Iran’s Ministry of Education introduced the recent 12-day war with Israel into school lessons with special content on the conflict to be included across all school levels in the new academic year, Education Minister Alireza Kazemi announced Sunday.
“We have prepared three special issues for primary, middle, and high school students in the form of a book, which will provide students with an extraordinary and beautiful narrative of the 12-day war,” he said.
Figures including the Supreme Leader and commanders in the Revolutionary Guards have declared the war a victory for Iran.
Kazemi added that 20 educational packages were being rolled out in addition to the 12-day war, including themes such as the Iran’s missile program, and a unit called “Hard Slap.”
The phrase was first used to describe Iran’s limited missile strike on the US Ain al-Asad base in Iraq following the killing of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani.
School books were later updated to include tributes to the slain commander. Other material added to textbooks includes references to militants killed in Syria, officially commemorated by the Islamic Republic as “defenders of the shrine.”
Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff accused Ecuador of supporting the United States and Israel after Quito designated the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group.
“We warn the government of Ecuador not to serve the global domination system, America and Israel, and not to assist the false and satanic front,” the military body said in a statement carried by state media on Sunday.
Ecuador’s government on Tuesday designated the IRGC, along with Hamas and Hezbollah, as terrorist organizations.
The three groups, the decree added, pose a direct threat to public security and sovereignty of Ecuador.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar welcomed the decision on Tuesday.
“Ecuador’s courageous step sends a clear message against Iran’s terror network and strengthens global security,” Sa’ar wrote in a post on X expressing his thanks to Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld.
Canada, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have similarly blacklisted the IRGC.
Paraguay designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization in April and expanded its classification of Iran's Gaza and Lebanon-based military allies, Hamas and Hezbollah, to include all components of both groups.
The statement concluded that Iran’s military would continue to stand with Palestinians, Lebanon and Gaza, and that “no threat will weaken our resolve.”
Zahra Ershadi, director-general for the Americas at Iran’s foreign ministry, also criticized Ecuador’s move, describing it as “inappropriate”, warning that it would inflict serious damage on bilateral ties.
Tehran conducted a successful test of an intercontinental missile late Thursday, an Iranian parliamentarian said, after videos shared online appeared to show trails of smoke from the launches arcing upward in the sky.
“Two nights ago, we tested one of the country’s most advanced missiles, which had not been tested so far, and it was successful,” Mohsen Zanganeh told state broadcaster IRIB.
“I want to say that even under these circumstances, we are conducting a security test of an intercontinental missile.”
Residents across Tehran and in nearby cities including Gorgan, Sari and Semnan reported seeing the missile’s trajectory in the night sky. Eyewitness videos posted on social media showed arcs of smoke and light, while a Revolutionary Guards-affiliated channel shared images of the launch without claiming direct responsibility.
A local official confirmed missile tests had taken place around the capital on Thursday evening.
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)
Less than a month after the end of June's 12-day war with Israel, Iran conducted a suborbital test using a satellite launch vehicle in a move experts said showcased its defiance and determination to advance its strategic goals.
A 2019 report from the US Defense Intelligence Agency concluded that expertise in space launch vehicles “can be used as a test bed for developing an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missiles).”
While the Islamic Republic has gained multi-stage launch capabilities through its satellite projects, there is no evidence yet of a fully developed intercontinental ballistic missile, Shahin Modarres, an international relations scholar and security analyst, told Iran International.
“Now the knowledge is there, but until this moment there has been no test and no sign of a built intercontinental weapon,” he said.
“If such a missile had been developed, Israel would already be within range, but the danger would also extend to Europe, while questions remain over whether they have the guidance systems or technology to reach the United States.”
Western governments have repeatedly voiced concern over Iran’s satellite launches, warning that the same rocket technology can be used for intercontinental ballistic missiles. Tehran, however, says its space program is peaceful.
Push for atomic bomb
Hardline voices in Iran's parliament are pushing for escalatory steps after the UN Security Council voted against lifting sanctions against Iran ahead of the so-called "snapback" of UN embargoes on September 28.
“Withdrawing from the NPT, adopting a policy of ambiguity and ultimately testing the atomic bomb is the only option that can spare Iran the fate of Iraq and Libya,” Ahmad Naderi, a member of the parliament’s presiding board said on Saturday.
"Experience has shown that countries without nuclear deterrence eventually become victims of invasion or regime change. The time has come to make hard but necessary decisions."
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons citing a fatwa by the Supreme Leader and insists that its missile program is defensive. Yet several high-ranking officials have in recent years talked about the necessity of developing an atomic bomb and the possibility of changing the "nuclear doctrine".
The UN Security Council’s decision not to lift sanctions on Iran has heightened the stakes for Tehran, with hardliners pushing for nuclear escalation, reformists urging engagement, and a public already strained by inflation.
Hardliners and ultra-hardliners in Tehran, who have long dismissed the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) as a “total failure,” downplayed the impact of the UN’s decision. For them, renewed sanctions are little more than symbolic.
“In the past, sanctions far harsher than these have been imposed; this is simply a psychological tactic intended to impact our economy,” hardline lawmaker Hosseinali Haji-Deligani told ILNA.
Meanwhile, Kayhan newspaper, linked to the Supreme Leader’s office, and other hardline outlets such as Vatan-e Emrouz have urged Tehran to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
In an editorial titled “Is it still not time to leave the NPT after 22 years of costly negotiations?!” the paper argued for building a bomb to “fully strengthen national deterrence.”
Ahmad Naderi, a member of parliament’s presiding board, echoed this stance, insisting that “acquiring nuclear weapons is the only way to preserve Iran’s territorial integrity and national security.”
“Withdrawing from the NPT, adopting a policy of ambiguity and ultimately testing the atomic bomb is the only option that can spare Iran the fate of Iraq and Libya,” said Naderi.
“Experience has shown that countries without nuclear deterrence eventually become victims of invasion or regime change. The time has come to make hard but necessary decisions.”
Warning of a deepening crisis, push for policy change
Others caution that the impact will be severe. Journalist Azadeh Mokhtari argued on social media that the Iranian people will once again bear the brunt of political maneuvering: “The return of UN sanctions means increased economic pressure, reduced access to essential goods and medicine, and a deepening livelihood crisis.”
Meanwhile, reformists are calling for urgent diplomacy. Azar Mansouri, head of the Reform Front, warned that “immediate and maximal use of diplomatic capacity to prevent a global consensus against Iran is an unavoidable necessity.”
She stressed that the window of opportunity for negotiations is closing fast, with reinstated UN resolutions carrying “wide-ranging international consequences.”
Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, a reformist politician, went further, telling Etemad newspaper: “Iran stands on the brink of a historic choice: either insist on the illusion of costly deterrence and a single-track foreign policy, which yields nothing but isolation and domestic erosion, or acknowledge the reality of rival powers.”
He added that the world today is “waiting for a change in Iran’s language and behavior, not a repetition or justification of the past.”
Doubts over Russia and China
Hardliners often argue that Russia and China will help Iran weather sanctions. Yet that view has drawn criticism even from conservative voices. Journalist Ali Gholhaki dismissed the notion: “At least in China’s case, it’s just empty talk! Industrial and economic managers understand the reason well. They have seen examples of this in just the past few days.”
Mohammad-Ali Hanaei, head of the Nations Diplomacy Think Tank, told Etemad that Beijing profits from buying Iranian oil cheaply and has little incentive to back sanctions relief. He urged Tehran to consider “logical restrictions” as a way to manage the crisis.
Moscow has suggested it might mediate. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s envoy to international organizations in Vienna, told Al Mayadeen that Russia and China are preparing a joint initiative to resolve the crisis, though he offered no details.
Diplomatic openings still possible?
Some experts still see potential for compromise. Economics professor Alireza Soltani told Khabar Online that the diplomatic window is not yet closed, while cautioning against “emotional reactions.”
Even if previous UN resolutions are reinstated, he argued, a comprehensive deal remains possible “provided there is political will from both Iran and the United States.”
Foreign policy analyst Morteza Makki raised the possibility of a “miracle” if Tehran can strike a temporary arrangement with the E3 (Britain, France, and Germany) in the coming days or at the UN General Assembly.
Pezeshkian-Trump Meeting Debate
At home, debate is intensifying over whether President Masoud Pezeshkian should meet US President Donald Trump during his upcoming trip to New York.
Reformist cleric Mohammad-Taghi Fazel-Meybodi called such a meeting “the last chance of the system,” recalling that a missed opportunity between Mohammad Khatami and Bill Clinton two decades ago paved the way for today’s sanctions.
Yet many doubt Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will allow it, having denied similar requests from both Khatami and Hassan Rouhani.
Hossein Shariatmadari, the representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the hardline daily Kayhan, has called for Iran to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) following the UN Security Council’s decision not to permanently lift sanctions.
Writing in Kayhan, Shariatmadari argued that two decades of negotiations had failed to protect Iran’s nuclear facilities from attacks, saying that “remaining in the NPT no longer makes sense” and that Iran’s only option was to strengthen deterrence.
“Those who say that if we leave the NPT it will pave the way for an attack must answer two questions. First, did they not attack our nuclear facilities while we were in the NPT? Second, does not America insist that attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities should not be prohibited? … So what are you waiting for?” he wrote.
The 15-member UN Security Council on Friday opted not to permanently lift sanctions on Tehran, after Britain, France and Germany launched a 30-day process last month to reimpose them, accusing Iran of failing to comply with the 2015 nuclear deal.
Shariatmadari dismissed the return of UN sanctions under the so-called snapback mechanism as “an empty shell” compared with US secondary sanctions.
“For years Iran’s economy has been under the pressure of Washington’s multilayered sanctions, which are far broader and harsher than the UN’s restrictions," he wrote.
"The snapback (mechanism) neither brings extra sanctioning power nor grants a fresh license for war,” he wrote.
Lawmakers warn of NPT pullback
Shariatmadari’s call was echoed by lawmakers who also warned Iran could scale back its cooperation with international nuclear agreements.
"We warn the countries that exploit Iran's goodwill for 'dialogue' and close the doors of diplomacy to themselves that 'maximum pressure' never works, and this time they will regret it harder than ever," said Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.
Another lawmaker, Fada-Hossein Maleki, said the country was prepared to scale back cooperation with international bodies. "The Islamic Republic is prepared for any scenario, including withdrawal from the agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and even seriously considering withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)," he said.
Iran proposed retrieving its stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium and diluting it to a lower purity in exchange for sanctions relief, according to media reports, in an offer European powers rejected earlier this week.
Iran's foreign ministry in a statement on Friday criticized the three European powers for dismissing "Iran’s reasonable proposal—which they themselves admitted was logical."
The proposal cited by the foreign ministry was presented to European officials during Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s phone call with his counterparts on Wednesday.
According to details of the proposal revealed by Wall Street Journal correspondent Laurence Norman, Iran proposed diluting its 60% uranium stockpile to 20% in exchange for US sanctions relief along with the extension and then voiding of a Security Council Resolution which enables UN sanctions on Iran to resume.
Iran would also pledge to meet with the US president's special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Norman's sources, in an apparent bid to fulfil the Europeans' demand Iran reengages in talks with the US.
Iran, he wrote, would do that in return for a US guarantee against any new military attack.
Highly enriched uranium stocks
The Wall Street Journal's report said that Iran has proposed to "retrieve all the 60% (enriched uranium) it could. Once retrieved, the UNSC would kill Resolution 2231 supporting the JCPOA."
In return, the report added, Iran said it would commence physically retrieving its stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium and then diluting it to 20% purity.
The fate of Iran’s highly enriched uranium (HEU) stockpile of 400 kg (882 pounds) remains under investigation, while Tehran claims it is trapped under rubble after US attacks on three nuclear sites in June.
“A wise colleague also points out that once Iran retrieves the HEU stockpile, if the deal then stalls, Tehran has solved one big problem it currently faces," Norman said. "Right now, if it retrieves the stockpile, it could face military action. This Iranian suggestion instructs Iran to retrieve it."
The London-based Amwaj Media also reported on Friday that Araghchi had been in touch with Witkoff on the proposal.
'Actionable plan'
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that Iran’s Foreign Minister “tried to make a reasonable offer” to reach a deal with European powers but did not receive backing from other members of the Iranian ruling system.
Abbas Araghchi reacted to reports on the proposed deal, saying Tehran provided an “actionable plan.”
“Instead of being met with engagement on the substance of this plan, Iran is now faced with a litany of excuses and outright deflection, including the farcical claim that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not represent the entire political establishment,” Araghchi said.
“I have the full support of the entirety of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including my country's Supreme National Security Council,” he added.