UN experts, US urge Iran to overturn activist's death sentence

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the partnership deal with Iran will not be directed against any third country.

"This agreement, like our agreement with the DPRK, is not directed against any country and is constructive in nature, aimed at strengthening the capabilities of Russia and Iran in various parts of the world, the ability to better develop the economy, resolve social issues and ensure reliable defense capability," Russia's RIA Novosti quoted Lavrov as saying at a press conference on Tuesday.

Earlier, the Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Russia on January 17.

The signing of the long-anticipated agreement is expected to take place following their discussions.

"We are ready for dialogue; we accept an equal conversation that considers our dignity and wisdom, and we will not submit to force in any way," Masoud Pezeshkian told NBC in an interview in Tehran.

His official website framed the remarks as referring to the United States and European Union.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is committed to peace and de-escalation in the region and globally, condemns the Zionist regime's war-mongering, aggression, and genocide, and stands ready for honorable and equal negotiations," he added.

The interview was broadcast on the American television network on Wednesday in spite of the fact the two nations have no diplomatic ties and Iran's Supreme Leader has spoken out against negotiating with the US.

Pezeshkian has consistently advocated for regional and global peace, as the nation's armed allies across the region face increasing challenges.

“We desire friendly relations with the countries of the region and the world, and we are striving to establish peace and security both inside and outside the country,” he said last month during a visit to North Khorasan province.

Pezeshkian made similar remarks in September, accusing Israel of provoking an all-out war as the Jewish state was in the midst of a series of airstrikes targeting Iran's largest military ally, Hezbollah in Lebanon, alongside the war in Gaza against Iran-backed Hamas.

"We want to live in peace; we don't want war," Pezeshkian told Reuters. "It is Israel that seeks to create this all-out conflict."

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said in a speech last week that advocates of negotiating with the United States are "intimidated by the enemy", the two countries not having diplomatic ties since 1980.

He urged officials of the Islamic Republic to disregard "the unreasonable demands of Americans" when addressing key issues, including the hijab, inflation, and currency.

Responding to the question, "Why do we negotiate with Europeans but not engage with the United States?" Khamenei said, "America's enmity toward Iran and the Revolution is deeply rooted and relentless."

US President-elect Donald Trump is set to officially assume office as President of the United States in less than a week, on January 20.

During his first term, Trump implemented a series of measures aimed at weakening Iran’s economy and curbing its regional influence, notably its nuclear program. He withdrew the United States from the nuclear deal with Tehran but did not pursue negotiations that could lead to a new agreement.

In a clear signal of the incoming administration’s intentions, Trump’s newly appointed senior adviser on the Middle East, Massad Boulos, said that President-elect Donald Trump plans to revive his maximum pressure strategy against Iran, further emphasizing the goal of enforcing Iran’s isolation.

On Monday, The Economist described Iran as "vulnerable to a Trumpian all-out economic assault." Similarly, The Spectator wrote, "Trump’s presidency could spell the end of Iran’s regime."

"I can't ignore what I see as a hypocritical attitude towards Iran, which forged the other part of my identity," Satrapi wrote in a letter to France's culture minister, shared on her social media on Monday.

"I can't continue seeing the children of Iranian oligarchs come to spend their holidays in France, even become naturalized, while at the same time young dissidents have difficulty in obtaining a tourist visa to come to see what the country of the Enlightenment and human rights looks like," she added in the Instagram post.

Satrapi, a vocal critic of the Islamic Republic, left the country in 1994 and became a French citizen in 2006. Her work, including Persepolis, has drawn global attention to the challenges of life under Iran's theocratic rule.

Pirzadeh's suicide attempt occurred shortly after he released an audio message from prison, in which he accused authorities of depriving him of essential medications, including those for seizures and asthma.

He also noted that his sciatica pain had worsened significantly due to the lack of treatment.

An Instagram account associated with Pirzadeh reported that after his suicide attempt, he was taken to a hospital, where his wounds were stitched, before being sent back to prison.

In January last year, Pirzadeh was sentenced to a total of five years for “assembly and collusion against national security” and an additional eight months for “propaganda against the regime.”

Last year, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) published a report which said that inmates in Ward Four of Evin Prison were suffering from severe overcrowding, abysmal hygiene, and hunger, most of whom were political detainees.

According to the NSC statement issued in Hebrew, the operatives introduced themselves as journalists from the Persian edition of Al Arabiya -- the Saudi-owned media network with a presence in Dubai.

The Iranian agents, the statement read, reached out to the Israeli businessman via Telegram, inviting him for an interview on the topic of Iran for the news channel.

The team then attempted to plant malicious software on the Israeli man's device through links, "designed to grant them access to his mobile phone without his knowledge."

The businessman, suspicious about the messages, reported the account to security services leading to an investigation.

"The characteristics of the conversation and the invitation to conduct an 'interview' on the subject of the Iranian regime indicate that indeed Iranian terror elements are behind the approach. In fact, this was an attempt to lure the Israeli to Dubai with the intent to harm him," the NSC statement said.

This incident comes less than two months since Chabad emissary Zvi Kogan was murdered in the UAE, who Israel says was murdered in "antisemitic act of terror."

Kogan’s body was found near the Omani border.

Three Uzbek citizens have since been arrested in connection with the case, with UAE authorities saying they will take "take the necessary measures to uncover the details, circumstances, and motives of the incident."

In 2020, Jamshid Sharmahd was kidnapped by Iranian operatives from Dubai and forcibly taken to Iran via Oman. He was sentenced to death and executed in what Amnesty called a "grossly unfair trial" in 2023. Iran accused him of being the leader of a pro-monarchist terrorist group. Sharmahd and his family denied the claim. Amnesty International said he faced a grossly unfair trial based on forced “confessions", held in solitary confinement since 2020.

In 2013, Iranian intelligence agents are believed to have kidnapped British-Iranian businessman Abbas Yazdi from the car park of his Dubai company.

Israel saw a record surge last year in Iran-backed plots, rising by 400% in the wake of the Gaza war.

“During the year, 13 serious espionage affairs by Israelis were exposed and thwarted for the Iranian intelligence agencies, and serious indictments were filed against 27 Israelis,” a statement from Israel’s security agency Shin Bet said.