Thursday, October 2, 2025

Iran News in Brief – July 12, 2025

MEK supporters rally in The Hague, July 2025, calling for justice and backing Maryam Rajavi’s “Third Option” for democratic change in Iran
MEK supporters rally in The Hague, July 2025, calling for justice and backing Maryam Rajavi’s “Third Option” for democratic change in Iran

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS

UPDATE: 10:00 AM CEST

Scottish Islamic Center Faces Scrutiny Over Funding and Ties to Iranian Regime

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The Ahl al-Bayt Society of Scotland, a Glasgow-based Islamic center, is under investigation after receiving over £400,000 in public funding for environmental initiatives — despite alleged ties to the Iranian regime.

According to The Times, the center organized a memorial for the regime’s slain president Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian after their deaths in 2024. The event was led by Azzam Mohammed, a senior figure with past links to Iranian officials and state events.

The group received Scottish government grants between 2014 and 2022 under the Climate Challenge Fund, meant to support emissions reduction in local communities.

A UK parliamentary intelligence committee has warned that Iranian-linked cultural centers may act as platforms for ideological influence or interference. Conservative MP Andrew Bowie has called for an inquiry, demanding transparency on public funds spent.

The Scottish government has defended the vetting process, while the Iranian embassy dismissed the concerns as “baseless.” New UK regulations now require anyone acting under foreign state direction — including Iran — to register or face legal action.


CEO of an Iranian Engineering Company Arrested for Allegedly Shipping Sophisticated Electronics from the U.S. to Iran in Violation of U.S. Sanctions

The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington, D.C. Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

An Iranian national and U.S. lawful permanent resident has been arrested on a four-count federal indictment charging him with unlawfully exporting electronics used in railway signaling and telecommunications systems from the United States to Iran, in violation the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR).

Bahram Mohammad Ostovari, 66, a resident of Santa Monica and Tehran, Iran, was arrested Thursday afternoon upon his arrival at Los Angeles International Airport.

Ostovari is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and three counts of violating the IEEPA.

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UK-France Leaders Declaration

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The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the President of the French Republic met today in Downing Street for the 37th UK-France Summit. The United Kingdom and France share a commitment to peace, democracy, the rule of law, the rules-based international order, and human rights. In an international context in which these values are increasingly jeopardised, France and the United Kingdom share a responsibility to stand up for these aims and values, as major European countries, permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, major world economies, and open democracies. Our relationship and cooperation are fundamental.

We reaffirm our determination that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. We will continue our cooperation, including in the E3 format with Germany, working with the US to ensure a robust deal on Iran’s nuclear programme that takes into account our shared security interests. We will continue to advocate for the resumption of Iran’s full cooperation with the IAEA.

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UPDATE: 8:00 AM CEST

Exhibition in Paris Highlights Iran’s Escalating Human Rights Abuses and Calls for Global Action

Exhibition in Paris Highlights Iran’s Escalating Human Rights Abuses and Calls for Global Action

Paris, France – July 10, 2025 – Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition to denounce the Iranian regime’s worsening human rights violations, with a particular focus on the recent surge in executions across the country.

The event featured striking photographs and detailed documentation exposing the regime’s intensified crackdown on dissent. It drew attention to the growing number of political prisoners—many affiliated with the PMOI—who face imminent execution. Eyewitness testimonies revealed the regime’s systematic use of arbitrary arrests, torture, and death sentences as instruments of repression.

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Exhibition in Bucharest Condemns Iran Regime’s Executions and Demands Release of Political Prisoners

Exhibition in Bucharest Condemns Iran Regime’s Executions and Demands Release of Political Prisoners

Bucharest, Romania – July 5, 2025: Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held an exhibition to protest the Iranian regime’s escalating human rights abuses, with a special focus on the recent surge in executions across the country.

The organizers demanded the immediate abolition of these death sentences and the unconditional release of all political prisoners in Iran. They condemned the regime’s ongoing human rights violations and expressed solidarity with the Iranian people’s struggle for democratic change.

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Iranian Bakers Revolt Against Regime-Induced Bankruptcy

Protest Gathering of Bakers in Khorramabad – May 24, 2025

A powerful symbol of protest is sweeping across Iran, rising not from political rallies but from the heart of daily life: the nation’s bakeries. In cities from Rasht to Tehran and Mashhad, bakers are taking to the streets, returning state-mandated equipment, and warning of mass strikes. This is not a simple labor dispute. It is a nationwide cry of desperation against the regime’s disastrous “Nanino” digital system, a policy that has pushed a vital segment of society to the brink of collapse.

The protests reveal that a change of face in the government means nothing when the systemic corruption, incompetence, and oppressive policies, all dictated by the ailing supreme leader Ali Khamenei, remain unchanged. The people’s demand for bread is rapidly becoming an undeniable demand for an end to the entire ruling theocracy.

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Political Prisoners in Qarchak Prison Commemorate 1999 Student Uprising

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On the anniversary of the bloody crackdown on the student uprising of July 9, 1999, a group of women political prisoners in Qarchak Prison courageously held a memorial ceremony to honor the victims, the disappeared, and the injured of that historic uprising—despite heightened security measures and intense pressure from prison authorities.
In a symbolic and defiant act of remembrance, the political prisoners in Qarchak Prison reflected on the harrowing memories of those days, discussed the historical context of the student protests, and paid tribute to the resilience of the students who bravely stood up to state repression. They also expressed solidarity with the grieving families who continue to seek truth and justice for their loved ones.

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Transfer of Three Arab Political Prisoners to Solitary Confinement in Sepidar Prison, Ahvaz

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In recent days, a wave of concern and warnings has emerged regarding the fate of three Arab political prisoners in Sepidar Prison, Ahvaz. These concerns intensified after the prisoners were suddenly and without prior notice transferred to solitary confinement—an action which, based on past experience, is usually a sign that their execution may be imminent.

These three had previously been sentenced to death by Branch 4 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court on charges of “collaboration with opposition groups,” “acting against national security,” and “moharebeh” (enmity against God). According to informed sources, their death sentences were recently upheld by the Supreme Court, significantly increasing the likelihood of the sentences being carried out.

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Ainollah Rezazadeh Jouybari’s Ongoing Hunger Strike in Fashafouyeh Prison

Ainollah Rezazadeh Jouybari, a dissident cleric currently held in Fashafouyeh Prison, has entered the 19th day of his hunger strike. According to sources close to his family, Rezazadeh Jouybari’s physical condition has become extremely critical. This political prisoner, who suffers from heart, liver, and kidney diseases, has been denied medical care and even access to essential medication.

Previously, this dissident cleric was imprisoned in Evin Prison. However, following the bombing of Evin Prison on June 23, 2025, he was transferred, along with dozens of other prisoners, to Fashafouyeh Prison. Instead of providing greater security, this transfer has subjected him to far harsher and more inhumane conditions. Fashafouyeh Prison, also known as the Greater Tehran Prison, has repeatedly been criticized by international human rights organizations due to severe overcrowding, very poor food quality, lack of proper sanitation facilities, and the practice of housing political prisoners alongside inmates convicted of violent crimes.

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Six Prisoners, Including a Woman, Executed in Qom, Nahavand, Rasht, and Ahvaz

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Iran’s judiciary executed at least six more prisoners, including a woman, in various prisons across the country. These executions—carried out in the prisons of Qom, Nahavand, Rasht, and Ahvaz—have raised further concerns about the sharp rise in death sentences and the unfair judicial process in Iran. At dawn on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, three prisoners were executed in Qom prison. Two of them were men named Hadi Nasri and Fereydoun Naziri: Hadi Nasri, 26 years old and from Robat Karim, had been arrested three years earlier on charges of murder and sentenced to death. Fereydoun Naziri, 36 years old and from Mehrshahr, Karaj, had also been arrested three years earlier on similar charges and sentenced to death. The identity of the woman who was executed alongside them has not yet been confirmed.

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Iranian Regime Confirms Arrest of French-German Tourist Lennart Monterlos

Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister of Iran’s regime, confirmed in an interview with Le Monde that Lennart Monterlos, an 18-year-old French-German tourist, has been arrested in Iran. This young French citizen has had no contact with his family since June 15. On Thursday, July 10, Araghchi told Le Monde that the cyclist had been arrested for committing a crime, and that a notice had been sent to the French Embassy. He did not provide further details. The French Foreign Ministry also stated that it is in contact with Iranian regime officials and Monterlos’s family. The ministry, stressing that his life may be in danger, declined to make any further comment.

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Political Prisoners Held in Inhumane Conditions in Iranian Regime Prisons

Families of political prisoners are subjected to harassment and repression by Iran's regime

Eighteen days after the Israeli strike on Evin Prison, which resulted in the transfer of male and female political prisoners to Greater Tehran Prison and Qarchak Varamin Prison, reports continue to describe the unbearable and inhumane conditions in these facilities. Despite prisoners’ protests, their dire circumstances remain unaddressed. The political prisoners transferred to Greater Tehran and Qarchak prisons are being held in severely harsh and degrading conditions. They report severe overcrowding in their cell blocks, undrinkable salty water, unbearable heat, a lack of basic supplies and medication, and poor sanitary and ventilation conditions. Following Israel’s strike on Evin Prison in Tehran on June 23, male and female political prisoners were forcibly transferred to Greater Tehran and Qarchak prisons.

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Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Admits Surprise at Israel’s June 3 Strikes That Decapitated Regime’s Military Leadership

Ghalibaf acknowledges Israeli surprise attack targeted top commanders and exposed internal vulnerabilities as Khamenei remained absent from public view for over three weeks.

Iranian regime officials continue to grapple with the shockwaves of Israel’s devastating June 3 strikes, which marked the beginning of a 12-day war and led to the death of several of Iran regime’s most senior military and intelligence leaders. In a rare and unusually candid statement, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian regime’s parliament, admitted that the nature and precision of Israel’s operation caught the regime by surprise.

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U.S. Issues Strong Warning to Americans: Avoid Travel to Iran Amid Rising Hostage Detentions

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US Department of State launches urgent travel advisory amid Iran’s growing hostage-taking tactics. Washington, D.C., July 10, 2025 — The U.S. Department of State has issued a stark warning to all Americans, particularly Iranian-Americans and dual citizens, urging them to avoid travel to Iran due to escalating security threats and the Iranian regime’s ongoing practice of detaining foreign nationals as political hostages.

At a press briefing on July 10, Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce announced a new awareness campaign designed to highlight the severe risks of traveling to Iran. “The Iranian regime does not recognize dual nationality and routinely denies consular services to detained U.S. citizens,” Bruce said. “While recent bombings in the region have ceased, that does not mean it is safe to travel to Iran. It is not.”

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Post-War Political Rift Deepens in Iran’s Regime over Nuclear Talks and US Relations

Internal divisions deepen as Iran’s so-called reformists warn of U.S. retaliation and hardliners demand maximalist terms for nuclear talks.

Divisions within Iran’s regime have widened in the aftermath of the 12-day Iran-Israel War, as so-called reformists and hardliners clash over the future of nuclear negotiations and Tehran’s stance toward the United States. The growing rift has exposed contrasting visions among regime factions, with hardliners embracing confrontational maximalism and moderates advocating for de-escalation to avoid further conflict.

On July 9, the reformist-aligned newspaper Ham Mihan published a strongly worded editorial warning that public threats against foreign leaders—particularly US President Donald Trump—risk provoking American retaliation. The editorial criticized the Iranian regime Judiciary’s apparent “double standards” for prosecuting “minor dissent” while failing to address public calls for assassination. It referenced Trump’s 2023 assassination attempt, cautioning that similar incidents could serve as a justification for US retaliation “regardless of Iranian denials.”

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UK Parliament’s Intelligence Committee Warns of Rising Iranian Threat in Landmark Report

British official speaks in Parliament, vowing action to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC) has published a landmark report titled “Iran”, revealing a comprehensive and urgent assessment of the threats posed by the Iranian regime to the United Kingdom and its interests. Based on an extensive two-year inquiry that concluded in August 2023, the report paints a sobering picture of Iran’s broad and increasingly aggressive activities against the UK, spanning espionage, cyberattacks, physical threats, and interference operations.

Committee Chairman Lord Beamish described Iran as posing a “wide-ranging, persistent and unpredictable threat” to the UK and its nationals. The report highlights Tehran’s extensive use of asymmetric tactics and proxy actors—including criminal networks, terrorist groups, and private cyber actors—to advance its goals while maintaining plausible deniability.

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Also, read Iran News in Brief – July 11, 2025

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