Iran slaps activist with new prison term over hijab, death penalty protest

Mohammad Habibi, spokesman for the Coordinating Council of Teachers’ Trade Associations, said on Monday there was no clear figure for how many teachers had been dismissed since the 2022 protests, as many avoided publicizing their cases.

He said some teachers arrested during a Teachers’ Day rally in Tehran in May were later released on bail but still face trial, while union activists in provincial towns have been summoned or briefly detained.

“The current administration has made no change in the policy toward independent unions, and so far there has been no invitation from the administration or the education ministry to hear our criticisms and demands,” Habibi was quoted as saying.

In recent years, numerous teachers were detained and faced harsh prison sentences over holding protest rallies.

“If tariffs are not adjusted, operators will not be able to invest, and improving internet quality will be impossible,” Alireza Rafiei said on Monday.

In the near future, he said, Iranians should expect scheduled internet outages just like the country's routine power cuts.

Iran’s internet crisis, marked by declining quality, frequent disruptions, and GPS interference, has persisted for two months since the 12-day war with Israel when blackouts rocked the country, affecting everything from tracing the whereabouts of loved ones to online banking and GPS services for businesses dependent on them.

Consumption has steadily increased while tariffs have remained frozen for years, even as electricity, equipment, and operational costs have multiplied, Rafiei added. Without higher rates, he argued, operators cannot invest in upgrades.

Iran ranks among the worst for connectivity

A report by the Internet and Infrastructure Commission of Tehran’s E-Commerce Association last week ranked Iran 97th out of 100 countries in terms of quality, describing the network as “unreliable, restricted and slow.”

Citizens across Iran have told Iran International of widespread issues, saying outages and slow speeds add to the pressure of power cuts, water shortages, inflation, and unemployment.

Government officials have blamed the June war with Israel for worsening connectivity. On July 15, government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani linked new restrictions to security decisions taken during the conflict, while Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi acknowledged poor quality service earlier in August.

Interference was partly introduced after reports that GPS signals were being used to guide drones, he said.

However, the E-Commerce Association report said that disruptions had been recorded long before the conflict and remain unresolved even two months since its end.

Power cuts and GPS disruptions

Constant electricity blackouts make matters worse as operators cannot recharge backup systems in time, Rafiei said.

“The batteries we use, even in the best case, only work 45 minutes to one hour,” he explained. “With repeated outages, sometimes we don’t even get the chance to recharge them.”

If two hours of daily power cuts accumulate, it means “two percent of sites are permanently off, creating extraordinary dissatisfaction,” added Rafiei.

The crisis has been compounded by widespread GPS disruptions.

Since the war, users continue to report erratic location shifts of hundreds of kilometers, disrupting services such as ride-hailing apps and logistics businesses.

The Iranian government continues to promote its long-term national internet project, designed to tighten control over information flows.

A group of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard officials travelled to Kabul last week, where the Taliban handed them a leaked list containing personal details of Afghans who had applied for asylum in Britain — including soldiers, intelligence assets and special forces members — in exchange for Iran’s potential recognition of their rule, senior Iranian and Afghan officials told the paper.

The Telegraph said the officials travelled without the knowledge of Iran’s civilian government.

A senior Iranian official told the paper that four Guards members promised the Taliban they would push Tehran to speed up recognition of the Islamist group.

“The Taliban gave them the list. They want to find British spies before the ‘snapback’ to have something to pressure London behind closed doors,” the official was quoted as saying.

Iranian border forces have already detained several people whose names appeared on the leaked list, the report said.

“Many were released because they were only former Afghan soldiers, while others are being held for further checks. The focus is just on British spies,” the source added.

The database, dubbed a “kill list” by British media, was accidentally leaked in 2022 when a Royal Marine emailed the full file to Afghan contacts. It included names, phone numbers and email addresses of around 25,000 Afghans and more than 100 British special forces personnel and MI6 operatives who endorsed Afghan relocation applications.

The Taliban’s decision to share the file followed internal debate, the paper said, with some officials objecting due to Iran’s treatment of Afghan refugees.

“Some argued that we should not do any favors for the Iranians … but if they were willing to recognize the Islamic Emirate in return, that would not be a bad deal,” a Taliban official was quoted as saying.

Earlier on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said that recognizing the Taliban was a “sovereign decision,” adding that Tehran maintains extensive interactions with Afghanistan due to shared ties, a long border and common challenges, and would make a decision on recognition “whenever its national interests require.”

The reported development comes as Britain, France and Germany warned they would trigger the 'snapback' mechanism to restore UN sanctions unless Iran resumes nuclear talks before the end of August.

Baghaei told reporters that Tehran remained ready to take steps to reassure the world about the peaceful nature of its nuclear program, but only if sanctions were lifted.

“We are prepared to adopt a series of measures to provide assurances about the peaceful nature of our nuclear program, conditional upon the removal of oppressive sanctions,” he said at his weekly press briefing.

Baghaei dismissed speculation about third-party mediation in its relations with the UN nuclear watchdog, saying, “Our relationship with the Agency is direct. Last week, one of its deputies visited Tehran. We also had discussions on drafting a cooperation framework,” he said. “Our representative in Vienna is in constant contact with the Agency.”

‘European have no right for snapback’

The spokesperson also criticized Britain, France, and Germany over threats to use the so-called snapback mechanism that could restore UN sanctions.

“The very act of Europe using this tool as a means of pressure against Iran is an illegal move,” Baghaei said.

“The three European countries failed to fulfill their obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal, and after the US and Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities, they neither condemned it nor even tried to provide a logical explanation of their positions. We believe the three European countries have no right to use this mechanism.”

He added: “We never cut off negotiations with these three countries. They must decide whether they want to play a constructive role or a negative role aligned with the interests of the Zionist regime.”

Responding to a question on whether Iran might consider extending the deadline set by Britain, France and Germany in their recent letter to the United Nations, Baghaei said Tehran had no such plans. “The Islamic Republic has no program to extend the snapback mechanism,” he said.

His comments followed a letter sent last week by the foreign ministers of the three European powers — known as the E3 — to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the Security Council, warning that they were prepared to reimpose international sanctions unless Tehran resumed nuclear negotiations with Washington and restored cooperation with the IAEA before the end of August, or accepted an extension.

Caucasus concerns

On regional issues, Baghaei said Iran closely monitored developments in the South Caucasus.

“We have been very clear that we are sensitive to the presence of extra-regional actors,” he said.

“We conveyed this explicitly to our friends in Armenia and listened to their explanations. For us, the unblocking of routes must not harm internationally recognized borders or contradict Armenia’s national sovereignty. We are monitoring the situation carefully and will raise concerns whenever necessary.”

Last week, US President Donald Trump brokered a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which gives Washington leasing rights to develop the Zangezur transit route connecting Azerbaijan with its exclave, Nakhchivan. It will be renamed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP).

Epstein case not linked to talks

Asked about reports linking the Jeffrey Epstein case to negotiations with Washington, Baghaei said Iran would not speculate.

“The so-called Epstein case is an issue that is not limited to the United States; many officials from different countries were implicated. We do not engage in speculation about the motives of US officials. What matters to us are their actions and Iran’s interests,” he said.

Since June 24, officials and state media in Iran have repeatedly described the incidents as ordinary accidents, often blaming gas leaks, electrical faults or waste fires.

While pledging that investigations would reveal the causes, they have consistently denied any link to Israel.

The blasts came in the middle of summer, a season when gas use is at its lowest. Some fires broke out near military facilities.

The sudden death of Ali Taeb — a former representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the Sarallah Headquarters, a key Revolutionary Guard security command — deepened doubts.

The authorities’ official explanation has sparked a wave of jokes on Iranian social media.

What types of sites were hit

Of the sites affected, about 30 percent were commercial, 24 percent residential, 16 percent industrial, 14 percent military, 10 percent public facilities, and 6 percent of unknown use.

The peak came on July 14 with four incidents. Tehran province had the most overall with 15, followed by Hormozgan with five, Khorasan Razavi with four, East Azarbaijan and Alborz with three each, five provinces with two, and nine provinces with at least one.

Explosions and fires from June 24 to June 30

The first case after the ceasefire was on June 24, when a residential unit in Kermanshah’s Karnachi district exploded. Officials blamed a gas leak.

On June 25, another residential unit in Tehran’s Jannatabad district was destroyed, also officially described as a gas explosion in an unfinished building.

The same day, another explosion occurred on Hedayat Boulevard in Mashhad, likewise blamed on gas. That evening in Dezful, residents reported powerful blasts. Military officials said they were caused by the destruction of old munitions.

On June 26, flames poured from a unit in the Aseman Tower in Tehran’s Farmanieh district. Given the recent targeting of military and security officials during the 12-day war, doubts grew. No clear cause was ever announced.

The same day, an explosion and fire were reported at Tabriz refinery, northwest of Iran. In an unusual move, the IRGC’s Ashura unit issued a statement blaming a nitrogen tank replacement.

In Urmia, another explosion was reported near the airport and again it was attributed to the disposal of munitions.

Around the same time, residents in Tehran’s northeast, near Shahrak-e Mahallati, and in Hamedan, reported powerful blasts. Both were officially described as air defense tests.

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Explosions and fires from July 4 to July 14

On July 4, a huge fire engulfed the Noor shopping center in Qeshm Island, destroying at least 200 stores. Its scale required 130 firefighters from several towns.

On July 5, an explosion was reported near the Istak factory in Sanandaj, attributed to a battery warehouse.

On July 7, repeated blasts were heard in western Tehran, with no official explanation. On July 9, a fire struck workshops in Khalazir, west of Tehran.

That night, Bandar Abbas’s main bazaar, the Hormozgan Mega Mall, burned.

On July 10, an explosion destroyed a unit in Pamchal-9 Tower in western Tehran. Witnesses reported seeing a projectile, and security forces quickly sealed the site.

Officials called it a gas blast, but the tower had no gas piping.

The next day, the death of Taeb was announced.

On July 14, residents in Damavand reported explosions and glowing objects in the sky, which officials again described as an air defense test.

The same day, thick smoke rose near Roshandelan Bridge in Tehran, with firefighters attributing the blaze to a shoe workshop.

In Karaj, a blaze destroyed a furniture workshop. In Mashhad, smoke was seen near the airport, blamed on grass burning.

In Qom’s Pardisan district, a blast tore through an apartment complex, injuring seven and damaging surrounding buildings.

The images resembled Israeli strikes on high-profile figures during the 12-day war. Officials said it was a gas leak.

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Explosions and fires from July 14 to July 20

On July 15, a fire broke out at Mashhad’s Qaem shopping center, which officials linked to the building’s age, while Tabriz’s Zomorrod Tower also caught fire with no cause given.

In Tehran’s Esfahanak district, a five-story apartment block with 60 units burned, blamed on a car fire in the garage.

On July 16, a blaze hit Baghlarbaghi park in Tabriz, said to be caused by an amusement ride engine.

On July 17, smoke rose near Barekat Hospital in Tehran’s Chitgar area, blamed on a garbage depot fire.

On July 19, an explosion at Abadan refinery was blamed on a pump leak. That night, a 30-story residential tower in Tehran’s Kharrazi district caught fire, blamed on a faulty air conditioner.

The same day, smoke was seen on Neauphle-le-Château Street in Tehran, near the Italian Embassy, which officials said was caused by burning waste.

On July 20, Yazd’s Mehriz industrial park was engulfed by flames, while a residential-commercial building in Rasht burned, leaving 18 injured.

Explosions and fires from July 21 to July 26

On July 21, a major fire struck Kharazmi industrial park in Alborz province. The same day, a petrochemical plant near Ziar in Isfahan exploded, burning 1,500 square meters.

On July 22, Anzali Free Zone’s Venus shopping mall caught fire, injuring 16. The same day, Qeshm’s Dolphin Mall also burned. In Qom’s Fatemieh district, an explosion destroyed a home, which officials said was caused by a water heater.

On July 23, fire swept through workshops at Isfahan’s science park.

On July 25, Bandar Abbas’s old bazaar burned.

On July 26, a large fire hit Mahdis Hypermarket in Mazandaran’s Qaemshahr.

Explosions and fires from July 28 to August 11

On July 28, another blaze swept Qeshm’s Persian Gulf-2 mall.

On July 31, a fire broke out at a furniture workshop in Nasirabad industrial park near Robat Karim, which officials attributed to an electrical fault. The same day, flames were reported in Kermanshah, officially blamed on a water company depot, while in Mashhad a fire near Qaem hospital was said to have been caused by burning trees.

On August 4, a dormitory on Tehran’s Enghelab Street caught fire, which officials attributed to a neighboring carpentry shop. The same day, flames spread across Shiraz’s Derak mountains, blamed on careless hikers.

On August 6, a blaze swept through the Aliabad industrial zone in Tehran. Two days later, on August 8, an explosion struck a scrapyard in Gachsaran.

On August 9, a fire broke out at Anzali’s Caspian shopping mall and at warehouses in Saveh’s industrial zone, destroying motorcycles and storage for paper and wood. In Mehran, near Iran’s western border with Iraq, an explosion destroyed a tent for Arbaeen pilgrims, which officials blamed on a gas cylinder.

On August 11, residents of Savojbolagh district in Alborz province reported blasts and a fire in the Hiv mountains, which officials blamed on careless hikers.

Although officials have attributed the incidents to causes such as gas leaks and accidents, their number, timing after the 12-day war, and proximity to sensitive sites have prompted continued public questioning.