THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 11:00 PM CEST
The Third Option for Iran: A Feminist and Human Rights Imperative for the UK
As an academic and a British woman of Iranian origin living in the UK, I have long observed the West’s approach to Iran with a mixture of hope and frustration. But today, when the barbaric regime in Iran wages repression at home and war abroad, Iranian women lead a historic movement for freedom.
The time has come for a moral reckoning. The UK must abandon the failed policy of appeasement and support what Iranian women have long demanded: a democratic republic, free from both the remnants of the Shah’s dictatorship and any fractions of the ruling theocracy.
In January 2025, the UK parliament held a session dedicated to the role of Iranian women in the struggle for democracy. Lawmakers from across parties praised the courage of women who have risked everything from the streets of Tehran to the prisons of Evin, to demand freedom, equality, and justice.
Iran Must Not Trade a Turban for a Crown – Why ‘Baby Shah’ Is Not the Answer
Some of my contacts who helped me research this article would face execution were they based in Iran, thanks to a new “espionage” bill passed unanimously a few days ago by Iran’s supine, theocratic, sick joke of a parliament in the wake of the Israeli micro-war . As part of this new law, “espionage” and collaboration with Israel, the US, or other hostile states such the UK are now classified as ridiculously mediaeval-sounding “corruption on Earth” – a charge that automatically carries the death penalty.
The bill also criminalises sharing images or videos with foreign media and producing content that authorities claim threatens national security or public morale, with penalties ranging from lengthy prison sentences to execution. The current so-called ceasefire, which many hoped might be a trigger for regime change from the streets, has in fact sparked a spree of state-sponsored killings and torture on a scale rarely seen, even in Iran.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CEST
Switzerland Warns of Iran Threat as Diplomats’ Deaths Re-Examined
Switzerland’s intelligence service has warned that Iranian espionage poses a growing threat to Swiss diplomats in Tehran. The warning comes after an investigation re-examined the mysterious deaths of embassy staff and a tourist in the Islamic Republic. The Federal Intelligence Service listed Iran alongside Russia, China and North Korea as states that had intensified intelligence activity against Switzerland.
It said Switzerland’s role representing US interests in Tehran “increases the visibility of Swiss personnel to hostile service”.
The warning followed an investigation by the Swiss broadcasters SRF and RTS that examined four deaths in Iran – a diplomat’s fall from a balcony, a military attaché’s sudden illness, a local employee of the Swiss embassy who was stabbed and shot in the hand while walking to work, and a Swiss tourist’s alleged suicide in prison.
Tehran’s Nuclear Escalation, A Desperate Gambit by a Cornered Regime
The Iranian regime has once again resorted to nuclear brinkmanship, formally suspending all cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This move, ratified on June 25, 2025, is being portrayed by Tehran as a show of strength. However, a closer look reveals it to be a transparent and panicked bluff, a desperate act orchestrated by the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, to mask profound internal weakness and an existential fear of impending international sanctions.
The regime’s latest escalation is a direct response to the growing threat of the snapback sanctions, which would automatically reimpose all prior UN sanctions suspended by the 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers. This is a possibility the clerical regime, already crippled by internal crises, cannot afford. The regime’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, betrayed this fear when he warned that European activation of the snapback would be “Europe’s biggest historic mistake,” making the nuclear issue “far more complicated and difficult.”
Qarchak Prison for Women: A Forgotten Hell, Shrouded in Repression and Corruption
Qarchak Prison in Varamin, known as the largest women’s prison in Iran, has become a symbol of systemic human rights violations, the collapse of justice, and the humiliation of human dignity.
Far from being a facility for legal detention, it has turned into a site of retaliation against vulnerable women in society. Women incarcerated in Qarchak Prison endure ongoing physical and psychological violence. Beatings, sexual harassment, threats, and verbal abuse by security forces are routine and represent severe breaches of human rights and dignity. Added to this are restrictions on family contact, canceled visits, and the psychological toll of prolonged isolation—conditions that have driven many women into severe mental distress.
MEK Supporters in Málaga Demand Action Against Iran’s Human Rights Violations
Málaga, Spain – June 28, 2025 – Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a public awareness stall and photo exhibition in Málaga to highlight the Iranian regime’s growing human rights violations, especially the surge in death sentences for political prisoners.
The demonstrators called for the immediate revocation of these sentences and the unconditional release of all political detainees in Iran. They strongly condemned the regime’s continued repression and voiced their support for the Iranian people’s movement toward a democratic future.
Iranians in California Rally Against Executions and Support Democratic Change in Iran
California – July 1, 2025: Members of the Iranian-American community gathered in Southern California to stand in in solidarity with the No to Executions Tuesdays campaign, marking its 75th consecutive week.
Iranians in #California Rally Against Executions and Support Democratic Change in #Iran.#StopExecutionsInIran #FreePoliticalPrisoners #FreeIran2025https://t.co/qdEIKldc80
— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) July 3, 2025
The demonstrators protested the Iranian regime’s escalating human rights violations, especially the increasing use of the death penalty against political prisoners. They strongly condemned the government’s ongoing repression and demanded the immediate release of all political detainees. The participants also honored the memory of those martyred during the Iranian Revolution and recent popular uprisings.
Sydney Rally Urges Support for Maryam Rajavi’s Third Option and Democratic Change in Iran
Sydney, Australia – July 1, 2025: Members of the Iranian-Australian community, who support the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), gathered in Sydney to protest against the Iranian regime and voice their support for a democratic alternative. They backed the “Third Option” proposed by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which advocates for democratic change led by the Iranian people and their organized resistance—rejecting both war and appeasement.
#Sydney Rally Urges Support for @Maryam_Rajavi’s Third Option and Democratic Change in #Iran #IranThirdOption #NCRIAlternative #StopExecutionsInIran #FreeIran2025 https://t.co/C47EnDd9DH
— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) July 3, 2025
Demonstrators echoed Rajavi’s message: the only viable solution for Iran is not military intervention or conciliatory diplomacy, but regime change driven by the people of Iran and the Resistance movement.
Iranian Parliament Passes Repressive Law Targeting Dissent, Protest, and Strikes
In a major escalation of domestic repression, Iran’s parliament has passed a sweeping new law that imposes severe punishments—including the death penalty—for any form of collaboration or alleged espionage involving Israel, the United States, or other so-called “hostile states.” Approved in early July 2025, the legislation classifies such actions as “corruption on Earth” (efsad fel-arz), a charge punishable by execution under the Islamic Penal Code.
The law criminalizes a wide range of activities, including military or cyber cooperation, supplying drones, sabotage, receiving funds from foreign sources, and even publishing or sharing content deemed damaging to “national security.” Media cooperation, independent reporting, and participation in unauthorized protests can lead to long-term imprisonment ranging from 2 to 15 years. Use or promotion of foreign internet technologies—such as Starlink—is now punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Rezgâr Beigzadeh Babamiri, A Political Prisoner in Urmia, Sentenced to Death
The daughter of Rezgâr Beigzadeh Babamiri, a Kurdish political prisoner held in Urmia Prison, announced that he has been sentenced to death. Beigzadeh Babamiri was arrested for participating in the nationwide uprising of 2022 in the city of Bukan and for providing medicine and medical aid to those injured during the violent crackdown on protests. Zhino Beigzadeh Babamiri wrote in a post on her X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, July 3: “Dad was sentenced to death.” She did not specify the charges against her father or the court that issued the sentence, but earlier reports had indicated that Rezgâr Beigzadeh Babamiri had been charged with “baghi” (armed rebellion against the state) in the Revolutionary Court.
New U.S. Sanctions on Iranian Oil Network and Hezbollah Financial Entity
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on a network of companies and individuals accused of smuggling billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil by forging documents and falsely labeling it as Iraqi oil. Additionally, a financial institution affiliated with Lebanon’s Hezbollah has also been targeted by these sanctions. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Treasury Department stated that this smuggling network is led by Iraqi-British businessman Salim Ahmed Said. By blending Iranian oil with Iraqi oil, the network sold it to foreign buyers, primarily through the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, circumventing sanctions. Said allegedly bribed Iraqi officials to produce forged documents and also controls the companies VS Tankers and Oil Terminal, which played roles in smuggling oil and transferring foreign currency to Iran.
What Has the Iranian Regime Left Behind?
For those who have always cared deeply about the fate of Iran, a pressing question hangs heavily in the air: What has this regime left for the people of Iran? The answer is both devastating and undeniable.
What it has left behind is a deep-rooted hostility toward social progress, and the constant shadow of war, isolation, and destruction cast by its confrontation with the international community. What have these two destructive pillars—repression at home and provocation abroad—yielded for the Iranian people?
They have produced a crippled, backward economy that lags behind even many of its regional neighbors; political tyranny and suffocating control over all aspects of public and private life; a culture of militarism abroad and death at home; corruption embedded in the regime’s very structure and replicated throughout society; and a long, relentless campaign of betrayal against Iran’s national interests.
Higgins Defends Links to Iranian Opposition Group
Former Mayo Senator, TD and MEP Jim Higgins has defended an Iranian opposition group of which he has been a long-time supporter after RTÉ News reported that the Department of Foreign Affairs had concerns about the organisation.
Mr. Higgins has for several decades been a vocal supporter of Maryam Rajavi, the French-based president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a coalition of groups seeking to replace the clerical regime that has run Iran since 1979.
The Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement recently to RTÉ News saying it had no engagement with the NCRI or its affiliated group Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) on the basis of “concerns about some aspects of its organisation and activities”. It did not detail the concerns. The RTÉ report came after a group of Irish parliamentarians attended an NCRI congress in Paris in May.
Iran: Heading Towards the Third Solution — Not War, Not Appeasement – OpEd
On June 24, Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), spoke to the European Parliament in which she listed a call for a ceasefire and an end to the war as the solution to a great step towards the “Third Solution” — a solution that is neither war, nor appeasement.
Reuters, citing Rajavi, wrote: “The Iranian people, in their century-long battle, have repeatedly rejected the Shah’s and clerical dictatorship, at a heavy and bloody cost in successive uprisings.” Rajavi went on, “Let the Iranian people themselves bring down Khamenei and the dictatorship in their last struggle for freedom.”