Maryam Sinaiee
Iran International
A British Iranian journalist and political analyst and a regular contributor to Iran International
Iran International
A British Iranian journalist and political analyst and a regular contributor to Iran International
Iran has imposed new restrictions on internet access, further limiting VPN connections and reportedly targeting Starlink users, leaving even fewer people able to access global networks.
Iranian officials are urging citizens to fill the streets as Israeli strikes hit security sites, while opposition figures warn the calls aim to create civilian “human shields” around security forces under attack.
Airstrikes in Iran have damaged several historic landmarks, including UNESCO-listed sites, raising concern among cultural experts and officials about the protection of heritage during the conflict.
Threatening rhetoric on Iranian state television has intensified fears of renewed repression, as presenters and officials warn critics at home and abroad they could face confiscation of property, prison or even death.
Iran’s shutdown of international internet access has entered its tenth day, leaving millions cut off from global communication and raising fears the blackout is putting civilians at risk during wartime.
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.
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.
With Iran at war and its supreme leader dead, Tehran faces a delicate question: whether to appoint a successor quickly to project continuity, or delay the decision to avoid presenting a new leadership target to its enemies.
Celebration and stunned disbelief swept across parts of Iran on Saturday evening after US and Israeli officials announced that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed.
Videos emerging from Iran despite a near-total internet shutdown reflect a rare mix of jubilation, fear and expectation as US and Israeli strikes leave the country’s future suddenly bound to the outcome of the war.
