Hezbollah leader confirmed dead, Israel vows to continue assassinations

Speaking at Friday prayers in Sistan-Baluchestan, Molavi Abdolhamid denounced the state’s actions as a great tragedy and an injustice rarely seen in the world, renewing his demand for accountability and the punishment of the commanders responsible for the massacre.

Videos posted on social media show that on the eve of the second anniversary of the clampdown, a number of citizens in the capital of Zahedan chanted slogans such as "We swear by the blood of our comrades, we will stand till the end" and "Political prisoners must be released."

Military and security forces were visibly present around the Makki Mosque – one of Iran's largest Sunni mosques. Reports from citizens highlighted a heightened security atmosphere in the city ahead of the anniversary. According to the Hal-Vash news website, military personnel and plainclothes officers set up tents along main streets and roads leading to the mosque, where they conducted searches of worshippers.

On September 30, 2022, amid nationwide protests sparked by the killing of Mahsa Jina Amini, Iranian security forces killed at least 66 people, including children, and injured many more in an assault that marked “Bloody Friday" as a day of unprecedented violence. The reported rape of a 15-year-old girl by a police commander further fueled outrage and intensified the protests.

Multiple human rights groups, along with evidence from activists, victims’ families, eyewitnesses, and extensive documentation, indicate that the actual death toll in Zahedan is likely even higher.

Following the state’s onslaught after that day’s Friday prayers, another 16 people were killed in separate incidents across the city of Zahedan, as the state continued its suppression of dissent. Despite pressure on dissidents, protests continued for months.

Some of the worshippers at this Friday’s prayers at the Mosque held up banners and placards protesting the deadly attack. One of these placards read, "The crime of Bloody Friday will not be forgotten."

Molavi Abdolhamid, the cleric who has sometimes been dubbed ‘Iran’s Sunni dissident,’ became a voice of advocacy for the Sunni minority and broader societal concerns amid nationwide protests against the Islamic Republic.

Although he has called for an end to theocratic rule in Iran, he has also emphasized his stance against using violence to achieve that goal, advocating instead for peaceful reform and dialogue.

Recounting the events of “Bloody Friday,” Molavi Abdolhamid said that if Sunnis were present in institutions such as the Provincial Security Council and the National Security Council, similar incidents would not occur.

Since Masoud Pezeshkian became the President of the 14th Government of the Islamic Republic, Molavi Abdolhamid has repeatedly urged him to employ qualified women, ethnic groups, and religious minorities in the government.

Media focus on President Pezeshkian and Iran’s hopes to gain something from his largely low-key meetings in New York sharply contrasts with the public's attention on two other events: the football derby where Persepolis defeated Esteghlal, and a high-profile interview on Iran International TV with pop icon Shahram Shabpareh, who has entertained Iranians for nearly 60 years, spending 45 of those years in exile in the United States.

Iranian media are eager to uncover what truly transpired in New York and whether the factional debate over Pezeshkian's success or failure holds any merit. Pro-reform website Fararu noted in a Thursday report, "What’s been said publicly isn’t the issue—people want to know what happened behind the scenes." The report added that observers are approaching media coverage of Pezeshkian’s visit to New York "with a certain degree of caution."

The website also quoted Foreign Minister Araghchi as saying that "Iran is looking for a dignified way to revive the 2015 nuclear deal while it needs to reassure" the United States and Europe about the peacefulness of its ambitious nuclear program.

In an interview with Fararu, political analyst Rahman Ghahramanpour observed that European diplomats in New York approached the Islamic Republic with "a cautious sense of hope." He noted, "Their attitude was less pessimistic than it was toward former President Raisi, but not as optimistic as it had been with Rouhani’s team."

Commenting on the term "dignified" used by Araghchi, Ghahramanpour explained that it aligns with Khamenei's call for "dignified, thoughtful, and prudent" diplomacy. He added that the Pezeshkian administration needs an agreement with the West to strengthen its position against political rivals in Tehran. However, he pointed out that a potential nuclear deal faces opposition in both Tehran and Washington.

Fararu also quoted economist Morteza Afghah, who said Pezeshkian is under pressure to improve the country's economic situation. Afghah suggested that it was these economic pressures that led Iranian officials to adopt a softer tone in New York and move toward re-establishing diplomatic relations with the West after seven years. However, he did not comment on how this shift might affect Iran's ties with its new partners, Russia and China.

Another political observer in Tehran Abdolreza Faraji-Rad told Fararu that Pezeshkian has loud opponents in Tehran who control the country's state television and in order not to come under attack by them, he needs to coordinate his actions with "higher up", presumably meaning Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Even when Pezeshkian faced backlash from hardliners over his controversial remarks in New York about mutual disarmament between Iran and Israel and calling on international organizations to restore security in the Middle East, some argued it wasn’t a slip of the tongue or a sign of political naivete. Instead, they suggested it indicated he had received approval from Khamenei to make such a bold statement.

Meanwhile, Ghahramanpour had another interview the centrist website Entekhab in Tehran in which he said "At the time being there is very little chance for an open, direct and comprehensive negotiations with the United States, but this does not mean there will be no negotiations." He added: "It appears the two sides have accepted to talk about the nuclear issue at a lower level and wait for a proper situation after the US Presidential elections."

Despite the meeting between Macron and Pezeshkian during which Macron called for the release of French hostages in jail in Tehran, according to Ghahramanpour, resumption of talks with Europe is likely to take place only with "medium priority" as the continuation of the meeting with the French was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi.

The three defendants remain inside Iran and were acting on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the elite transnational military organization dedicated to confronting Israel and the United States.

"The operation targeted the email accounts of current and former American public officials, journalists and most recently, individuals associated with US political campaigns," Garland said, adding the justice department is dedicated to "countering the threat that Iran poses to our democracy."

"The defendants' own words make clear that they were attempting to undermine former President Trump's campaign in advance of the 2024 US presidential election."

Named as Masoud Jalili, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri and Yasar Balaghi, the men have little chance of being brought before a US court.

Jalili was among seven people targeted in new sanctions on Friday in a separate announcement by the US treasury department for similar allegations of interfering in the upcoming polls.

"Iranian state-sponsored actors undertook a variety of malicious cyber activities, such as hack-and-leak operations and spear-phishing, in an attempt to undermine confidence in the United States’ election" the treasury said.

"There is no place in Iran that the long arm of Israel cannot reach. And that's true of the entire Middle East. Far from being lambs led to the slaughter, Israel soldiers have fought back with incredible courage and with heroic sacrifice," Netanyahu said.

"We are winning," he added, after bombing attacks widely attributed to Israel and air strikes across Lebanon targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah killed over 600 people people.

Shortly after his speech, Israel launched its biggest air strike since a 2006 war on Beirut in what military officials said was an attack on Hezbollah's headquarters.

Netanyahu spoke in Biblical terms about the stakes for Israel in the region, between normalization agreements with moderate Arab states and more war with Iran and its armed allies.

"Moses told us that our actions will determine whether we bequeath to future generations a blessing or a curse, and that is the choice we face today, the curse of Iran's unremitting aggression, or the blessing of a historic reconciliation between Arab and Jews."

Netanyahu on Thursday appeared to brush off an initiative by the US and other world powers for a 21-day ceasefire between the Jewish state and Iran-backed Hezbollah, saying military operations would continue with "full force".

Top Israeli military commanders have mooted a possible ground invasion into Lebanon while Hezbollah and Iran have vowed to retaliate for Israeli attacks.

Netanyahu warned against allowing Iran a nuclear weapon - ambitions Iran denies - saying that while Israeli actions have delayed Iran's ability to build a bomb by a decade, they have not yet been stopped.

"Iran now seeks to weaponize its nuclear program... We must not let that happen," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu's comments come days after Iran's new President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking from the same rostrum at the UN General Assembly, expressed Tehran’s readiness to resume negotiations on a lapsed multilateral nuclear deal.

Earlier this month, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), raised the alarm over Iran’s growing stockpile of uranium enriched to 20% and 60%, saying the country was closer to being able to produce nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu pointed to the Islamic Republic’s stifling of dissent, calling on the International community to end what he called global appeasement of Iran.

“For too long, the world has appeased Iran. It turns a blind eye to its internal repression. It turns a blind eye to its external progression. Well, that appeasement must end, and that appeasement must end now.”

The Islamic Republic has been criticized by rights groups for its continuing crackdown. These violations have escalated in the years since Iran’s 2022 Woman Life Freedom nationwide protests in which security forces killed at least 550 people and jailed tens of thousands.

Earlier this month, the UN's Fact-Finding Mission on Iran highlighted the Iranian authorities' escalating efforts to suppress the rights of women and girls.

“Meaningful accountability for gross human rights violations and crimes under international law, including crimes against humanity, remains elusive for victims and survivors," the mission wrote in a report.

Asked by reporters whether he might be receptive to reviving negotiations with the Islamic Republic over its disputed nuclear program, Trump said a deal was essential.

“Sure, I would do that,” Trump said. “We have to make a deal, because the consequences are impossible. We have to make a deal.”

Trump, a business mogul, has repeatedly expressed his preference for deals with Washington's opponents but his comments come as tensions in the Mideast have ramped up and his campaign said Iran has made threats on his life.

Earlier this week, Trump's campaign said US security agencies had briefed him on threats to the former president's life.

The Islamic Republic is outspoken in reviling Trump after he authorized the assassination of one of its top military commanders in Iraq in January 2020 and after his administration pulled out of an multilateral nuclear deal with Iran inked by his predecessor.

Trump said on Wednesday that the United States should threaten to bomb countries "to smithereens" which seek the assassination of US leaders in the wake of the alleged Iranian plot.