Iran launches hotline to discourage abortions

Aoun, who was backed by factions seeking to reduce Hezbollah's dominance, signals a shift away from Lebanon’s political dominance by Iran via the militia.

His election marks the end of a prolonged political vacuum and a decisive moment in Lebanon's complex political landscape, raising questions about the country's future alignment in a shattered Middle East.

Former chief of Lebanon's army, Aoun has distanced himself from Hezbollah. His election, after two rounds of voting, followed years of political paralysis exposing the deep divide between Lebanon's pro-Western factions and a pro-Hezbollah bloc.

In his first address to parliament, Aoun called for the Lebanese state to reclaim control over its military, signaling a possible challenge to Hezbollah.

His presidency, he added, would strive toward giving the state the exclusive right to carry arms, a statement likely aimed at Hezbollah and its vast array of weapons.

His words were met with the longest applause of the speech, though Hezbollah parliamentarians remained seated and silent, marking the national tension between Aoun’s vision and the group's interests.

In a diplomatic message, Iran's embassy in Beirut congratulated Lebanon on Aoun's election, expressing hope for stronger cooperation between the two nations.

“We congratulate brotherly Lebanon for the election of General Joseph Aoun,” the embassy said, emphasizing the importance of cooperation to serve mutual interests.

The statement did not address the status of Hezbollah's arms.

Switzerland confirmed the death of one of its citizens but also provided few details.

"The FDFA confirms the death of a Swiss citizen in Iran," spokesperson Pierre-Alain Eltschinger told Iran International.

"The Swiss Embassy in Tehran is in contact with the local authorities to clarify the circumstances of the death in an Iranian prison," Eltschinger added.

The person took their own life in a prison cell, according to judicial official in Iran's northern province of Semnan.

"The Swiss detainee was held in a suite with another inmate in Semnan prison," Iran's judiciary news website Mizan quoted Mohammad Sadegh Akbari as saying.

"This morning the detainee asked their cellmate to purchase food from the prison canteen. Taking advantage of time alone in the suite, the detainee committed suicide."

"Prison officials immediately intervened to save the individual, but their efforts were unsuccessful," he added. "Suicide has been definitively confirmed."

Iran has arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners in recent years, mostly on charges related to espionage and security. Some have been released in deals that see Iranians with the security establishment in Tehran freed from foreign jails.

Switzerland represents American interests in Iran since Tehran and Washington broke official ties shortly after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The Swiss government has acted as intermediary and shared messages between the two countries.

Precedents

Iran's account of the alleged suicide of the Swiss national is likely to be questioned by human rights groups which accuse Iran of mistreating inmates, especially in cases where few details are provided, not even the individuals name.

Precedent also suggests that early reports of events inside Iranian prisons can be later qualified or even contradicted.

Last November, a US-based German-Iranian national died in prison in Tehran, with conflicting reports about his death.

Jamshid Sharmahd, 68, was on death row for "endangering national security". He had been abducted by Iranian agents during a visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2020 and forcibly taken to Iran.

State media announced in October 28, 2024 that "justice was served" vis a vis Sharmahd, implying his sentence had been carried out.

A week later, Iran’s judiciary said Sharmahd had died of a stroke before his scheduled execution, contradicting previous official accounts but providing little clarity.

"Iran's authorities must halt any plans to carry out her execution and release her immediately," Amnesty said in a post on X Tuesday, adding that Azizi was sentenced in connection with her peaceful humanitarian and human rights work.

Azizi’s lawyer, Amir Raeisian, criticized the judicial process, saying the Supreme Court failed to address critical flaws in her case.

“We filed an appeal, but ... the Supreme Court reviewed the appeal and unfortunately rejected it without addressing the numerous flaws in the case, thereby confirming the death sentence,” Raeisian told Tehran-based newspaper Sharq Daily on Wednesday.

Azizi was arrested at her home in Tehran in August 2023, by state security forces who allegedly held a gun to her head.

She asserts that she was denied legal counsel during detention and was tortured to confess to things she had not done---something rights groups say is a routine tactic used by Iranian authorities against activists.

Azizi was sentence to death in July 2024 for “armed rebellion against the state” and imposed an additional four-year prison sentence for alleged membership in the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), accusations her lawyers have denied.

In a letter from prison right after her sentence, Azizi described instances of torture and harassment, including mock executions.

At least 54 political prisoners including Azizi are currently facing execution across various prisons in Iran, according to US-based rights group HRANA.

Iran has faced mounting international criticism for its use of the death penalty, particularly against political prisoners and activists.

Iran executed 901 people in 2024, including 31 women, marking a rise in capital punishment cases, the United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday.

Takeshi Ebisawa on Wednesday admitted to trafficking nuclear materials from Myanmar, as well as narcotics and arms charges.

US authorities charged Ebisawa in February 2024 with conspiring to supply nuclear materials to Iran for potential use in nuclear weapons development.

"As he admitted in federal court today, Takeshi Ebisawa brazenly trafficked nuclear material, including weapons-grade plutonium, out of Burma (Myanmar)," said Acting US Attorney Edward Kim for the Southern District of New York.

"At the same time, he worked to send massive quantities of heroin and methamphetamine to the United States in exchange for heavy-duty weaponry such as surface-to-air missiles to be used on battlefields in Burma and laundered what he believed to be drug money from New York to Tokyo."

US authorities said the scheme was detected and stopped through international cooperation with Indonesia, Japan and Thailand.

"The problem we are facing is that general practitioners are not interested in pursuing specialization or working in the medical field. This issue cannot be resolved with such extremely low fees," Raiszadeh, who leads the non-governmental licensing and regulatory body for the medical profession, said Thursday.

The same official noted in November that, compared to the salaries of civil servants and the wages of workers, doctors' incomes have experienced minimal growth in recent years. Moreover, due to a persistent inflation rate exceeding 40%, nominal incomes have lost much of their purchasing power since 2019.

The Iranian government strictly regulates medical fees and annually announces chargeable rates for private general practitioners, specialists, and dentists.

In early April, for instance, doctor's fees for general practitioners and specialists were set at 1.26 million rials ($20) and 1.89 million rials ($30), respectively, for the next twelve months. The medical community argues that these tariffs for medical services do not align with inflation and has strongly objected to them.