Brief Notes IAEA Officials Set to Visit Iran in Two Weeks: Islamic Republic Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei today announced that IAEA officials are scheduled to visit Iran in two weeks. Baghaei also stressed that “if Iran remains a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it must...
Brief Notes
IAEA Officials Set to Visit Iran in Two Weeks: Islamic Republic Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei today announced that IAEA officials are scheduled to visit Iran in two weeks. Baghaei also stressed that “if Iran remains a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it must enjoy all rights under the treaty, especially the right to peaceful nuclear energy,” and added that any new framework for cooperation will take into account any binding laws passed by the Majles (parliament). Clerical Establishment Continues to Target Iranian Jews: Since the conclusion of last month’s 12-Day War, the Islamic Republic has detained dozens of Iranian Jews as part of its crackdown on alleged “Israeli spies.” Among the detainees were two American citizens, one of whom has been released on bail. MPs Call on President Pezeshkian to Increase Defense Budget: Several MPs met with President Pezeshkian today, urging him to increase defense spending in next year’s budget to address defense and intelligence vulnerabilities exposed during the 12-Day War. They urged him to “prioritize the armed forces” and called for renewed security efforts “on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood” basis, with particular focus on provinces bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan. Majles Threatens NPT Withdrawal: The Majles is drafting a proposal that would compel Tehran to withdraw from the NPT if European powers trigger UNSCR 2231’s snapback mechanism.Trump Says Tehran ‘Sending Very Nasty Signals’
U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking during a news conference in Scotland beside United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said that Tehran was “sending very bad signals, very nasty signals.” He continued, “And they shouldn’t be doing that. We wiped out their nuclear possibilities. They can start again. If they do, we’ll wipe it out faster than you can wave your finger at it. We will do that gladly, openly and gladly.” In response, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X: “If aggression is repeated, we will not hesitate to react in a more decisive manner and in a way that will be IMPOSSIBLE to cover up…Yes, our enrichment facilities are severely damaged, but our DETERMINATION IS NOT.” President Trump also said Tehran may be stonewalling Gaza ceasefire talks, stating, “I think they got involved in this negotiation, telling Hamas and giving Hamas signals and orders. And that's not good. That's not good.” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Baghaei rejected President Trump’s claim, calling it “a form of deflection and evasion of responsibility aimed at covering up the direct role of the U.S. in the crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinian people.”Violence Near Northwest, Southeast Borders Intensifies
The Baloch militant group Jaysh al-Adl, designated as a terror group by the United States, claimed responsibility for an assault on a judiciary complex in the southeastern city of Zahedan, Sistan-Baluchestan Province, located near the border with Pakistan. The militants said the attack targeted what it described as a symbol of state repression. State media reported that at least six individuals, including judicial staff and security personnel, were killed in the attack, and more than a dozen others were injured. Also in Zahedan, an armed assailant killed a senior member of the IRGC-controlled Basij militia, Javad Karim-Koshteh, outside the Imam Hadi Mosque today. Another Basij militiaman, Meysam Kabiri, was also killed in an attack targeting an IRGC base in the northwestern city of Sardasht, West Azerbaijan Province, located near the border with Iraqi Kurdistan. The incident follows a recent uptick in clashes with Kurdish militant groups, such as PJAK, near the border.On the Radar
- State-run media outlet, Mehr News Agency, reported that border guards in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan have conducted an operation seizing more than a ton of precursor chemical substances intended to be used in the manufacture of drugs.
- In a recent interview, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “During the war, my residence was targeted in a bomb-planting attempt. The device was placed in the house opposite mine and was discovered by our [security forces].” He also claimed that Israeli drones repeatedly flew over his motorcade while he was traveling to and from Turkey during the conflict.
- Shargh, an Iranian daily newspaper, reported that Tether Holdings Limited, a cryptocurrency firm registered in the British Virgin Islands and the issuer of the USDT stablecoin, has frozen “tens of millions of dollars” belonging to Iranians.
- Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a statement strongly criticizing recent discourse on the proposed Zangezur corridor, describing the project as a “U.S. plot aimed at isolating Iran and Russia.” In a phone call with his Armenian counterpart, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, echoed these concerns, citing that the project would lead to the “geopolitical reshaping of the region.”
- This morning, three earthquakes hit Iran's southern Bushehr Province. The first earthquake measured at a magnitude of 4.9, followed by 4.2, and 3.9 magnitude aftershocks.