Iran Halts Flights to Lebanon Over Security Risks, IRNA Says
Iran's Civil Aviation Organization said it suspended flights to Lebanon until Feb. 18 due to ongoing security concerns, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported on Sunday.
The decision follows the grounding of an Iranian plane bound for Beirut last week. Iran's Foreign Ministry attributed the disruption to an alleged Israeli threat against the commercial flight, which was set to carry Lebanese nationals returning from a pilgrimage, along with other passengers.
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Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US sanctions money laundering network aiding Iran as regime faces nuclear reprimand at IAEA
The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned some 35 individuals involved in laundering money for Iran on Friday as the administration seeks to make a deal with Iran over its nuclear weapons program. A State Department spokesperson said in a statement that,"This network has laundered billions of dollars through Iranian exchange houses and foreign front companies to sustain Tehran's campaigns of terror that undermine international peace and security and line the pockets of regime elites." Meanwhile, tensions with Iran continue, with the Associated Press reporting that Western powers are considering a resolution at the IAEA that would formally declare Tehran in non-compliance with its nuclear obligations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the move a "strategic mistake" and accused the U.K., France, and Germany of choosing "malign action" over diplomacy. "Mark my words as Europe ponders another major strategic mistake: Iran will react strongly against any violation of its rights," he wrote on X. Iran's Khamenei Rejects Us Zero Uranium Enrichment Demand As '100% Against' Its Interests The draft resolution, expected to be introduced next week, would mark the first time in two decades that Western nations bring such a motion against Iran at the IAEA. Read On The Fox News App As U.S. and Iranian negotiators engage in fragile talks, voices from within Iran reveal a grim paradox: while many citizens desperately seek relief from crushing economic hardship, they fear any deal may only tighten the Islamic Republic's grip on power. "Right now, people in Iran do not have any hope for anything," said a female journalist in Tehran, who spoke anonymously out of fear for her safety. "The economy is collapsing. We sometimes don't have electricity or water. The value of the rial is falling. Life is becoming unlivable." Like many Iranians, she believes an agreement could temporarily ease inflation and halt the country's economic freefall. But she—and many others—fear the unintended consequences. "If the regime reaches a deal, it could become more powerful and more confident in suppressing people. That's what frightens us the most," she said. Under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran has faced growing unrest at home, triggered by economic pain, political repression, and widespread mistrust. As negotiations proceed, Iranian citizens are watching closely—but not with optimism. White House Urges Iran To Accept Nuclear Deal As Iaea Reports Uranium Enrichment Spike "People in Iran are caught in a dilemma," said another Tehran resident, a man who also requested anonymity. "On one hand, they want the regime to fall. On the other, the economic burden is so heavy that any deal offering relief feels like a lifeline. But the truth is, even if a deal is signed, ordinary people won't benefit. We've seen this before." He pointed to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Obama-era nuclear agreement that promised economic benefits but, according to many Iranians, never delivered meaningful change for the public. "Only those connected to the regime gained anything," he said. "For the rest of us, life stayed the same." While Iranian leaders claim the nuclear program is peaceful, the U.S. and allies remain concerned about uranium enrichment levels nearing weapons-grade levels. Trump has demanded a full halt to enrichment, while Khamenei insists on retaining it. "I'm a journalist, and we work under extreme censorship," said the woman in Tehran. "We're not allowed to mention U.S. or Israeli military capabilities. We can't publish anything about the talks without approval." Trump Administration Open To Allowing Iran To Continue Some Uranium Enrichment: Report She described a system where state censors dictate what reporters can and cannot say—down to the vocabulary. "It's not just the content—it's the individual words. And that makes journalism almost impossible." In the interviews with Fox News Digital, Iranians expressed deep skepticism that Khamenei would abide by any agreement. "He lies," the journalist said bluntly. "What he says publicly is never what he actually does. He manipulates both the public and foreign governments. No one should trust a dictator like him." The man echoed the sentiment. "The regime's survival depends on its hostility toward the U.S. and Israel. If it truly committed to a deal, it would undermine its own ideological foundation. That's why no one believes it can last." Recent months have seen a resurgence of protest activity in Iran, including a growing nationwide strike by truck drivers demanding fair wages and lower fuel prices. Though largely ignored by international media, these strikes follow years of widespread protests—most notably the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" uprising sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody. That movement, along with economic demonstrations in 2019 and 2021, was met with violent crackdowns, mass arrests, and internet blackouts. The pattern has left Iranians wary that any sign of instability is met with brutal suppression. An Iranian student pointed to the truckers' strikes currently roiling parts of Iran as a sign of grassroots unrest. "These strikes are a direct message from the people," he said. "They've been largely ignored by the media, but they are powerful and legitimate. This is how change begins—if it's allowed to." The Associated Press contributed to this article source: US sanctions money laundering network aiding Iran as regime faces nuclear reprimand at IAEA
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Iranian accused by Tehran of being Israeli spy confessed because regime threatened niece
Hossein Shanbehzadeh was tortured and had death threats issued against his niece during interrogations, an informed source said. Hossein Shanbehzadeh, an Iranian national arrested in Ardabil last year over allegations he was working as a spy for Israel, confessed to the charges only because the Islamic regime threatened to harm his 6-year-old niece, informed sources told BBC Persian earlier this week. After being taken by Tehran's security forces while enjoying lunch, Shanbehzadeh was tortured and had death threats issued against his niece during the interrogation, the source said. After being arrested with his hands up and calmly surrendering to the police, the unidenified source told BBC Persian that several officers 'severely beat him and cursed him. After much beating, they put him in a car and asked for his mobile phone password, but he resisted at first. The person sitting in front punched him in the head and face. When one of them said, 'Bring the electric shocker,' he stopped resisting and wrote down his mobile phone password on a piece of paper with his hands that were shaking from the beating." The security forces then allegedly posted several pre-prepared posts on his social media. Once transferred to prison, he was said to have spent 24 days and nights in solitary confinement and was repeatedly stripped in front of officers. Interrogaters reportedly claimed that some of the social media accounts he had interacted with were Mossad agents and he was consequently charges with being a "spy,' "collaborating with hostile states" and "propaganda activities in favor of the Zionist regime," as well as "insulting the sanctities, the founder of the Islamic Republic, and the Leader of the Revolution." He has since been sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment. The source claimed he was forced to waive his right to appeal, while his lawyer told Sharq News Agency that there was no evidence he was working with Jerusalem. The source added that the interrogator had threatened Shanbehzadeh with the death penalty under allegations he had insulted an Islamic prophet. The source said Shanbehzadeh had no knowledge of the chats that authorities referenced. He was allegedly then later told by another interrogator that if he refused to confess during an interview on television, "the group of Imam Hussein's Madmen would kill your six-year-old niece." 'Hossein said that although he did not take his promise seriously, his promise brought to mind the image of Karun Hajizadeh's bloody body, which is why he said that even if the interview led to his execution, he would accept it,' the source said. 'Two foul-mouthed reporters were present during the television interview, and the interrogator dictated everything and even asked Hossein to say that if he made any mistake next time, they would execute him. He said that he was ready to kill Jesus Christ or even behead a leader, but the madmen of Imam Hussein should stop killing my six-year-old child." Hajizadeh was a 9-year-old boy murdered in Kerman in September 1998, along with his father. Now known as 'Prisoner of the Dot,' over a period with which he had replied to Ayatolla Khameini's X post, Shanbehzadeh's case has seen wide attention. His single-character X post received double the number of likes that Khameini's did. While the Prisoner of the Dot was said to have been initially charged with "propaganda against the regime' by the Evin Prosecutor's Office, Iranian media quickly changed the story and accused him of working on behalf of the Mossad. Shanbehzadeh's family denies the latter charge, noting that his use of his real identity on social media would make him an ineffective spy. "The claim that Hossein has absconded is also unjustifiable. He had long ago spoken on X Network (formerly Twitter) about his intention to travel to Ardabil, and even up until an hour before his arrest, he was talking about the city of Ardabil on the same network and posting photos of himself," his family said. The anonymous source added, "The accusation of espionage was fabricated by the judicial authorities of Ardabil and was given to the Tasnim news agency in an exclusive report." The report follows the execution of Shanbehzadeh's friend Mohsen Langarneshin, who was also accused of spying for Israel.
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Detained Columbia graduate describes ‘visceral' harm of missing son's birth
Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia graduate detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over his campus activism, said he has suffered 'visceral' harm after missing the birth of his son while in federal custody. 'The most immediate and visceral harms I have experienced directly relate to the birth of my son, Deen. Instead of holding my wife's hand in the delivery room, I was crouched on a detention center floor, whispering through a crackling phone line as she labored alone,' Khalil, a green card holder, wrote in court documents filed Thursday. 'I listened to her pain, trying to comfort her while 70 other men slept around me,' he added. The Trump administration said it plans to revoke Khalil's legal status and urged him to self deport, according to reports from the Associated Press. Khalil was denied permission to go to the birth of his first child last month. Secretary of State Marco Rubio initiated removal efforts for Khalil in March citing a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act over the government's allegation that he participated in pro-Hamas rhetoric at campus protests amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. 'To not be able to see them, hold them, speak with them freely, enjoy everything I imagined our first days as a family would be like, is devastating. Worst still is knowing that they must face all the fear and notoriety of this case without me,' Khalil wrote in this week's court documents. 'The Rubio Determination is casting a shadow of suspicion across our entire family. I could never have imagined this would happen, and it is horrifying to experience this as a husband and father,' he added. Khalil, in the court filings, denied accusations that he supports Hamas but questioned the Israeli government's strikes on 'innocent Palestinians.' Democrats and advocacy organizations have urged officials to immediately release Khalil, alleging that his constitutional right to free speech has been ignored. 'This arrest is unprecedented, illegal, and un-American. The federal government is claiming the authority to deport people with deep ties to the U.S. and revoke their green cards for advocating positions that the government opposes. To be clear: The First Amendment protects everyone in the U.S. The government's actions are obviously intended to intimidate and chill speech on one side of a public debate,' Ben Wizner, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project said in a statement. The State Department did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment.
