Iran will become a model of resistance, senior cleric says

“These individuals, who had received their specialized training online from agents of Mossad, had sent the coordinates of vital and sensitive centers, as well as information related to prominent military figures, to Mossad intelligence officers during the 12-day war,” read the announcement.

Israel launched the 12-day air campaign against Iran in June, with brief support from the United States, targeting nuclear sites and killing senior military officials and nuclear scientists. The strikes crippled much of Iran’s air defense network and damaged a significant portion of its ballistic missile arsenal, Israel said.

The people were arrested in northeastern Razavi Khorasan province before carrying out their plans, according to the statement. Authorities said they seized equipment for producing explosives, bombs and booby traps.

The announcement follows a broader crackdown in the wake of the June war. State media reported that police detained as many as 21,000 people during the 12-day conflict with Israel, though no details were given about the charges. Security forces also expanded their street presence during the brief war, which ended in a US-brokered ceasefire after Iran launched missile barrages on Israeli cities and military sites.

Earlier this month, Iran hanged nuclear scientist Rouzbeh Vadi, accusing him of providing intelligence to Israel about another scientist later killed in Israeli strikes. In total, at least eight people have been executed in recent months on espionage-related charges.

Human rights groups argue Tehran often uses espionage allegations and swift trials to stifle dissent and tighten control, particularly during periods of conflict.

According to Amnesty, Iran was responsible for 64 percent of all recorded executions worldwide in 2024 and has carried out 612 hangings in the first half of 2025 alone.

Tehran’s main stock index fell by more than 35,000 points on Saturday, closing at around 2.395 million, as the market reacted to the formal launch of the UN snapback process by France, Germany and Britain.

Mehr News Agency, a semi-official outlet, said the announcement has added a “wave of psychological anxiety” to a market already under “chronic selling pressure.” While analysts quoted by the agency believe the snapback may not have major operational effects under current sanctions, they said it casts a “dark cloud over the trading floor.”

“What we are seeing now is more of an overreaction than a reflection of real economic impact,” Mehr quoted one analyst as saying. Some added that a short-term rebound is possible if the market finds support levels and the effects of the mechanism are clarified, but noted that “sustainable recovery still depends on fresh capital inflows,” which remain absent.

The drop follows months of market volatility. In early July, after the 12-day war with Israel, the market saw historic outflows. On July 2, investors pulled nearly $145 million in a single day, and the index fell by 57,000 points. The selloff was intensified by cyberattacks on major banks and ongoing concerns about economic mismanagement and financial instability.

The fall 2025 course, titled Adversaries by Design: Deconstructing the Iran-US Relationship, is described in Yale’s course catalogue as an examination of more than four decades of tension between Washington and Tehran, beginning with the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The class will explore each government’s worldview and ask students to take the perspective of US and Iranian decision-makers. Topics include regional politics, US sanctions, and nuclear talks.

The syllabus says the course will feature guest lecturers presenting both Iranian and US perspectives.

In the JNS op-ed, a Yale student who arrived from Tehran in 2023 wrote that the class lists Mohammad Javad Zarif, Hossein Mousavian, and Ali Vaez as speakers. All three have previously held positions or advised on policy within or linked to Iran’s government. “Malley purports to offer Iranian perspectives, but the class will likely only feature Islamic Republic officials and supporters,” the author wrote.

Malley, a longtime figure in US Middle East policy, served as US special envoy for Iran under President Joe Biden and was a key architect of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) during the Obama administration. He was placed on leave and had his security clearance suspended in 2023.

According to a Wall Street Journal report published last September, the FBI viewed Malley’s handling of classified material as “sloppy,” while the State Department did not consider his conduct to constitute serious misconduct.

In 2023, Iran International and Semafor investigation uncovered the Iran Experts Initiative (IEI) - a network formed under then-Foreign Minister Zarif to promote Iran's foreign policy and nuclear strategy through scholars based abroad. Ali Vaez was named as one of its key members.

Hossein Mousavian, one of the listed guest speakers, recently ended his 15-year tenure at Princeton University, which the university described as a retirement. Activists, however, said it followed pressure over his past role as an Iranian diplomat and nuclear negotiator, and alleged ties to state-linked assassinations and propaganda efforts.

The head of Iran’s parliamentary research center said the real impact of reimposed UN sanctions will be far less than existing US sanctions, but warned of psychological and economic side effects if not handled carefully.

Babak Negahdari said on Saturday that activating the snapback under UN Security Council resolution 2231 effectively shuts down European diplomatic engagement with Iran.

“The real pressure on Iran has come from US secondary sanctions, which affect every part of the economy and have continued even during the nuclear deal,” he said.

Neghdari said any new UN resolution would be nearly impossible in the future due to Russian and Chinese veto power. Even if snapback moves forward, he said, those two countries could weaken its enforcement by blocking mechanisms such as funding for expert panels.

He said Europe knows the snapback can only be used once, and by triggering it now, it has shut the door on further diplomatic maneuvering.

Several Iranian lawmakers on Saturday condemned the decision by Britain, France, and Germany to trigger the UN snapback mechanism, calling it illegal, political, and proof that Europe follows Washington’s lead.

Ahmad Naderi, a member of the parliament’s presidium, said, “The activation of the snapback shows the depth of the West’s legal double standards. Europe has become the political arm of Washington in engineering war and sanctions.”

Alireza Salimi, also on the presidium, said, “The countries that failed to meet their own commitments are now acting as claimants and judges. A thief and a murderer becoming the judge — that is laughable.”

Mohsen Zanganeh, a lawmaker from Torbat Heydariyeh, called snapback a mistake from the start but warned against exaggerating its consequences. “Scaring the public over it could be more damaging than the sanctions themselves,” he said.

Alireza Abbasi, MP for Karaj, said missteps by some political groups and officials led enemies to miscalculate. “After Israel’s and the US’s attack, they begged for a ceasefire. They are making another miscalculation now, and parliament will correct it,” he said.

Mostafa Nakhaei, MP for Nehbandan, questioned Iran’s diplomacy. “Instead of complaining about the illegality of the move, we should ask: what did our diplomacy do to prevent it? We have 30 days. If we do not change the game, the burden will again fall on the people.”

Ahmad Rastineh, MP for Shahr-e Kord, said, “Snapback was the final bullet into the coffin of the nuclear deal. Now it is time to fire the mechanism of national honor into the coffin of the devil.”