Revolutionary Guards crack down on online learning platform students

“The Agency’s lack of access to this nuclear material in Iran for five months means that its verification is long overdue,” the IAEA said in a report to member states seen by Reuters.

"It is critical that the Agency is able to verify the inventories of previously declared nuclear material in Iran as soon as possible in order to allay its concerns ... regarding the possible diversion of declared nuclear material from peaceful use," the agency quoted the IAEA report as saying.

The Vienna-based nuclear watchdog has not been able to confirm the amount of enriched uranium in Iran’s possession since June, when Israeli and US strikes hit its main enrichment sites at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow during the 12-day conflict.

Before the attacks, inspectors had verified about 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity—enough, if further refined, for roughly 10 nuclear weapons under IAEA criteria.

IAEA says inspections hinge on Iran’s overdue report

Under its obligations as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran must submit a detailed report on the status of the bombed facilities “without delay,” but has yet to do so, the IAEA said. Only after such a report is received can inspectors return to the damaged sites.

The agency said it has so far only accessed some of the 13 nuclear facilities that were “unaffected” by the strikes, and none of the seven that were hit. It warned that the delay means it has lost “continuity of knowledge” of Iran’s uranium stocks, making it harder to re-establish a complete picture of the country’s nuclear activities.

The IAEA also reminded member states that its own guidelines require it to verify a country’s stock of highly enriched uranium every month.

Despite repeated requests since June, Iran has not allowed full inspections to resume. A plan announced in Cairo in September to restore cooperation has stalled, and Tehran now says the agreement is void.

IAEA chief urges return to diplomacy

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said last week that Iran still retains the technical capability and sufficient material “to manufacture a few nuclear weapons,” despite what he called “severe damage” to its program. He said diplomacy remained the only path toward a durable solution.

The IAEA’s Board of Governors found Iran in non-compliance with its nuclear obligations in June after the agency said Tehran failed to explain the presence of undeclared nuclear material at several locations.

Since then, Iranian officials have accused Grossi of bias, with some state media describing him as an Israeli asset. The conservative newspaper Kayhan, overseen by the Supreme Leader’s office, even called for his execution after the June report.

“What is clear is that total public satisfaction with all governments since the revolution is now overshadowed by a 92 percent dissatisfaction with the country’s current situation,” Rouydad24 wrote.

The report said the study was conducted by a recognized polling center that often carries out research for state institutions.

It assessed public views of Iran’s governments from the early years of the Islamic Republic to the present, ranking administrations by their perceived performance.

The data have not been released publicly, but Rouydad24 said “the most striking outcome was widespread discontent among respondents across the country.”

According to the outlet, “the level of satisfaction with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration was highest overall,” while those of “Hassan Rouhani and Masoud Pezeshkian ranked lowest.” The report said opinions in Tehran differed from other regions, with “lower popularity levels recorded in the capital.”

Poll prepared for internal use

The poll was prepared for internal use by decision-makers and was not intended for public release. Rouydad24 said “similar internal studies have long been carried out by various institutions to measure public sentiment and help guide policymaking.”

The publication noted that the results align with other recent research showing growing mistrust of political institutions and frustration over economic hardship. It said that although the time and context of each government shaped public expectations, “overall dissatisfaction across all administrations is now unprecedented.”

The findings echo a separate survey released earlier this month by the Netherlands-based GAMAAN institute, which found that most Iranians believed Israel prevailed in the June war and favored direct negotiations between Tehran and Washington. That survey also showed rising demand for change in Iran’s political system and declining confidence in its leadership.

Fars News Agency said the photos showed Farahnaz Ghollasi, deputy head of Iran’s National Standards Organization, seated at the same table as Gilad Golub, chief executive of Israel’s Standards Institution, during the Kigali conference held from October 6 to 10. It said the images, later removed from the ISO website, were verified through its own checks.

The outlet called the encounter “unprecedented” under Iranian policy, noting that law prohibits any contact or cooperation with Israeli institutions and can lead to imprisonment or permanent dismissal from public service. It also recalled that Iranian athletes have long refused to compete against Israelis in international events.

Fars added that the episode came shortly after the June war between Iran and Israel and noted that the sister of Farzaneh Ansari, who led Iran’s delegation to the ISO meeting, was among those killed in Israeli strikes during the conflict.

The agency also repeated earlier conservative criticism of Ghollasi’s appearance at international gatherings, saying she had previously been reprimanded for dress code violations.

Golub’s office told Iran International that he had sat at a shared conference table as part of a multilateral discussion and that “no direct meeting took place.”

It added, “We did not know the woman sitting opposite was Iranian, head covering does not necessarily indicate nationality."

Iran and Israel have no diplomatic ties, and Iranian delegates are typically instructed to avoid any engagement with Israeli representatives. The ISO annual meeting in Kigali brought together officials from more than 160 member states to discuss emerging global standards.

Joe Bennett said his mother, Lindsay Foreman, and her husband, Craig, were arrested in January while traveling through Iran on a world tour. Both are being held in Tehran’s Evin prison and deny the charges.

“My family can’t carry on like this,” Bennett said. “This can’t be normalised. Silence is complicity.”

He said Mrs. Foreman is isolated and surrounded by people who do not speak English, while her husband is suffering from an untreated tooth abscess. “Every day is a waiting game, not knowing if she’s okay,” he said. “It’s a nightmare that never ends.”

The UK Foreign Office said it is providing consular support and continues to raise the case with Iranian officials.

The Foremans were tried in October, when relations between London and Tehran hit new lows after Britain and its European partners reimposed sanctions on Iran over nuclear concerns. Family members told the BBC they were not allowed to attend the hearing.

France reports release of detained nationals

In recent weeks, Bennett said he has watched France secure the release of its detained nationals and urged British leaders to act. “The French didn’t wait,” he said. “Their president spoke up and their citizens came home. Why hasn’t Britain done the same?”

Iran freed two French citizens, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, earlier this month after more than three years in custody. President Emmanuel Macron said the pair had left Tehran’s Evin prison and were en route to the French Embassy, calling it “a first step” in ongoing dialogue between Paris and Tehran.

Earlier, Bennett told the Daily Telegraph the family was open to appealing for help from US President Donald Trump, who has recently signaled a willingness to re-engage diplomatically with Tehran. The family met Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper last month to press for progress.

Rights groups have described the case as part of a wider pattern of “hostage diplomacy” by Tehran, which denies detaining foreigners for political leverage.

Viewers submitted text, voice and video messages to Iran International documenting the adversity they face in getting a consistent supply of water.

Messages from Tehran, Karaj and Hamadan to Ahvaz and cities in Sistan and Baluchestan paint a picture of worsening water access and sharp criticism for what many view as poor management.

The responses indicate that in many Iranian cities, people are facing nightly outages and notable reduction in water pressure.

Inflow to Tehran’s reservoirs has dropped by 43 percent compared with the previous water year, Behzad Parsa, managing director of the Tehran Regional Water Company, told state media this week.

Parsa described the situation as unprecedented in decades, attributing it to a 100% decrease in rainfall in Tehran province compared with long-term averages.

Pressure Drops

"If the pump doesn't work, not a drop of water comes. The pressure in upper floors is very low, and everyone has the same problem," a resident in Tehran said.

"Since last night, water has been cut off, and no media - neither domestic nor foreign - has reported it," another message said.

Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi on Sunday called the nightly pressure cuts a temporary management tool to stabilize the city’s aging water network and reduce leakage. Similar steps taken during the summer, he said, conserved significant volumes.

"Sometimes we have no water for two full days. Summers it was electricity. Now it's water's turn," one resident of Pardis in Tehran said.

Other messages from different cities in Tehran and Karaj shared reports with the same theme: "Low pressure and frequent outages; nightly shortages repeat."

A video shows a group of students from Al-Zahra University in Tehran protesting water outages on Sunday, saying water has been rationed due to frequent cuts.

President Masoud Pezeshkian warned last week that if rainfall does not resume by the end of autumn, Tehran will face water rationing, adding, “If it still doesn’t rain, we will have no water and will have to evacuate the city.”

North, Northwest and West

Some messages from different parts of Iran echo the same issues with lower pressure and continuous shortages.

"In Rasht, the city of rain, sometimes water is cut off from sunset or pressure drops severely. Since most homes have pumps, many don't notice," one message said.

"With people's efforts and no government help, we secured drinking water. No support from the government."

"No shortages yet, but they say reservoirs are 40% down. Probably soon they'll cut water like in Tehran," a messages from Saqqez mentioned.

"The water situation in Asadabad is very bad," one message from Western Iran read. "For years, we've been bringing water from the mountains because the city's water quality is terrible."

South, Southeast and Northeast

In Khuzestan, complaints are not just about water shortages in some areas but also very poor quality in others.

"Water is there but either smells of chlorine or is muddy. When it's cleaner, it smells like rotten eggs. Pressure was very low for a few days too," a message read from Ahvaz.

"Bottled water for drinking, 20-liter jugs for cooking, tankers for usage. Curse this regime, the clerics, and the Islamic Republic," one message said.

In Sistan and Baluchistan Province, conditions are reported as more critical than elsewhere, where drinking water is supplied by jerry cans and tankers as in past years.

"No rain, and the Golestan Dam has no water. Farmers in our area no longer have the energy to plant wheat and barley; the situation is disastrous," a message from the city of Gonbad-e Kavus in Golestan Province said.

"Water is so scarce that the water heater doesn't boil. We wash dishes with lukewarm water, and for showers at night, we fill buckets from the heater. It's disastrous," one message from Mashhad said.

Some messages spoke of increased water bill amounts, lack of official accountability, and complete distrust of the government.

"They've made bills three to four times more expensive," one message said. "For three years, they've been stringing people along; now in polluted air, we're dying, and we have no water."