US, Israel have historic opportunity for regime change in Iran, retired general says

A 16-year-old Iranian schoolgirl was arrested at her home in Karaj last month and could face the death penalty, a source close to her family told Iran International, as concerns mount over the treatment of minors detained in connection with unrest.

Diana Taherabadi was detained on January 25 after five officers in police uniforms entered the family’s home at around 8 a.m., the source said. One of the officers was described as holding a senior rank.

Upon entering, officers confiscated the mobile phones of family members to prevent contact with others, the source said. Taherabadi was asleep at the time and was awakened by officers who told her to get up before arresting her.

She was handcuffed, taken to a van and transferred to Kachoui prison (Fardis Prison), the source added.

Taherabadi has since been taken to a court in Karaj and informed she could face a death sentence, but authorities have not provided further details to the family, including the identity of the presiding judge, the source said.

According to the source, the teenager has been referred to the state forensic medical organization for an assessment of her “mental competence,” a procedure sometimes carried out in capital cases involving minors.

Iran’s government warned on Tuesday that burning or insulting the national flag during student protests would not be tolerated, even as it said students have the right to demonstrate.

The comments came after videos circulated on social media showing protesters burning or trampling the flag of the Islamic Republic at university rallies.

Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani told a news conference that students have a “right to protest,” but added that crossing red lines, including actions involving “sanctities and the flag,” is “not acceptable.”

“We must show that, contrary to what the enemy says, life in Iran is not disrupted and continues,” she said.

Sharif University of Technology said a cyber attack briefly restored its website to the name “Aryamehr,” the title the institution held before the 1979 revolution.

Established in 1966 under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi as Aryamehr University of Technology, the university later changed its name to Sharif University of Technology. Images shared online showed the old name and logo displayed on the homepage late on Monday before the site went offline.

The university’s public relations office said technical teams worked to resolve the issue, and the website was later restored. Some students said protest messages were sent through the university’s online system and that a group of students took responsibility.

An Iranian transit workers’ group called for unity among different factions against the government’s “crackdown and massacre” in a statement on Tuesday.

The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company said protecting the lives and livelihoods of workers and their families must be the top priority in the current situation.

It said any major social or political change should begin with defending freedom, equality, living standards, human dignity and workers’ right to independent organization.

The syndicate urged labor, student and women’s organizations to take clear positions and coordinate together so that decades of social struggle are not undermined or exploited.

Four people were killed when an Iranian army helicopter crashed on Tuesday in Khomeinishahr near Isfahan, the city’s fire and safety services said.

The dead were said to include the pilot and co-pilot as well as two market stall workers at a fruit and vegetable market, where the helicopter crashed.