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President Trump warned in a social media post that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.” Natalie Brand and Elizabeth Palmer have more.
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Tag: Iran
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Trump says if Iran
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President Trump warned Friday in a social media post that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.”
Mr. Trump offer no further comment on Iran or how the U.S. might intervene to protect protesters in the country in the post on his Truth Social network, which was published just before 3 a.m. Eastern, but he said: “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
It came hours after reports that at least six people have been killed amid nearly a week of escalating protests in Iran. The unrest began last weekend as business owners voiced frustration at the dire economic conditions in the Islamic Republic.
Iran has been plagued for years by staggering hyperinflation, fueled by Western sanctions imposed over the hardline clerical government’s nuclear program and backing for militant groups across the region.
Videos and photos from Tehran and other cities posted on social media have shown protesters marching through streets from early this week, often chanting anti-government, pro-monarchy slogans and sometimes clashing violently with security forces.
In an apparent bid to quell the unrest, Iranian authorities have acknowledged the economic concerns and said peaceful protests are legitimate, but suggested that foreign powers — usually a reference to Israel and the U.S. — are behind subversive elements fueling violence on the streets.
Both the U.S. and Israeli governments had issued statements in support of the protests prior to Mr. Trump’s warning of a possible, undefined U.S. intervention on Friday morning.
“The people of Iran want freedom. They have suffered at the hands of the Ayatollahs for too long,” Mike Waltz, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, said in a post on X earlier this week. “We stand with Iranians in the streets of Tehran and across the country as they protest a radical regime that has brought them nothing but economic downturn and war.”
Tension between the U.S. and Iran escalated this week on the heels of a visit to the U.S. by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has campaigned his country’s close allies in Washington for decades to take a tougher stance on Iran.
After meeting with Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Sunday, Mr. Trump said he had heard that Iran could be attempting to rebuild its nuclear program following the unprecedented U.S. strikes on its enrichment facilities in June. Mr. Trump warned that if Iran did try to rebuild, “we’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”
On Tuesday, Iranian President Mahsoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would respond “to any cruel aggression” with unspecified “harsh and discouraging” measures.
Iran is no stranger to nationwide protests, and the latest demonstrations have not come close to the last major outbreak in 2022, which was triggered by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman.
Her death in custody after being arrested for allegedly violating the nation’s strict dress code for women sparked a wave of anger across the nation. Several hundred people were killed, including dozens of members of the security forces, who waged a dramatic crackdown in response, arresting hundreds of people.
There were also widespread protests in 2019, sparked by a sharp increase in the price of petrol.
The standoff between Iran and the U.S. over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program reached a crescendo in June, when Mr. Trump ordered the deadly military strikes against Iran’s enrichment facilities, as Israel also carried out strikes on the country.
While Mr. Trump indicated earlier this week that the U.S. could take new action if Iran were to rebuild its nuclear program, Friday’s brief post on social media was the first suggestion of a possible American intervention on behalf of Iranian protesters.
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Israel’s Farsi social media encourages Iranian protesters
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Israel used its Farsi channel to amplify messages of resistance as protests spread in Iran.
IsraelPersian, the official Farsi social media page of the Foreign Ministry, has been sharing posts encouraging the anti-regime protesters across Iran on Thursday.
The pinned message at the top of the account’s X/Twitter feed asks, “What do the Iranian people want?”
A post from Thursday afternoon appears to show authorities spraying protesters with water cannons.
The caption on the post reads “The people of Iran are not afraid of a delusional and disillusioned government. On the contrary, it is the government that trembles at the power of the people.”
The following post discusses the protesters’ motives.
“The Iranian people are out in the streets today, loudly. There are hundreds of reasons, including that they don’t want this government, a government that poured its money down the throats of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis terrorists and destroyed their economy for nuclear ambitions. The Iranian people deserve better than this,” it reads.
Foreign Ministry mocks Khamenei, IRGC as cowering
Then, a post shows a cartoon of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leaders hiding in a room as protesters break through the door.
The caption on the post reads “The destruction calendar they [the Islamic Republic regime] had set for Israel has now been set for themselves.”
The final post shared on Thursday evening shows a picture of a lion and sun, symbols traditionally linked with Iran’s pre-Islamic Revolution, and still used by anti-regime and pro-monarchy activists, with a sandglass depicting time running out for the Islamic Republic’s regime.
The caption for the post reads “The rise of Iranian lions and lionesses to fight against darkness. Light triumphs over darkness.”
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At least 6 reported killed during Iran protests over struggling economy
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Widening demonstrations sparked by Iran’s ailing economy spread Thursday into the Islamic Republic’s rural provinces, with at least six people being killed in the first fatalities reported among security forces and protesters, authorities said.
The deaths may mark the start of a heavier-handed response by Iran’s theocracy over the demonstrations, which have slowed in the capital, Tehran, but expanded elsewhere. The fatalities, one on Wednesday and five on Thursday, occurred in three cities predominantly home to Iran’s Lur ethnic group.
The protests have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. However, the demonstrations have yet to be countrywide and have not been as intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities.
The latest protests, taking root in economic issues, have heard demonstrators chant against Iran’s theocracy as well. The country’s leaders are still reeling after Israel launched a 12-day war against the country in June. The U.S. also bombed Iranian nuclear sites during the war.
“The people of Iran want freedom. They have suffered at the hands of the Ayatollahs for too long,” Mike Waltz, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, said in a post on X earlier this week.
“We stand with Iranians in the streets of Tehran and across the country as they protest a radical regime that has brought them nothing but economic downturn and war,” he said.
Fars News Agency via AP
The most intense violence appeared to strike Azna, a city in Iran’s Lorestan province, some 185 miles southwest of Tehran. There, online videos purported to show objects in the street ablaze and gunfire echoing as people shouted: “Shameless! Shameless!”
The semiofficial Fars news agency reported three people had been killed. Other media, including pro-reform outlets, cited Fars for the report while state-run media did not fully acknowledge the violence there or elsewhere. It wasn’t clear why there wasn’t more reporting over the unrest, but journalists had faced arrest over their reporting in 2022.
In Lordegan, a city in Iran’s Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, online videos showed demonstrators gathered on a street, with the sound of gunfire in the background. The footage matched known features of Lordegan, some 290 miles south of Tehran.
Fars, citing an anonymous official, said two people were killed during the protests Thursday.
The Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran said two people had been killed there, identifying the dead as demonstrators. It also shared a still image of what appeared to be an Iranian police officer, wearing body armor and wielding a shotgun.
In 2019, the area around Lordegan saw widespread protests and demonstrators reportedly damaged government buildings after a report said people there had been infected with HIV by contaminated needles used at a local health care clinic.
A separate demonstration Wednesday night reportedly led to the death of a 21-year-old volunteer in the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s Basij force.
The state-run IRNA news agency reported on the Guard member’s death but did not elaborate. An Iranian news agency called the Student News Network, which is believed to be close to the Basij, directly blamed demonstrators for the Guard member’s death, citing comments from Saeed Pourali, a deputy governor in Lorestan province.
The Guard member “was martyred … at the hands of rioters during protests in this city in defense of public order,” he reportedly said. Another 13 Basij members and police officers suffered injuries, he added.
“The protests that have occurred are due to economic pressures, inflation and currency fluctuations, and are an expression of livelihood concerns,” Pourali said. “The voices of citizens must be heard carefully and tactfully, but people must not allow their demands to be strained by profit-seeking individuals.”
The protests took place in the city of Kouhdasht, over 250 miles southwest of Tehran. Local prosecutor Kazem Nazari said 20 people had been arrested after the protests and that calm had returned to the city, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported.
Iran’s civilian government under reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has been trying to signal it wants to negotiate with protesters. However, Pezeshkian has acknowledged there is not much he can do as Iran’s rial currency has rapidly depreciated, with $1 now costing some 1.4 million rials.
Meanwhile, state television separately reported on the arrests of seven people, including five it described as monarchists and two others it said had links to European-based groups. State TV also said another operation saw security forces confiscate 100 smuggled pistols, without elaborating.
Iran’s theocracy had declared Wednesday a public holiday across much of the country, citing cold weather, likely as a bid to get people out of the capital for a long weekend. The Iranian weekend is Thursday and Friday, while Saturday marks Imam Ali’s birthday, another holiday for many.
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Iran protests draw swift crackdown as U.S. calls on Tehran to respect
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Tehran — Iran’s prosecutor general said Wednesday that economic protests that have gripped the country were legitimate, but he warned that any attempt to create insecurity would be met with a “decisive response,” as the Islamic Republic’s rulers tried to clamp down on a fourth day of unrest.
“Peaceful livelihood protests are part of social and understandable realities,” Mohammad Movahedi-Azad told state media after protests started by shopkeepers in the capital city Tehran, which were joined by students and others in several cities across the country.
“Any attempt to turn economic protests into a tool of insecurity, destruction of public property, or implementation of externally designed scenarios will inevitably be met with a legal, proportionate and decisive response,” warned Movahedi-Azad.
His comments came days after the Mossad intelligence agency of Iran‘s arch-foe Israel posted on social media that it was “with you on the ground,” in a message to Iranian protesters. Posting on its Persian-language X account, the spy agency encouraged Iranians to “go out into the streets together.”
Reuters
In a post shared via its own Farsi language account on X, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday that it was “deeply concerned by reports and videos that peaceful protesters in Iran are facing intimidation, violence, and arrests.”
“Demanding basic rights is not a crime. The Islamic Republic must respect the rights of the Iranian people and end the repression,” the U.S. government said in the post.
“First the bazaars. Then the students. Now the whole country. Iranians are united. Different lives, one demand: respect our voices and our rights,” the State Department said in a subsequent post.
The protests come amid mounting tension between the U.S. and Iran after President Trump said he had heard, after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Iran could be attempting to rebuild its nuclear program following the unprecedented U.S. strikes on its enrichment facilities in June. Mr. Trump warned that if Iran did try to rebuild, “we’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”
On Tuesday, Iran’s president said Tehran would respond “to any cruel aggression” with unspecified “harsh and discouraging” measures.
The protests, driven by dissatisfaction at Iran’s economic stagnation and galloping hyperinflation, began Sunday in Tehran’s largest mobile phone market, where shopkeepers shuttered their businesses. They gained momentum through Tuesday, with students at 10 universities in the capital and in other cities, including Iran’s most prestigious institutions, joining in.
Nevertheless, the protests remain limited in number and concentrated in central Tehran, with shops elsewhere in the sprawling metropolis of 10 million people unaffected. And the government appeared to be cracking down on the unrest, both on the streets with a heavy security presence, and by declaring a last-minute holiday to prompt the closure of schools and businesses.
Iran’s economy has been in the doldrums for years, with heavy U.S. and international sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program weighing heavily on it. The currency, the rial, has also plunged in recent months, losing more than a third of its value against the U.S. dollar since last year.
Videos posted on social media have shown crowds chanting anti-government slogans as they marched through the streets, while others show security forces using tear gas and purportedly live ammunition. CBS News has not been able to independently verify the video clips posted online, some of which show heavily armed security forces appearing to detain multiple people, including students, and others in which apparent gunfire can be heard.
The Guild Council of the University of Tehran said six students were detained but later released. There were unconfirmed reports that at least one student was severely injured during a confrontation with security services in Tehran.
A last-minute holiday
The streets of Tehran were calm early Wednesday, a change from the usual chaotic and choking traffic, after authorities announced a national holiday with just a day’s notice. Many schools, banks and public institutions were closed, with officials saying the directive was due to the cold weather and the need to save energy.
Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters
The capital’s prestigious Beheshti and Allameh Tabataba’i universities announced that classes would be held online throughout next week for the same reason, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
The authorities did not link the bank holiday to the protests. Tehran is experiencing daytime temperatures near the freezing mark, which is not unusual for this time of year.
Weekends in Iran begin on Thursdays, while this Saturday marks a long-standing national holiday.
Iran is no stranger to nationwide protests, but the latest demonstrations have not come close to the last major outbreak in 2022, which was triggered by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman.
Her death in custody after being arrested for allegedly violating the nation’s strict dress code for women sparked a wave of anger across the country. Several hundred people were killed, including dozens of members of the security forces, who waged a dramatic crackdown in response, arresting hundreds of people.
There were also widespread protests in 2019, sparked by a sharp increase in the price of petrol.
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Iran vows harsh response to any attack as Trump says he’d “knock the hell out of them” if nuclear work resumes
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Tehran, Iran — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian promised on Tuesday a harsh response to any attack, appearing to respond to a warning the previous day by President Trump over Iran’s purported attempts to rebuild its nuclear program.
“Answer of Islamic Republic of Iran to any cruel aggression will be harsh and discouraging,” Pezeshkian said in a social media post.
Pezeshkian did not elaborate, but his statement came a day after Mr. Trump suggested the U.S. could carry out new military strikes if Iran attempts to reconstitute its nuclear program.
Mr. Trump made the comment during wide-ranging talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the U.S. leader’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,” Mr. Trump said during a news conference with Netanyahu after their meeting. “And if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down. We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”
Joe Raedle/Getty
The two leaders discussed the possibility of renewed military action against Tehran months after a 12-day air war in June that killed nearly 1,100 Iranians, including senior military commanders and scientists. Iran’s retaliatory missile barrage killed 28 people in Israel.
Mr. Trump repeatedly declared “total obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear program after three sites were bombed in a secret attack by the U.S. in June, but questions were raised about the extent of the damage inflicted. An initial classified assessment determined that the strikes had set back Tehran’s nuclear program by a matter of months, while Mr. Trump said it was set back “basically decades.”
Some Democratic lawmakers, after a classified briefing on the strikes, argued that Mr. Trump had misled the American people about the level of success achieved.
Mr. Trump suggested Monday that he could order another U.S. strike against Iran if he believes it’s needed.
“If it’s confirmed, they know the consequences, and the consequences will be very powerful, maybe more powerful than the last time,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump said he had heard Iran was rebuilding its capabilities after his closed-door meeting on Monday with Netanyahu, who has pressed successive U.S. administrations for decades to take a harder line against Iran.
“Netanyahu remains focused on reducing threats from Iran to Israel, which he has been for the almost 30 years he’s been in office,” CBS News national security contributor Samantha Vinograd, a former top Homeland Security official in the Obama administration, said Tuesday.
But Vinograd added that “the United States and Israel may have different intelligence assessments of what Iran’s intentions are, what their capabilities are.”
She said the U.S. strikes over the summer — known as Operation Midnight Hammer — “did inflict damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, however Iran does retain highly enriched uranium which could be used to breakout to a bomb.”
U.S. Department of Defense
Vinograd said, however, the most immediate threat posed by Iran — not only to Israel but to U.S. forces in the region — may well be its massive stockpile of conventional ballistic missiles, not its potential to try to build a viable nuclear weapon.
“Iran has had more ballistic missiles than any other nation in the region, other than Israel, and it’s really their leverage when it comes to wreaking havoc across the region, both against targets in Israel, American troops overseas, via proxies and more.”
“It does appear that there is some kind of intelligence gap between what the U.S. thinks Iran is doing and capable of, and what Israeli intelligence is saying on those fronts.”
Pezeshkian said Saturday that tension between the two sides had already risen again, claiming: “We are in a full-scale war with the U.S., Israel and Europe; they don’t want our country to remain stable.”
Iranian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
Iran has insisted it is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic program.
U.S. intelligence agencies and the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency assessed Iran last had an organized nuclear weapons program in 2003, though Tehran had continued enriching uranium up to 60%, which is a short technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
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Fetterman endorses prospect of potential future strikes to derail any Iranian nuclear ambitions
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Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., declared in a Monday post on X that he would support strikes to scuttle any Iranian nuclear weapons aspirations.
“Iran can’t ever develop a nuclear weapon,” the senator asserted.
Earlier this year, the U.S. took military action targeting the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear ambitions — and in his post on Monday, Fetterman noted that he supported that move and would support another attack against the regime in the future.
“Fully supported the strike earlier this year. Fully support any future strikes to damage or destroy their nuclear ambitions,” Fetterman, an ardent and outspoken supporter of Israel, noted.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., walks to vote at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 8, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump on Monday warned of future action if Iran seeks to rebuild its program.
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“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again. And if they are we’re gonna have to knock ’em down,” he said. “We’ll knock the hell out of ‘em. But hopefully that’s not happening. I heard Iran wants to make a deal. If they want to make a deal that’s much smarter.”
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his Mar-a-Lago club on Dec. 29, 2025 in Palm Beach, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Trump made the comments while standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when the two leaders met in Florida on Monday.
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Trump warns U.S. will ‘knock the hell out of’ Iran’s nuclear capabilities if it’s rebuilding them amid Israeli concerns about long-range missiles | Fortune
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President Donald Trump warned Iran against reconstituting its nuclear program Monday as he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to his home in Florida for wide-ranging talks.
The warning comes after Trump has insisted that Tehran’s nuclear capabilities were “completely and fully obliterated” by U.S. strikes on key nuclear enrichment sites in June. But Israeli officials have been quoted in local media expressing concern about Iran rebuilding its supply of long-range missiles capable of striking Israel.
“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,” Trump told reporters soon after Netanyahu arrived at his Mar-a-Lago estate. “And if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down. We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”
Trump’s warning to Iran comes as his administration has committed significant resources to targeting drug trafficking in South America and the president looks to create fresh momentum for the U.S.-brokered Israel-Hamas ceasefire. The Gaza deal is in danger of stalling before reaching its complicated second phase that would involve naming an international governing body and rebuilding the devastated Palestinian territory.
Iran has insisted that it is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic program. But Netanyahu was expected to discuss with Trump the need to potentially take new military action against Tehran just months after launching a 12-day war on Iran.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s warning.
Trump criticized Iran anew for not making a deal to completely disarm its nuclear program ahead of the U.S. and Israeli strikes earlier this year.
“They wish they made that deal,” Trump said.
Gaza ceasefire progress has slowed
Trump, with Netanyahu by his side, said he wants to get to the second phase of the Gaza deal “as quickly as we can.”
“But there has to be a disarming of Hamas,” Trump added.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that Trump championed has mostly held, but progress has slowed recently. Both sides accuse each other of violations, and divisions have emerged among the U.S., Israel and Arab countries about the path forward.
The truce’s first phase began in October, days after the two-year anniversary of the initial Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. All but one of the 251 hostages taken then have been released, alive or dead.
The Israeli leader, who also met separately with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has signaled he is in no rush to move forward with the next phase as long as the remains of Ran Gvili are still in Gaza.
Gvili’s parents met with Netanyahu as well as Rubio, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in Florida on Monday. The Gvilis are expected to meet with Trump later in the day, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group that advocates for families of abductees of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
“They’re waiting for their son to come home,” Trump said of the family of the young police officer known affectionately as “Rani,”
Next phase is complex
The path ahead is certainly complicated.
If successful, the second phase would see the rebuilding of a demilitarized Gaza under international supervision by a group chaired by Trump and known as the Board of Peace. The Palestinians would form a “technocratic, apolitical” committee to run daily affairs in Gaza, under Board of Peace supervision.
It further calls for normalized relations between Israel and the Arab world and a possible pathway to Palestinian independence. Then there are thorny logistical and humanitarian questions, including rebuilding war-ravaged Gaza, disarming Hamas and creating a security apparatus called the International Stabilization Force.
Much remains unsettled
Two main challenges have complicated moving to the second phase, according to an official who was briefed on those meetings. Israeli officials have been taking a lot of time to vet and approve members of the Palestinian technocratic committee from a list given to them by the mediators, and Israel continues its military strikes.
Trump’s plan also calls for the stabilization force, proposed as a multinational body, to maintain security. But it, too, has yet to be formed. Whether details will be forthcoming after Monday’s meeting is unclear.
A Western diplomat said there is a “huge gulf” between the U.S.-Israeli understanding of the force’s mandate and that of other major countries in the region, as well as European governments.
All spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that haven’t been made public.
The U.S. and Israel want the force to have a “commanding role” in security duties, including disarming Hamas and other militant groups. But countries being courted to contribute troops fear that mandate will make it an “occupation force,” the diplomat said.
Hamas has said it is ready to discuss “freezing or storing” its arsenal of weapons but insists it has a right to armed resistance as long as Israel occupies Palestinian territory. One U.S. official said a potential plan might be to offer cash incentives in exchange for weapons, echoing a “buyback” program Witkoff has previously floated.
Trump makes case once again for Netanyahu pardon
The two leaders, who have a long and close relationship, heaped praise on each other. Trump also tweaked the Israeli leader, who at moments during the war has raised Trump’s ire, for being “very difficult on occasion.”
Trump also renewed his call on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to grant Netanyahu, who is in the midst of a corruption trial, a pardon.
Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial, after being charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supporters.
Trump has previously written to Herzog to urge a pardon and advocated for one during his October speech before the Knesset. He said Monday that Herzog has told him “it’s on its way” without offering further details.
“He’s a wartime prime minister who’s a hero. How do you not give a pardon?” Trump said.
Herzog’s office said in a statement that the Israeli president and Trump have not spoken since the pardon request was submitted, but that Herzog has spoken with a Trump representative about the U.S. president’s letter advocating for Netanyahu’s pardon.
“During that conversation, an explanation was provided regarding the stage of the process in which the request currently stands, and that any decision on the matter will be made in accordance with the established procedures,” the Israeli president’s office. “This was conveyed to President Trump’s representative, exactly as President Herzog stated publicly in Israel.”
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Will Weissert, Sam Mednick, Samy Magdy, The Associated Press
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Iran had highest number of executions in over a decade, human rights report says
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Iran’s treatment of prisoners in 2025 was also rife with abuses, according to the report, with 2,513 cases of prisoners being held in inappropriate conditions.
Iran conducted the highest number of executions in over a decade (1,922), the Iranian human rights group Human Rights Activists (HRA) announced in its annual statistical report for 2025.
The report claimed that the implementation of death sentences doubled compared to 2024, although the issuance of them decreased by 21.4%. More concerning, however, was the report’s statement that “95% of executions were carried out in secret or without public announcement.”
There were 22,028 arrests over freedom of thought and expression in 2025, the HRA report stated. This is 13 times as many arrests than were made in 2024, and makes up the majority of the 22,709 total arrests made in connection with civil, ideological, political, or rights-related activities this year.
Jews accounted for 7.61% of reported religious rights incidents, including home searches, property violations, and other abuses. Arrests related to general religious minority rights doubled in the last year, to a total of 183, while convictions increased by 67.4%.
Also enumerated in the report were over 70,000 cases of child labor, and at least 23,000 cases of child abuse. The section of the report detailing child marriage statistics was outdated, with the only datum originating from 2025 being that 1,474 babies were born to mothers aged 10 to 14.
Iran’s mistreatment of prisoners
Iran’s treatment of prisoners in 2025 was also rife with abuses, according to the report, with 2,513 cases of prisoners being held in inappropriate conditions.
HRA also detailed hundreds of cases of prisoner’s being denied due process elements such as access to legal counsel, the right to make to phone calls, and access to medical leave.
The sentencing of those prisoners was no less abusive.
Ninety-six individuals were sentenced to a total of 5,041 lashes. Additionally, the courts passed down six sentences of amputation, and five sentences of “limb retribution,” a form of punishment in which one is given the right to inflict a wound done on them back to the perpetrator.
The HRA specifies that these statistics are only given for cases in which details of the verdict were made public, and that the true numbers are unknown.
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Iran seizes oil tanker carrying smuggled fuel on Strait of Hormuz, state news agency says
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Tehran, Iran — Iran seized a foreign oil tanker as it traveled the strategic Strait of Hormuz, state media said Friday.
Mojtaba Ghahramani, a provincial chief of the justice department, said the oil tanker was carrying some 4 million liters (25,000 barrels) of smuggled fuel when the Revolutionary Guard naval forces seized the vessel, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Ghahramani said the forces also detained 16 foreign crew members of the tanker, adding that the seizure was a remarkable “blow ” to smugglers. He didn’t disclose the nationality of the crew or the flag of the tanker.
Iran occasionally seizes oil-carrying vessels over similar charges in the region. In November, Iran seized a ship as it traveled through the narrow Strait of Hormuz over what it said were violations, including carrying an illegal consignment.
Gallo Images / Orbital Horizon / Copernicus Sentinel Data 2025
The West has blamed Iran for a series of limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers in 2019, as well as for a drone attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker that killed two European crew members in 2021. Those attacks began after President Trump, in his first term in office, unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
Iran also seized the Portuguese-flagged cargo ship MSC Aries in April 2024.
Following years of tensions between Iran and the West, coupled with the situation in the Gaza Strip, Iran saw a full-scale 12-day war in June with Israel, whose strikes led to the deaths of senior military commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran’s retaliatory missile barrage killed 28 in Israel.
Tehran has long threatened to close off the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all traded oil passes. The U.S. Navy has long patrolled the Mideast through its Bahrain-based 5th Fleet to keep the waterways open.
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Hezbollah ‘dissatisfied’ with Iran funding, demands for $2 billion in post-war aid
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Over the last year, Tehran transferred hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah to provide its force rehabilitation due to downsizing as a consequence of the war with Israel.
Hezbollah presented complaints regarding a supposed lack of money transferring from Iran to the terrorist group, KAN reported on Monday.
In the last few months, senior Hezbollah figures and the Iranian Quds Force have been discussing how much funding resources Tehran would allocate to Hezbollah this year.
Hezbollah has asked for $2 billion, double the amount Iran was planning to provide to the terror group, KAN reported.
During 2024, Tehran transferred hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah to provide its force rehabilitation due to downsizing as a consequence of the war with Israel.
Even though the war scenario provoked a financial balance shift in Lebanon, Hezbollah’s active members continue to receive monthly salaries considered high in Lebanese standards.
Supporters of an Iraqi armed faction hold flags of Lebanon’s Hezbollah and a portrait of assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah (C) during a protest in Baghdad on December 5, 2025. (credit: Murtadha RIDHA / AFP via Getty Images)
Despite Hezbollah’s continuous weapons purchase, ground brigades, salaries, manpower, recruitment, and training not being economically affected, the terror group remains unsatisfied.
Because the war with Israel resulted in high losses and downs regarding weaponry accumulated over two decades in a short period of time, Hezbollah has demanded more funding from Iran because rebuilding those capabilities requires enormous financial resources, KAN reported.
Last financial movements from Iran
Iran has funnelled about one billion dollars to Hezbollah over the past five months through smuggling routes in northern Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, despite an unprecedented domestic water crisis, rolling blackouts, and heavy air pollution.
The regime remains in “complete denial” after the war and is prioritizing regional proxies over basic services.
As a result, he said, billions in funding flowing to terrorist groups are not invested in water, electricity, or pollution mitigation. At the same time, ordinary Iranians “carry a heavy burden” without organized opposition leadership to challenge the regime.
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China, Saudi Arabia Agree to Strengthen Coordination on Regional, Global Matters
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BEIJING, Dec 15 (Reuters) – China and Saudi Arabia agreed to have closer communication and coordination on regional and international issues, with Beijing lauding Riyadh’s role in Middle East diplomacy, statements following a meeting between the nations’ foreign ministers on Sunday showed.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on a three-nation tour in the Middle East that began in the United Arab Emirates and is expected to end in Jordan. He met with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud in Riyadh on Sunday.
A joint statement published by China’s official news agency Xinhua did not elaborate on what issues the countries will strengthen coordination on, but mentioned China’s support for Saudi Arabia and Iran developing and enhancing their relations.
“(China) appreciates Saudi Arabia’s leading role and efforts to achieve regional and international security and stability,” the statement released on Monday said.
The statement also reiterated both countries’ support for a “comprehensive and just settlement” of the Palestinian issue and the formation of an independent state for Palestinians.
At a high-level meeting, Wang told his Saudi counterpart that China has always regarded Saudi Arabia as a “priority for Middle East diplomacy” and an important partner in global diplomacy, a Chinese foreign ministry statement on Monday said.
He also encouraged more cooperation in energy and investments, as well as in the fields of new energy and green transformation.
The countries have agreed to mutually exempt visas for diplomatic and special passport holders from both sides, according to the joint statement.
(Reporting by Liz Lee and Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Paul Simao)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
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Iran detains 18 crew members of foreign tanker seized in Gulf of Oman
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Iran said those detained in the ongoing investigation include the tanker’s captain. The vessel’s identity and the crew members’ nationalities were not disclosed.
Iranian authorities detained 18 crew members of a foreign tanker seized in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, which they said was carrying 6 million liters of smuggled fuel, Iranian media reported on Saturday, citing the Hormozgan province judiciary.
It said those detained in the ongoing investigation include the tanker’s captain. The identity of the vessel and the nationalities of the crew members were not disclosed.
Warships sail during the joint Navy exercise of Iran, China and Russia in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, March 12, 2025. (credit: IRANIAN ARMY/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY)/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Iran detains fuel tanker as economy plummets
The authorities said the tanker had committed multiple violations, including “ignoring stop orders, attempting to flee, (and) lacking navigation and cargo documentation.”
Iran, which has some of the world’s lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the plunge in the value of its national currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states.
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Iran Detains 18 Crew Members of Foreign Tanker Seized in Gulf of Oman
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Dec 13 (Reuters) – Iranian authorities detained 18 crew members of a foreign tanker seized in the Gulf of Oman on Friday that they said was carrying 6 million litres of smuggled fuel, Iranian media reported on Saturday, citing the Hormozgan province judiciary.
It said those detained under the ongoing investigation include the captain of the tanker. The identity of the vessel and the nationalities of the crew members were not disclosed.
The authorities said the tanker had committed multiple violations, including “ignoring stop orders, attempting to flee, (and) lacking navigation and cargo documentation”.
Iran, which has some of the world’s lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the plunge in the value of its national currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states.
(Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Jan Harvey)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
Photos You Should See – December 2025
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Egypt and Iran complain about planned World Cup ‘Pride’ match in Seattle
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Egypt and Iran, two Middle East nations that target gays and lesbians, have complained to FIFA over a World Cup soccer match in Seattle that is planned to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride.
Leaders in the nation’s soccer federations publicly rebuked the idea of playing the match June 26 at Seattle Stadium, which local organizers say will include a “once-in-a-lifetime moment to showcase and celebrate LGBTQIA+ communities in Washington.”
In Egypt, the soccer federation issued a statement late Tuesday saying it sent a letter to FIFA “categorically rejecting any activities related to supporting homosexuality during the match.”
Seattle PrideFest has been organized in the city since 2007 by a nonprofit which designated the June 26 game for celebration before FIFA made the World Cup draw Friday.
FIFA chose Saturday to allocate the Egypt-Iran game to Seattle instead of Vancouver, where the teams’ group rivals Belgium and New Zealand will play at the same time.
Already, organizers in Seattle have promoted an art contest for the game, including one entry of a rainbow-flagged sun rising over Mount Rainier as a crab goalie goes for a soccer ball while holding a cup of coffee in its pinchers.
“With matches on Juneteenth and pride, we get to show the world that in Seattle, everyone is welcome,” Seattle’s Mayor-elect Kate Wilson wrote on social media. “What an incredible honor!”
FIFA controls only stadiums and official fan zones in World Cup host cities and should have no formal authority over community events like Seattle PrideFest.
FIFA declined comment Tuesday to the Associated Press, and did not address a question if it would consider switching the Belgium-New Zealand game to Seattle.
Angry response in Iran, Egypt
In Iran, where gays and lesbians can face the death penalty, the president of Iran’s Football Federation Mehdi Taj criticized scheduling the match during an interview aired on state television late Monday.
Taj said Iran would bring up the issue during a FIFA Council meeting in Qatar next week. The longest-serving member of the 37-person council chaired by FIFA President Gianni Infantino is Egypt’s Hany Abo Rida.
“Both Egypt and we have objected, because this is an unreasonable and illogical move that essentially signals support for a particular group, and we must definitely address this point,” Taj said. State TV on Tuesday confirmed a complaint would be sent to FIFA.
The Egypt soccer federation led by Ado Rida said of the pride celebration it “completely rejects such activities, which directly contradict the cultural, religious and social values in the region, especially in Arab and Islamic societies.”
It urged FIFA to stop the celebration to “avoid activities that may trigger cultural and religious sensitivity between the presented spectators of both countries, Egypt and Iran, especially as such activities contradict the cultures and religions of the two countries.”
Iran had threatened to boycott the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C. over complaints about five of its nine-person delegation, including Taj, not getting visas to enter the United States.
Iranians are subject to a travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration and the U.S. in the past has denied visas for those with ties to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, like Taj. Iran ended up sending a smaller delegation including the team’s coach.
Tensions remain high between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s nuclear program, particularly after American warplanes bombed atomic sites in the country during Israel’s 12-day war with the Islamic Republic in June. Unlike the 2022 World Cup, however, Iran is not scheduled to play the United States in the World Cup’s opening matches.
Seattle’s response
Asked about the complaint Wednesday, Seattle’s organizing committee said it was “moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament.”
“The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the nation’s largest Iranian-American communities, a thriving Egyptian diaspora and rich communities representing all nations we’re hosting in Seattle,” spokesperson Hana Tadesse said in a statement. “We’re committed to ensuring all residents and visitors experience the warmth, respect and dignity that defines our region.”
Iran, Egypt target LGBTQ+ community
For years, Egyptian police have targeted gays and lesbians, sparking warnings even from the app Grindr in the past. Though Egypt technically does not outlaw homosexuality, authorities frequently prosecute members of the LGBTQ+ community on the grounds of “debauchery,” or “violating public decency.”
Iran also has targeted the LGBTQ community and its theocracy is believed to have executed thousands of people for their sexuality since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Hard-line former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad once famously went as far as to claim during a 2007 visit to the United States: “We don’t have homosexuals like in your country.” A crowd at Columbia University responded by laughing and heckling the leader.
FIFA dilemma
FIFA risks being accused of a double standard if it sides with World Cup teams’ federations over the city of Seattle.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, FIFA fiercely defended the right of the host nation’s cultural norms to be respected in full by visiting teams.
A group of European federations wanted their team captains to wear a “One Love” armband with some rainbow colors that symbolized human rights and diversity, which FIFA and Qatari officials viewed in part as criticism of the emirate criminalizing same-sex relations. Some Wales fans had rainbow hats removed before entering the stadium.
Qatar also will play in Seattle at the World Cup, on June 24 against a European opponent which could be Italy or Wales.
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AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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Exclusive | Iranian Funds for Hezbollah Are Flowing Through Dubai
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Iran has sent the Lebanese militia Hezbollah hundreds of millions of dollars over the past year via money exchanges and other businesses in Dubai, as Tehran seeks new ways to funnel money to its ally, people familiar with the matter said.
Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist group, is in desperate need of funds to rebuild and rearm its militia and pay other costs stemming from its bruising fight with Israel last year, the people said. Its smuggling routes through Syria were disrupted by the fall of the Iran-aligned Assad regime a year ago, and Lebanese authorities have made strides cracking down on couriers bringing suitcases of cash through the Beirut airport.
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Dov Lieber
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Violent conflict over water hit a record last year
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In Algeria, water shortages left faucets dry, prompting protesters to riot and set tires ablaze.
In Gaza, as people waited for water at a community tap, an Israeli drone fired on them, killing eight.
In Ukraine, Russian rockets slammed into the country’s largest dam, unleashing a plume of fire over the hydroelectric plant and causing widespread blackouts.
These are some of the 420 water-related conflicts researchers documented for 2024 in the latest update of the Pacific Institute’s Water Conflict Chronology, a global database of water-related violence.
The year featured a record number of violent incidents over water around the world, far surpassing the 355 in 2023, continuing a steeply rising trend. The violence more than quadrupled in the last five years.
In 2024, there were 420 water-related conflicts globally
The majority of incidents were in the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Eastern Europe.
Russia and Ukraine
51 conflicts
Russia and Ukraine
51 conflicts
Pacific Institute
Sean Greene LOS ANGELES TIMES
The new data from the Oakland-based water think tank show also that drinking water wells, pipes and dams are increasingly coming under attack.
“In almost every region of the world, there is more and more violence being reported over water,” said Peter Gleick, the Pacific Institute’s co-founder and senior fellow, and it “underscores the urgent need for international attention.”
The researchers collect information from news reports and other sources and accounts. They classify it into three categories: instances in which water was a trigger of violence, water systems were targeted and water was a “casualty” of violence, for example when shell fragments hit a water tank.
Not every case involves injuries or deaths but many do.
The region with the most violent incidents was the Middle East, with 138 reported. That included 66 in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, both in Gaza and the West Bank.
In the West Bank there were numerous reports of Israeli settlers destroying water pipelines and tanks and attacking Palestinian farmers.
In Gaza the Israeli military destroyed more than 30 wells in the southern towns of Rafah and Khan Younis.
Gleick noted that when the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders last year, accusing them of crimes against humanity, the charges mentioned Israeli military attacks on Gaza water systems.
“It is an acknowledgment that these attacks are violations of international law,” he said. “There ought to be more enforcement of international laws protecting water systems from attacks.”
Water systems also were targeted frequently in the Russia-Ukraine war, in which the researchers tallied 51 violent incidents.
Residents collect water in bottles in Pokrovsk, Ukraine, where repeated Russian shelling has left civilians without functioning infrastructure.
(George Ivanchenko / Associated Press)
Russian strikes disrupted water service in Ukrainian cities, and oil spilled into a river after Russian forces attacked an oil depot.
“These aren’t water wars. These are wars in which water is being used as a weapon or is a casualty of the conflict,” Gleick said.
The researchers also found water scarcity and drought are prompting a growing number of violent conflicts.
“Climate change is making those problems worse,” Gleick said.
Many conflicts were in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
In India, residents angry about water shortages assaulted a city worker.
In Jammu, India, a woman carries a container of drinking water filled from leaking water pipes in March.
(Channi Anand / Associated Press)
In Cameroon, rice farmers clashed with fishers, leaving one dead and three injured.
At a refugee camp in Kenya, three people died in a fight over drinking water.
There’s an increase in conflicts over irrigation, disputes pitting farmers against cities, and violence arising in places where only some water is safe to drink.
A man carries jugs to fetch water from a hole in the sandy riverbed in Makueni County, Kenya in February 2024.
(Brian Inganga / Associated Press)
Gleick, who has been studying water-related violence for more than three decades, said the purpose of the list is to raise awareness and encourage policymakers to act to reduce fighting, bloodshed and turmoil.
The United Nations, in its Sustainable Development Goals, says every person should have access to water and sanitation.
“The failure to do that is inexcusable and it contributes to a lot of misery,” Gleick said. “It contributes to ill health, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, water-related diseases, and it contributes to conflicts over water.”
In Latin America, there were dozens of violent incidents involving water last year.
In the Mexican state of Veracruz, protesters were blocking a road to denounce a pork processing plant, which they accused of using too much water and spewing pollution, when police opened fire, killing two men.
In Honduras, environmental activist Juan López, who had spoken up to protect rivers from mining, was gunned down as he left church. He was the fourth member of his group to be murdered.
A man fills containers with water because of a shortage caused by high temperatures and drought in Veracruz, Mexico in June 2024.
(Felix Marquez / Associated Press)
“There needs to be more attention on this issue, especially at the international level, but at the national level as well,” said Morgan Shimabuku, a senior researcher with the Pacific Institute. “It is getting worse, and we need to turn that tide.”
For 2024, there were few events in the U.S., but among them were cyberattacks on water utilities in Texas and Indiana.
In one, Russian hackers claimed responsibility for tampering with an Indiana wastewater treatment plant. Authorities said the attack caused minimal disruption. In another, a pro-Russian hacktivist group manipulated systems at water facilities in small Texas towns, causing water to overflow.
The Pacific Institute’s database now lists more than 2,750 conflicts. Most have occurred since 2000. The researchers are adding incidents from 2025 as well as previous years.
During extreme drought in Iran worsened by climate change, farmers were desperate enough to go up against security forces, demanding access to river water. Iran’s water crisis, compounded by decades of excessive groundwater pumping, has grown so severe that the president said Tehran no longer can remain the capital and the government will have to move it to another city.
Tensions also have been growing between Iran and Afghanistan over the Helmand River, with Iranian leaders accusing their upstream neighbor of not letting enough water flow into the country.
Gleick said if the drought persists and the Iranian government doesn’t improve how it manages water, “I would expect to see more violence.”
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