{"id":347030,"date":"2026-07-31T06:49:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T05:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=347030"},"modified":"2026-07-31T18:57:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T17:57:39","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-july-31-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-july-31-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 July 31, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"July
July 29, 2026\u00a0\u2013 NCRI supporters held a rally in Munich, Germany, to protest the Iranian regime\u2019s ongoing executions of political prisoners<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

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

Britain Asks Cyprus to Extradite Man Suspected of Spying for Iran<\/h3>\n

LONDON\/NICOSIA, July 31 (Reuters) – Britain \u200chas asked Cyprus to extradite a dual British-Azerbaijani national suspected of spying on a British air base on the Mediterranean island and passing his findings to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, London police said on \u200bFriday.<\/p>\n

Rashad Sultanov, 44, from Islington in north London, is being held in custody \u200bby Cypriot authorities as extradition proceedings progress, the Metropolitan Police said \u2060in a statement.<\/p>\n

The case marks Britain’s first overseas National Security Act investigation, led by \u200bcounter-terrorism police into incidents at Britain’s RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus between May 11 \u200band June 22 last year, the statement said.<\/p>\n

Police in Cyprus, where Britain has two military bases, said the suspect was\u00a0first arrested in 2025<\/a>\u00a0and had been in custody since then. An Israeli minister \u200bat the time said Cypriot authorities had thwarted an attack on Israeli citizens.<\/p>\n

He was \u200bformally rearrested on July 17 following Britain’s extradition request, a Cypriot police spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

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

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Illicit Iranian Gambling Network Helped Pull Off A $4 Billion Sanctions Dodge<\/h3>\n

LONDON – One of the world\u2019s largest illegal gambling networks sends millions of dollars worth of crypto through an office in Dubai, part of a $4 billion Iranian sanctions evasion operation.<\/p>\n

The office, above a budget hotel in an unfashionable neighbourhood, is the listed address of Shelbit, an unlicensed crypto exchange run by an expatriate Iranian, according to data shared by two crypto investigative firms and an independent analyst, and reviewed by Reuters.<\/p>\n

Among Shelbit\u2019s main customers is a Farsi-language gambling network of more than 2,000 websites, fronted by two flashy Iranian influencers with high-level government connections \u2013 one operating from an expensive villa in Madrid and the other, until recently, from a luxury hotel in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

The two men and the Iranian running Shelbit were convicted as partners in crime in an illegal gambling case in Iran in 2023.<\/p>\n

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

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U.S. Sees Iran as Likely Behind Cyberattack on Minnesota Water Systems<\/h3>\n

\"The-New-York-Times-30112020\"<\/p>\n

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Investigators believe a cyberattack this week on dozens of municipal water systems in Minnesota was probably the work of Iranian hackers, according to U.S. and state officials and others familiar with the matter, a potential act of aggression that comes at a precarious moment in the U.S. war against Iran.<\/p>\n

Officials cautioned that they had not definitively determined who was responsible for the attack and that the preliminary assessment could change as the authorities collected more technical data.<\/p>\n

They also warned that the hackers could be attempting to pose as Iran-based in an effort to ratchet up tensions between the two countries, though former intelligence officials said such a scenario was unlikely.<\/p>\n

Local officials reported that the well and treatment plant in at least one city was temporarily offline on Monday, while other cities in the state had to use manual workarounds to cope with attempted attacks on automated operations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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

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UPDATE: 12:30 P<\/strong>M CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Treasury Cracks Down on Global Networks Enabling Iran\u2019s Mahan Air and IRGC<\/h3>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

WASHINGTON\u2014<\/strong>Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury\u2019s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating six entities and individuals in China, India, Russia, and Iran, including multiple companies serving as general sales agents for the U.S.- and European\u00a0Union\u2011sanctioned Iranian airline Mahan Air.\u00a0 Although Mahan Air presents itself as a civilian carrier, it has long played a central role in enabling the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), providing travel services for IRGC\u2011Qods Force personnel, facilitating military training, and supporting Iran\u2019s procurement and transport of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems and weapons.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who provide financial services, logistics, or commercial support to the IRGC or Mahan Air are helping sustain a terrorist enterprise,\u201d said\u00a0Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cTreasury will continue to identify them, expose them, and cut them off from the U.S. financial system.\u201d<\/p>\n

By sanctioning entities that help sustain Mahan Air\u2019s global operations, today\u2019s action further disrupts the network underpinning Iran\u2019s destabilizing activities across the region.<\/p>\n

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

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Qatar Condemns Iranian Attacks on Jordan, Urges De-Escalation<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Qatar has strongly condemned the Iranian attacks targeting Jordan, describing them as a \u201cflagrant violation\u201d of Jordan\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a \u201cbrazen breach\u201d of international law and the United Nations Charter.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed on Wednesday that the continuation of such attacks represents a dangerous escalation that could hinder ongoing de-escalation efforts and undermine diplomatic initiatives aimed at restoring security and stability in the region.<\/p>\n

The ministry called for \u201cthe immediate and complete cessation of all military actions and assaults\u201d that threaten regional security, urging all parties to avoid steps that could widen the cycle of escalation and to return to dialogue and negotiations while respecting understandings reached through diplomatic efforts.<\/p>\n

Qatar also reiterated its \u201cfull solidarity with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan\u201d and affirmed its support for all measures taken by Amman to protect its sovereignty and security.<\/p>\n

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

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UPDATE: 7:00 A<\/strong>M CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Victory Behind Bars: 1,500 Death-Row Prisoners Force Iran\u2019s Regime to Retreat<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, July 28, 2026, a historic victory for human rights and defiance was recorded within the dark walls of Iran\u2019s dungeons. In an inevitable retreat, the Iranian regime\u2019s ruthless judiciary and prison guards were forced to bow to the demands of 1,500 death-row prisoners in Unit 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj. Breaking the regime\u2019s will through an unyielding 16-day hunger strike, the inmates proved that unity and steadfastness can overcome the clerical regime\u2019s machinery of suppression.<\/p>\n

As the strike gained momentum, a panicked high-level delegation of the regime\u2019s judiciary and prison security agents rushed to the site to prevent the protest from spreading. The delegation included Jamshidi (Director General of the Tehran Province Prisons Organization), Azizi (Warden of Ghezel Hesar), Tarhani (Head of the Pardon and Clemency Commission), and several intelligence protection heads.<\/p>\n

In a meeting with four prisoner representatives from each of the four halls of Unit 2, the delegation initially attempted to end the hunger strike by sowing division among the inmates. However, the prisoners\u2019 vigilance thwarted this deceitful plot.<\/p>\n

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

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Public Executions Will Not Save Iran\u2019s Regime from Its Deepening Crisis<\/h3>\n

\"Iran<\/p>\n

When governments resort to public executions, they intend to send a message of strength. More often, however, they reveal something entirely different: fear.<\/p>\n

The Iranian regime\u2019s public execution of two young protesters,\u00a0Amirhossein Safari<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0Abolfazl Sepahi<\/span><\/span>, in Isfahan on July 28 marks another grim chapter in Tehran\u2019s escalating campaign of political repression. Rather than demonstrating confidence, the executions expose a leadership increasingly convinced that only terror can preserve its grip on power.\u00a0Far from restoring authority, these spectacles of violence reveal a regime confronting a society it no longer knows how to govern except through intimidation.<\/p>\n

The judiciary justified the executions by accusing the two young men of involvement in the deaths of four security personnel during the nationwide uprising of January 2026. Authorities also highlighted allegations that they possessed firearms, Molotov cocktails, and other weapons and participated in attacks on police facilities.<\/p>\n

Whether viewed through the regime\u2019s legal narrative or by its critics as politically motivated prosecutions, one fact is unmistakable: the authorities are intent on portraying organized resistance as an existential security threat.<\/p>\n

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

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The 1988 Massacre Was No Sudden Crime: How Iran\u2019s Regime Planned the Elimination of Political Prisoners<\/h3>\n

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For nearly four decades, the 1988 massacre of political prisoners has remained one of the darkest chapters in Iran\u2019s modern history. While much attention has focused on the executions carried out during the summer of 1988, growing evidence indicates that the killings were not an improvised response to wartime events but the culmination of a carefully orchestrated plan developed months in advance.\u00a0The gradual release of survivor testimonies, documentary evidence, and accounts from victims\u2019 families has strengthened the case that the regime\u2019s campaign was systematically prepared, involving coordinated prisoner transfers, renewed interrogations, and administrative measures designed to facilitate one of the largest mass executions of political prisoners in contemporary history.<\/p>\n

Contrary to official narratives portraying the massacre as a wartime necessity, numerous accounts indicate that preparations began as early as the autumn and winter of 1987.<\/p>\n

Across Iran\u2019s prisons, inmates were quietly transferred between wards, separated into different groups, and subjected to renewed reviews of their case files. Prison authorities offered no clear explanations for these changes, responding to prisoners\u2019 questions with silence or intimidation. At the time, few detainees imagined these administrative changes were laying the groundwork for a mass execution campaign.<\/p>\n

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

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From \u201cSurrender\u201d to \u201cHonorable Agreement\u201d: The IRGC\u2019s Latest Narrative Cannot Hide the Regime\u2019s Weakness<\/h3>\n

\"Islamic<\/p>\n

One question still lingers among many members of the Basij and the regime\u2019s loyalists: What happened to the cries of \u201cRevenge! Revenge!\u201d that echoed so loudly only weeks ago? Why has what was once denounced as a humiliating capitulation suddenly become an \u201chonorable agreement\u201d worthy of praise?<\/p>\n

The latest remarks by\u00a0Yadollah Javani<\/span><\/span>, deputy political chief of the IRGC, are less an explanation of Tehran\u2019s agreement with Washington than an attempt to rewrite the story of the regime\u2019s retreat. Javani now insists that the memorandum of understanding with the United States was negotiated \u201cfrom a position of dignity and strength\u201d and enjoyed the approval of\u00a0Mojtaba Khamenei<\/span><\/span> from the outset.\u00a0The problem is that the regime\u2019s own propaganda from only weeks earlier tells a very different story.<\/p>\n

When details of the agreement first emerged, media outlets affiliated with the IRGC and hardline factions attacked it as an act of surrender. Commentators described it as a betrayal of those killed in recent conflicts, while protesters burned copies of the document during organized demonstrations. Government negotiators were accused of capitulating to Washington, and hardliners demanded resistance rather than compromise.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran\u2019s Consumer Spending Slumps as 103 Million Fewer Purchases Reveal Deepening Cost-of-Living Crisis<\/h3>\n

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New economic data has revealed a dramatic decline in consumer spending across Iran, providing fresh evidence of the severe financial pressure confronting households. According to official statistics, the number of retail purchase transactions fell by 103 million in the Iranian month of Khordad 1405 (May\u2013June 2026) compared with the previous month, while the total value of consumer purchases dropped by approximately 44 trillion tomans.<\/p>\n

The figures paint a stark picture of shrinking purchasing power as inflation, declining real incomes, and persistent economic instability continue to force families to cut back on both discretionary and essential spending.<\/p>\n

Even regime-affiliated media have begun acknowledging the seriousness of the downturn. In an article published on July 26 (4 Mordad 1405) titled \u201c103 Million Missing Purchases,\u201d the state-run newspaper\u00a0Siasat-e Rooz<\/em>\u00a0argued that the decline represents far more than a routine statistical fluctuation.<\/p>\n

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

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Retirees Keep the Flame of Civil Protest Alive in Iran<\/h3>\n

\"Protests<\/p>\n

Retirees in Iran are now forced to take to the streets in the scorching heat of summer and the freezing cold of winter. They stand in front of Social Security offices and government buildings, risking insults, beatings, arrest, and fabricated legal cases\u2014not for special privileges, but for their most basic rights: a dignified livelihood, accessible healthcare, and the respect earned through a lifetime of work.\u00a0For weeks, Sundays have become the day of retirees\u2019 protests in cities across Iran.\u00a0The significance of these protests extends beyond their economic demands or the number of participants each week. The \u201cProtest Sundays\u201d have become a recurring public gathering, gradually taking on a meaning that goes beyond a labor-related protest.<\/p>\n

What gives these protests political and social weight is their persistence. Through their repeated presence, retirees prevent government promises, waves of repression, or new crises from pushing their demands aside.<\/p>\n

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

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United States Launches Major Attack on Iranian Regime Targets<\/h3>\n

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U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says the latest strikes were a response to missile attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against American forces in the region.<\/p>\n

The Wall Street Journal reported that a proposal for a 10-to-14-day air campaign to weaken the Iranian regime\u2019s missile capabilities is under consideration.<\/p>\n

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced early Thursday, July 30, the completion of a new round of military operations against targets in Iran. According to CENTCOM, the operation, which began at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, was carried out in response to missile attacks by the\u00a0Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps<\/a>\u00a0(IRGC) against U.S. forces and bases in the Middle East, particularly in Jordan.<\/p>\n

CENTCOM described the operation as \u201ca powerful response\u201d to attacks by the Iranian regime. At the same time, a U.S. official told\u00a0The Wall Street Journal<\/em>\u00a0that the latest strikes were broader in scope than previous operations, targeting multiple locations across Iran. Axios also quoted a U.S. official as saying that the United States had launched a new wave of airstrikes against targets in Iran.<\/p>\n

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

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Execution Crisis in Isfahan: An Urgent Call for International Action<\/h3>\n

\"Executions<\/p>\n

The new wave of executions, particularly public executions in Isfahan Province, demonstrates a clear and structural violation of human rights and international standards. According to legal documentation, at dawn on July 28, 2026, two detainees from the January 2026 nationwide protests\u2014Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani (24 years old) and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi (27 years old, with a disability)\u2014were hanged in public at Alikhani Square in Isfahan. These two individuals are part of the 12 protesters who were sentenced to death in the case known as the \u201cIsfahan Alikhani Square Case\u201d by Judge Mohammad-Reza Tavakoli, Head of Branch 1 of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court.<\/p>\n

The judiciary listed their charges as \u201cenmity against God\u201d, \u201ccorruption on Earth\u201d, \u201cinvolvement in the death of four law enforcement officers,\u201d \u201cpossession of firearms and Molotov cocktails,\u201d \u201carson at a police station,\u201d and \u201cblocking streets.\u201d This comes after two other defendants in the same case, Erfan Esfandiari and Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi, were previously executed on July 19, 2026.<\/p>\n

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

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Justice in Words, Torture in Action: Judicial Hypocrisy in the Islamic Republic of Iran<\/h3>\n

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In recent years, the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly emphasized \u201cadherence to citizenship rights,\u201d \u201cguaranteeing the rights of defendants,\u201d \u201cprohibition of torture,\u201d and \u201cfair trial standards\u201d in official state media and affiliated publications\u2014including IRNA, Iran Newspaper, Mizan News Agency, the\u00a0Human Rights and Citizenship Journal<\/em> of Imam Sadiq University, and the Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought.<\/p>\n

However, extensive and documented evidence demonstrates the systematic violation of these very rights in practice. The escalation of executions, particularly political executions such as the public hanging of two protesters arrested during the January 2026 (1404) protests\u2014whose sentences were issued based on forced confessions under torture and without the right to due process\u2014serves as the most recent example of \u201cJustice in Words, Torture in Action: Judicial Hypocrisy in the Islamic Republic of Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n

Citing the Constitution of Iran, domestic legislation, international human rights instruments, and credible international reports, this report examines the fundamental contradiction between the official rhetoric and the actual conduct of the Iranian judicial system.<\/p>\n

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

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Calls for Unity in Iran Amid Disputes Across State Institutions<\/h3>\n

\"Lawmakers<\/p>\n

TEHRAN\u00a0\u2014 The burning of portraits of former President Hassan Rouhani and former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during a nighttime gathering,\u00a0the state newspaper\u2019s criticism<\/a>\u00a0of how state television covered remarks by senior government officials, the sidelining of hundreds of lawmakers from a newly established parliamentary body, and\u00a0Kayhan<\/em>\u00a0newspaper\u2019s attack<\/a>\u00a0on the government\u2019s new body for managing cyberspace together reveal four manifestations of a single conflict:\u00a0post-war political divisions<\/a>\u00a0have moved beyond ordinary factional competition and now extend to the legitimacy of decision-making, the limits of institutional authority, and control over the state\u2019s official narrative.<\/p>\n

Images circulated from one of the nighttime gatherings showed portraits of Rouhani and Zarif set on fire.\u00a0Sazandegi<\/em>\u00a0placed the incident alongside statements by senior officials and religious authorities calling for calm, highlighting a contrast between the return of the rhetoric of political exclusion and efforts by parts of the ruling establishment to preserve the unity that had been emphasized during the war.<\/p>\n

On the same day, President Masoud Pezeshkian instructed government institutions to activate their information network down to the lowest administrative levels.\u00a0He wrote<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cUnity and cohesion are the central pillar of the government\u2019s communications. The government\u2019s network, which extends to villages across the country, must be activated.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

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PMOI Supporters in Munich Condemn Iran\u2019s Executions, Vow to Continue Resistance Against the Regime<\/h3>\n

Munich, Germany \u2013 July 29, 2026\u00a0\u2013 Supporters of the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span>) held a rally in Munich to protest the Iranian regime\u2019s ongoing executions of political prisoners and protesters, including PMOI member\u00a0Mehdi Khanaki<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The demonstrators also condemned the\u00a0public execution of two protesters in Isfahan, who had been arrested during the January uprising. They called on the international community to adopt a firm policy toward the Iranian regime and take urgent action to stop its escalating campaign of executions and repression.<\/p>\n

<\/div>
PMOI Supporters in Munich Condemn Iran\u2019s Executions, Vow to Continue Resistance Against the Regime<\/div><\/div>