent for a future abroad
Iran’s scientific Olympiad system has become a pipeline of elite talent into universities feeding sensitive nuclear, missile and technology sectors, even as many of the same high achievers leave the country for better opportunities abroad.
Iran reviews US response to seven-day proposal as officials debate next steps
Iran is reviewing Washington’s response to a seven-day proposal sent through intermediaries, a senior foreign ministry official said on Sunday, as other officials offered differing assessments of whether further negotiations with the United States were needed.
Iranian currency hits another record low under US economic pressure
Iran’s currency fell to another record low against the dollar on Sunday, extending its decline during a US campaign aimed at restricting the Islamic Republic’s oil exports and financial flows.
Trump weighs Iran decision with ‘all options’ on the table
US President Donald Trump said Saturday he was approaching a decision on Iran, warning Tehran faced the “easy way or the hard way” as the Pentagon kept military options open amid continued attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran demolishes prison despite warnings of erasing evidence of mass killings
One of the last watchtowers at Iran’s Rajaei Shahr (Gohardasht) prison was demolished Saturday, as authorities dismantle a site of mass political executions despite longstanding warnings that its destruction could erase evidence of crimes against humanity.
Security meeting, military buildup: US weighs next move on Iran?
An unannounced meeting of President Donald Trump’s senior national security team at Camp David, as another aircraft carrier and thousands more US troops move toward the Middle East, has raised the prospect of another major operation against Iran.
Iranian women break records and barriers at Asian Games
Iranian women have delivered a record-breaking performance at the 2026 Asian Games, winning medals across an unusually broad range of sports and achieving a series of firsts for the country.
Khamenei adviser warns UAE as tensions with Tehran escalate
A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader issued a pointed warning to the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, saying “imported security has an expiration date” as tensions between Tehran and Abu Dhabi continue to rise.
‘The end of illness is not treatment. It is death’: Iranian MP on the cost of care
Iranians are selling livestock, cars and furniture to pay for treatment their insurance no longer covers, and a member of parliament's health committee says the system has reached the point where falling ill can end in death rather than care.
Euro tops 3 million rials as Iran’s currency hits fresh record lows
Iran's rial fell to new record lows on Saturday, with the euro crossing 3 million rials for the first time and the US dollar hovering around 2.7 million rials on the open market.
Smartwatches on Iran’s security chiefs spark row within the inner circle
Senior Iranian military and security officials have been photographed wearing smartwatches, drawing fresh criticism of their basic security discipline after years of reports that Israel has used electronic devices around Iranian commanders to track and kill them.
Islamic Republic’s ‘slow meltdown’ leaves it fewer ways out, analysts say
The Islamic Republic is in a "slow meltdown" that may not bring it down soon but is narrowing its options as the economy sinks, repression deepens and divisions open up among its own hardliners, analysts told Iran International's Eye for Iran podcast.
Iran executes man arrested during January protests
Iran has executed Siavash Jamshidi Kheirabadi, who was arrested during January’s protests in Shahrekord, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency announced Saturday.
Officials trade blame as Iran’s economy sinks deeper
Iran’s worsening economic crisis has opened an increasingly bitter argument over who is responsible, as the government points to outside pressure and market psychology while hardliners accuse Tehran’s own economic officials of making the situation worse.
‘They shot on sight’: Amnesty details 2022 protest killings in Kurdish areas
Iranian security forces shot civilians at close range, pursued fleeing protesters and prevented wounded people from receiving help during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising in Kurdish cities, according to Amnesty International’s investigation into the crackdown.
Two Iranians charged over foiled plot targeting Manchester Jews
Two Iranian men have been charged over a terrorist plot targeting Manchester’s Jewish community that was disrupted before it could be carried out, British police said Friday.
Iran denies teachers are quitting despite viral resignation videos
Iran’s Education Ministry dismissed reports of teacher resignations over working conditions and security pressure as a “rumor,” despite numerous videos of teachers announcing departures and a teachers’ council warning of a growing exodus.
As the rial sinks, Iranians seek shelter in almost anything else
Iran’s stock market is breaking records even as the dollar and gold hit new highs, an apparent contradiction that may point to the same dynamic: households and investors scrambling to protect their wealth as the rial weakens and the economic toll of the Iran-US war grows.
Iran court upholds film star’s jail term over post mourning protest victims
An appeals court in Tehran has upheld a one-year prison sentence for renowned actress Elnaz Shakerdoost over an Instagram story mourning people killed during January’s protests, her lawyer said Friday.
Five killed in roadside attack as violence spreads in southeast Iran
At least five people were reported killed on Friday in an attack near Zahedan in southeastern Iran, as the Revolutionary Guards confirmed a roadside bombing in the area that killed one of its fighters.
Shot in leg, forced into hiding: Iran protester recounts January crackdown
Hamid Kouhsari was carrying a wounded woman on his back through the streets of Gorgan on January 8 when security forces shot him from behind. He spent the next eight months in hiding with his leg untreated, before leaving Iran.
Iran’s truck repair hub feels the squeeze as work dries up
Business at one of central Iran’s main heavy-vehicle service hubs has fallen by about 30% from a year earlier, offering a ground-level view of an economy where soaring food prices, a battered currency and weaker freight activity are squeezing workers and small businesses.
Al-Qaeda is Iran’s quiet backup if the war turns, expert says
Iran has spent two decades keeping al-Qaeda close as a partner it can deny, and could turn to it if the war with the United States escalates, a counterterrorism expert told Iran International. With Hezbollah and Hamas weakened, she said, it is the card Tehran has left.
An account of espionage: From banks and phone lines to Malard missile base blast
A former Mossad agent says he spent years inside one of Iran's best-known telecom businesses, using its banking tricks to fund Israeli operations and deleting a file from a switch near Malard minutes before the 2011 blast that killed the father of Iran's missile program.
Iranian press sees diplomacy alive but narrowing after US response
Tehran media see diplomacy with Washington as increasingly precarious but not yet dead, with the two sides far apart over the sequencing of any deal and the window for compromise appearing to narrow.
Leaked Kremlin plan undercuts Moscow’s claims on ruble-rial trade with Iran
A leaked Russian government roadmap obtained by Fox News put the share of Russia-Iran trade settled in national currencies at 68%, far below Moscow’s public claims that nearly all bilateral trade had shifted to rubles and rials.
Iran links under scrutiny in separate Flydubai, UK airbase investigations
Iran on Thursday was linked by US and Israeli officials to the Flydubai incident, the second such case after British police opened a probe into possible Tehran involvement in a suspected RAF Fairford plot and arrested a dual UK-Iranian national.
Iran’s rhetoric against UAE hardens after Netanyahu visit
Iranian officials and media have sharply condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the UAE, warning Abu Dhabi over its deepening ties with Israel amid renewed tensions over three disputed Persian Gulf islands.
US targets Iran auto, rail and metals sectors in new sanctions blitz
The US Treasury sanctioned Iran’s automotive and rail sectors Thursday, expanding its campaign to some of the country’s largest industrial companies as Washington seeks to choke off Tehran’s sources of revenue with Operation Economic Outcast.
Four January protest detainees sentenced to death by Tehran courts
Four men detained during Iran’s nationwide January protests have been sentenced to death by Tehran Revolutionary Courts, HRANA reported Thursday, as rights groups warn of mounting use of capital punishment against protest detainees.
Iran oil exports vanish as regional flows surpass prewar levels
New tanker-tracking data shows that Iran’s new oil exports have effectively ground to a halt, while crude exports from Arab countries in the region surpassed pre-war levels in the final week of September.
Iran sentences 20-year-old blogger to more than 13 years in prison
Iranian authorities have sentenced 20-year-old blogger Iman Sadeghi, who was arrested in Kashan during the nationwide protests earlier this year, to more than 13 years in prison, according to information obtained by Iran International.
Trump says renewed bombing of Iran after midterms ‘possible’
US President Donald Trump said renewed large-scale bombing of Iran after the November midterm elections was "possible," while rejecting Tehran's latest ceasefire proposal as insufficient, according to an interview with TIME published on Thursday.
670 bridges, 380 tunnels: the network that moves Iran’s army and its missiles
Four small bridges, struck in one night in April, cut Tehran off from Iran's entire railway. All were fixed within days. The bridges that would take years to rebuild are still standing, on lines that carry Iran's missiles, its troops and its trade.
Iranian weapons, Chinese supplies fuel Houthi advance in Yemen - WSJ
Iranian weapons and growing supplies of Chinese dual-use components have helped Yemen's Houthis expand their territory and strengthen their ability to threaten shipping through the Red Sea, the Wall Street Journal reported.
IRGC says six gunmen killed in clash in Iran’s restive southeast
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said six gunmen were killed on Thursday in an hours-long clash with security forces in southeastern Iran, the latest in a series of armed confrontations in the restive Sistan-Baluchestan province.
Iran turns to younger children in postwar ideological push
The Basij has long maintained a presence in Iran's high schools and universities. Its growing visibility among much younger children is drawing attention to a new front in the Islamic Republic's effort to shape a generation that has repeatedly challenged its authority.
Iran official warns Starlink could end state control of internet
The spread of Starlink could deliver the “final nail in the coffin” of Iran’s ability to control cyberspace, Deputy Communications Minister Mohammad Hafez Hakami said Wednesday, even as authorities seek to suppress the technology through arrests, seizures and criminal penalties.
Tehran weighs what comes next if US diplomacy fails
Continued contacts between Tehran and Washington, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, have intensified debate inside Iran over whether diplomacy can still produce a deal despite President Donald Trump’s rejection of Tehran’s latest proposal and what should happen if it fails.
Can the Caspian give Iran a way around Hormuz?
With war disrupting Iran’s southern trade routes, Tehran is looking north to the Caspian for alternatives. But the available evidence suggests they cannot replace its crucial oil exports.
UK points to Iran role in suspected plot near RAF Fairford
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Wednesday there are “strong indications” Iran played a role in a suspected plot near RAF Fairford airbase used by US forces to carry out strikes on the Islamic Republic.
Prisoners beaten, kept in windowless cells at Isfahan prison
Prisoners in a security ward at Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan are beaten with cables and metal rods and held in overcrowded, windowless cells with poor ventilation, according to accounts provided to Iran International.
US ‘feedback’ leaves Iran debating the price of diplomacy
Iran’s receipt of Washington’s response to its seven-point proposal for ending the Strait of Hormuz crisis has sharpened divisions in Tehran over whether to pursue further compromise or intensify pressure on the United States.
‘I never asked about regime change’: Student speaks out after El-Sayed exchange
An Iranian-American student who pressed Michigan Democratic US Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed to state his position on Iran’s Revolutionary Guards says he and his family have faced threats and harassment after a video of the exchange went viral.
Iran takes US response to cabinet, Hormuz clashes continue
Iran took a US response to its latest diplomatic proposal to cabinet, a tanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz and two January protesters were executed among the key developments on Wednesday.
Iran death-row protester shot, tortured in custody
Iranian security forces shot death-row protester Alireza Sepahi four times during his arrest at home before subjecting him to weeks of torture in custody, according to a former cellmate who described his treatment.
Israel-bound flydubai flight lands in Saudi Arabia after pilots injured
Both pilots of a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv were injured and taken to hospital after the aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, Saudi airport authorities said, as officials investigated what happened aboard the plane.
Iran debtors face prison, hiding and suicide attempts
Years spent in prison or hiding from arrest, suicide attempts and families pushed into severe financial hardship are among the consequences of Iran’s use of imprisonment to enforce unpaid financial obligations.
Iranian hardliners turn on Ghalibaf and judiciary after lawmaker’s sentencing
Attacks by hardliners on Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei following hardline lawmaker Hamid Rasaei’s imprisonment have intensified the rift among Iran’s conservatives.
German-based aid worker gets 10-year prison sentence in Iran
A German-based humanitarian worker has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran after entering the country to help vulnerable Iranians, in a case rights experts say is the latest example of Tehran using foreign detainees as political leverage.
US blockade divides Iranians online over pressure on rulers, cost to public
Iran’s deepening isolation is drawing divided reactions from Persian-language social media users, with some welcoming US pressure to weaken the country’s rulers and others warning that ordinary people will bear the cost without producing political change.
The body as a battleground: Iran's resistance etched in ink and blood
After the Islamic Republic turned its guns on protesters during Iran’s nationwide January uprising, filling streets, hospitals and morgues with the wounded and the dead, it may have silenced the streets, but protest and dissent have found a new battleground: the body.
Iran says awaiting US response on Hormuz proposal
Iran said on Tuesday it is awaiting a US response to its proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as regional oil flows continued to recover and the rial sank past 2.5 million to the dollar.
Iran’s Guards urge Americans to vote out their leaders in 26-page letter
A designated terrorist organization has written to American voters. Iran's Revolutionary Guards sent a 26-page letter to US scholars, students and media describing a government in decline and telling Americans they have the power to change it at the ballot box in November.
Hannah Neumann declines meeting with Islamic Republic envoy
European Parliament lawmaker Hannah Neumann said she had declined a meeting request from Iran’s ambassador to France, citing the government’s treatment of critics and efforts to target dissidents abroad and spy on European representatives.
Khamenei’s vision of Iranian power faces a test of reality
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has portrayed the country as stronger after successive wars and pressures and among the world’s foremost powers, a vision that key economic and military indicators and recent regional events put to the test.
Disease, drug shortages grip overcrowded Iran prison
Prisoners at an Iran prison face severe overcrowding, infectious diseases and shortages of food, medicine and medical care, according to accounts obtained by Iran International.
US-Iran contacts continue as terms of possible deal remain disputed
The United States and Iran remained in contact through mediators Monday as efforts continued toward a possible agreement, but conflicting accounts left the terms of any deal unclear.
Key IRGC intelligence figure in Iran’s oil sales identified: Who is Mostafa Ahadi?
Iran International has obtained exclusive information and documents indicating that Mostafa Ahadi, a senior official in the IRGC Intelligence Organization, runs the organization’s corruption network in the sale of Iran’s oil.
Iran’s shrinking air links raise costs, strain regional ties
Iran’s rapidly narrowing international air connections are forcing travelers onto longer and costlier routes while adding friction with neighboring states, as Tehran pressures regional governments over flight restrictions.
Iran jails hardline MP over article accusing Ghalibaf of document tampering
Hardline Iranian lawmaker Hamid Rasaei was transferred to Evin Prison on Sunday to begin a 10-month sentence stemming from a complaint by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s judiciary said Monday.
IRGC outlet accuses reformists of feeding Trump’s pressure campaign
Iranian reformists are helping sustain Washington’s pressure campaign by signaling that sanctions and other coercive measures are pushing Tehran toward negotiations and concessions, the IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency argued Monday.
Iran’s rial hits another record low under economic and military pressure
Iran’s rial fell to another record low on Monday, with the dollar reaching 2.44 million rials as economic and military pressures persisted and efforts took shape for possible new indirect talks with the United States.
UAE outmaneuvers Iran’s Hormuz strategy, state TV analysts say
The UAE has found ways to blunt Iran’s ability to disrupt oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz by exploiting its maritime tactics, Iranian state television commentators said in a recent broadcast.
Hormuz oil flows rise despite Iran threats against shipping
Oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have climbed despite the conflict, with Washington pointing to rising exports as Iran warns shipping companies against unauthorized passage and threatens US forces with retaliation if fighting resumes.
Iran International establishes scholarship in memory of presenter Farahnaz Espad
Iran International has established an annual postgraduate scholarship in memory of Farahnaz Espad, one of the channel’s first presenters, who died in August after eight years with the channel.
Families of slain protesters challenge Pezeshkian over UN remarks
Relatives of protesters killed during Iran’s January crackdown challenged President Masoud Pezeshkian’s portrayal of the unrest as foreign-driven, saying their family members were unarmed and had no links to foreign governments, after his UN General Assembly address on Wednesday.
Why Trump said no to Iran’s Hormuz proposal
US President Donald Trump’s rejection of Iran’s proposal for a swift reopening of the Strait of Hormuz may say less about Washington’s opposition to a deal than about its changing assessment of Tehran’s most important bargaining chip.
Tehran seeks negotiated way out as Washington maintains pressure
Iran says a negotiated settlement remains the only way out of the war and is awaiting a formal US response to its latest proposal, despite President Donald Trump saying he has rejected Tehran’s offer.
Iran eases Korean appliance curbs through informal border trade
Iran on Saturday expanded limited imports of South Korean home appliances through its border trade system, five years after Ali Khamenei ordered restrictions on products from LG and Samsung.
Iran’s oil industry has too many masters
The problem facing Iran’s oil industry is not just sanctions or a shortage of investment. It is a question of governance: who makes decisions, who signs contracts, who receives the money and, ultimately, who is accountable?
Iran wrong to expect midterms to restrain Trump, former US official says
Tehran is making a “total miscalculation” if it believes the US midterm elections will constrain President Donald Trump’s actions against Iran, former senior US official Morgan Ortagus told Iran International.
Iran upholds death sentence for Red Crescent worker after coerced confession
Iran's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Mozhdeh Hashemi Bazargani, a 27-year-old Red Crescent worker who said in a recording from Qazvin prison that interrogators beat her until her teeth broke and made her sign a confession, a source told Iran International.
Prosecutors target Tehran play over scene between male and female actors
Tehran prosecutors have opened a criminal case against a theater company after a spectator's phone video showed an actress resting her head against an actor's chest on stage, in a scene the production says depicts a brother and sister.
Trump may be buying time on Iran until after the midterms
President Donald Trump may be putting off a difficult choice over Iran until after the US midterm elections, a former senior US diplomat told Iran International.
Pezeshkian’s Fox News nuclear overture draws hardline backlash
Iranian hardliners have intensified attacks on President Masoud Pezeshkian after he signalled nuclear flexibility and backed negotiations with Washington in a Fox News interview.
IRGC outlet rebukes Iran VP over Saudi National Day celebration
The IRGC-affiliated Fars News criticized Iran’s executive vice-president on Friday for joining Saudi officials in a cake-cutting ceremony marking the kingdom’s National Day in Tehran, which it said created an overly “friendly” image at a time of heightened regional tensions.
Iran rules out nuclear concessions even if US accepts Hormuz proposal
Iran will not make concessions over its nuclear program even if the United States accepts Tehran’s proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported Friday citing a senior Iranian official.
US and Iran want a deal, but neither wants to move first
Talks between Iranian and US diplomats have continued in New York despite increasingly harsh rhetoric from both capitals, but the emerging dispute is less over whether to negotiate than over who must move first.
Rushdie returns to the fatwa that nearly cost him his life
Salman Rushdie says he never intended The Satanic Verses to provoke the reaction that followed its publication, in a new documentary revisiting Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s 1989 fatwa calling for his death and the attempt on his life 33 years later.
Trump warned Xi against intelligence and military aid to Iran, envoy says
US President Donald Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping that direct or indirect assistance to Iran, including intelligence, components and military equipment, was unacceptable, US Ambassador to China David Perdue said Friday.
Prosecutors take no action against Iranian arrested at UK submarine base
Scottish prosecutors will take no proceedings at this time against an Iranian man arrested after an alleged attempt to enter Britain’s nuclear submarine base in March, Sky News reported Friday.
Bareheaded mother, veiled daughter: Iran’s schools keep a rule its streets have dropped
Mothers without headscarves walked daughters in regulation hoods to school in Iran this week. Women who remember 1980 describe the same scene from the year the state began imposing hijab. The picture is identical. What has changed is the society around it.
Iran threatens regional air travel as US sanctions cut its flight links
Iran threatened to disrupt regional air travel if its airlines lose access to flights and airport services, as Iraq's Najaf, Erbil and Sulaimaniya joined other destinations restricting Iranian connections under mounting US sanctions pressure.
Saudi Arabia, UAE urge Trump to maintain pressure on Iran - WSJ
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are urging Washington to maintain sanctions and its naval blockade of Iran, complicating efforts to restart peace talks as attacks threaten their oil exports, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Iranians report SIM cards blocked over political posts and likes
Social media users in Iran say their phone lines have been cut off after posting political content or liking posts on Instagram, extending a practice previously reported among political activists and journalists.
Pezeshkian straddles Iran’s divide at UN as US talks test balance
President Masoud Pezeshkian’s UN speech won unusual praise across Iran’s political establishment Thursday, but emerging details of negotiations with the United States could soon test the president’s careful balancing act.
US-Iran talks focused on phased deal to reopen Hormuz
US and Iranian negotiators are exploring a phased agreement that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for Washington lifting its economic blockade of Iran, Reuters reported Thursday, citing Iranian, regional and Western sources.
From Hormuz to Indian Ocean: Iran threatens to redraw the map of the war
Tehran is signalling that its response to US pressure may be to widen the conflict, turning restrictions on its shipping and aviation into risks for airports and waterways stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea and potentially the Indian Ocean.
UAE says it suspended Iranian airline flights over US sanctions
The United Arab Emirates said on Thursday it had suspended all flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the country from Thursday until further notice, citing US sanctions targeting Iran’s aviation sector.
‘Bully at home, victim abroad’: Iranians on Pezeshkian’s UN speech
Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN that Iran would not accept the language of force. Iranians writing to Iran International had one reply: that is the only language his government uses at home. Their messages picked apart what he said, what he left out, and how he said it.
Pezeshkian gets the generals’ applause, and no word from the man above them
Iran's generals and hardliners spent the week warning Masoud Pezeshkian not to smile in New York. After his UN speech they lined up to praise him. He had not changed their minds about talking to Washington. He had given a speech that did not require them to.
Iran judiciary charges six officers over teen abuse but omits sexual assault allegation
Iran's judiciary said six officers had been indicted over the abuse of a teenager in Tabriz, but did not include sexual assault among the charges despite video that showed the boy being sexually humiliated by police.
‘Killers in suits’: Iranians ask New York’s mayor why Pezeshkian walks free
Iranians writing to Iran International this week did not see a diplomatic visit. They saw the men they hold responsible for January's massacre walking free in New York, and they asked the city's mayor, who once promised to arrest Netanyahu, why.
China shipments help sustain Iran’s weapons programs despite US pressure - WSJ
Chinese suppliers sent around 1,300 shipments of dual-use components to Iran’s defense ministry in the first half of 2026, helping sustain its weapons programs, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Iran, US end UN talks still divided as Hormuz blockade continues
Iran and the United States ended Wednesday divided over how to end their war despite renewed UN talks, as Tehran rejected US pressure and Washington maintained its blockade of Iranian ports while oil shipments continued through Hormuz.
War deepens Iran’s energy crunch ahead of winter
Iran’s economy contracted sharply in the spring as war hit its oil and gas sectors, with new data pointing to an energy crunch that could force Tehran to balance gas exports against rising domestic demand as winter approaches.