After Trump directive, new US sanctions target Iran's oil exports to China

The vessel, called the Martyr Bahman Baqeri, could mark an advance in the Islamic Republic's ability to project force in the strategic waterway through which much of the world's energy exports pass and beyond.

"The addition of this warship to the IRGC Navy fleet is a significant step in increasing Iran’s defensive and deterrent capabilities in distant waters and securing the country’s national interests," said Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the IRGC navy.

General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, said the vessel would help assure the country of "decisive victory" should conflict be imposed upon it.

"Development and progress on the coasts, islands, across the country, and at sea requires protection against the greed and threats of foreigners and enemies of this nation, and the armed forces bear this heavy responsibility.”

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A joint statement by the European Union (EU) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) urging Iran to relinquish control of three islands in the Persian Gulf Iran has possessed since 1971 stoked outrage in Tehran.

IRGC vessels have taken control of several ships traveling in the waterway in recent years as tensions over US-led sanctions have simmered.

Iran has been conducting multiple military exercises in recent weeks to project strength following months of punishing military blows by Israel.

The maneuvers include air defense drills near nuclear sites including Natanz and a 110,000-strong mobilization in Tehran of Basij militiamen who have repeatedly quashed protest uprisings which threatened clerical rule.

"Verifying (the nuclear program) is an easy task. They have come and verified every time they wanted to do so and they can come verify a hundred more times," Pezeshkian said in remarks carried by state media.

Iran does not seek nuclear weapons because the principles of the Islamic Republic prohibit the mass killing of innocents, the relatively moderate president added in a televised meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tehran.

Iran has denied seeking a nuclear weapon, but its Mideast foe Israel has long contended Tehran wants a bomb and that it poses an existential threat.

The decision-maker on critical matters of state is not Pezeshkian but Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who issued a religious ban on weapons of mass destruction which some observers believe is not permanent and could be revisited.

Trump said on Tuesday he hoped for an agreement denying Iran nuclear weapons.

"They cannot have a nuclear weapon," he told reporters at a press conference held after signing a memorandum to restore his so-called maximum pressure policy against Iran.

"If ... they can convince us that they won't, and I hope they can," Trump continued, "It's actually very easy to do, I think they're going to have an unbelievable future."

Tehran has maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes but has accelerated its uranium enrichment to up to 60% — close to the 90% threshold that is considered weapons-grade, according to the UN nuclear watchdog.

Despite officials saying they had given Arezoo Badri treatment, the source told Iran International she was discharged from hospital in early January, two months before her stay was due to be completed.

Her brother Benham was detained by the Ministry of Intelligence on January 28 after trying to secure treatment for his sister and was beaten in custody in a bid to make him sign a statement denying his arrest.

He was subsequently transferred to a prison in the northern Iranian city of Sari.

The July shooting that left 31-year-old Arezoo paralyzed occurred in the Caspian Sea city of Noor after police stopped her while she drove without a mandatory Islamic head covering.

Although she complied, officers fired at the car, hitting Badri in the spine.

In August, Iran International learned that security forces had pressured her into a forced confession while she was suffering from severe pain.

Iran’s Law Enforcement Command defended the shooting, saying the driver had disregarded police orders, prompting officers to open fire in accordance with regulations

At the Davos conference in Switzerland last month, Mohammad Javad Zarif, deputy to President Masoud Pezeshkian, said authorities were easing their enforcement.

“If you walk on the streets of Tehran, you will see that some women are not wearing the hijab, and despite this being illegal, the government has decided not to put pressure on women.”

Meanwhile, authorities continue to seize vehicles and fine passengers violating the mandatory hijab law.

Publicly, Iranian officials continue to deny the hijab crackdowns, which rights groups have branded "gender apartheid".

Foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said on Thursday that the government has contacted the Swedish Institute of International Affairs for more information, calling the allegations “very serious.”

She warned that Iran, along with Russia and China, is conducting extensive intelligence operations in Sweden.

Parsi has denied collaborating with Tehran.

Swedish TV channel, TV4 Nyheterna, reported on January 29 that Parsi communicated with authorities in Tehran who actively sought to amplify official Iranian foreign policy talking points in Western policy circles.

The discussions, TV4 reported, aimed to shape Western perceptions of Iran during critical nuclear negotiations.

TV4 said Parsi had held meetings with Iranian diplomats, including former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, and worked alongside senior figures who were closely affiliated with the IRGC.

In 2023, a joint investigative report by Iran International and Semafor combed through thousands of emails from Iranian diplomats, revealing a network of academics and think tank analysts cultivated by Iran's foreign ministry to extend Tehran's soft power.

Members of the grouping, called the Iran Experts Initiative (IEI), were guided by Iran's Foreign Ministry in their public writing and media appearances. They were key voices in Western thinktanks and policy institutions helping promote Iran's stances.

Parsi, listed in the leaked emails as an IEI member, attended its inaugural meeting in May 2014 at Vienna’s Palais Coburg hotel, coinciding with international nuclear talks. Documents indicate that Iran’s foreign ministry covered the event’s costs.

While Parsi acknowledges his participation, he denies collaborating with Tehran.

“My purpose was to observe how Iranian officials reason and act in real-time,” he told TV4.

The Swedish Institute of International Affairs defended Parsi, saying it has “full confidence” in his work.

“I was pleased to be invited to take part in this year’s @MunSecConf. However, my participation in this conference has been blocked by @GermanyDiplo [German Foreign Office]," Pahlavi wrote in an X post.

A German foreign ministry spokesperson offered an implicit denial that government had any role in banning Prince Pahlavi's participation. The spokesperson told Iran International that 'The Munich Security Conference decides independently on its invitations," without offering any further details.

Prince Pahlavi also wrote, “This decision was not about silencing me. This was about silencing the Iranian people. It was about silencing all those who stand for freedom, justice, and dignity. And that we will not stand for."

The conference, which is scheduled to begin later this month, has previously welcomed speakers that have criticized the Iranian government. Last year, it also banned Iranian government officials from attending.

From his X post, Pahlavi has, however, suggested the German government has been influenced by Tehran in its decision.

“So while the German government caves to the Islamic Republic, I urge the German people to stand with Iranians fighting for human rights and democracy— not only for Iranians’ sake, but for their own,” he wrote.

Pahlavi, the heir of Iran’s last monarch, has been calling on Western nations to sever links with the Islamic Republic and provide support for Iran’s protest movement.

He vowed to travel to Munich despite the exclusion, saying that Iran’s liberation “will never be determined by foreign governments.”

Germany’s Foreign Office has not publicly commented on Pahlavi’s exclusion.