{"id":346724,"date":"2026-07-21T06:30:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T05:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=346724"},"modified":"2026-07-21T15:09:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:09:02","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-july-21-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-july-21-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 July 21, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Following
Following the UK government\u2019s decision to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, NCRI supporters in Norway,\u00a0held a rally in Oslo to welcome the move \u2014 July 18, 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS<\/h3>\n

UPDATE: 4:00<\/strong> PM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two French Diplomats Subjected to \u2018Extremely Serious Act of Intimidation\u2019 in Iran, FM Barrot Says<\/h3>\n

\"FRANCE24-logo-30112020\"<\/p>\n

In a statement, Foreign Minister\u00a0Jean-No\u00ebl\u00a0Barrot<\/a>\u00a0said that the two diplomats were targeted by the\u00a0Iranian<\/a>\u00a0officials late on Sunday \u201cin flagrant violation of diplomatic immunity\u201d.<\/p>\n

Both were \u201cdetained for several hours without reason, interrogated and one of them was physically abused\u201d before they were able to return to the embassy, he said.<\/p>\n

They were now safe and expected to return to\u00a0France<\/a> within hours, Barrot added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe assault is all the more shocking given these two officials oversee our programmes supporting civil society, particularly Iranian artists and scientists.\u201d<\/p>\n

France’s top diplomat said he had warned his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that the \u201cserious and unacceptable\u201d incident \u201ccannot go without consequences\u201d.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

UPDATE: 7:30<\/strong> AM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Defying The Execution Machine: 1,500 Death Row Inmates Stage Historic Hunger Strike At Iran\u2019s Ghezel Hesar Prison<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On Sunday, July 19, 2026, a massive and courageous act of defiance inside one of Iran\u2019s most notorious dungeons reached a critical milestone. A sweeping hunger strike and sit-in by 1,500 death-row prisoners in Unit 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj entered its seventh day. The strike represents a direct challenge to the clerical regime\u2019s survival strategy of state-sanctioned murder.<\/p>\n

Following the massive nationwide uprisings of December 2025 to January 2026 that brought the regime to its knees, and the subsequent death of Ali Khamenei in a February airstrike, newly installed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has heavily relied on the gallows to maintain their fragile grip on power.<\/p>\n

However, the unprecedented resistance inside Ghezel Hesar proves that even in the shadow of the executioner\u2019s noose, the Iranian people\u2019s spirit remains unbroken.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

32 Former Senior Officials Endorse a Democratic Republic in Iran<\/h3>\n

\"Washington-times-logo\"<\/p>\n

June 17, 2026 \u2014 As Americans who have served the national interests of the United States, we stand united in solidarity with the millions of Iranians who seek an end to the nightmare of repression, economic deprivation, and lies imposed by morally corrupt clerics since the 1979 revolution.<\/p>\n

This regime has one priority, which is to survive in power, no matter the cost in lives and economic sacrifices by the Iranian people. Decades of prolific executions at home with no due process and destabilizing meddling in other countries have left no doubt that Iran under the fascist clerics can never follow a path of benign governance and trusted cooperation with other countries.<\/p>\n

Americans are united in their opposition to Iran\u2019s unrelenting terrorism, executions, hostage takings, cyber-attacks, threats of assassination, and support of armed militias inside and outside their sovereign territory. Iran\u2019s longstanding nuclear enrichment program is an unacceptable threat and must end; as our political leaders irrespective of party have vowed for years, Iran must not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Iran: Families of Prisoners Rally Outside Ghezel Hesar Prison to Protest Death Sentences<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As the\u00a0hunger strike and sit-in<\/a>\u00a0by approximately 1,500 death row prisoners in Unit 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison continue, more than 500 families of prisoners gathered outside the prison, calling for an immediate halt to executions.<\/p>\n

For more than a week, the prisoners have maintained their protest against the implementation of\u00a0death sentences<\/a>, demanding an end to executions.<\/p>\n

Holding placards bearing slogans such as, \u201cPrison and execution are not the future Iran\u2019s youth deserve,\u201d the protesting prisoners expressed their support for the\u00a0\u201cNo to Execution Tuesdays\u201d campaign<\/a>\u00a0and declared that they would continue their protest until their demands are met.<\/p>\n

On the seventh day of the strike, more than\u00a0500 relatives of the prisoners\u00a0<\/a>assembled outside Ghezel Hesar Prison, calling for the cancellation of death sentences. According to reports, security personnel stationed at the prison attempted to prevent the gathering from taking place in an effort to stop the families\u2019 protest. Despite these efforts, the demonstrators remained at the site and continued chanting protest slogans.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Iran: Protesters Sentenced to Jail and Flogging; Prison Term Upheld on Appeal<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Fariba Hosseini, a 37-year-old dentist based in Shiraz, has been sentenced by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz to nine years and nine months in prison, along with supplementary punishments.<\/p>\n

In a separate case, Maryam Deris, a master\u2019s student in English language at the University of Saveh who resides in\u00a0Kazerun<\/a>, has had her prison sentence and supplementary penalties upheld by the Fars Province Court of Appeals.<\/p>\n

According to a ruling issued on July 7 and recently served on Fariba Hosseini, she was sentenced to six years in prison on the charge of \u201cassembly and collusion to commit a crime against national security through cooperation with calls issued by groups opposed to the state,\u201d 30 months in prison for \u201cinsulting the Supreme Leader,\u201d and 15 months in prison for \u201cpropaganda against the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

The court also imposed supplementary punishments, including a two-year ban on leaving the country, the revocation of her passport, and a prohibition on online activities.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Enforced Disappearances in Iran: A Systematic Tool of Repression from the 1988 Massacre to the 2026 Protests<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The practice of enforced disappearance has been a defining feature of the Iranian regime\u2019s repression since the years following the 1979 revolution. Rather than isolated incidents, these disappearances reveal a consistent strategy aimed at silencing political dissent, intimidating society, and shielding perpetrators from accountability.\u00a0According to reports released for the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the history of this crime in Iran stretches from the 1988 massacre of political prisoners to the nationwide protests that erupted in late 2025 and continued into 2026. Throughout this period, victims have been secretly detained, executed, or disappeared while authorities systematically concealed their fate and whereabouts.<\/p>\n

The most notorious example remains the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners during the summer of 1988. Victims were executed extrajudicially, buried in secret mass graves, and their families were never informed of the burial locations.<\/p>\n

For decades, authorities have continued to deny information regarding the victims\u2019 fate while destroying suspected mass grave sites and intimidating survivors and relatives seeking the truth. This has transformed the original crime into an ongoing enforced disappearance under international law.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Italian MP Naike Gruppioni: Democracies Must Stand with the Iranian People<\/h3>\n

\"Italian<\/p>\n

Opening the international conference \u201cIran: Beyond War\u2014Human Rights and the Power of the People as the Solution\u201d at the Italian Parliament on July 16, Italian MP Naike Gruppioni called on democratic governments to place the Iranian people\u2019s struggle for freedom and human rights at the center of international attention.<\/p>\n

Addressing parliamentarians, diplomats, civil society representatives, and members of the Iranian community, Gruppioni argued that defending freedom is not merely a political choice but a moral and institutional responsibility shared by all democracies.<\/p>\n

Gruppioni opened her remarks by thanking Deputy Speaker Fabio Rampelli for hosting the conference in the Italian Parliament and conveyed greetings on behalf of Galeazzo Bignami, leader of the Brothers of Italy parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies, who was unable to attend.<\/p>\n

She said the conference was intended to draw the international community\u2019s attention to the importance of protecting human rights, freedom, and human dignity in Iran.<\/p>\n

According to Gruppioni, discussions about the future of a nation carry obligations that extend beyond politics.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Italian Senator Marco Scurria: Iran\u2019s Future Must Be Built on Freedom, Not Deals with the Regime<\/h3>\n

\"Senator<\/p>\n

At the international conference \u201cIran: Beyond War\u2014Human Rights and the Power of the People as the Solution,\u201d held in the Italian Parliament on July 16, Italian Senator Marco Scurria delivered a forceful appeal for greater international support for the Iranian people while warning against placing confidence in negotiations with the Iranian regime.<\/p>\n

Addressing an audience that included Maryam Rajavi, lawmakers, international dignitaries, and members of the Iranian diaspora, Scurria argued that the discussion surrounding Iran should move beyond geopolitics and instead focus on the aspirations of the Iranian people for freedom and democracy.<\/p>\n

Opening his remarks, Scurria thanked Deputy Speaker Fabio Rampelli for hosting the conference and praised Italian MP Naike Gruppioni for her continued efforts to keep the issue of Iran on the agenda of the Italian Parliament.<\/p>\n

He noted that much of the world\u2019s attention has recently focused on regional tensions, the Strait of Hormuz, and the economic consequences of instability in the Middle East. However, he argued that one essential issue receives far too little attention.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Rudy Giuliani: The Iranian People Already Have a Democratic Alternative<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Addressing the international conference \u201cIran: Beyond War\u2014Human Rights and the Power of the People as the Solution\u201d at the Italian Parliament, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani argued that the central question facing policymakers is no longer whether change will come to Iran, but what should replace the current regime.<\/p>\n

Speaking before Maryam Rajavi, Italian lawmakers, and international political figures, Giuliani maintained that the international community already has an answer: supporting the Iranian people and their organized democratic opposition rather than repeating policies of accommodation toward the ruling establishment.<\/p>\n

Giuliani said that political transitions often generate uncertainty, with fears that one dictatorship may simply be replaced by another. Iran, however, presents a different situation because, in his view, a democratic alternative has spent decades preparing not only to challenge the regime but also to govern after it.<\/p>\n

He argued that the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the PMOI\/MEK have devoted nearly five decades to developing both a strategy for democratic change and a framework for political transition.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

End Inaction: Iran Executes 2 Protesters Erfan Esfandiari & Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On July 13, 2026, Iran Human Rights Monitor issued a critical warning and an urgent call for international action, revealing the imminent risk of execution facing 12 protesters detained during the January 2026 (Dey 1404) uprisings in the case known as the \u201cAlikhani Square of Isfahan.\u201d These defendants were sentenced to death and in some cases, multiple death sentences, in three separate one-hour sessions, completely deprived of the right to choose independent counsel. The names and sentences of the 12 individuals are as follows:<\/p>\n