THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:00 PM CEST
Britain, France and Germany Threaten to Reimpose Sanctions on Iran as Nuclear Program Deadline Nears
BERLIN (AP) — The top diplomats of Britain, France, and Germany threatened to reimpose sanctions on Iran as an end-of-the-month deadline nears for the country to resume negotiations with the West over its nuclear program and cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
The three countries, known as the E3, wrote in a letter to the United Nations dated Friday that they were willing to trigger a process known as the “snapback” mechanism, which allows one of the Western parties to reimpose U.N. sanctions, if Tehran doesn’t comply with its requirements.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Nöel Barrot posted the letter Wednesday to X. He co-signed it along with top diplomats from Germany and the United Kingdom.
Lebanon President Tells Iran Security Chief He ‘Rejects All Interference’
Agence France Presse (AFP) – Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told Iran’s visiting security chief on Wednesday that he rejected any interference in the country’s internal affairs, branding as “unconstructive” Iran’s statements on plans to disarm Hezbollah.
“We reject any interference in our internal affairs,” Aoun said, adding that “it is forbidden for anyone… to bear arms and to use foreign backing as leverage,” Aoun told Ali Larijani, according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency posted on X.
UPDATE: 12:30 PM CEST
2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Iran
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s already severe restrictions on human rights worsened in a number of areas during the year. The government executed hundreds of prisoners, including many who confessed under torture and faced unfair trials. There were new cases of violent enforcement of women’s dress code restrictions. While some political prisoners, including persons detained in connection with protests related to the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, were released from prison, other participants in the protests were arrested, sentenced to prison and death, subjected to torture, or executed during the year. Restrictions on religious freedom were severe during the year.
Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: arbitrary or unlawful killings; disappearances; torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; arbitrary arrest or detention; transnational repression against individuals in another country; serious abuses in a conflict; unlawful recruitment or use of children in armed conflict by the government for its own use and use by terrorist groups throughout the region such as Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, and the former government of then President Bashar Assad in Syria; serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, including violence and threats of violence against journalists, unjustified arrests and prosecutions of journalists, and censorship; restrictions of religious freedom; significant restrictions on workers’ freedom of association; and significant presence of any of the worst forms of child labor.
The Hezbollah State in Lebanon, Whose Time Has Ended
The former Secretary-General of Hezbollah used to describe himself as one of the soldiers of the Supreme Leader, meaning he was an Iranian soldier. That description applies to every member of the militia led by Hassan Nasrallah. Iran was angered by a sovereign Lebanese decision. Was President Joseph Aoun supposed to present the decision to restrict weapons to the state alone to the Supreme Leader before issuing it? The matter is Lebanese, not Iranian. Lebanon is a sovereign state, and Iran has no right of guardianship over it. It is the right of Lebanon’s government to enforce laws that affirm its sovereignty over its own territory.
If Iran has another opinion, that is its problem, and Lebanon should not have to pay the price for it. And if Iran openly acknowledges that it has an army in Lebanon which the Lebanese government has no right to touch, then the matter takes on another dimension—one that falls within the framework of an occupation Lebanon, as an independent state, must break in whatever way it sees fit. At the forefront of these ways is working to end that occupation, starting with the disarmament it represents.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CEST
Same Tyranny, New Name: Iran’s Regime Deploys Stealth Bill to Silence A Rebellious Nation
After its previous attempt to pass a sweeping internet censorship law, the “Sianat” bill, stalled in the face of public fury, the Iranian regime is once again moving to crush online freedom. In a clear maneuver to deceive the public and bypass opposition, a new bill with the same repressive content has been introduced under the benign-sounding title “Organizing Cyberspace.” This clandestine push for what many are already calling “Sianat 2” is a panicked confession of the regime’s inability to control the flow of information and its terror of an increasingly restive populace.
The bill’s introduction is an example of the regime’s duplicity. It was announced just 48 hours after President Masoud Pezeshkian’s government was forced by public pressure to withdraw its own draconian legislation, the “Countering Lies” bill. The state-run newspaper Etemad, in an August 11 report, exposed the ploy, writing that the new bill’s proponents are “moving with the lights off this time.
Raheleh Rahemipour, 72, Transferred to Hospital in Critical Condition
On Tuesday, August 12, 2025, Raheleh Rahemipour, a 72-year-old prisoner seeking justice, detained in Qarchak Prison, in Varamin, fell due to loss of balance and sustained serious physical injuries. Following this incident, she was transferred to Mofatteh Hospital for urgent treatment. Despite her advanced age and deteriorating health, Raheleh Rahemipour is being held without access to essential medication or medical care. Her continued detention in the unsanitary conditions of Qarchak Prison alone poses a grave threat to her life.
Although she suffers from serious illnesses and requires specialized medical attention, judicial authorities and prison officials have refused to grant her conditional release or arrange her immediate transfer to an appropriate medical facility. Both medical and judicial bodies have described her condition as critical and impossible to ignore.
Soudabeh Qassemzadeh Hanged After Six Years in Central Prison of Isfahan
The wave of executions in Iran shows no sign of abating. According to information released on August 12, at dawn on Monday, August 11, 2025, a woman identified as Soudabeh Qassemzadeh was hanged alongside three men in Isfahan Central Prison. Soudabeh Qassemzadeh, around 45 years old and a mother of three, had been imprisoned for six years on charges of killing her husband. She was later sentenced to death by a criminal court. Women executed by the clerical regime in Iran are often themselves victims of domestic violence and discriminatory family laws, with many acting in self-defense.
Rally in Los Angeles Warns of Imminent Executions of Five Iranian Political Prisoners
Los Angeles, California – August 10, 2025 – Iranian-American supporters of the Iranian Resistance held rally to sound the alarm over the imminent execution of five political prisoners in Iran: Vahid Bani-Amerian, Pouya Ghobadi, Shahrokh Daneshvarkar, Mohammad Taghavi, and Babak Alipour. The Iranian regime has transferred them to Ghezel Hesar Prison, notorious as an execution site, placing their lives in immediate danger.
Gothenburg Rally Condemns Executions in Iran, Urges Prisoners’ Release, Marks PMOI’s 60th Anniversary
Gothenburg, Sweden — August 9, 2025 — Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) gathered in Gothenburg to warn of the imminent execution of five political prisoners in Iran — Vahid Bani-Amerian, Pouya Ghobadi, Shahrokh Daneshvarkar, Mohammad Taghavi, and Babak Alipour — after their transfer to Ghezel Hesar Prison, a site notorious for carrying out executions. Organizers said the transfers place the men’s lives at immediate risk.
MEK Supporters in Hamburg Protest Executions in Iran, Urge Freedom for Political Prisoners
Hamburg, Germany – August 9, 2025 – Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally to sound the alarm over the imminent execution of five political prisoners in Iran: Vahid Bani-Amerian, Pouya Ghobadi, Shahrokh Daneshvarkar, Mohammad Taghavi, and Babak Alipour. The Iranian regime has transferred them to Ghezel Hesar Prison, notorious as an execution site, placing their lives in immediate danger.
Hunger Strike by Three Political Prisoners in Lakan Prison, Rasht
According to obtained information, instead of addressing the legitimate demands of these prisoners, the authorities at Lakan Prison in Rasht have transferred Masoud Bidarigh to solitary confinement.
Reports from Lakan Prison indicate the start of a protest hunger strike by three political prisoners—Manouchehr Fallah, Masoud Bidarigh, and Peyman Farahavar—who have taken this action due to deprivation of basic rights, increased pressure, and the authorities’ disregard for their situation. The hunger strike began on Sunday, August 10, and is still ongoing.
Iran’s Tenant Household Poverty Rate Rising to 40%, Parliament Reports
The Research Center of Iran’s regime Majlis (parliament) reported an intensifying housing crisis in the country, stating in its latest report that in 2023, the proportion of tenant households living in poverty reached a historic record of 40%. This data is from two years ago, and experts estimate that the current rate is even higher. The release of this report comes as the official housing statistics blackout in the Iranian regime has reached 14 months, and the Majlis research center removed its report on worsening tenant poverty from its website just hours after publication. According to the report, in 2023 around two million tenant households—equivalent to 7.6 million people—were living in poverty.
Iran Regime’s Leadership Split Over War or Negotiations as Sanctions Threat Looms
A deepening rift between President Masoud Pezeshkian and the IRGC exposes the regime’s struggle between pursuing talks or preparing for military confrontation amid economic collapse. Iran regime’s political leadership is embroiled in a serious internal conflict over whether to prepare for war or return to the negotiating table—a debate that has become the central point of contention between President Masoud Pezeshkian and the commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
For hardline elements within the regime, negotiations under current circumstances are tantamount to surrender. They believe that the only way to safeguard the regime is to remain defiant and prepare for military confrontation.
Iran Regime’s Intelligence Ministry Warns of Severe Consequences if UN Sanctions Return
Confidential letter reveals Tehran’s deep fears over economic collapse, public unrest, and loss of regional influence amid possible return of UN sanctions. The Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence has issued a confidential warning to key ministries and state institutions, cautioning that the potential reinstatement of United Nations sanctions could have grave repercussions for the country’s economy and stability.
According to the contents of the letter, the return of sanctions could trigger a complete halt in oil sales, plunging Iran into a deep economic crisis. The ministry explicitly warned that such conditions could lead to “intensification of public discontent” and “the formation of social threats resulting from the economic crisis.” In the regime’s security lexicon, these phrases signal serious fears of widespread protests and even a nationwide uprising.