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By elevating Mojtaba Khamenei—a figure most Iranians have never heard speak—the Islamic Republic has completed a long drift away from popular legitimacy.

Tehran may have assumed that a US–Israeli attack would activate the loose alignment it has cultivated with Moscow, Beijing and other non-Western powers. So far, it has instead exposed its limits.

Israeli military images of an underground tunnel complex attributed to Ali Khamenei appear to confirm long-circulating rumors of a network stretching several kilometers beneath central Tehran, under medical centers, schools, and residential neighborhoods.

Iran said on Monday there was no room to discuss a ceasefire while military attacks by the United States and Israel continue.

Iran’s judiciary said on Monday that Iranians living abroad could face the seizure of their assets if they cooperate with countries Tehran considers hostile, in a warning that appeared aimed at deterring support for the United States and Israel during the war.

Iran International has launched a new interactive news map on its website aimed at making it easier for audiences to access stories and better understand the geographic spread of events in Iran and around the world.

Mojtaba Khamenei, long known as the discreet and powerful son of slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was announced early Monday as Iran’s new Supreme Leader at a time when the country is at war and Israel has openly vowed to target any successor to his father.

Two cargo ships owned by a sanctioned Iranian shipping company have departed a Chinese chemical-storage port carrying cargo and are heading toward Iran, the Washington Post reported citing an analysis of ship-tracking data, satellite imagery and sanctions records.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards continued launching attacks on neighboring countries despite President Pezeshkian’s apology to regional states and his order for the armed forces to halt such strikes, highlighting tensions over who controls wartime decisions.

Iranian political and media figures criticized President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday after he apologized for what he called “fire at will” attacks by the country’s armed forces on neighboring countries and instructed them to stop such attacks.

Azerbaijani media reported that the country’s security service has placed several operatives of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) under pursuit for allegedly preparing “terrorist acts” and has foiled their plots.

Former Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a leaked message the United Arab Emirates is equal to Israel and Tehran must focus on attacking the UAE while striking US and Israeli interests, according to screenshots of his remarks in a private Telegram group.

President Massoud Pezeshkian is facing growing criticism from political figures and analysts for failing to seize what some viewed as a rare opportunity to de-escalate the regional conflict while repairing the state’s broken relationship with Iranians.

British counterterrorism police arrested four men suspected of assisting a foreign intelligence service linked to Iran in a case involving surveillance of Jewish community locations, authorities said on Friday.

US Senator Ted Cruz told Iran International this week that the US-Israel military campaign aims to remove the Islamic Republic from power and diminish Tehran’s ability to “terrorize” or harm its neighbors.

Funeral plans for Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei have been revised multiple times this week, reflecting mounting security fears, uncertainty over foreign attendance and unresolved questions about succession.

UNICEF called on all parties in the Iran conflict to protect civilians, warning that children were increasingly bearing the toll of the fighting with reports of rising casualties.

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran was seeking negotiations but warned it was “too late” as US-led strikes intensified in a widening conflict now entering its sixth day.

Human rights groups and families of detainees warn that wartime conditions inside Iranian prisons could trigger another tragedy like the June strike on Tehran’s Evin prison.

An Israeli military spokesperson said on Thursday Iran could build up an arsenal of up to 8000 ballistic missiles by 2027 if it continued rebuilding its missile program following the June 2025 war.

Iranians have flooded social media with dark humor and mocking comments about the delayed burial of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei after authorities on Wednesday canceled a planned procession and what they described as a public farewell to his body due to security concerns.