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IRGC targets 52 people accused of links to Israel in southeastern Iran

Jul 2, 2025, 12:04 GMT+1Updated: 07:56 GMT+0

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) says it has killed or detained 52 people in southeastern Iran, describing the targets as Israel-linked terrorist elements.

“Five individuals mainly foreign nationals involved in drone sabotage operations remain at large,” the statement said, adding that the accused were working with Israeli intelligence services.

There was no mention of the numbers of killed or arrested, nor names or details of the operations.

It followed reports on Tuesday by state-linked Tasnim news agency which said two were killed and 50 arrested in operations over the past fortnight in Sistan-Baluchestan province.

“The operation targeted elements affiliated with terrorist groups in the east, aiming to spread insecurity and conduct sabotage against key infrastructure and economic assets,” the Quds Base said.

The announcements come amid an intense crackdown which has taken place across Iran since the outbreak of war between the Islamic Republic and Israel, which has seen over 700 people arrested on allegations of working with Israel.

The southeastern province, notorious for having been especially restive since the 2022 Zahedan massacre, has again been the focus of the latest crackdowns.

According to the Halvash website, security forces stormed the village of Gunich in Khash County on Tuesday, firing at protesting residents.

One woman, identified as Khan-Bibi Bameri, was killed. Eleven other women, including four under the age of 18, were seriously wounded. Two of the injured remain in critical condition in intensive care at Khomeini Hospital in Khash, the report said.

Another woman named Reyhaneh Bameri, who was pregnant, lost her fetus after being kicked and shot with pellets by agents, Halvash reported.

“Security personnel opened fire without warning on villagers protesting their conduct,” the rights group said in a statement.

“This crime occurred despite the absence of any men in the village," they added, citing eyewitnesses.

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Tehran mayor announces modest compensation package for homes damaged in war

Jul 2, 2025, 10:58 GMT+1

The mayor of Tehran has proposed to pay up to 80 million rials ($88) per square meter for the repair of homes damaged in the recent Israeli attacks in the capital, less than one tenth of the market value.

“It has been proposed to allocate up to eight million tomans per square meter for repairs. Priority will be given to homes that can be repaired so that people can return to normal life as quickly as possible,” Tehran mayor Alireza Zakani said Wednesday.

According to local real estate data, the average price per square meter of housing in Tehran is roughly $1,000, making the government’s proposed compensation less than one-tenth of what would be needed to rebuild homes to market standards in Iran's capital.

Around 3,500 housing units in Tehran were damaged in the Israeli strikes, the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development said Saturday, adding a new layer of financial burden for the population already in the midst of a dire financial crisis.

Zakani did not address compensation plans for affected residents outside Tehran.

No official has yet outlined how damages will be redressed in other cities, even as reports of widespread destruction continue to emerge as the internet blackout imposed during the war, begins to ease.

By contrast, Hezbollah’s secretary-general Naim Qassem said last year that the Islamic Republic paid between $12,000 and $14,000 to each Lebanese family whose home was destroyed in Israeli airstrikes on southern Beirut and elsewhere.

The payments included an initial $300–400 in cash, followed by larger sums for rent and household goods.

"We thank the Islamic Republic of Iran, led by Imam Khamenei, the state, the people, and the blessed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for providing this generous support in the displacement process," Qassem said in a speech in December.

Around $50 million, he said, had been disbursed to 233,500 registered displaced families, and projected the figure could reach $77 million. These transfers, he clarified, were in addition to Iran’s broader military and financial support for Hezbollah.

Despite those payouts, the newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat recently reported that Hezbollah has paused compensation payments in the Dahieh district of Beirut due to funding shortages.

The Islamic Republic has a long history of financing Hezbollah’s reconstruction projects, including after the 2006 war, often drawing criticism for favoring regional allies over its own citizens.

IAEA chief Grossi 'must be held accountable,' Iranian judiciary official says

Jul 2, 2025, 08:51 GMT+1

Iran may try IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in absentia over his alleged role in enabling attacks on the country’s nuclear facilities, a senior judiciary official said on Wednesday, according to state media.

Ali Mozaffari, deputy head of Iran’s judiciary, said the matter would be examined by the judiciary’s international affairs office.

He accused Grossi of “deceptive actions and falsified reports” that, in Iran’s view, helped pave the way for recent strikes on nuclear facilities. Judicial bodies are compiling evidence related to what Iran describes as foreign aggression and may seek redress, Mozaffari added.

His comments follow a wave of criticism directed at the International Atomic Energy Agency from Iranian officials and media. A hardline Iranian newspaper called for Grossi’s arrest and execution, accusing him of acting as an Israeli agent.

Britain, France and Germany condemned those threats on Monday and expressed full support for Grossi and the IAEA in fulfilling its mandate.

Iran mine preparations raised US alarm over Hormuz closure – Reuters

Jul 2, 2025, 07:15 GMT+1

Iran loaded naval mines onto vessels in the Persian Gulf last month, intensifying concerns in Washington that Tehran was preparing to close the Strait of Hormuz, two sources briefed on classified intelligence told Reuters on Tuesday.

“The loading of the mines... suggests that Tehran may have been serious about closing one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes,” the officials told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Reuters also reported that Iran’s military “could have also simply been making necessary preparations in the event that Iran’s leaders gave the order.”

The activity was detected after Israel launched missile strikes on Iranian territory on June 13, the officials said.

The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically vital waterway bordered by Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas trade passes through the route.

Iran’s parliament approved a measure to close the strait last month following US airstrikes, state media reported. The measure was not binding, and the final decision rests with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the country’s highest security authority, a lawmaker said last month.

Iran has long threatened to shut the strait but has never followed through. A closure would likely disrupt global energy markets and risk triggering a broader conflict.

A White House official said the waterway remains open and credited President Trump’s military operations, pressure campaign, and efforts to restore maritime security.

Israel warns Houthis may face same fate as Iran after missile launch

Jul 1, 2025, 23:00 GMT+1

Israeli officials warned Yemen’s Houthis could face strikes similar to those recently carried out against their sponsors in Iran, after Israel intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward the Jewish state on Tuesday night.

“Yemen's law is the same as Tehran's. After we struck the head of the snake in Tehran, we will also strike the Houthis in Yemen,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement, referring to the 12-day conflict with Iran.

“Whoever raises a hand against Israel — that hand will be cut off,” he added.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also reacted, referencing the same operation. “Maybe those B2 bombers need to visit Yemen,” he wrote on X, referring to the American stealth bombers used in the strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“Fortunately, Israel's incredible interception system means we go to the shelter and wait until all clear," he added.

The Houthis said they had carried out three operations against Israel on Tuesday.

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, Yemen’s Houthis have launched missiles, rockets, and drones toward Israel and enforced a maritime disruption in the Red Sea, in what it describes as support for Palestinians in Gaza.

The escalation comes following a ceasefire deal announced on May 6, in which President Donald Trump said the US would stop bombing the Houthis after they agreed to halt attacks on key shipping lanes.

Oman, which mediated the agreement, said both sides committed not to target each other, including US vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The ceasefire agreement, however, did not include Houthi attacks on Israel, according to the group's spokesperson.

Last month, the group's rivals in Yemeni government said that Iran is transferring parts of its military industry, including ballistic missile and drone production to Houthi-controlled areas in Saada, Hajjah, and the outskirts of Sanaa.

Moammar al-Eryani, information minister of Yemen's internationally-recognized government urged the world to treat the threat seriously.


Israel used civilian drones inside Iran during 12-day war, Tehran says

Jul 1, 2025, 20:55 GMT+1

Israeli-operated civilian drones were used from inside Iranian territory to carry out attacks during the recent 12-day conflict with Israel, Iran’s defense ministry confirmed Tuesday, criticizing the lack of regulations governing drone use in the country.

“One of the tools used by the Zionist enemy to harm public security, residential areas, and specific parts of the country was the use of civilian drones for military purposes,” Reza Talaei-Nik, spokesperson for the defense ministry, said in a televised interview.

He blamed a lack of legal and structural frameworks governing the drone industry and its use in Iran, saying that a new law passed by Iran’s parliament aims to regulate the drone sector.

“This law will oversee the process of drone manufacturing, their operational system, and their import and export."

“Drone use must be treated like cars, with ownership documents issued by the police and flight permits obtained from the Civil Aviation Organization. The law also defines regulations for domestic drone production,” Talaei-Nik added.

Israeli media previously reported that Mossad had established a drone base inside Iran as part of a broader infiltration operation.