Iraq defends telecom deal with company tied to militias aligned with Iran

Even a breakthrough in talks with the United States or renewed oil exports would not resolve Iran’s deeper political and economic dysfunction, said Mohammad Sarafraz, a member of the Supreme Cyberspace Council and former head of state broadcaster IRIB, in an interview with Khabar-e Fori. “We will not reach a desirable outcome, nor will the results benefit the people,” he added.

Sarafraz urged what he described as a “revolution in governance,” saying the Islamic Republic’s current structures had reached a dead end. On the nuclear file, he warned that Iran’s ambiguity “is certainly not to our benefit and must change,” as United Nations sanctions have now been reinstated. Continuing the present course, he said, would isolate Iran further, since “this time it will not only be the United States we face – Europe and some regional countries will also stand with America.”

His comments came as US Treasury Undersecretary John Hurley began a tour of the Middle East and Europe aimed at tightening financial pressure on Tehran.

"President Trump has made clear that Iran's destabilizing and terrorist activities must be met with sustained and coordinated pressure," Hurley said in the statement.

"I look forward to meeting with our partners to coordinate our efforts to deny Tehran and its proxies the financial access they rely on to evade international sanctions, fund violence, and undermine stability in the region."

Sarafraz also dismissed the notion that pursuing nuclear weapons could deter foreign threats. The Western countries say Iran’s uranium enrichment exceeds civilian needs. Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.

Turning to Iran’s regional allies, he said groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Yemen’s Houthis were now weakened or sidelined and no longer capable of providing strategic depth. “They were powerful in the past, but failed to deliver,” he said.

Sarafraz called for a recalibration of foreign policy toward the United States, China, and Russia, warning that all three “seek a weak Iran compliant with their interests.” He urged a balanced approach – “neither dependent nor hostile” – and said Iran’s faltering economy had become “a hostage of foreign policy.”

At home, he demanded fundamental reform rather than a mere change of president, advocating genuine public participation in governance.

President Donald Trump’s approach now prioritizes regional peace and prosperity over democracy promotion, Tulsi Gabbard told officials at the Manama Dialogue.

Washington’s emphasis, she said, had moved from political engineering to achieving practical outcomes, including the ceasefire that halted Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza and the end of Israel’s 12-day war on Iran after US-led airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The United States held five rounds of talks with Tehran earlier this year over its disputed nuclear program, under a 60-day ultimatum set by President Donald Trump.

When no deal was reached by the 61st day, June 13, Israel launched a surprise military campaign, culminating in US strikes on June 22 targeting key nuclear sites in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow.

“For decades, our foreign policy has been trapped in a counterproductive and endless cycle of regime change or nation building,” Gabbard said. “It was a one-size-fits-all approach, of toppling regimes, trying to impose our system of governance on others, intervene in conflicts that were barely understood and walk away with more enemies than allies.”

The policy reversal, she said, reflected lessons from past wars that had “cost trillions, taken countless lives and in many cases created greater security threats.”

Gabbard acknowledged that challenges remain, citing fragile conditions in Gaza and renewed activity at Iranian nuclear sites, recently noted by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. “The road ahead will not be simple or easy but the president is very committed down this road,” she added.

Mehr news agency said Iranian negotiators presented several conditions to Telegram during talks held this week. The terms include assisting judicial authorities with domestic legal requests, removing content reported by users, blocking posts that promote ethnic tensions or terrorism, and ensuring user data is not shared with foreign intelligence services.

The discussions are being led by the communications ministry under a directive from the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, which authorized talks with foreign platforms, Mehr said.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Fars news agency, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, said no vote had been taken by a government committee on lifting bans on Telegram, YouTube and Instagram. It said decisions on foreign platforms must follow a 32-point plan approved by President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The plan, which earlier led to the unblocking of WhatsApp and Google Play, requires foreign companies to accept Iran’s digital sovereignty and comply with domestic law.

Lawmakers have said all parts of the plan must be completed before Telegram’s case can move forward. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said each stage should be implemented in order before reviewing the app’s status, according to Fars.

Telegram has been blocked in Iran since 2018 after officials said it was used to organize protests. Despite the ban, millions of Iranians continue to use the app through virtual private networks.

A recent government survey found that only 2.4 percent of users are “very satisfied” with internet quality and that more than 80 percent rely on VPNs to access blocked platforms. Officials say restrictions are needed for national security, while critics say censorship has hurt small businesses and public communication. Telegram has not commented publicly on the reported talks.

“The sentence for someone who does not accept the hijab is execution,” Hassan Hassannia said. “If the martyrs were here, they would flay the skin off those who, with the slogan ‘woman, life, freedom,’ stripped themselves naked,” he added, referring to the slogan chanted during Iran’s nationwide 2022 protests sparked by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini.

He said women who refuse to wear the hijab “will not be corrected by dialogue,” urging that they be dealt with using “the harshest punishment.”

Hassannia also criticized Iranian officials who question the Islamic Republic’s hijab mandate, saying, “You became president, minister and governor and swore on the Quran to uphold the constitution; you are wrong when you say you do not accept the hijab.”

His comments come as Iran’s hardline daily Kayhan, run by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative, blamed government bodies for lax enforcement of hijab rules and called for stronger promotion of compulsory veiling in a commentary published last week.

Earlier in the week government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani, had said that “hijab cannot be restored to society by force” and that social values should be strengthened through cultural engagement rather than coercion.

Defiance of Iran’s mandatory hijab laws has endured since the 2022 protests, as unveiled women continue to appear in public across major cities despite recent recurring crackdowns on businesses accused of serving women without headscarves.

"I look forward to meeting with our partners to coordinate our efforts to deny Tehran and its proxies the financial access they rely on to evade international sanctions, fund violence, and undermine stability in the region," it cited John Hurley, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, as saying in a statement.

Iran backs various armed groups in the region opposed to Israel and the United States including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen and Shi'ite militias in Iraq and Syria.

Hurley will travel next week to Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Lebanon to focus on implementing US sanctions on Iran, Reuters reported.

Since the October 7 2023 Hamas attacks which killed 1,200 and brought back over 200 to Gaza as captives, Israel has launched attacks in Lebanon and Gaza which have killed over 70,000 people according to local health officials.

The campaigns deeply weakened Iran-backed armed groups there.

'Sustained pressure'

"President Trump has made clear that Iran's destabilizing and terrorist activities must be met with sustained and coordinated pressure," Hurley said.

UN sanctions have been reimposed on Iran since last month, initiated by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom over Tehran's failure to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and engage in direct talks with the United States.

Iran suspended cooperation with IAEA inspectors after a 12-day war in June against Israel and the United States in which they attacked Iranian nuclear sites, codified via a new law passed by parliament.

Tehran denies seeking a nuclear weapon, but Western powers and Israel doubt its intentions.

President Trump withdrew from a 2015 Iran nuclear deal and imposed stringent sanctions he bills as a "maximum pressure campaign".

Upon starting his second term Trump reinstated the policy, intensifying sanctions to curb Iran's nuclear program and proxies, while seeking a tougher new deal.