European nuclear medicine group says Iranians not barred from congress

The responses shared with Iran International and posted on X and Instagram pointed less to enthusiasm for military escalation than to exhaustion after nearly four months of conflict. Many described life in a state of “neither war nor peace,” where even short-term decisions have been put on hold.

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  We live through decisions we don't make

They spoke of worsening economic pressure, constant anxiety and tighter security conditions, as the United States and Iran traded a fresh round of attacks on Wednesday and Thursday, throwing their fragile agreement to end the war into deeper doubt.

The US military said it struck about 90 targets across Iran after Trump said the interim deal with Tehran is over for him, citing Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

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  Trump says Iran memorandum is over, calls Tehran leaders 'scums'

Iran responded with strikes on US-linked targets in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, as both sides accused each other of violating the interim agreement.

The Pentagon said it targeted Iranian military sites involved in attacks on commercial shipping.

Iran’s foreign ministry said the US strikes hit civilian infrastructure, including two railway bridges on the route to Mashhad, where authorities planned to bury former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Thursday. Fars said one was the Aq Taqeh Khan railway bridge in Golestan province, part of a northern route to China and Russia that became more important after the US blockade of Iran’s Persian Gulf ports.

Many messages sent to Iran International linked the timing of the strikes to Khamenei’s funeral, saying they disrupted what the Islamic Republic had tried to stage as a show of unity and political continuity.

“I hope this time the war makes a difference and this cancer is removed from the root. We’re all suffering,” one citizen wrote.

Others saw Trump’s tougher language as a sign that diplomacy with Tehran had reached a dead end.

“Should we tell Trump, ‘We told you so,’ or is it still too early?” one message read.

Another wrote: “Mr. Trump seems to have only just realized what kind of creature he is dealing with.”

Several urged Trump not to return to negotiations.

“Mr. Trump, Mr. Netanyahu and NATO leaders, have you realized yet that negotiating with the Islamic Republic is a waste of time?” one message said.

Another person in Tehran wrote: “Mr. Trump, you say bad days are coming for Iran. Come here for one day. If you find even one good day under the Islamic Republic, you’ll see the hell they have created for the people.”

Hope tempered by fear

Despite welcoming Trump's apparent shift away from diplomacy, several said they feared another drawn-out conflict that would deepen economic hardship without bringing meaningful political change.

"Mr. Trump, please stop. We don't know whether to worry about war, inflation, the dollar or our future," one citizen wrote.

Another said: "I'm only worried that war starts again but nothing changes. If war is inevitable, I hope it benefits the people of Iran."

Some openly encouraged stronger military action.

"President Trump, please finish the job quickly. People, don't lose hope. Our day of freedom is near," one message read.

Another added: "I'm a Trump supporter. I like him. He's a superpower that nobody can challenge. But sometimes he goes off script. Please, President Trump, finish the job this time. It's hard living in your own country with a group of criminals."

Others remained skeptical, saying Trump's previous preference for negotiations made them doubt whether the latest strikes would ultimately produce lasting change.

'Mohammad Something' becomes an instant meme

Trump's remarks on Wednesday also generated a wave of satire after he seemingly referred to chief negotiator Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf as "Mohammad something" while describing US surveillance of Iran's nuclear facilities.

The phrase quickly became one of the most widely shared jokes among Persian-language users on X, spawning countless memes aimed at senior Iranian officials.

X user Amin Parvin wrote: "We are living in a state of no war, no peace, no ceasefire and Mohammad Something."

Another user wrote: "Mohammad Something, Mojtaba (Khamenei) Nothing. You've become the laughing stock of the world."

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  Trump says Iran is 'finished', experts say Tehran won big

Many directed the joke at Ghalibaf’s page after Trump appeared unable to recall his name.

"Mohammad Something, write your will. Trump didn't even bother learning your surname," one post said.

Another wrote: "Mohammad Something, it looks like this time it's your turn."

Reading Trump's strategy

Beyond the humor, users also debated whether Trump's harsher rhetoric signaled the abandonment of diplomacy or a negotiating tactic designed to force Iranian concessions.

"Trump is playing cat and mouse with them. He doesn't want a full-scale war yet. He's waiting for their response before deciding what to do next," one X user wrote.

Another posted: "I'm genuinely happy Trump is finally seeing their true nature."

Others argued Trump still preferred a negotiated settlement but believed military pressure had become his principal leverage.

"Trump loves being able to say he defeated them without war, so he's trying to disarm them through negotiations," one user wrote. "But their file is closed. Trump himself has said they'll lose their uranium either through negotiations or through war."

The scene, filmed in Karbala and circulated by Reuters, showed a large crowd surrounding a refrigerated truck marked with orange-and-white logos resembling those of Finland’s K Group, part of the retail giant Kesko. Men in dark clothing then pulled a coffin from the frosted rear compartment and carried it above the crowd.

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The footage was filmed during the Iraqi leg of Khamenei’s funeral processions, which moved through Najaf and Karbala before his planned burial in Mashhad on July 9.

The image quickly drew attention in Finland, where Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat described the sight as “incredible” and said Finns may have had to “rub their eyes” when they saw what looked like familiar K-Market-style branding in the middle of Khamenei’s funeral. Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest daily newspaper, also reported the story.

Yle, Finland’s public broadcaster, ran the story under the headline: “Was Khamenei’s coffin pulled from a K-Group vehicle in Iraq?” It said the Reuters video showed a cold transport truck with orange coloring and repeated K letters that appeared to resemble K Group logos.

Kesko told Yle it had no information about the vehicle and had only become aware of the case through the images.

The company said its deliveries are handled by partner-owned vehicles and that Kesko does not have its own fleet. It suggested one possibility was that a transport partner had sold a vehicle onward without removing K-Group markings.

“This may be a situation where one of our transport partners failed to remove decals referring to us when selling equipment onward,” Kesko told Yle by email.

The company said it would remind transport operators that such decals must be removed before vehicles are sold.

There is no indication that Kesko or K-Market had any involvement in Khamenei’s funeral procession or that the company owned or operated the truck.

The strange visual detail stood out because of the contrast: one of the Islamic Republic’s most symbolic funeral ceremonies, a coffin kept cold after months of delayed burial, and what appeared to be the branding of a Finnish grocery chain on the vehicle carrying it through Karbala.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's over," Trump told reporters in Ankara before a NATO summit.

"I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum... they're sick people, they're led by sick people, and they're vicious, violent people."

Trump said he would allow US negotiators to continue talks if they wished but signaled he no longer believed diplomacy would succeed.

"They want to negotiate. They're good people... but they have to come back to me," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them, they're liars."

Last month, Washington and Tehran had signed a memorandum of understanding setting out a framework to end the conflict, including steps toward a ceasefire and renewed talks over Iran's nuclear program.

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  US ends Iran's brief oil opening after Hormuz tanker attacks

Trump defends overnight strikes

Trump defended US strikes carried out overnight, saying they came after Iran launched missiles at ships a day earlier.

"We hit them very hard last night, very hard," he said. "I told them every time you hit, we hit."

He said Iran targeted commercial shipping after Washington had allowed time for funeral ceremonies for supreme leader Ali Khamenei following earlier fighting.

"We said, 'Go and do your funeral stuff,' and instead of that they start shooting rockets at ships yesterday."

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  Commercial ships hit near Strait of Hormuz as Iran-US talks stall

'We're going to denuke it'

Trump repeated that Iran could never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

"They can't have a nuclear weapon," he said. "We're going to denuke it. We're not going to let them."

He said Iran killed US troops through proxy attacks and blamed former Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani for supplying roadside bombs that killed American soldiers.

"They've killed thousands and thousands of our soldiers," Trump said. "They've killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people."

Trump also said Iran had sought to kill him.

"I saw things this morning. I'm on every single one of their lists," he said. "So far I guess I've been lucky."

He described Iran's leaders as "evil, sick people" and compared the country to "cancer."

"You've got to cut out cancer early."

'They killed 54,000 people'

Trump also said Iran's authorities killed thousands of protesters during anti-establishment demonstrations.

"They killed 54,000 people as of now that were protesting," he said.

"When people say, 'How come they haven't taken over?' They can't take over because they're dead."

He also added that Iran repeatedly breaks agreements.

"We make a deal... everyone's agreed, no nuclear weapon... they go outside, talk to the press, they say we never even talked about it," Trump said.

"There's something wrong with them. They're cuckoo."

Criticizes NATO allies

Trump also renewed criticism of NATO, saying several allies refused to support the United States during the conflict with Iran.

He said Britain, Germany and France declined requests to assist Washington during the fighting.

"They said, 'We don't want to help you now, but we'll help you when the war is over,'" Trump said.

He said the United States had been "treated unfairly" by NATO and paid "billions and billions of dollars too much" for the alliance's defense.

Trump also repeated criticism of Spain, calling it "a terrible partner in NATO" and saying he wanted to end US trade with the country.

The remarks came after the United States carried out a new wave of strikes on military targets in Iran in response to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran later launched missile and drone attacks on US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, further eroding the memorandum signed earlier this week to halt the fighting.

The US Treasury Department revoked the June 21 general license that had allowed the production, delivery and sale of Iranian-origin crude oil and petroleum products, reversing a rare sanctions relief measure at the center of Washington’s negotiations with Tehran.

OFAC said the new license, effective July 7, allows existing transactions to be wound down until July 17 but bars new purchases or loading of Iranian-origin crude oil and petroleum products from Tuesday.

For Tehran, the 60-day license was more than a technical waiver. It briefly reopened a channel to international oil markets after decades of US pressure on Iran’s energy exports, allowing sales including to China as Washington tried to keep diplomacy alive.

The move came hours after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said three tankers were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, prompting the regional maritime threat level to be raised to “severe.”

A US official said Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz were “wholly unacceptable” to the United States and would be met with consequences, Reuters reported Tuesday.

Among the vessels targeted was the Qatari tanker Al Rakayat, which Doha said was attacked while transiting near the Strait of Hormuz. Qatar summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires in Doha to protest the targeting of the tanker.

In response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei urged Qatar to “avoid any action” that would contradict the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington.

Baghaei said Tuesday that under Clause 5 of the memorandum, the Islamic Republic was committed to taking the necessary measures for the future management of the Strait of Hormuz and providing maritime services.

He said some commercial vessels had used routes not coordinated with Iran while turning off or manipulating AIS tracking systems, which he said created risks of collision, environmental harm and disruption to Iran’s efforts to facilitate safe passage through the strait.

Persian Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates condemned the attacks, calling them a threat to international navigation, regional stability and energy supplies.

Inside Iran, Mohsen Rezaei, a former IRGC commander-in-chief and current military adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said the United States would doom negotiations with Iran to failure.

“Those opposed to the talks should wait, because the Americans themselves will derail these negotiations,” Rezaei said Tuesday.

Nezamoldin Mousavi, an Iranian hardline politician and former head of the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency, wrote on X that after Washington revoked the Iran oil sanctions waiver, Iran had “no card left” except closing the Strait of Hormuz.

He urged lawmakers to approve a three-urgency bill next week to leave the NPT.

The escalation comes as the coffin of slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has arrived in Iraq but has yet to be buried, leaving eyes once again fixed on the Strait of Hormuz.

The testimony came Monday during the second hearing in the trial of two men accused of cooperating with the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The case is being heard in room 237 of Hamburg’s Higher Regional Court and is expected to continue through October.

Ali S., a 54-year-old Afghan-born Danish national, is the main defendant. Tawab M., a 42-year-old Afghan national, is the second defendant. Both are represented by lawyers of Iranian origin.

German prosecutors charged Ali S. in May with espionage, espionage for sabotage purposes, and attempted participation in murder and arson. Tawab M. was charged with attempted participation in murder.

In the courtroom, reporters and members of the public are separated from the judges, defendants and lawyers by a clear acrylic wall. The three-member court panel, made up of two judges and a clerk, is all female.

Volker Beck, head of the German-Israeli Society and one of the alleged targets in the case, sat in the public section, listening closely and taking notes.

Paid arson plan

A senior official from Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, or BKA, told the court that Ali S. had been instructed to set fire to a Jewish kosher grocery store.

According to the testimony, the attack was supposed to be carried out by someone with two qualities: financial need and hatred toward Jews or Israel.

Investigators said Ali S. asked his daughter whether she knew a Palestinian or Somali woman who needed money and would be willing to carry out the arson attack for 30,000 Danish kroner, roughly €4,000.

The BKA witness said the alleged arson plan formed part of a broader operation that included surveillance of Jewish targets and discussions about obtaining a weapon.

The court is expected to examine the weapons issue in future hearings. Investigators believe it could point to possible plans for killings as well as arson.

Iran trips and surveillance

The BKA witness, a senior female investigator who described the case without reading from notes, gave detailed testimony on how investigators traced the alleged operation through phone data, travel records, surveillance images and Telegram contacts.

According to the testimony, Ali S.’s mobile phones had been monitored for a long period, and German security officers followed him during several trips.

Investigators said he traveled repeatedly to Iran over the past year and met senior Islamic Republic officials and people linked to the Quds Force.

In one trip last January, he traveled from Berlin to Turkey and then to Iran, where he allegedly met his handlers. The BKA witness said Ali S. had also met the Quds Force official responsible for Israel-related affairs.

Much of the evidence presented in court came from Ali S.’s iPhones. Investigators said he searched for Jewish-owned kosher shops before traveling to Berlin.

Surveillance officers later watched him standing outside one of the shops and filming the site with his phone.

“On the surface, it looked as if Ali was making a phone call, but we knew he was actually filming the location,” the BKA witness told the court.

Investigators also said Ali S. searched for the address of Josef Schuster, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, after returning from Iran.

Images and screenshots from Ali S.’s phone were shown on a large courtroom screen, including saved photos of Beck. The BKA witness said the material strengthened the suspicion that an attack on Beck had been planned.

The court was also shown high-quality surveillance images of meetings between Ali S. and Tawab M. at a McDonald’s restaurant. Investigators said the two often met there without realizing how closely they were being watched.

The BKA witness identified several alleged contacts used by Ali S., including figures referred to as Haji Ali, Kazem and Vahid. Profile images linked to some contacts, shown in court, carried antisemitic and anti-Israeli symbols.

Telegram was one of the tools allegedly used for communication between the suspects and their suspected IRGC-linked handlers.

Investigators portrayed Tawab M. as someone Ali S. allegedly brought in because he could be trusted and had anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli motivation.

Neither defendant appeared visibly worried in court. Both sat without handcuffs and were able to consult freely with their lawyers.

For Beck, the hearing marked the second time he had seen the faces of men accused of helping plan his possible murder.

He said he was satisfied that the alleged would-be attackers had been arrested, but added that he was not at peace.

German security agencies have warned in recent months of a growing threat from the Islamic Republic in Europe. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has said Tehran may expand intelligence and terrorist operations in Europe after recent regional developments, a warning security officials view this case as helping illustrate.