Iran's Foreign Ministry has summoned the Chinese ambassador in Tehran to protest about a China-U.A.E. statement related to Iran's sovereignty over three Islands also claimed by the U.A.E., Iranian state media reported on June 2. The islands - Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb -- are claimed by both countries but have been held by Iran since 1971, shortly before the seven Gulf emirates gained full independence from Britain and formed the U.A.E., which is now allied with Washington. "Iran's objection to the Chinese support of baseless claims in a shared U.A.E.-China statement has been expressed to the Chinese ambassador in Tehran," state media said. China has been one of Iran's biggest trading partners for the past decade.

Iran has summoned the Swedish acting charge d'affaires in Tehran over what it alleges were "baseless and malicious" remarks, Tehran said on June 2, after Sweden's Sapo intelligence service accused Iran of "using criminal networks" in Sweden to attack Israeli embassies in Europe since October 7 and otherwise threaten the Scandinavian country's security. Iranian Press TV quoted the Foreign Ministry as telling the Swedish diplomat that the claims by Swedish counterintelligence head Daniel Stenling of Iranian recruitment "to target the Israeli [government's] interests" were "based on incorrect information." Israel's Mossad intelligence agency publicly accused Iran of carrying out attacks on Israeli embassies since the attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians and troops ignited the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has been declared a terrorist group by the United States and European Union.

Iranian ex-President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has joined a growing list of overwhelmingly hard-line candidates in a presidential election later this month to replace the late Ebrahim Raisi, who died along with Iran's foreign minister in a helicopter crash near the Azerbaijani border in mid-May.

Ahmadinejad announced his intention to run on June 1, and state media reported on June 2 that the 67-year-old and longtime enemy of reformists had registered.

His announcement follows similar pledges by a former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) who is under U.S. sanctions, Vahid Haghanian, Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani, and the longtime former speaker of Iran's parliament, Ali Larijani.

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Supreme Leader Ally, Tehran Mayor Register To Run In Iran's Presidential Race

Ahmadinejad, Larijani, and other potentially competitive contenders were barred from running against Raisi in the 2021 presidential election by vetting institutions that routinely ban moderates and other challengers from Iran's tightly controlled elections.

Candidate registration for the June 28 election closes on June 3. The Guardians Council will announce the final list of candidates on June 11 after it has completed its vetting procedures.

Before his death, the former prosecutor Raisi was widely seen as a potential successor to 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate political and religious power under Iran's clerically dominated system.

Ahmadinejad served two terms between 2005 and 2013, and his second term was dogged by fierce protests over his disputed reelection in 2009 and a brutal crackdown. He appeared increasingly willing to challenge Khamenei publicly as his presidential tenure mounted.

Haghanian was designated for sanctions by the United States in 2019 for his role in Khamenei's "inner circle responsible for advancing the regime's domestic and foreign oppression."

The U.S. Treasury Department said in a news release announcing the sanctions that Haghanian had been "referred to as the supreme leader's right hand.”

Zakani was approved to run in the last presidential election but withdrew after some of his rivals nicknamed him the "cover candidate" of Raisi.

Former lawmaker Zohreh Elahian, who has been designated by the European Union for sanctions, on June 1 became the first woman to successfully apply to run.

Former chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili on May 30 became the first political heavyweight to register his candidacy.

Other candidates have also applied.

Iran's presidential and other elections are plagued by low turnout that has worsened in recent years, spurred by disqualifications and crackdowns on dissent.

Rights groups have complained of an intensified clampdown on public expressions of discontent since Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several others died in the helicopter crash in a mountainous region of northwestern Iran while returning from an official visit to Azerbaijan.

Raisi had been accused of serving as a prosecutor for an "execution committee" that sent thousands of political prisoners and regime opponents to their deaths in the late 1980s.

A former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) who is under U.S. sanctions and the mayor of Tehran are among the politicians who registered their intent to run in Iran's presidential election later this month.

Vahid Haghanian, the former IRGC commander and a member of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's inner circle, and Teheran Mayor Alireza Zakani will have to wait to see if their candidacies are approved by the Guardians Council, a 12-member body of jurists that vets all candidates for public office.

Candidate registration for the June 28 election closes on June 3. The Guardians Council will announce the final list of candidates on June 11 after it has completed its vetting procedures.

SEE ALSO:

Iranian President's Death Could Trigger 'Power Competition' For Next Supreme Leader

The council disqualified several reformist and moderate candidates from the last presidential election in 2021.

This year's election was called after President Ebrahim Raisi was killed on May 19 in a helicopter crash.

Haghanian was designated for sanctions by the United States in 2019 for his role in Khamenei's "inner circle responsible for advancing the regime's domestic and foreign oppression."

The U.S. Treasury Department said in a news release announcing the sanctions that Haghanian had been "referred to as the supreme leader's right hand.”

His presence close to Khamenei at most ceremonies has been noted, and there had been rumors about his role and influence in Khamenei's office.

Speaking at election headquarters, Haghanian said he had forged close ties with key officials in state institutions "during 45 years of service in the presidential administration and the office of the supreme leader."

He said his decision to run was "personal," and he described himself as "fully familiar with the issues of the country."

Zakani, the current mayor of Tehran, was approved by the Guardians Council in the last election. But he withdrew after some of his rivals nicknamed him the "cover candidate" of Raisi.

Zakani, asked by a reporter if he was ready for this year's election, smiled but did not answer.

Masud Pezeshkian, a member of parliament, also entered the Interior Ministry building on June 1 to apply to run in the election. He previously said that he would not be a "cover candidate" for Raisi.

Former lawmaker Zohreh Elahian, who has been designated by the European Union for sanctions, on June 1 became the first woman to successfully apply to run. Four other women previously applied to register, but the head of the country's election headquarters said none of them met the necessary conditions.

Fadahosein Maliki, a member of parliament and the head of the headquarters for combating goods and currency smuggling in the second government of Mahmud Ahmadinejad, also registered his candidacy on June 1.

Former chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili on May 30 became the first political heavyweight to register his candidacy. The hard-liner is close to Khamenei and was his chief of staff in the early 2000s. He currently serves as one of Khamenei's two representatives in the Supreme National Security Council.

Another well-known politician who has registered is Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker and nuclear negotiator. He registered his candidacy on May 31.

Once considered a political heavyweight, Larijani was surprisingly disqualified from running in 2021 by the Guardians Council, whose members are directly and indirectly appointed by Khamenei.

Wide disqualifications by the Guardians Council in previous parliamentary and presidential elections and violence against anti-government protesters are among the reasons for low voter turnout.

With reporting by Reuters

The Council of the European Union on May 31 placed sanctions on three Iranian entities and six individuals over their involvement in the transfer of drones to Russia and Tehran’s regional allies.

The move comes two weeks after the bloc opted to expand the scope of its restrictive measures against Iran because of its military support of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as its backing for the ‘axis of resistance’ -- a loose network of Iran’s regional allies and proxies.

The EU put sanctions on the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which coordinates military operations and is in charge of the armed forces' operational command and control. The bloc said it had also blacklisted one of its commanders.

It has also imposed sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy (IRGC-N), over its involvement in the delivery of weapons, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Yemen's Huthi rebels and the Lebanese Hizballah, among other armed groups.

Kavan Electronics Behrad, a company based in Iran, has been included in sanctions for procuring and selling components used in the production of drones. The company's chief executive and the chairman of its board of directors have also been added to sanctions.

The EU has also blacklisted Defense Minister Mohammadreza Ashtiani, IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani, and Afshin Khalajifard, who leads the EU-sanctioned Iranian Aviation Industries Organization.

"Those targeted will be subject to an asset freeze and travel ban to the European Union. Additionally, the provision of funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly, to or for the benefit of natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed is prohibited," the council said in a statement.

Iran has denied supplying drones to Russia to use against Ukraine.

Earlier this week, several EU member states renewed efforts to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization on the basis of a German court ruling.

Abram Paley, the U.S. point man on Iran, has said Washington "absolutely" supports efforts to blacklist the IRGC "worldwide."

The United States designated the IRGC in 2019, which Iran reciprocated by labeling U.S. Central Command as a terrorist organization.

With reporting by AP

Nine presidential hopefuls so far have registered their candidacy to run in Iran's June 28 election, including a conservative heavyweight and a moderate who was barred from running in the 2021 presidential election.

The five-day registration period opened on May 30 and will close on June 3. The final list of candidates approved by the conservative-dominated Guardians Council will be released on June 11.

The early election was triggered by the May 19 death of President Ebrahim Raisi, a hard-line cleric who died in a helicopter crash along with seven other people, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Based on Iranian state media reporting, former chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili was the first political heavyweight to register his candidacy on May 30. The hard-liner is close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and ran his office in the early 2000s. He currently serves as one of Khamenei’s two representatives in the Supreme National Security Council.

Jalili has long championed a hard-line stance against the West and was a major critic of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major world powers.

SEE ALSO:

Iranian President's Death Could Trigger 'Power Competition' For Next Supreme Leader

The 58-year-old first ran for president in 2013, finishing third with just over 11 percent of the votes. He also ran in the 2021 election but dropped out in favor of Raisi.

Another big name that has signed up is Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker and nuclear negotiator who registered his candidacy on May 31.

Once considered a political heavyweight, the 65-year-old moderate politician was surprisingly disqualified from running in the 2021 presidential election by the Guardians Council, whose members are directly and indirectly appointed by Khamenei.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) late on May 30, Larijani hinted that he had received the Iranian leader’s blessing to run in the election. He posted a map copied from a local ride-hailing application that showed the pickup location as Khamenei’s office and his first destination as the Interior Ministry to register his candidacy. The presidential palace was designated as the final destination.

Abdolnasser Hemmati, a moderate former central bank chief who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2021, also threw his hat in the ring on May 31.

Hemmati, 67, was the only nonconservative to be allowed to run in the 2021 election, securing less than 10 percent of the votes. There were more spoiled ballots than votes for Hemmati that year.

Another well-known name to register is Mostafa Kavakebian, a reformist politician and two-term lawmaker who was barred from the 2021 election.

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'A Symbol Of Murder Gone': Families Of Victims Of Mass Executions Express Relief After Iranian President's Death

Speculation in Iranian media suggests that a handful of prominent conservative names and low-profile reformist figures might sign up in the next few days.

More than 35 people have sought to register their candidacy since May 30, but the vast majority did not meet the requirements, according to a spokesman for Iran's election headquarters.

Since 2020, Iran has held two parliamentary and a presidential election, all of which saw record-low turnouts.

In recent elections, the authorities severely limited the playing field by disqualifying many moderate and reformist candidates, which may have contributed to the low voter participation. This was especially evident in February’s parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections, which were held concurrently.

But analysts say the public's disillusionment with the establishment has reached a point where even if the moderate voices were allowed to run, it would not have made a significant impact on voter turnout.

Iranian border guards opened fire on a vehicle carrying Pakistani citizens near the border village of Mashkel in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan Province, killing four people and injuring two others.

Omar Jamali, the deputy commissioner of Pakistan’s Washuk district, confirmed the shooting in the Washuk region, close to the border where violence often erupts.

Sahibzada Asfand, a government administrator, said the circumstances that prompted the gunfire remain unclear.

Neither Tehran nor the Pakistani Foreign Ministry have commented on the incident.

The shooting comes amid already strained relations between Iran and Pakistan, which have seen a significant escalation in incidents between the two countries.

In January, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) launched an attack in Pakistan's Balochistan Province, killing two children.

Tehran claimed it was targeting the Sunni Baluch militant group Jaish al-Adl, which is designated as a terrorist entity by both Iran and the United States.

In a retaliatory move, Pakistani warplanes conducted air strikes on alleged militant targets in Iran on January 18, resulting in at least nine deaths, including six children and two women. This marked a severe escalation in the conflict between the two nations.

In an effort to de-escalate the situation, the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Pakistan in early May.

His visit was aimed at mending relations through diplomatic engagements, described as critical for normalizing ties between Tehran and Islamabad.

Raisi died on May 19 in a helicopter accident.

The military actions in January targeted separatist factions. Islamabad attacked bases of the Baluch Liberation Front and the Baluchistan Liberation Army, while Tehran focused on the militant group Jaish al-Adl.

These groups operate in the mineral-rich, underdeveloped provinces of Balochistan in Pakistan and Sistan-Baluchistan in Iran, regions long plagued by instability.

The porous, 900-kilometer border between Iran and Pakistan has been difficult to control, allowing various militant groups, particularly those with Baluch nationalist ideologies, to operate in the area.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

The United States will not send representatives to a UN memorial ceremony for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a State Department spokesperson told RFE/RL. The United Nations on May 29 announced plans to hold the memorial ceremony on May 30, and UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis said member states were encouraged to deliver statements paying tribute to Raisi. The announcement sparked criticism from rights activists, who decried a move to honor a man they refer to as the "Butcher of Tehran" over his alleged role in the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988. Raisi died in a helicopter crash on May 19 along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several other officials.

Iran's judiciary has filed new charges against Fatemeh Sepehri, a prominent opponent of the Islamic republic, and her two brothers, who are also imprisoned, for "insulting" current and former leaders of the Islamic republic.

Asghar Sepehri, Fatemeh's brother, revealed the charges on social media, saying they were added to their case files by Ali Soleymani Marshk, an investigating judge in Mashhad, after a court session on May 6.

Details of the charges were not immediately available.

The charges for being critical of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini follow the arrest of the siblings in October 2023, just a day before Fatemeh Sepehri was scheduled for surgery at Ghaem Hospital in Mashhad.

In September 2023, her brothers Mohamad-Hossein Sepehri and Hossein Sepehri were detained.

Fatemeh Sepehri, a vocal critic of the Iranian regime, has been detained for more than 20 months.

Her family has reported that her communications from prison are heavily monitored.

Fatemeh Sepehri is one of 14 activists in Iran who have publicly called for Khamenei to step down. She has been arrested and interrogated several times in recent years.

Sepehri and the other activists have also called for a new political system within the framework of a new constitution that would secure dignity and equal rights for women.

Criticism of Khamenei, who has the last say on almost every decision in Iran, is considered a red line in Iran, and his critics often land in prison, where political prisoners are routinely held in solitary confinement and subjected to various forms of torture.

Sepehri was arrested in September 2022 as protests erupted across the country over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was taken into custody by the morality police for allegedly violating the country's hijab law and died while in detention.

In March 2023, a Mashhad Revolutionary Court sentenced her to 18 years in prison on various charges, including "collaboration with hostile states" and "propaganda against the regime."

The sentence was upheld on appeal, but according to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, only 10 years of her sentence are enforceable.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Eleven women's rights activists cumulatively sentenced to more than 60 years in prison have lost their appeal, a lawyer for one of the campaigners said on May 29.

Ramin Safarnia said an appeals court in the northern city of Rasht on May 28 had upheld the preliminary verdicts handed to each activist. He vowed to take the case to the Supreme Court.

In a post on Instagram, activist collective Bidarzani accused the judge, Mohammad Sadeq Iran-Aqideh, of issuing the ruling "without holding a court session."

Based in the northern province of Gilan, all 11 activists were detained in August 2023 on various security-related charges, including "assembly and collusion to disrupt national security," "propaganda against the establishment," and "membership in an illegal group."

Speaking to RFE/RL's Radio Farda, a source close to the activists said the Islamic republic had increased the pressure on independent women's rights groups in the wake of the Women, Life, Freedom movement.

The movement was born out of the nationwide antiestablishment protests in 2022 following the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who had been detained for allegedly flouting Iran's strict dress code for women. More than 500 protesters were killed and thousands arrested during the months of unrest.

"They try to suppress [the groups] as much as they can, and they have had some success, but the resistance continues," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Zohreh Dadras was sentenced to more than nine years in prison on two separate charges.

Forugh Sami'nia, Sara Jahani, Yasamin Hashdari, Shiva Shahsiah, Negin Rezai, Matin Yazdan, Azadeh Chavoshian, and Zahra Dadras were each handed a total of six years and three months in prison on two separate charges.

Jelveh Javaheri and Human Taheri each received a one-year sentence.

A source previously claimed to Radio Farda that the some of the activists had been "beaten and put under pressure during interrogation."

Javaid Rehman, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, concluded in his report in March that the actions of the Iranian authorities since the 2022 protests pointed to "the possible commission of international crimes, notably the crimes against humanity of murder, imprisonment, enforced disappearances, torture, rape and sexual violence, and persecution."

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

The registration of candidates for the presidential election next month began on May 30 as Iran looks to fill the vacancy left by the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. The registration period runs for five days, with the election scheduled for June 28. The IRNA state news agency reported that around 25 potential candidates have already submitted their registration requests, but all have been rejected. A final list of approved candidates will be announced on June 11 by the Guardians Council, whose members are either appointed or approved by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.

The United Nations has announced plans to hold a memorial ceremony for the late Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, this week, sparking sharp criticism from rights activists, who decried a move to honor a man they refer to as the "Butcher of Tehran."

UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis said he will convene the tribute on May 30, with member states "encouraged" to deliver statements at the meeting "to pay tribute" to Raisi, who along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several other officials, died in a helicopter crash on May 19.

The tribute has sparked a wave of criticism from activists who refer to Raisi's alleged role in the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988, when he was Tehran's deputy prosecutor.

In addition, they said that as president he oversaw a brutal, and sometimes deadly, crackdown on dissent during protests in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini, who was in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation when she died.

"When the governments of the world elevate a blatant human rights violator and butcher from Iran's history to a position of honor, as if mourning a peace-loving and democratic figure, they set a dangerous precedent," Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi wrote from her prison cell in Tehran.

The UN has already been sharply rebuked by rights groups for observing a moment of silence for Raisi on May 22, and for flying its flag at half-mast in honor of the Iranian president.

Monica Grayley, the spokeswoman for Francis, said paying tribute to the memory of a deceased head of state is a diplomatic practice.

But Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi argued that the UN's decision flies in the face of its own protocols, as Raisi was not Iran's highest-ranking official, while pointing out that a UN fact-finding mission recently said that "crimes against humanity" were committed by the Iranian regime during the crackdown on protesters in 2022.

"[Supreme Leader Ayatollah] Ali Khamenei is the highest political and military official in the Islamic republic. Whenever they die, the United Nations can hold a quadruple memorial ceremony for them along with Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi and Hitler," Ebadi said in a post on Instagram.

“I want the respected Secretary General and President of the General Assembly to recognize Ebrahim Raisi as the people of Iran called him, the 'Executioner of Iran' and the 'Butcher of Tehran' after his death.”

The UN has also implicated Iranian officials in the "physical violence" that lead to Amini's death, raising further questions over honoring Raisi at the United Nations.

A group of 23 LGBTQ+ rights organizations also issued a statement condemning the UN's actions, describing them as a "disgrace to the body of the global community."

The group said Raisi played a role in the execution and killing of members of their community and that many Iranians "consider the likes of Ebrahim Raisi among the murderers, torturers, and violators of their loved ones.”

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Executions around the globe rose to their highest number in almost a decade, spurred by a spike in cases of the death penalty being carried out in Iran, according to a new report by watchdog Amnesty International.

In the report, released on May 29, Amnesty said a total of 1,153 executions took place in 2023 -- not including the thousands believed to have been carried out in China -- marking an increase of more than 30 percent from 2022.

In particular, Amnesty highlighted Iran, where the authorities intensified their use of the death penalty "to instill fear in the population and tighten their grip on power" by carrying out at least 853 executions, a 48 percent rise from the previous year.

"The huge spike in recorded executions was primarily down to Iran. The Iranian authorities showed complete disregard for human life and ramped up executions for drug-related offenses, further highlighting the discriminatory impact of the death penalty on Iran's most marginalized and impoverished communities," said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's secretary-general.

"Despite the setbacks that we have seen this year, particularly in the Middle East, countries that are still carrying out executions are increasingly isolated. Our campaigning against this abhorrent punishment works. We will continue until we have put an end to the death penalty."

Amnesty chided Iran for the high number of executions -- at least 545 -- that were carried out "unlawfully" for acts such as drug-related offenses that under international law are not punishable by the death penalty.

The rights group said executions "disproportionately impacted" Iran's Baluch ethnic minority, who accounted for 20 percent of recorded executions even though they make up only around 5 percent of Iran’s population.

At least 24 women and at least five people who were children at the time they are accused of committing a crime were executed, the Amnesty report said.

Despite the higher overall total of executions, Amnesty said progress on stopping the usage of the death penalty was made.

Executions were carried out in only 16 countries last year, it said, the lowest total ever recorded.

Belarus, Japan, Myanmar, and South Sudan, all of which carried out executions in 2022, did not register any last year, Amnesty said.

"The inherent discrimination and arbitrariness that marks the use of the death penalty have only compounded the human rights violations of our criminal justice systems. The small minority of countries that insist on using it must move with the times and abolish the punishment once and for all," Callamard said.

Internet video platform YouTube has confirmed terminating an account run by Iran's Foreign Ministry to comply with U.S. sanctions against the Islamic republic.

"Google is committed to compliance with applicable sanctions and trade compliance laws, and enforces related policies under our Terms of Service," YouTube spokeswoman Alzbeta Houzarova told RFE/RL in a written statement on May 28.

"If we find that an account violates our Terms of Service, we take appropriate action," she added.

Iran's official IRNA news agency said the account had been suspended after posting a video in English in support of Palestinians amid Israel's war against Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, in the Gaza Strip.

State-controlled IRNA accused YouTube, which has been banned in Iran since 2009, of "violating freedom of speech."

Asked about IRNA's claim that a pro-Palestinian video had resulted in the account's removal, Houzarova reiterated that U.S. sanctions were the reason for the channel's suspension.

The account "will remain terminated," according to YouTube, which is owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet.

"Due to established U.S. sanctions, Iran's state-owned channels are not permitted on YouTube," the platform said.

Iran has blocked all major social media platforms and outlawed the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass the ban. However, the authorities themselves continue to use the blocked platforms.

Iran has for years tried to encourage the public to use domestically developed alternatives to popular social media platforms, with little success. A survey in January by the state-affiliated ISPA polling agency found that Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram -- all of which are blocked -- are the most popular platforms among Iranians.

YouTube has previously suspended other Iranian state-owned accounts, including the English-language news service Press TV and the Spanish-language Hispan TV.

In February, Instagram removed accounts run by the office of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Instagram and Facebook for posts in support of Hamas.

A spokesperson for Instagram’s parent company, Meta, told RFE/RL the accounts had been shut down for "repeatedly violating our Dangerous Organizations & Individuals policy."

The policy includes organizations backlisted by the U.S. government.

The Islamic Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj, western Iran, has sentenced journalist Zina Modares Gorji to a combined 21 years in prison for her advocacy of women's rights.

The Kurdish human rights portal Kurdpa reported that Judge Mohammad Karami, handed down a split verdict in the case, with Gorji receiving 10 years for "forming an illegal group aimed at overthrowing the regime" and another 10 years for "collaborating with hostile groups and governments." Additionally, she was given one year for "propaganda against the regime."

Under Iranian law, the longest sentence in cases where multiple punishments are handed down is enforced, meaning she will spend 10 years in prison. However, the court also enforced a 10-year exile period after that.

Her supporters said the sentencing was officially communicated on May 23 and that her legal team has filed an appeal. Her lawyers have requested a retrial and are challenging what they view as an overly harsh and politically motivated verdict aimed at intimidating voices within the country.

The exile portion of the punishment, analysts said, shows how far Iranian authorities are going to stifle dissent in the wake of nationwide unrest over the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody for an alleged Islamic head scarf, or hijab, violation in September 2022.

Gorji was first detained during Amini-inspired protests.

After an initial 40-day detention period for "assembly and collusion against the system," Gorji was temporarily released on a bail.

She was rearrested in April 2023 and spent about a month in solitary confinement before being transferred to a general prison ward.

Last month Gorji said on Instagram that her bookstore in Sanandaj was forcibly closed for several days by local authorities for alleged noncompliance with mandatory hijab laws.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

The Islamic Revolutionary Court of Karaj has sentenced Amir Hossein Koohkan, a defense lawyer for the family of Mohammad Mehdi Karami, who was executed during protests over the death of Mahsa Amini that rocked Iran in 2022, to six years in prison.

Koohkan faced several charges, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), including assembly and collusion and propaganda against the regime.

Koohkan's arrest comes after he was summoned by the Karaj Intelligence Department last year. He was detained at the time and held until he was granted a conditional release in December.

The charges come shortly after the sentencing of Mashallah Karami, Mohammad Mehdi Karami’s father, to six years in prison on charges of endangering national security and propaganda against the regime.

The cases highlight a pressure campaign, rights groups say, the government is using against those connected to protest movements in Iran.

Mohammad Mehdi Karami was one of nine individuals executed by the Islamic republic in relation to the protests of 2022, which saw widespread unrest over government policies that protesters said curbed basic human rights and intruded too deeply in the lives of most Iranians.

His execution in January 2023, which was tied to the alleged murder of a Basij militia member during the nationwide upheaval, drew international condemnation.

The cases of Koohkan and Karami underscore the concern among Iranian authorities of the possibility of a new wave of unrest.

Following the death of Amini in September 2022, hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets nationwide to protest. The 22-year-old died under mysterious circumstances while she was in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation.

A clampdown by security forces against protesters has resulted in the deaths of approximately 600 demonstrators, as reported by human rights groups, and thousands of arrests.

The Iranian judiciary has also executed several protesters, further inflaming public outcry against the regime's harsh tactics.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Rights groups say Iranian authorities have intensified their crackdown on posts made by social media users following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19.

Raisi, who along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and several others died in the helicopter crash in a mountainous region in northwestern Iran, had been accused of serving as a prosecutor for an "execution committee" that sent thousands of political prisoners and regime opponents to their deaths in the late 1980s.

He is often referred to by critics as "Ayatollah Execution" or "Ayatollah Massacre" due to his alleged role in mass executions during 1988.

The crash was mocked by many users of Persian-language social networks. In turn, Iranian security and judicial agencies have responded vigorously to the online activities of citizens and media activists.

The Association for the Defense of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners in Iran highlighted an example of the crackdown with a report saying that factory owner Ali Reyhani Kajvar was detained and charged with "propaganda against the system and insulting Ebrahim Raisi" for his online posts regarding Raisi's death.

It was not clear which comments the charges referred to.

Similarly, human rights media outlets said Akbar Yousefi, a resident of Malekan in East Azerbaijan Province, is said to have been arrested on charges related to his social media commentary on the crash.

Others have been charged, rights groups say, for "spreading lies and insulting the sanctity of service martyrs," for their comments on Raisi’s death.

Reza Babarnejad, whose brother was a casualty in the Women, Life, Freedom protests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody for an alleged head scarf violation, was also arrested for his reactions to the incident.

Others say they have been warned by authorities for their online activities.

The Judiciary Information Center of Kerman province announced that 254 individuals received telephone warnings for posting "offensive" content, while eight people faced judicial summons.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, according to a confidential May 27 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity is now 142.1 kilograms -- an increase of 20.6 kilograms since the watchdog's last report in February. The IAEA also said that the deaths of Iran's president and foreign minister in a helicopter crash on May 19 have forced a pause in the UN nuclear watchdog's talks with Tehran over improving cooperation.

Iranian film director Mohammad Rasoulof, who fled a prison and flogging sentence in his home country, was awarded a special jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his tale of a court investigator whose family life is torn apart during anti-government protests.

In accepting the award in the French resort town, the 51-year-old Rasoulof said his heart was with his film crew, who were "still under the pressure of the secret services back in Iran."

The special jury prize was given to Rasoulof for "drawing attention to unsustainable injustice" in Iran, organizers said after a screening of the film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, led to a 12-minute ovation.

The festival's top prize, meanwhile, went to the film Anora, a sensual drama and comedy about an exotic dancer who becomes involved with a Russian oligarch's son.

Earlier at a news conference, Rasoulof recalled how he had to decide within hours whether to go into exile or serve a prison sentence, saying it was still difficult to talk about.

"I had to say to myself, well, do I want to be in prison, or should I leave Iran, geographic Iran, and join the cultural Iran that exists beyond its borders?" said Rasoulof, who is an outspoken critic of repression in Iran and has twice served prison terms.

Iran’s judiciary sentenced Rasoulof to flogging and eight years in prison after he was convicted of "collusion against national security," his lawyer, Babak Paknia, said on May 8.

Details of his escape from Iran are not totally known. He said the action was plotted by using contacts he had made during his prison stays.

"The more you spend time with interrogators, the secret police, the more you learn how to thwart them," he told the AFP news agency at Cannes.

"They show you your emails, so you learn how to write them. They show you your bank statements, so you learn when you should not have used your credit card."

Rasoulof said he also came up with the idea for The Seed Of The Sacred Fig while in prison.

Western rights advocates and film-industry groups had condemned Iran’s actions against Rasoulof and demanded his release.

Rasoulof won the Berlin Film Festival’s top prize in 2020 for his film There Is No Evil, which tells four stories loosely connected to the themes of the death penalty in Iran and personal freedoms under oppression.

"I am also very sad, deeply sad, to see the disaster experienced by my people every day...the Iranian people live under a totalitarian regime," he said in Cannes.

With reporting by AFP and Variety

CANNES, France -- Self-exiled Iranian film director Mohammad Rasoulof -- who had to escape his home country to be able to appear at the Cannes Film Festival -- told RFE/RL that he has “mixed feelings” about the screening of his film and the attention he received during the famed event in France.

The May 25 screening of his film, titled The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, was greeted by a 12-minute ovation. He later received a special jury prize for "drawing attention to unsustainable injustice" in Iran, festival organizers said.

"It's interesting for me that I'm [in Cannes] after seven years in which I was banned from traveling,” he told RFE/RL in an interview prior to receiving the jury prize.

“I have mixed feelings. There were members of my team...who wanted to be here but didn’t have that possibility. So, there is a heavy sadness within me.”

“On the other hand, I'm glad that the movie is [being screened] here. It can be heard; the voices of those who wanted this movie to be made are being heard.

“Therefore, it is all a paradoxical situation."

In accepting the special jury prize, the 51-year-old Rasoulof had told the audience that his heart was with his film crew, who were "still under the pressure of the secret services back in Iran."

Iran’s judiciary had sentenced Rasoulof to flogging and eight years in prison after he was convicted of "collusion against national security," his lawyer, Babak Paknia, said on May 8.

Prior to Rasoulof's flight from Iran, Western rights advocates and film-industry groups had condemned Iran’s actions against the outspoken film director and demanded his release.

SEE ALSO:

Award-Winning Filmmaker Flees Iran After Flogging, Prison Sentence

Details of his escape are not totally known. On May 13, he posted a short video to Instagram of an undisclosed mountainous location and wrote that he would talk about his journey out of Iran later.

In a Cannes news conference, he said the action was plotted by using contacts he had made during his prison stays.

"A few days after Norouz (the Persian New Year) -- I think it was around April 12 -- I learned from my lawyers that my prison sentence had been confirmed and then the case would be sent for enforcement and I would have to go to prison.”

Rasoulof said he felt that Iranian authorities wanted to send him to prison “for a long time.”

“I had to decide whether I wanted to go to prison…wait to see what happens, or leave and keep telling the story. I chose the second option."

The film by Rasoulof -- a longtime activist for human rights in his home country -- tells the tale of a court investigator whose family life is torn apart during anti-government protests.

Rasoulof, an outspoken critic of the Iranian government, has served two terms over previous films. His passport was revoked in 2017.

The Russian and Iranian foreign ministers reaffirmed their ties and “strategic partnership” in a phone call on May 25, less than a week after Iran’s president, foreign minister, and others died in a helicopter crash in northern Iran. Both Russia and Iran are bitter rivals of the West, and Tehran has supplied the Kremlin with deadly drones used in Moscow’s war with Ukraine. Following the call between Russia's Sergei Lavrov and Iran's new acting foreign minister, Ali Bagheri Kani, Russia's Foreign Ministry said the “parties reaffirmed their firm commitment to the unconditional continuation of the course chosen by the leaders of the two countries on the formation of a strategic partnership between Russia and Iran and their readiness to implement all available agreements and projects in various fields.”

Mohammad Movahedi Kermani, 93, has been elected the head of Iran's Assembly of Experts, marking a continuation of traditional conservative leadership in a key institution responsible for selecting the nation's supreme leader.

The decision came during the Assembly's first session of its sixth term and follows the deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials in a helicopter crash last weekend.

The Assembly of Experts is a clerical body with significant power within the Islamic republic’s constitution.

Comprising 88 members, all of whom are male Islamic scholars, the Assembly not only elects the supreme leader but also theoretically oversees and could dismiss him, although this power has never been exercised.

Members are elected to eight-year terms from a list approved by the Guardian Council, ensuring that all candidates align closely with the conservative religious and political establishment.

Movahedi Kermani won the leadership with 55 votes out of 83 present members. His election underlines the notable age gap between the assembly's members and the general population, a point of frequent criticism by reformist opponents who argue there is a disconnect between Iran’s leadership and the issues that contemporary society are concerned about.

In addition to Movahedi Kermani’s election, Hashem Hosseini Bushehri and Alireza Arafi were elected as first and second vice-presidents, respectively.

The leadership election comes at a critical time for Iran.

With Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, 85, facing questions about his health and the future direction of the country, the role of the Assembly of Experts is poised to take a more prominent role.

Speculation has been rife about potential successors for Khamenei, with some expecting that the assembly might soon need to undertake its constitutional duty to appoint a new leader.

According to a Reuters report dated May 20, the assembly recently had removed Raisi, who died in a May 19 helicopter crash in northwestern Iran, from the list of potential successors to Ali Khamenei six months prior.

The report quoted two sources familiar with the matter as saying the Assembly of Experts had taken Raisi off the list about six months ago “because of his sagging popularity, reflecting economic hardship caused by U.S. sanctions and mismanagement."

However, the sources also indicated that there had since been significant lobbying by influential clerics and Raisi's supporters to get him back on the list.

For years, there also has been ongoing speculation regarding the potential selection of Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the future leader of the Islamic republic.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Iran’s judiciary has sentenced Mashallah Karami, the father of executed protester Mohammad Mehdi Karami, to six years in prison on charges of endangering national security and "propaganda against the regime."

The human rights groups HRANA and Hengaw reported the verdict, which was handed down by the Karaj Revolutionary Court.

His lawyer, Ali Sharifzadeh Ardakani, said Karami has yet to receive the court's decision officially.

Additionally, he rejected accusations of fraud against his client on social media platforms, noting that related charges of money laundering and acquiring illicit wealth are still under review with no verdicts rendered so far.

Mohammad Mehdi Karami was one of nine individuals executed by the Islamic republic in relation to the protests of 2022, which saw widespread unrest over governmental policies.

His execution in January 2023, which was tied to the alleged murder of a Basij militia member during the nationwide upheaval, drew international condemnation and highlighted the Iranian government's strict crackdown on dissent.

The sentence handed to Mashallah Karami also appears to be part of a pressure campaign on families of executed protesters.

Mashallah Karami has been a vocal figure in the protest movement, often seen at his son's grave in acts of remembrance that have symbolized the broader struggle for justice in Iran.

The government has been accused of stepping up the pressure on the victims' families through collective arrests and the summoning of grieving families by security agencies with the aim of keeping them from commemorating the lives of their loved ones, which the government fears will trigger further unrest.

Karami's arrest and subsequent sentencing also underline the risks faced by those who continue to oppose the regime.

Many Iranians took to the streets in 2022 to protest against declining living standards and a lack of freedoms.

The unrest grew after the death of Mahsa Amini in September of that year. The 22-year-old died under mysterious circumstances while she was in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation.

The clampdown has resulted in the deaths of approximately 600 demonstrators, as reported by human rights groups, and thousands of arrests.

The Iranian judiciary has also executed several protesters, further inflaming public outcry against the regime's harsh tactics.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda