THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 8:30 PM CEST
Accountability for Material Support to Houthi Terrorist Activity and Related Networks
On March 5, 2025, the State Department designated Ansarallah, commonly referred to as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), fulfilling one of President Trump’s first promises upon taking office.
As President Trump laid out in Executive Order 14175, “the Houthis’ activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade.”
The United States will not tolerate any country or commercial entity providing support to foreign terrorist organizations, such as the Houthis, including offloading ships and provisioning oil at Houthi-controlled ports. Such actions risk violating U.S. law.
Lindsey Graham Warns of Iran Nuclear Bombs: ‘They’ll Come After Us’
U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has claimed that Iran is “very close to assembling six nuclear bombs,” saying Tehran would soon target Israel and the United States.
“They will kill Israel. They’ll come after us,” Graham told the Fox News Sean Hannity show, Hannity. Newsweek has reached out to Senator Graham and Iran’s foreign ministry for comment
Why It Matters
Graham’s remarks raise concerns about the potential escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran, especially as the two nations are scheduled to hold crucial talks in Oman on Saturday.
Suspected US Strikes in Yemen Kill At Least 8 People, Houthi Rebels Say
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Suspected U.S. airstrikes pounded the area around Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeida on Tuesday night, killing at least eight people, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels said.
The strikes hit around Hodeida’s al-Hawak district, the rebels said, and wounded 16 people. The area is home to the city’s airport, which the rebels have used in the past to target shipping in the Red Sea.
Since its start, the intense campaign of U.S. airstrikes targeting the rebels over their attacks on shipping in Mideast waters — related to the Israel-Hamas war — has killed at least 81 people, according to casualty figures released by the Houthis.
Treasury Imposes Sanctions on Enablers of Iran’s Nuclear Program
WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating five entities and one individual based in Iran for their support to key entities that manage and oversee Iran’s nuclear program, including the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and the AEOI-subordinate Iran Centrifuge Technology Company (TESA). Today’s action, which targets entities procuring or manufacturing critical technologies for TESA and AEOI, is taken in furtherance of U.S. policy that Iran be denied a nuclear weapon, as stated in National Security Presidential Memorandum 2.
UPDATE: 1:00 PM CEST
State Department Says Talks with Iran Are Not Negotiation, Will Be Direct
Ahead of expected talks between the United States and Iran over the weekend, the State Department pushed back on the idea that the discussion would be a negotiation over Tehran’s nuclear program.
“This is a meeting that’s happening, right? On Saturday, there’s a meeting. There’s no negotiations,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters on Tuesday.
“This is a dynamic where the president has made very clear and certainly the secretary has made very clear that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” she said. “It’s touching base, yes. Again, it’s not a negotiation. It’s a meeting.”
Houthi Group Reports 22 More US Airstrikes Across Yemen
US warplanes launched another 22 airstrikes across war-torn Yemen, the Houthi group said on Tuesday.
The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV said six airstrikes targeted the Sanhan district and five others in the Bani Hashish district, northern Saada province.
Nine more strikes hit three areas in the central Marib province and two in the coastal province of Al-Hudaydah.
Information on injuries or damage was not immediately available, and the US did not comment till the filing of this story.
Last month, US President Donald Trump said he ordered “decisive and powerful military action” against the Houthis and later threatened to “completely annihilate them.”
Iran Defies Trump by Arming Proxy Forces in Iraq with Missiles
Iran has transferred long-range missiles to its proxy forces in Iraq for the first time, increasing the regime’s military footprint in the region even as President Trump threatens to hold Tehran accountable for the actions of its militia.
The Times has learnt that Tehran has been bulking up its presence in the region by supplying a new batch of weapons to powerful Shia militias in Iraq, dashing hopes that Iran would withdraw support as it prepares to enter negotiations with the United States over its missile and nuclear programme.
The weapons were transferred last week, according to regional intelligence involved in monitoring the nearly 1,000-mile border between the countries. It was the first time long-range surface-to-surface missiles had been in the possession of an Iran-allied
US Energy Secretary Sees Tighter Sanctions on Iran without Deal
WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) – U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Tuesday that Iran can expect tighter sanctions if it does not come to an agreement with President Donald Trump on its nuclear program.
“So absolutely, I would expect very tight sanctions on Iran, and hopefully drive them to abandon their nuclear program,” Wright said in an interview with CNBC.
Wright on Wednesday will launch a nearly two-week tour of three Middle East countries, including Saudi Arabia, marking his first visit as a U.S. official to the de facto leader of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Read more
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CEST
Message to The “Iran Policy” Conference at The U.S. Senate
Maryam Rajavi’s speech: “As the regime’s leaders have repeatedly stated, they will never abandon their policy of repression, the export of war and terrorism, or the pursuit of their nuclear program.
“|It is a lesson that this regime has learned from the downfall of figures like Gaddafi.
The policy of exporting terrorism and fundamentalism has been clearly outlined in the regime’s Constitution.
“The experience of the past 46 years demonstrates that this regime does not uphold its promises and pledges. In 1988, Khomeini declared it was permitted to violate contracts and even religious obligations to preserve the regime.”
PMOI Resistance Units in Iran Commemorate Martyrs of April 8 Massacre in Ashraf
On the 14th anniversary of the April 8, 2011, massacre at Camp Ashraf, Iraq, the Resistance Units affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) launched widespread commemorative activities across numerous Iranian cities. The events honored 36 PMOI members who were martyred at the hands of Iranian regime proxies within the Iraqi government.
On that day, forces under Nouri al-Maliki—then Iraqi Prime Minister and a known subordinate of the Iranian regime—launched a brutal attack on the unarmed residents of Camp Ashraf. The residents resisted with bare hands, but 36 of them were murdered. The attack has gone down in history as one of the most heinous assaults against Iranian opposition forces outside Iran’s borders.
Seven Miners Killed in Tragic Incident at Mehmandooieh Mine in Damghan
On the evening of April 7, a fatal incident occurred at the Mehmandooieh mine in Damghan, Semnan Province, resulting in the deaths of seven miners, according to Iranian state media. The head of the Red Crescent Society in Semnan confirmed that rescue teams have not yet been able to reach the exact site of the incident or rescue the trapped workers. The public relations official of the regime’s University of Medical Sciences in Semnan reported that the victims included four Iranian nationals and three foreign workers. Other sources confirmed the deaths of all seven individuals.
As the families of the victims remain in deep shock and anxiety, regime forces have reportedly warned them against gathering at the site of the incident. This repressive reaction reflects the regime’s habitual approach of covering up the facts and avoiding transparency, rather than responding to the legitimate concerns of the families seeking clarity and updates about their loved ones.
Iran’s Alarming Execution Surge: Amnesty International Report Exposes Widespread Abuse of the Death Penalty
Amnesty International’s Death Sentences and Executions 2024 report paints a stark and disturbing picture of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s use of capital punishment. With at least 972 executions, 2024 marked the highest number of executions recorded in Iran since 2015, representing a 14% increase from the previous year and 64% of all known executions globally.
This surge was not only numeric—it reflected a broader policy of state violence, repression, and systemic injustice. According to Amnesty, more than half of these executions (52%) were carried out for drug-related offences, despite clear prohibitions under international law against using the death penalty for crimes that do not meet the threshold of “most serious crimes.”
Families of Political Prisoners Demand Abolition of Death Sentences
Tuesday, April 8, 2025 – A group of families of political prisoners sentenced to death staged a peaceful protest outside Tehran’s Evin Prison, demanding the immediate revocation of death sentences issued against their loved ones.
The protesters carried photographs of several political prisoners, including Shahrokh Daneshvarkar, Vahid Bani Amerian, Abolhassan Montazer, Mehdi Hassani, Mohammad Taghavi, Behrouz Ehsani, Mohammad-Javad Vafaee Sani, and Pouya Ghobadi.
Holding placards and handwritten signs reading “No to Execution” and “Abolish the Death Penalty Now,” the families called attention to the increasing use of capital punishment in Iran. A large banner displaying the slogan “No to Execution” was also prominently featured during the protest.
Ongoing Legal Uncertainty for Hoda Mehreganfar and Her Father in Adelabad Prison
More than 160 days after their arrest, Hoda Mehreganfar and her father, Mohammad-Ali Mehreganfar—residents of Zarqan, a town in Fars Province—remain in prolonged pre-trial detention at Adelabad Prison in Shiraz, with no formal charges or legal resolution. The continued denial of medical care in prison has raised serious concerns about the deteriorating health conditions. A preliminary hearing for the father and daughter was held via video conference on March 30, 2025. They were accused of having alleged connections with an opposition group during this session. Despite the extended detention period, they have not been granted release on bail.
Iranian Women Selling Hair Amid Growing Poverty
As the Iranian regime continues to fail in addressing poverty and improving the economic situation of its people, reports from Iran indicate that due to worsening living conditions and low incomes, the market for buying and selling natural women’s hair has grown in Tehran. The state-run Mehr News Agency reported on Monday, April 7, that due to economic hardship and low-income levels among Iranians, the market for buying and selling women’s natural hair in Tehran is thriving.
This outlet noted that buyers are encouraging women to sell their hair both on city sidewalks and through online platforms.
Growing Fears over Imminent Execution of Political Prisoner Pakhshan Azizi
Amid growing concerns about the imminent execution of Kurdish political prisoner Pakhshan Azizi, Iran’s Supreme Court has rejected her second request for a retrial. According to her legal team, the Court refused to even request or review her case file and instead dismissed the request on purely procedural grounds, without considering the evidence or legal arguments submitted by her defense. On April 6, 2025, her attorney, Maziar Tataei, wrote on the social media platform X that “the Supreme Court’s reviewing branch rejected the retrial request without requesting the case file and solely based on formal reasoning.” He described the decision as a “clear indication of the lack of transparency and a serious violation of fair trial principles” within Iran’s judiciary.
Political Prisoner Rouhollah Khosravi Held in Chains in Quarantine Ward of Dezful Prison
Political prisoner Rouhollah Khosravi, an ethnic Bakhtiari from the city of Izeh in southwestern Iran, has been held for more than ten days in degrading and substandard conditions in the quarantine ward of Dezful Prison. He is reportedly kept with his hands and feet shackled. His recent transfer from Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz to Dezful is viewed as part of ongoing systematic pressure and punitive treatment against him.
Khosravi, who has been in detention since September 2023 without trial, had previously gone on hunger strike to protest his prolonged legal limbo. According to his relatives, judicial and security authorities have ignored basic legal principles such as the classification of prisoners by the nature of their charges and the right to due process. In addition to avoiding any legal proceedings, authorities have exerted further physical and psychological pressure by transferring him to distant prisons and subjecting him to harsh conditions.
Civil Activist Salar Taher Afshar Transferred to Evin Prison to Serve Five-Year Sentence
Salar Taher Afshar, a civil activist from Urmia, was transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran on Sunday, April 6, 2025, to begin serving a five-year prison sentence. He was arrested after appearing at the Enforcement Office of the Evin Prosecutor’s Office in response to a summons.
Afshar was convicted by Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals on the charge of “assembly and collusion to act against national security.” According to reports, he had previously received a notice instructing him to report to the authorities for the enforcement of his sentence.
The activist was initially arrested on February 17, 2025, by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in Urmia and subsequently transferred to a detention facility operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Tabriz. During this period, his family was left without information about his condition or whereabouts.
Former Iranian Ambassador to Albania and Head of a Terrorist Network Sanctioned by USA
Gholamhossein Mohammadnia, the former Iranian ambassador to Albania, was sanctioned by the US government in March 2025. The move was made due to his role in terrorist activities by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, including the kidnapping of American citizen Robert (Bob) Levinson, and his attempt to cover up the matter. Mohammadnia was appointed as Iran’s ambassador to Albania in 2016, but was expelled from the country in December 2018 for attempted bombings and terrorist operations against the Iranian Mojahedin, MEK.