Latest news with #Iran-based
Rudaw Net
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Kurdish armed group blames Iran for deadly Sulaimani drone attack
Also in Iran Iran says agreed to a new round of nuclear talks with E3 Iran frees teen held for reciting Kurdish poetry, father still detained Iran expands crackdown on alleged spies, collaborators with Israel, US Trump says scheduled new nuclear talks with Iran A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Eastern Kurdistan Units (YRK) on Sunday accused Iran of carrying out a deadly drone strike in eastern Sulaimani province's Penjwen district, killing one of its fighters. Local officials on Saturday said the drone was Turkish. Ankara has not commented on the incident. 'This attack was carried out by Iran against our forces,' read a statement from the YRK, the armed wing of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK). It said suicide 'suicide drone' killed a fighter identified as Simko Kobane. PJAK is an Iran-based armed group widely believed to be an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The latter group declared a unilateral ceasefire and on July 11 had a ceremonial disarmament where 30 fighters, including commanders, burned their weapons. On May 12, the PKK announced its dissolution and intention to disarm after being urged to do so by their founder, Abdullah Ocalan, who said it was time to take the struggle for Kurdish rights in Turkey into the political sphere. However, PJAK has said it would continue its armed struggle against Tehran despite PKK's decision to dissolve itself, saying Ocalan's decision does not include them. 'We, as the forces of Eastern Kurdistan [western Iran], will not remain defenseless against these types of attacks and will defend ourselves to the end within the framework of our legitimate rights. We do not attack anyone in any way, but we always defend ourselves,' the group added. PJAK operates from bases in the Kurdistan Region's Mount Qandil, where the PKK is also headquartered. The group has clashed with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and is banned in Iran. Several Iranian-Kurdish opposition groups, including PJAK, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), Komala, and the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), have been relocated away from the Iran-Kurdistan Region border as part of a 2023 security agreement between Baghdad and Tehran. Iran has frequently targeted these groups with cross-border strikes, accusing them of inciting unrest inside its borders.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Helpless and trapped': political prisoners stuck in Tehran jail with no way to flee bombings
When Mehraveh Khandan heard about Israel's evacuation order in Tehran last week, the first thing she thought of was her father. Reza Khandan, imprisoned for his human rights activism in 2024, was sitting in a cell in Tehran's Evin prison on the edge of the evacuation zone. She fielded calls from her friends, who were breathless from the shock of the Israeli bombs as tens of thousands fled the Iranian capital. Her father, by contrast, had no way to flee. He was stuck. 'It was the most helpless and trapped moments in my entire life. That was the clearest image for me of our situation as Iranians: one captures us, so the other can strike us,' the 25-year-old said from Amsterdam. On Monday, Mehraveh's worst fear was realised when Israel struck Evin prison. Grainy CCTV footage showed the entrance exploding and the gate crumbling, with Iran's judiciary confirming damage to parts of the prison. Relatives of prisoners told the Guardian there were injuries reported in wards four, seven and eight – where Reza was being held, though he was unharmed. 'Their heads are slightly injured from the force of the explosion, the blast wave caused their heads to hit the wall and swell,' said Hussein*, an Iran-based relative of the human rights lawyer Mohammed Najafi, who is imprisoned in ward four. 'The prisoners are worried.' The Guardian could not independently verify claims of injuries within the prison. Mehraveh is just one of many whose family members were detained for political reasons by the Iranian government. They now fear for the safety of their loved ones stuck in prisons, unable to flee the bombs. The Israeli defence minister's office said the prison attack was part of a larger assault on 'regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran'. Detainees and human rights activists have called for the temporary release of prisoners until fighting has stopped. A group of detainees, including Reza, sent a letter to the head of Iran's judiciary on Wednesday calling on him to temporarily release prisoners, citing an Iranian law that allows for conditional releases during war time. 'Prisons are not equipped with air raid warning systems, shelters or safe evacuation routes … especially ward eight of Evin prison, which is in an even more vulnerable state and does not even have a single fire extinguisher,' the letter read. Mehraveh and other family members of detainees were not optimistic that the Iranian government would approve the releases, noting a pattern of increasing repression during times of crisis. For Reza Younesi, whose 25-year-old brother Ali Younesi has been held in Evin prison since 2020, conditions have already got worse. On Wednesday, his family received news that Ali had been moved from Evin to an unknown location and that attempts by lawyers to locate him had proved fruitless. 'His cellmates called my mum from prison to let us know. We were hoping that maybe he's moved to another ward or even another prison, but there is no information,' said 43-year-old Younesi, speaking from Sweden. He added that he feared his brother was transferred to ward 209, where interrogations are conducted. According to a 2020 Amnesty report, security forces have been documented torturing detainees in ward 209, including through beatings and electric shocks. Ali, a student activist, was accused of possessing 'explosive devices' by Iranian authorities and of being associated with the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, which Iran considers a terrorist group. He was initially sentenced to 16 years in prison, which was reduced to six years and eight months on a recent appeal. 'This is a pattern for the regime. What they do when they are in crisis to show that they can control society is to become more aggressive, they suppress regular people in society, especially prisoners,' Younesi said. Human rights groups shared Younesi's concern. The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran warned on Thursday that 54 political prisoners on death row were at grave risk. 'There is growing fear that Iranian authorities may use the cover of war to carry out these executions, using them as tools of reprisal and intimidation to further silence dissent and instil fear across the population,' the rights group said in a statement. Last Saturday, security forces arrested at least 16 people for 'spreading rumours' and residents in Iran told the Guardian they had noticed an uptick of arrests of people critical of the regime. Iran's interior ministry has published a video of someone confessing to working on behalf of the Mossad (Israel's intelligence service) in Iran. Families of political prisoners say Israeli airstrikes on prisons are not the answer to state repression. They say bombing prisons could put political prisoners at risk. 'We don't believe he [Najafi] is safe at all – we know both the brutality of the Islamic Republic and the intensity of Israel's strikes. When he calls us, we can hear the sound of missile launches and anti-aircraft through the phone,' Hussein said. Inside Evin prison, detainees have reportedly started to stock up on goods, fearful that the fighting outside will lead to deterioration of conditions. Ali's cellmates were buying more food from the commissary, Reza said. Checking on loved ones inside prisons has become more difficult as Iran's government has imposed a near-complete internet blackout on its population. Mehraveh, used to speaking to her father from abroad by calling her mother who would put him on speaker on a separate phone, has been unable to hear his voice since the bombing of the prison. For Reza, whose family has not heard from his brother in six days, the lack of communication was deeply worrying. Before, Ali would call his mother every day on the prison phone, comforting her with the mundane details of his daily routine. He had recently begun learning French from other prisoners, and was teaching them astronomy – his passion – in return. 'I always tell him that he needs to do sports to make sure his body is not degrading,' Reza said. 'He always says, yeah don't worry, I'm doing it … Now we have no information from him, it's a very stressful time.'
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Time of India
Kol geography prof reaches Iran's Mashhad, registers for evacuation
Kolkata: Falguni Dey, the geography professor from Kolkata stranded in war-wrecked Iran, managed to reach Mashhad on Saturday midnight after driving 1,500 km through chaotic and desolate roads. On Sunday, he registered himself for evacuation on Mahan Air flights operating from there to evacuate Indians. Dey left Astara in Iran in the early hours of Friday and travelled from the northwest end of the country to the west of Tehran, moving across areas damaged by missile strikes. By the time he left Astara, both Azerbaijan and Armenia had declined to issue a visa to him, leaving him with the last option to get evacuated from Mashhad. "The roads were empty, and an eerie silence could be witnessed all across. There were police check posts at regular intervals. I was stopped by the police at a place 100 km from Mashhad. They questioned me and searched my belongings for nearly two hours. I was getting delayed but I had to comply," said Dey. He reached Mashhad around 1 am on Sunday and got in touch with the Indian embassy officials there. The presence of the Indian community in Mashhad, and an elaborate arrangement by the embassy, made him feel at home after a long time. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is it better to shower in the morning or at night? Here's what a microbiologist says CNA Read More Undo "It was such a big relief for me. Finally, I had proper food to eat and a bed to sleep in. I felt like I was home," he said. In the past six days, he has travelled nearly 2,500 km across Iran, passed through dangerous areas in the war-ravaged country, slept on mosque floors, went without food most of the time, and tried to keep his morale high in the face of adversity. On Sunday morning, he woke up and reached the Indian embassy's temporary desk set up at a nearby hotel. The desks operate in two shifts, and evacuees register themselves. Once a list is prepared, the Indian embassy takes them home on Iran-based Mahan Air flights. "There are a number of Kashmiri students who got stuck here. There are others, too, from different parts of India. Each one has a story to tell on how they survived the last seven days in a country which has suddenly turned into a war field. At least they are safe now, and soon, they will be evacuated," Dey said.
Indian Express
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Trump says ‘it's very hard' to ask Israel to halt strikes on Iran, dismisses Europe's mediation efforts
US President Donald Trump said Friday that it's difficult to persuade Israel to end its assault on Iran. 'It's very hard to make that request right now. If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing,' Trump was quoted as saying by The New York Times. 'But we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens,' he added. The US President further said that applying pressure on Israel to stop its drone and missile strikes was unrealistic. 'Israel is doing well in terms of war, and I think you would have to say Iran is doing less well… It's a little hard to get someone to stop.' Trump also dismissed European diplomatic efforts to mediate the conflict. 'Iran didn't want to speak to Europe, they want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this one,' he said. According to Reuters, when asked if he would support a ceasefire while negotiations are ongoing, Trump said: 'I might, depending on the circumstances.' Asked about the possibility of deploying US ground forces, Trump responded: 'Well, I'm not going to talk about ground forces, because the last thing you want to do is ground forces.' Meanwhile, in Geneva, the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany met with Iran's foreign minister for three hours. The European ministers urged Iran to return to the negotiating table over its nuclear programme, but the session ended with little sign of progress. The Israel-Iran aerial exchanges entered their ninth day. Israel launched strikes targeting Iran's nuclear and military infrastructure. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israeli territory. According to Iran-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 639 people have been killed in Iran. Israel has reported 24 civilian deaths from Iranian strikes. Trump and the White House have said a decision on possible direct US involvement in the conflict will be made within two weeks. (With inputs from The New York Times, Reuters)
DW
13-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
What's next for Iran after Israel attacks? – DW – 06/13/2025
Tehran has said it considers Israeli strikes on military leaders and nuclear sites as a "declaration of war." A diplomatic de-escalation seems like a distant prospect. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has said Israel will suffer a "bitter and painful" fate, following attacks Friday on Iranian targets. Iran's military has warned there will be "no limits" to its response. Israel's military has said over 100 targets in Iran were struck overnight, which were followed up later in the day by another series of strikes. The targets included at least six leading nuclear scientists and four senior members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who were killed in attacks on residential buildings in the capital, Tehran. Iranian media have reported that the IRGC commander-in-chief, Hossein Salami, was among those killed, along with top Khamenei aide and diplomat Ali Shamkhani, who also led a committee coordinating nuclear talks. Iran has characterized the Israeli strikes as a "declaration of war." Failed nuclear diplomacy with Iran "The current situation is the result of a lack of effective and functioning diplomacy between Iran and the US in the nuclear negotiations," Mohammad Sadegh Javadi Hesar, a former Iranian parliamentarian and editor in chief of the dissident Tus newspaper, told DW. "This situation has created a space in which Israel is behaving undiplomatically and has drawn both negotiating parties into a military confrontation that neither was desired nor is desired by Iran," he added. Israel struck several targets in Tehran on Friday Image: MEGHDAD MADADI/TASNIM NEWS/AFP/Getty Images The US in recent months had restarted negotiations with Iran over Tehran's nuclear program with the aim of reaching a deal to keep Iran away from developing a nuclear weapon. In 2018, during his first term, US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of a nuclear agreement with Iran that traded sanctions relief for a verifiable Iranian drawdown of uranium enrichment. Israel views the Iranian nuclear program as an existential threat. The Iranian leadership does not recognize the state of Israel and regularly threatens to destroy it. However, Tehran officially emphasizes that its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has a different perspective. According to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, Iran is enriching uranium to an extent that exceeds that of all other non-nuclear weapon states. In a resolution on June 12, the UN nuclear watchdog declared for the first time in almost 20 years that Iran had violated its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. This provides an opportunity to refer the case to the UN Security Council. In response to the IAEA's condemnation of the lack of cooperation, the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Agency jointly announced their intention to build a third uranium enrichment facility "in a safe place." Javadi Hesar, an Iran-based political critic, told DW that the IAEA ruling has allowed Israel to legitimize its strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. "Israel can now claim that even the IAEA has determined that the Iranian nuclear program is neither predictable nor controllable. Therefore, it is necessary to strike preemptively and destroy Iranian nuclear facilities out of self-protection," Hesar said. "To prevent this escalation from turning into a major war, and to keep the confrontation between Iran and Israel at a low and limited level, the US government — as Iran's negotiating partner — should quickly condemn Israel's actions and make it publicly clear that it was not involved in this attack," he added. IAEA chief Grossi, meanwhile, condemned the attack on Iran's nuclear program. On Friday, he stated that, according to the Iranian authorities, the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz had been hit by the Israeli attacks. Israel claimed the facility had been "significantly" damaged. The IAEA has not seen increased radiation levels at the site. A second facility in Fordo and the nuclear center in Isfahan were not affected as of Friday afternoon. An aerial photograph of the Natanz nuclear facility from January 2025 Image: Maxar Technologies/Handout/REUTERS How could Iran respond to strikes on nuclear program? Iran has spread its nuclear facilities over several locations, some of which are in underground bunkers, which makes it difficult to completely destroy them. If Iran's nuclear facilities are attacked, Iran has little choice but to strike back for internal political reasons, according to Arman Mahmoudian, Iran expert at the University of South Florida. He added Iran is concerned about a development similar to the Syrian war, in which Israel destroyed several nuclear facilities under construction. "Iran feels compelled to send at least a limited but clear countersignal in order to prevent further attacks. Israel, in turn, could expand its operations and target Iran's electricity and oil infrastructure in order to increase the pressure on Tehran on a daily basis," Mahmoudian told DW. Iran's first reaction was to fire more than 100 drones at Israel, all of which were intercepted outside Israeli territory, according to the Israeli military. The Iranian armed forces released a statement saying that Tehran had "no restrictions" in its response to Israel's strikes. Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh has said that "new" weapons had been tested and handed over to the armed forces. Iran has also called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. What is the role of the US? US President Trump on Friday took to his Truth Social social media platform and called on the Iranian leadership to make a "deal" and warned otherwise of "even more brutal" attacks. "There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end," Trump posted. Trump told US broadcaster CNN on Friday that the Israeli strikes were a "very successful attack." Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier on Friday had said the US was not involved in supporting or orchestrating the strikes. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the prime minister will speak with Trump at some point on Friday. "So far, Iran has not wanted to be drawn into a direct military conflict with the US, which would be an extremely risky undertaking," said Iran expert Mahmoudian. "However, there is a difference between the US merely supporting Israel and actively getting involved in a war with Iran," he added. To completely destroy Iran's nuclear facilities, Israel would need more advanced weaponry that only the US would be able to provide. Should such involvement occur, Iranian retaliation would likely also target US facilities in the region, which would further destabilize the already tense situation in the Middle East. Israel attacks Iran amid growing criticism over Gaza To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This article was originally written in German.
