Iran, Iraq discussed tighter curbs on Kurdish groups in Larijani visit, sources say

The reported flight diversion comes amid strained ties between Tehran and Damascus following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad late last year. His successor, Ahmed al-Shara, has criticized Iran’s military role in Syria as destabilizing.

Iran International could not independently verify the Israeli media report on the flight route.

Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, arrived in Beirut on Wednesday for meetings with senior Lebanese officials, including President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem.

Aoun told Larijani that no group in Lebanon should bear arms or seek foreign support, warning against interference in the country’s internal affairs.

Larijani responded that Iran respects decisions taken by the Lebanese government and does not interfere in its domestic matters.

During his visit, Larijani reaffirmed Tehran’s backing for Lebanon and its “resistance” against Israel – a term he used to refer to Tehran-backed groups such as the Shi’ite group Hezbollah, and offered assistance in reconstruction efforts.

The visit came days after Lebanon’s cabinet instructed the army to present a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of August, a move Tehran has publicly opposed.

Lebanon’s foreign ministry last week condemned remarks by a senior Iranian official rejecting the disarmament plan as “unacceptable interference.”

In a joint letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council, the three countries confirmed they are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism if diplomatic efforts stall.

“We have made it clear that if Iran is not willing to reach a diplomatic solution before the end of August 2025, or does not seize the opportunity of an extension, E3 are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism,” the ministers wrote.

In a separate article, British foreign minister David Lammy told the Jewish News that the group has offered Iran a limited extension to UN sanctions relief subject to clear conditions.

Among those is Iran resuming negotiations with the US and ensuring full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“The UK has long been clear that Iran’s nuclear program is a threat to international peace and security, with its failure to produce credible assurances regarding the nature of the program," Lammy said.

The E3 said their offer “remained unanswered by Iran” and warned they would act if no deal or extension was secured before the deadline. “Iran still has the choice to resume diplomacy, and we urge Iran to do so,” Lammy said. “The ball is now in Iran’s court.”

Talks in Istanbul last month aimed at securing compliance ended without agreement. Sanctions relief, granted under the 2015 nuclear deal, is due to expire in October. The United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018 during President Donald Trump’s first term, reinstating all US sanctions.

The E3 maintain they are committed to using “all diplomatic tools” to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon, which Tehran insists it is not seeking.

“Dear friends, who else attacked your country besides Israel?" Larijani told reporters in Beirut on Wednesday. So be careful that Israel does not impose something else on you through other means."

"Do not let it use other forms of pressure to force on you what it could not achieve through war. Do not mistake friend for enemy; resistance is your national asset,” he added.

Larijani said that Iras no intention in interfering in the affairs of Lebanon.

His remarks come a week after the Lebanese government ordered the army to devise plans by the end of the year to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, prompting sharp criticism from Tehran.

Tense rhetoric

Ali-Akbar Velayati, senior foreign policy adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, called the disarmament “a dream that won’t come true,” describing it as a policy dictated by Israel and Washington.

“Whatever conclusion it (the Lebanese government) reaches, we will also accept. Those who interfere in Lebanon’s affairs are the ones who give you plans, set timelines for actions, and come from thousands of kilometres away. We have not given you any plans,” he added.

Lebanon’s foreign ministry condemned the comments on X as “a flagrant and unacceptable interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs.”

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also criticized remarks by Iranian officials, stressing that no group has the right to bear arms or seek foreign support.

“It is forbidden for anyone to bear arms and to use foreign backing as leverage,” Aoun told Larijani during their meeting, according to a statement from the president’s office posted on X.

Between March 20 last year and now—covering the current Iranian year—"nearly 400 cases involving lawyers and legal experts were sent to disciplinary or judicial bodies for rulings,” he added.

The announcement comes amid a separate high-profile case in Tehran, where 20 people — including six judiciary staff, five lawyers, four notaries and five legal consultants — were arrested this month over bribery and influence-peddling linked to a major judicial complex.

Authorities said the group engaged in “structured bribery, corruption, and manipulation of legal outcomes,” seizing gold, jewelry and foreign currency in related raids.

Abdollahi also said on Wednesday that over 30,000 fugitives with criminal records were also identified and arrested using a traffic-monitoring system.

Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei praised the anti-corruption efforts but questioned whether current measures were enough to deter wrongdoing.

“The Judiciary’s Protection Department has made every effort to ensure there is the least possible corruption within the judicial system. Have our actions been insufficient, or does it have another aspect?” he said on Wednesday.

Iran’s judiciary has faced mounting scrutiny after Transparency International ranked the country 151 out of 180 nations in its 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index — its lowest standing since the ranking began.

The watchdog cited entrenched political control, suppression of dissent, and misuse of public funds.

In May, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rejected the notion of systemic corruption, calling the system “healthy” while acknowledging corruption as a persistent challenge.

His comments followed US President Donald Trump’s remarks that Iran’s leadership had “stolen their people’s wealth to fund terror and bloodshed abroad.”

“Iran’s defiance of this Council’s resolutions enables the Houthis to escalate regional tensions. Iran’s continued support for the Houthis also poses a threat to the people of Yemen and to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea,” she told the council.

“In that regard, the United States commends Yemeni government-aligned forces for their July seizure of at least 750 tons of Iranian weapons bound for the Houthis. We urge the UN Secretariat to facilitate an inspection of that seizure by the Yemen Panel of Experts as soon as possible.”

The Iran-backed group, which controls around two thirds of Yemen's population in one third of the country, began a maritime blockade in the Red Sea in November 2023, following a call by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a show of allegiance to Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza.

The Council on Foreign Relations says that "Iran is the Houthis’ primary benefactor, providing them mostly with security assistance, such as weapons transfers, training, and intelligence support".

Following Hamas’ invasion of Israel on October 7 and the subsequent retaliatory bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the group said it would target Israeli-linked vessels and those docking in Israeli ports. It has since, however, targeted several commercial ships, killing multiple civilian mariners.

So frequent were the attacks on US warships that a ceasefire was made between the US and the group, designated a terrorist entity by countries such as the US and Canada, in May.

In recent attacks on the Magic Seas and Eternity C, both ships were destroyed, with at least four seamen killed on Eternity C and several others injured, taking the tally to over 100 ships attacked since the blockade began.

“After hampering rescue efforts, the Houthis then kidnapped and continue to detain at least 11 crew members of the Eternity C, adding to the numbers they have unjustifiably detained,” Shea said, calling for the hostages’ release along with the release of other UN, NGO and diplomatic workers being held by the group.

“The attacks on commercial vessels are a clear demonstration of the Houthis’ destabilizing presence in the region and interference with freedom of navigation. They also demonstrate Houthi responsibility for severe economic, environmental, and security threats against the people of Yemen and the region,” she said.

Retaliatory strikes by Israel, the US, and the UK since the beginning of the blockade have caused significant damage to infrastructure, including ports the allies say were used to transfer weapons from Iran.

In the Tuesday address, Shea also spoke out about the group’s targeting of Israel, a key US ally in the region, saying that the Jewish state retained the right to defend itself.

“As recently as August 8th, the Houthis fired a missile at Israel targeting Ben Gurion Airport. We stand with Israel in its right to self-defense against the Houthis,” she said.

Dozens of projectiles have been fired at Israel during the maritime blockade, including ballistic missiles and UAVs. While most have been intercepted, in May, one narrowly missed the perimeter of the country's main airport, Ben Gurion, in central Israel.