UN secretary-general urges action on global challenges

Speaking to domestic media, Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, stated that Tehran is prepared to initiate discussions this week, provided “the other parties are ready.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s first trip to the West comes just six weeks before the November 5 US presidential election—and amid mounting regional instability in the Middle East. Reuters reported last week that the country’s new president is set to meet with European leaders while in New York, although there is little sign of any breakthrough.

Iran expert Ali Fathollah-Nejad says that this aligns with Pezeshkian’s so-called mission to seek talks with the West in order to obtain sanctions relief. “Pezeshkian’s so-called mission is also supported by the power center in Iran, by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the IRGC whose daily Javan had even celebrated Pezeshkian’s presidential victory,” said Fathollah-Nejad, who is the director of the Center for Middle East and Global Order (CMEG).

While some analysis in Western media has lauded the "reformist" new President as a potential bridge between Iran and the West, others remain unconvinced. “Pezeshkian is nothing more than a moderate façade for the regime to ward off Western economic sanctions and pressure. The West seems to have little strategic memory that the regime has used this tactic repeatedly throughout its 45-year history,” Andrea Stricker, the Deputy Director and Research Fellow at FDD’s Nonproliferation & Biodefense Program, told Iran International English.

According to Reuters, which cited three Iranian officials, Pezeshkian is set to deliver a message that "Tehran is open to diplomacy," with one Iranian official reportedly saying that "Iran's rulers believe that the tense standoff with the West over Iran's nuclear program should end... but through negotiations from a position of power, not pressure.”

Stricker argues that the emphasis on "power, not pressure" highlights the regime's understanding that it can leverage nuclear coercion and blackmail to secure Western concessions. These range from the US easing oil sanctions, allowing unprecedented Iranian oil exports, to avoiding strikes on Iranian military assets despite attacks on US interests or global shipping, and the West's failure to hold Tehran accountable at the IAEA for its nuclear violations. “All of this permits the regime to increase its malign regional activity with impunity,” Stricker said.

Pressure on Iran has also been mounting from some corners to respond to the widely believed Israeli operations—including the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and the latest series of strikes on Hezbollah members in Lebanon. Iran’s reluctance to respond, Fathollah-Nejad argues, is because there is a strategic preference by the regime for Pezeshkian to secure “sanctions relief that is considered vital by Iran’s power center, for regime stability reasons.”

Fathollah-Nejad also notes the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming weeks in Tehran's diplomatic efforts to re-engage with the West. He suggests that for the regime, it would be favorable if Kamala Harris wins the US presidency, as there is significant anxiety in Tehran about Donald Trump's potential return to the White House. While he says that it is difficult to predict what the next weeks will look like, Iran might agree to freeze its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief from the US.

“This would, of course, be a temporary measure, regardless of the fact that there is a need to broaden Iran policy, not least in the regional geopolitical dimension,” Fathollah-Nejad said.

Regardless of who wins the US presidency, Stricker argues that further rounds of fruitless nuclear talks are merely a tactic to "prevent the West from shifting to a pressure strategy aimed at penalizing, deterring, and rolling back Iran's nuclear advancements." “Just as nearly two years of nuclear talks under Biden were ultimately futile, we should expect the same of any talks that are not backed by severe Western pressure and a credible threat of military force. The current dynamic is the result of a failure of US and European strategy and their fear of escalation,” she said.

The Biden administration has seemingly deprioritized negotiations with Iran, focusing on other issues, and with the 2015 nuclear deal effectively defunct, future diplomatic efforts are likely to be more challenging and less effective. Both European diplomats and US officials have suggested in various reports that while Washington is not ready for serious negotiations, Iran may seek engagement with Europe independently.

Whether there will be a new nuclear deal or not, Stricker and Fathollah-Nejad seemingly agree that it will not address the growing threats Iran poses. “The 2015 nuclear deal is obsolete and set to expire in a few short years. It permitted the expansion of Iran’s nuclear program over time, in any case, and legalized the situation we face now with Tehran’s nuclear program,” Stricker maintained, saying the JCPOA was never a long-term solution.

While some have voiced that the West may not have any more tools left to restrain Tehran, Stricker argues the opposite. “It is well past time for the West to revert back to pressure—and to sustain it, backed by a strategy to weaken and destabilize the regime—if there is to be a negotiated solution, but ideally, a free Iran,” Stricker said.

She suggests the West enforce US oil sanctions on Iran by targeting Chinese importers, interdicting shipments, destroying Iranian military assets to restore deterrence, and reimposing UN sanctions expiring in 2025 to reinstate global missile, military, and nuclear restrictions on Tehran. “America, Europe, and Israel can also decisively support the Iranian people in their struggle to rid the country of the root of most Middle East woes—the Islamic Republic regime.”

The Israeli military statement identified Ibrahim Qubaisi, head of Hezbollah's rocket and missile division, as having been killed in the attack on the densely populated suburb.

"Over the years and during the war, he was responsible for launching missiles toward the Israeli civilians," it said. "(Qubaisi) was a significant source of knowledge in the field of missiles and had close ties to senior military leaders in Hezbollah."

At least six people were killed and 11 wounded in the strike on Tuesday afternoon on the Ghobeiry area in southern Beirut, the Lebanese health ministry said.

Hezbollah media channels did not specify any names for the dead.

In March, Israel killed Ali Abdulhassan Na'im, the unit's deputy head.

A Lebanese security source told Middle East Eye that the Israeli strike had targeted two floors in a residential building in the neighbourhood.

The group has fired over 8,000 projectiles to Israel in allegiance with Iran-backed Hamas after their October 7 attacks on Israel.

Meanwhile Tuesday, Hezbollah continued to barrage northern Israel with dozens of projectiles amid a relentless retaliation from Israel, announcing they were targeting military positions.

On Tuesday, Israel's military announced it had carried out strikes on approximately 1,500 terrorist infrastructure targets in Lebanon with 2,000 munitions over the last 24 hours.

In recent days, the death toll in Lebanon has been the highest since the last Lebanon war as the Israeli government has vowed to return the residents of the north home.

Lebanon's health ministry says 558 people have been killed in strikes since Monday, including 50 children. Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad told Al-Hadath that the country is planning to increase the capacity of hospitals but with Lebanon in the midst of a dire economic crisis, the healthcare system is already on the brink of collapse.

Lebanon's Al Hadath reported that 150 schools had been allocated to house the displaced from the country's south where at least 100,000 have already been displaced, and hundreds of thousands more expected to follow.

The crisis saw an emergency UN Security Council meeting called in a bid to stop the spiralling violence.

On Friday, commander Ibrahim Aqil was killed along with 14 other senior figures as operations took an uptick last week in a bid to regain security in Israel's north.

It followed the targeting of scores of Hezbollah operatives in a two-day operation which saw pagers and walkie-talkies explode. Israel did not admit or deny the attack which resulted in the deaths of dozens and thousands injured, including women and children.

The turnaround in the aggression from Israel after 11 months of being under almost daily bombardment from Hezbollah has led to a rise in popularity for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

While 63,000 Israelis in the country's north remain displaced amid the fighting, it has led to allegations of the government forgetting the country's northern residents under fire since October 8.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Dahlia Scheindlin, a pollster and political analyst said: “Netanyahu has definitely recovered from the postwar crash."

After resisting taking on a second front amid the Gaza war, she added: “It looks like Israel is taking the initiative. It’s true everybody gets terrified about the consequences. But each time they have ultimately been far less than the Armageddon many worried about. And a lot of people come out of it thinking Netanyahu has . . . regained Israel’s footing.”

n a Monday editorial, the hardline Kayhan newspaper, closely aligned with Iran's conservative establishment, warned President Masoud Pezeshkian against meeting with American officials during the UN General Assembly.

The editorial, penned by Hossein Shariatmadari, managing editor of Kayhan and representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the newspaper, claimed that the reformist figures who advised President Pezeshkian to hold such "humiliating meetings" with US leaders might be plotting against him.

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Esmail Qaani made the request during a visit to Baghdad, according to seven Iraqi sources, including people in political parties whose leaders the Iranian commander met. A regional diplomat confirmed the account. All the sources asked not to be named because the meetings were held in private.

The move to avert any weakening of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani reflects concerns in Iran about instability on its doorstep in Iraq, where Tehran has long wielded influence via a range of Iran-backed armed groups and Shiite Muslim parties.

Tehran is keen to avoid further pressure on its regional alliances after the almost year-long Gaza war, which has hammered Hamas, and amid an escalating conflict in Lebanon that has put huge pressure on Tehran's key regional ally, Hezbollah.

The Quds Force is the overseas branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The IRGC and Iran's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Qaani told Iraqi leaders in the Coordination Framework, a grouping of Shiite Muslim parties that picked Sudani for the job, not to undermine the prime minister amid allegations his office spied on top Iraqi officials and politicians. Qaani said stability in Iraq was vital amid the regional violence.

The spying allegations, which have been denied by advisers to Sudani and for which no evidence has been publicly presented, were aired by lawmakers and major media organisations last month and have caused a stir in Iraq.

Parliamentary elections next year

Loyalists and independent observers say prime minister Sudani's political opponents stoked the allegations to try to weaken him before parliamentary elections next year. Parties critical of him say the allegations are serious.

Iraq's judiciary has opened a probe into the matter overseen by Faiq Zaidan, the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, and some Iraqi officials said the results of the probe could determine whether the prime minister continues in his job.

For Sudani, the dispute comes at a delicate moment. He is seeking to rebuild the economy after decades of conflict ahead of elections and to balance the influence of well-armed, Iran-backed factions while negotiating a drawdown of US-led forces in Iraq, where Washington has maintained a contingent for years.

Renad Mansour at the London-based Chatham House think tank said Iran wanted to prevent tensions in Iraq, where rivalries have often turned violent, before parliamentary polls in 2025.

"At a crucial moment for Iran when it's trying to respond to Israeli aggression, the Iraqi groups are infighting in a way that's destabilising. The last thing Iran wants now is a political mess in Iraq," Mansour said.

It's not the first time Qaani has intervened in Iraq in a moment of crisis.

In February, he asked armed factions that Iran backs in Iraq to cease attacks on U.S. forces after a strike by one group on a US base in Jordan, on Iraq's western border, killed three US troops, Reuters reported at the time.

There were no attacks for months afterwards.

(Report by Reuters)

Last year, there were several instances in Sweden where Islam's holy book was publicly burned, triggering widespread outrage across the Muslim world and sparking concerns of potential jihadist attacks.

“The security police can establish that a cyber group acted on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to carry out an influence campaign,” the Swedish Security Service stated.

“The purpose was, among other things, to paint the image of Sweden as an Islamophobic country and create division in society,” it added.

In a separate statement, the Swedish Prosecution Authority confirmed that its investigation had determined the Iranian state, through the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was responsible for the data breach.

The authority noted that while they had identified the hackers involved, they would not proceed with pressing charges.

“Since the perpetrators are acting for a foreign power, in this case Iran, we assess that the conditions for prosecution abroad or extradition to Sweden are lacking,” the statement read.

Last year, the US State Department named Iran as the world's number one state sponsor of terror.

Following the Quran burnings, Sweden heightened its terrorism alert last year. The desecration led to widespread protests across several Muslim-majority countries, including a large demonstration outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad. Iran's foreign ministry summoned Sweden’s charge d’affaires in Tehran. Also, Morocco recalled its ambassador in protest. At the same time, Turkey’s foreign minister condemned the incident, stating that it is “unacceptable to allow anti-Islam protests in the name of freedom of expression.”

The US also weighed in on the matter, with the deputy spokesperson for the State Department, Vedant Patel, noting in a briefing that burning religious texts is “disrespectful and hurtful.” He added, “What might be legal is certainly not necessarily appropriate".

In May, Sweden’s domestic security agency revealed that Iran had been planning terror plots in Sweden targeting dissidents and the country's Jewish and Israeli community.

The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the revelations showing Iran was using Swedish crime gangs were being taken "very seriously".

In June, Iran and Sweden exchanged prisoners in a controversial swap. Iran freed Johan Floderus, a Swedish diplomat, and Saeed Azizi, a dual citizen. In return, Sweden released Hamid Nouri, an Iranian official convicted of war crimes for his role in the 1988 mass executions. Human rights groups have strongly criticized the exchange, calling it an act of "hostage-taking" by Iran.