IranWatch Daily: October 15, 2025

Brief Notes

U.S. Halts Consular Services for Citizens in Iran: Today, the U.S. Virtual Embassy Iran announced that, “Effective October 15, 2025, routine consular services will no longer be available to U.S. citizens in Iran. This includes acceptance of applications for full-validity passports, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBA), and fee-based notarial services. This change reinforces the Department of State’s Travel Advisory for U.S. citizens: Do not travel to Iran.” The statement continued, “Emergency consular services will continue to be provided by the Swiss Embassy’s Foreign Interests Section in Tehran.” Iran-Flagged Tankers Start Transmitting Proper Locations: Maritime tracking platforms reported on October 13 that most Islamic Republic-flagged oil tankers had started properly transmitting their locations on the Automatic Identification System (AIS) for the first time in over seven years, with “the reason still unknown.” Notably, the AIS activation follows the E3’s reactivation of UNSCR 2231 snapback sanctions. Prisoners Protest Surge in Executions: Iranian prisoners at Qezel Hesar Prison near Tehran have been engaged in a hunger strike and sit-in for three days to protest the recent surge in executions. The protest began after 16 prisoners were moved to solitary confinement for execution. Families of death-row inmates rallied outside the prison, demanding an end to capital punishment.  Recent days have also held two drug-related executions in Kerman and three executions in Tehran for alleged armed robberies. Between October 2024 and October 2025, at least 1,537 executions were documented across Iran, an 86% increase from the previous year and the highest in a decade. Murder Suspect in Swedish Case Reportedly Hiding in Iran: The major Swedish newspaper Expressen today reported that the suspected killer of Iraqi activist Salwan Momika is now hiding out in Iran. The murder took place in January of 2025, at Momika’s home in Södertälje, Sweden.

Tehran Likely Behind Recent Assassinations in the Region

Yesterday, Iranian Kurdish dissident Massoud Nazari, originally from Kermanshah Province, was shot dead in Istanbul by unidentified gunmen in what was described as a political assassination. Dissident outlets suggested that the Islamic Republic’s security forces may have been involved, noting Nazari had been “threatened time and again" by the “security apparatus” of the regime in Iran. Turkish authorities are investigating the case. No group has claimed responsibility. Meanwhile, in Baghdad on Wednesday, a car bomb killed a Sunni candidate for Iraqi parliament, Safaa al-Mashhadani, who was also a Baghdad provincial council member. The blast bears the hallmarks of IRGC-backed Shia militias. Notably, a similar killing of Iranian Baluch dissident Rostam Ijbari occurred recently in Herat, Afghanistan.

President Pezeshkian Urges Unity as Criticism Grows

Amid growing factional tension, Pezeshkian used his cabinet meeting today to call for solidarity and caution against “false divisions.” He said, “Some, instead of strengthening solidarity and unity, constantly destroy and blacken everything. I will solve foreign issues, but I am worried about domestic ones.” These comments come after yesterday’s open criticisms of Pezeshkian’s non-attendance at the Gaza peace summit by several members of the “reformist” camp. For instance, Former President Rouhani (2013–2021) urged renewed diplomacy, warning that a “no war and no peace” situation is “economically unsustainable.” Today, domestic newspapers defended Tehran’s decision to skip the U.S.-led Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, harshly criticizing official figures, who called it a missed opportunity. Some state-run outlets mocked the event as a “circus” and “humiliating show” for U.S. President Trump, while others rejected renewed calls for diplomacy with Washington as “naive.”

On the Radar

• A senior cleric who serves as the head of the Supreme Leader’s “think tank for universities,” Alireza Panahian, unveiled his new book: “Plan for the Erasure of Israel.” Panahian described the book as “the starting point of a scientific path” to eliminate Israel. He continued, “The general outlines of the plan are presented in this book, and deeper research must follow to examine more detailed dimensions.”
• Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) members not to enforce recently reimposed UN snapback sanctions on the regime in Iran. Speaking at the NAM foreign ministers’ meeting in Kampala today, he called the sanctions “baseless and illegal,” accusing Western powers of using them for political extortion. Araghchi urged NAM states to reject such “unlawful actions” and stand united against pressure, “reaffirming commitment to the movement’s core principles.”
• The Islamic Republic is advancing a $3.2 billion project to transfer desalinated water from the Gulf of Oman to its eastern provinces, including Razavi Khorasan. The 1,342 km (~834 miles) pipeline will allocate 60% to drinking water and 40% to industry. Supporters call it vital amid recent water crises and reduced river flows from Afghanistan, while critics warn of high costs and environmental risks.