President admits Iran's economic crisis beyond his control

Fars reported that a group of its readers launched a petition saying these stores promote pet ownership, which they argue poses health risks, although they did not specify what those risks are.

Iranian authorities view pet ownership, especially of dogs, as a sign of Western influence that threatens traditional values and should be prohibited.

Dogs are generally considered 'najis' or 'impure' in Islam and banned in public places by some majority-Muslim countries including Saudi Arabia.

Iranian parliamentarians proposed a bill in 2021 banning selling and keeping of pets, claiming that the ban was meant to protect public health.

While working dogs have always been common in Iran’s rural areas and on farms, keeping pets has only recently become fashionable in urban areas despite occasional police crackdowns.

Hossein Salami told Tasnim News Agency Monday: “The IRGC today is much more advanced in the field of weapons and much more experienced in skills.”

He described Iran’s military strength as a key factor in deterring adversaries, pointing to past missile strikes as proof of the IRGC’s capabilities.

The comments come just months after an aerial attack from Israel severely damaged Iranian military infrastructure.

The Institute for the Study of War said of the October strike: "The IDF [Israeli military" conducted precision strikes targeting around 20 locations across Iran, including facilities tied to the Iranian drone and missile programs and air defense network."

In a separate interview, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a deputy commander of the IRGC, told state television Sunday: “Whenever we want, we can put any point in the world under the missile range."

The statements come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that his Monday meeting with US President Donald Trump will include talks on the ongoing threat from Iran.

Reza Naqdi added: “Any range, in any point in the world, that the system and the Supreme Leader wants, is not beyond the technological reach of the Islamic Republic’s military forces.”

Salami highlighted the importance of the IRGC's navy in Iran's defense systems after the IRGC Navy unveiled another underground missile base in the coastal areas of southern Iran on Saturday.

The IRGC also unveiled a new cruise missile, named Ghadr-380, which has "anti-jamming capabilities" and a range of more than 1,000 km (more than 600 miles), according to IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian framed Iran’s ballistic missile and space launch programs as defensive rather than offensive on Sunday.

“We have worked to continuously strengthen our defense capabilities with the efforts of dedicated, innovative young scientists,” he said at a military exhibition.

“This development will continue, and dear Iran will join the ranks of countries conducting extraterrestrial flights, showcasing our nation's scientific strength.”

Iran has developed an estimated arsenal of 3,000 ballistic missiles, according to US intelligence assessments.

Iran launched hundreds of drones, rockets and ballistic missiles at Israel last year, demonstrating its ability to strike its archenemy despite extensive missile defenses.

Iranian hardliners have warned that a return to diplomatic negotiations under Donald Trump could include renewed efforts to curb Iran’s missile program.

Tehran has repeatedly ruled out missile-related talks, maintaining that its military strategy is non-negotiable.

Daniel Khalife received six years for breaching the Official Secrets Act, six years for a terrorism offense, and two years and three months for escaping from prison, with the sentences to be served consecutively.

Khalife, 23, joined the British Army in 2018 and served with the Royal Corps of Signals. While enlisted, he "exposed military personnel to serious harm" by gathering and passing on sensitive information to Iran.

The judge said Khalife "took payment on two occasions and traveled to meet intelligence officers from Iran in Turkey." She noted that he "recorded a great deal of information," including the full names of fellow soldiers, and was "driven firmly to the conclusion that this was to send to the Iranians."

Khalife, who escaped from Wandsworth Prison in September 2023 but was caught days later, passed information to Iranian agents for cash and told handlers he would stay in the military for more than 25 years to serve them.

Energy-rich Iran faces obstacles to getting its crude oil and fuel to the global market and has for years used complex routes and shadow fleets to disguise its flows and skirt mostly Western sanctions.

Iran exported nearly 1.98 billion barrels of oil over the four years when US President Joe Biden was in office, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) said in its annual Tanker Tracker report released in January.

Iran's oil industry is in the midst of a crisis as approximately 80% of its active oil fields are in the latter stages of their life cycle, experiencing productivity declines.

Known as Dahe-ye Fajr (“Ten Days of Dawn”), this period is officially commemorated annually with various ceremonies. Due to differences between the Iranian and Western calendars, this period can begin on January 31 or February 1 and end on February 10 or 11.

For supporters of the Islamic Republic, Fajr (“Dawn”) symbolizes the "new era" in Iran’s history marked by the fall of the monarchy and the establishment of an Islamic governance.

Q: What are the key ceremonies during Dahe-ye Fajr?

On the first day of the ten-day "Dawn" period, a ceremony takes place at Khomeini’s mausoleum in southern Tehran, commemorating his return to Iran after 14 years in exile, the majority of which he spent in Iraq.

On the final day, state-sponsored rallies take place nationwide to mark the Islamic Revolution's victory. The president addresses participants at Azadi Square (“Freedom Square”) in Tehran, and the day is observed as a public holiday.

Q: How does the state’s media cover the events?

State-run television channels extensively cover all the ceremonies of Dahe-ye Fajr, particularly the Revolution Day rallies. These broadcasts often feature large crowds, which Iranian state officials claim reflect widespread support for the Islamic Republic and its Supreme Leader.

Q: What criticisms have been raised about the media coverage of these events?

Individual critics and opposition groups argue that participation in these rallies has significantly declined in recent years.

They also say that state authorities use incentives like gifts, paid leave, or implicit threats to compel attendance – particularly among civil servants, soldiers, students, and workers.

Q: How did the monarchy fall in 1979?

Months of massive protests forced King Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, to leave the country with his family on January 16, 1979.

He entrusted a Regency Council and opposition Prime Minister Shapour Bakhtiar to manage the country in his absence.

Khomeini had vowed to return to Iran. Bakhtiar initially attempted to block his return by closing Iran's airports.

However, widespread protests, led by both Islamists and leftist groups, compelled him to reopen them.

Q: What happened when Khomeini returned to Iran?

On February 1, Khomeini arrived in Tehran on a chartered Air France plane, accompanied by opposition figures who had supported him during his exile.

Upon arrival, millions of Iranians flooded the streets to welcome the 76-year-old cleric.

Khomeini traveled directly to Behesht-e Zahra, Tehran’s largest cemetery, to honor the “martyrs of the Revolution.”

In a fiery speech, he declared the Shah-appointed Bakhtiar government "illegal" and announced his intention to establish a new administration.

“I will appoint a government. I will slap this government on the mouth. I will establish a government with the support of the nation because the nation has accepted me,” Khomeini proclaimed.

Q: What did Khomeini do after his return to Iran?

A few days after that speech, Khomeini appointed Mehdi Bazargan, a moderate Islamist scholar and politician, as prime minister.

By February 11, revolutionary forces had seized control of all government institutions. The state broadcaster officially announced the monarchy's collapse the same day.

Q: What happened to Khomeini’s closest aides after his return?

Ironically, many of Khomeini’s close aides from his time in exile were later accused of treason or marginalized – and ultimately faced tragic fates.

Sadegh Ghotbzadeh, who served as foreign minister between November 1979 and August 1980, was accused of plotting to assassinate Khomeini and of attempting a coup to topple the newly established Islamic Republic in April 1982. He was executed by firing squad in September of the same year.

Another aide, Hassan Banisadr, who was elected as the Islamic Republic’s first president (from February 1980 to June 1981), was impeached and deposed by Parliament, allegedly for opposing the clerics in power. He went into hiding and later escaped to France, where he lived until his death in Paris in 2021.

In the now-infamous photos of Khomeini descending the stairs from the Air France plane upon his return to Tehran, state-run news outlets have edited out several of his aides who were by his side.

Today, the only individual still visible next to Khomeini in the official photos is the airliner’s pilot, holding his hand.