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UPDATE: 8:00 PM CEST
Iranian Death Row Prisoner Smuggles Out Desperate Plea to the World: Do Not Forget About Us
Awaiting execution in one of Iran’s most notorious jails, Mehtab makes a simple – and urgent – plea to the outside world: do not let those on death row be forgotten in the smokescreen of war. In messages smuggled out exclusively for The Independent, the political prisoner reveals the horrific conditions faced by those whose crime is to oppose the Iranian regime. Severe beatings, filthy conditions, scarce food and unbearable heat are all part of daily life, he says.
Mehtab, not his real name, highlights the dozens of Iranians who have been executed by the authorities since January’s uprising and the scores placed on death row during the ongoing war with the US – which, he says, Tehran has exploited to ramp up its repression of political opponents.
“You must not remain silent in the face of so many executions in Iran,” he begs. “Stop dealing with this fascist regime. Break your silence. Increase pressure on this regime to the maximum, and stand behind the Iranian people.”
UPDATE: 4:30 PM CEST
CENTCOM Destroys 3 IRGC Oil Tankers After Iran Targets 2 U.S. Navy Warships
TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces struck three Iranian crude oil carriers, Sept. 5, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched ballistic missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships patrolling regional waters.
A U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks. No American personnel were harmed.
Following Iran’s failed attacks, CENTCOM permanently disabled the IRGC crude oil carriers M/T Downy off the coast of Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask. American forces also completely destroyed the unladen crude oil carrier M/T Kylo (also known as the “Noxen”) in the Gulf of Oman, striking the vessel in multiple critical locations to render it inoperable after the crew was directed to abandon ship.
UPDATE: 3:30 PM CEST
UN Nuclear Agency Members Draft Resolution Reporting Iran to the UN Security Council
The United States, Britain, France and Germany have drafted a resolution for possible consideration by the Board of Governors of the U.N. nuclear watchdog that seeks to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for failure to comply with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations, diplomats say.
Under those obligations, which are part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran is legally bound to declare all nuclear material and activities and allow inspectors of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency to verify that none of it is being diverted from peaceful uses.
The diplomatic move has been under consideration since June 2025 when the IAEA board found Iran officially in noncompliance with its nonproliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years — one day before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran’s nuclear sites.
Iran: Statement By the Spokesperson on the Latest Attacks
The European Union is alarmed by the latest military escalation in the Middle East. We strongly condemn the latest wave of Iranian attacks against Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. We equally deplore the recent attacks carried out against Saudi commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The EU reiterates that these attacks violate international law, and calls for de-escalation and the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2817.
We urge all parties to refrain from taking any action that further threatens regional security and stability and risks undermining efforts towards a peaceful and lasting resolution of the conflict.
We also urge the protection of civilians by all parties, everywhere in full respect of international humanitarian law.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CEST
PMOI Resistance Units Mark 61st Anniversary with Nationwide Acts of Defiance
Ahead of the 61st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), Resistance Units have marked the occasion with activities across Iran, including a march by a Resistance Unit in Karaj and 30 slogan-writing activities in cities across the country.
The activities, reported on September 3, took place in Tehran, Karaj, Mashhad, Qom, Shiraz, Rasht, Ahvaz, Kermanshah, Bandar Abbas, Hamedan, Zanjan, Ilam, Sanandaj, Sabzevar, Saveh, Ivan Sarab, Bukan, Minab, and Islamabad-e Gharb. They come ahead of September 6, the anniversary of the PMOI’s founding in 1965.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE | PMOI Resistance Unit Holds Parade in Karaj
Exclusive footage received by Simay Azadi shows a unit of the PMOI Resistance Units holding a parade in Karaj on September 3, 2026, marking the 61st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of… pic.twitter.com/7Y4RUDIx5y— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) September 4, 2026
The slogans displayed by the Resistance Units connected the anniversary directly to the PMOI’s political history and its rejection of both the former monarchy and the ruling clerical establishment.
Among the messages were: “The PMOI means 61 years of ‘neither Shah nor mullahs,’” “61 years of struggle,” “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Supreme Leader,” and “Neither monarchy nor mullahs’ rule—democracy and equality.”
‘This Beginning Has No End’: Mehdi Vafaei Sani Marks 61 Years of PMOI Resistance from Prison
As the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) approaches the 61st anniversary of its founding on September 6, political prisoner Mehdi Vafaei Sani has sent a message from Ghezel Hesar Prison reflecting on how more than six decades of repression have failed to extinguish the movement or prevent a new generation from continuing its resistance. Looking back at the PMOI’s history, Vafaei Sani argues that the movement has “created evolution within itself” while paying an immeasurable price in its struggle against dictatorship.
But the most significant part of his message concerns what he has witnessed inside Iran’s prisons: prisoners who have never lived within the PMOI’s organizational structure, but who nevertheless reproduce the same culture of resistance.
Vafaei Sani writes that most PMOI supporters and Resistance Units he encounters in prison “have never been within the ranks and collective of the Mojahedin.” Yet, he says, they “stand firm and grow” with an extraordinary resemblance to the PMOI’s organizational culture and with a resistance similar to that of the political prisoners massacred in 1988.
Iranian Political Prisoner Shiva Esmaeili Denied Urgent Spinal Surgery
Iranian political prisoner Shiva Esmaeili, who is serving 10 years in Evin Prison, is being denied medical treatment despite suffering from a serious spinal condition and severe back pain.
Doctors determined more than a year ago that spinal surgery was necessary for Shiva Esmaeili. However, Evin Prison authorities and the regime’s judiciary have so far refused to allow her to undergo surgery or continue receiving the medical care she needs. The severity of her pain has left Esmaeili unable to move normally, and she can perform everyday tasks only with the assistance of fellow prisoners. Her severe pain is caused by spinal canal stenosis and problems with the vertebrae in her lower back.
Prison authorities had previously returned her to the ward when she was being taken to the hospital, citing insufficient funds in her bank account. They also denied her permission to contact her family to obtain financial assistance for her medical treatment.
Born in 1965, Shiva Esmaeli is the mother of three children. She holds a degree in agricultural engineering and is a resident of Tehran.
PMOI Resistance Units Report 150 Actions Across Iran on 61st Anniversary
Resistance Units of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) carried out 150 reported activities across Iran to mark the 61st anniversary of the organization’s founding, according to material released by the Iranian Resistance.
The reported actions included collective activities, banners and emblems displayed in public locations, images of the organization’s founders, mountain-climbing actions, flower tributes, and graffiti in numerous cities. The activities were reported in Tehran, Tabriz, Urmia, Mashhad, Karaj, Isfahan, Shiraz, Qom, Ahvaz, Sari, Kermanshah, Kerman, Hamadan, Arak, Khorramabad, Sanandaj, Zabol, Kashan, Saveh, Iranshahr, Marvdasht, Qaemshahr, Behshahr, Fasa, Malayer, Baneh, Shirvan, Tabas, and other locations.
The actions focused on the PMOI’s six decades of political struggle and its stated opposition to both the former monarchy and the current clerical regime.
A recurring message throughout the reported activities was the commemoration of 61 years of what participants described as uninterrupted resistance.
War and Repression: The Iranian Regime’s Twin Tools for Preventing Another Uprising
The Iranian regime has once again intensified its warnings about “riots” and “disorder,” accompanied by increasingly explicit threats against the Iranian people, particularly young people. The language used by senior officials reveals more than a security policy. It reflects a profound fear that the country’s mounting economic, social, and political crises could once again converge into a nationwide uprising. The issue has become prominent across different factions of the regime. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf described the current confrontation as a “hybrid war,” claiming that its objective was to create “disorder and unrest” inside Iran.
Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei issued an even more direct warning, saying that if anyone attempted to create “riots” or “disorder,” the response from the police, security and intelligence forces, as well as the judiciary, would be “very strong and decisive,” adding that it would be harsher than in previous periods.
These statements point to a shared fear among the regime’s factions: the possibility of another uprising. Yet, despite their common concern, they disagree over how best to prevent it.
Iran’s Regime Rejects Retrial Request by Protester Sentenced to Death
On Wednesday, September 2, human rights media outlets reported the continued detention and interrogation of opponents of Iran’s regime, and announced that the regime’s judiciary, after rejecting Alireza Sepahi’s request for a retrial without holding a hearing, had sent his case to the sentence enforcement branch for implementation of the death penalty.
Shahrzad Shahbazi, the lawyer of Alireza Sepahi, announced that a parallel branch of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court, despite the authorization for a retrial by Branch 39 of Iran’s Supreme Court, rejected her client’s retrial request without holding a hearing and sent his case to the sentence enforcement branch for implementation of the death penalty.
Ms. Shahbazi emphasized that despite the rejection of the previous request, she would submit another retrial request on Saturday, September 4, and would pursue “all legal avenues to halt the implementation of the sentence and have the case reviewed again.”
Alireza Sepahi, one of the defendants in the case known as the “Isfahan Alikhani Square” case, was scheduled to be executed early Tuesday morning, July 28, along with Abolfazl Sepahi Badehjani and Amirhossein Safar-Hosseiniabadi. However, before being transferred to the execution site, he suffered a stroke and was taken to a hospital due to his critical physical condition. Two days later, after receiving medical treatment, he was returned to Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan.
Corruption in Iran’s Ports Reaches the Regime’s Parliament
The corruption case in Iran’s ports has once again become one of the controversial issues in the regime’s parliament. According to Didban Iran website, during the parliament’s virtual session on Tuesday, September 1, the members reviewed a report by the parliament’s Civil Engineering Commission concerning a request to investigate and audit the performance of the Ports and Maritime Organization. The request was approved with 152 votes in favor, 27 against, and eight abstentions, out of 245 members present.
Majlis member Moslem Salehi has reported financial irregularities at some of the country’s ports. He said that at certain points, more than 1 trillion rials had been withdrawn from financial accounts. Salehi also spoke of weak internal controls and regulatory gaps. He called for a thorough review of the financial processes and monetary systems of the Ports and Maritime Organization.
However, the published documents raise more serious questions. An audit report has reported an embezzlement of 1.08 trillion rials at the port known as Imam Khomeini Port. The same report also pointed to weak oversight of the banking payment process.
At least 82 people executed in Iran in August, including four political prisoners
Iran News Wire’s monthly review of repression and human rights violations in Iran recorded at least 82 executions, 152 arrests and the deaths of nine people in shootings by security forces in August 2026. Four of those executed were identified in the review as political prisoners.
The published report on human rights violations in Iran shows that at least 82 people were executed in prisons across the country in August 2026, including six women and four political prisoners. The compiled data also recorded at least 152 arrests and the deaths of nine people in shootings by security forces in cities and on roads across Iran. Two women who had previously been arrested during the January 2026 protests were also rearrested, subjected to flogging and then transferred to prison to serve their sentences.
According to the review, among the 82 people executed in August, six were Baluch, eight were Kurdish and one was an Afghan national. The compiled figures include six women, 72 men and four political prisoners.
Paris Exhibition Exposes Iran Executions, Demands Accountability for Mullah Regime’s Crimes
Paris, France – September 3, 2026 – Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) set up a book table and photo exhibition in Paris to denounce the execution of political prisoners and the ongoing detention of protesters arrested during Iran’s January 2026 uprising.
The event underscored what organizers described as the Iranian people’s demand for a democratic republic and their aspirations for peace, freedom, justice and fundamental rights. It also highlighted the Iranian Resistance’s call for greater international solidarity with the people of Iran.
Organizers called on the French public and the international community to acknowledge the suffering of the Iranian people and their rejection of all forms of dictatorship, whether monarchical or theocratic.
Through photographs, personal testimonies, and other materials, the exhibition highlighted the courage and sacrifices of those who participated in the January 2026 uprising. It also drew attention to what organizers described as the Iranian regime’s ongoing human rights violations, including the execution of political prisoners and the continued detention of protesters.