Iran’s IRGC unveils first drone- and helicopter-launching warship

In a statement released by campaign members, they described the growing movement as a direct response to what they called an authoritarian system that relies on executions.

The statement, acquired by Iran International on Tuesday, said that over 30 individuals, including a woman, have been executed since January 20.

“Let us not forget that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei previously acknowledged that judges should pay no attention to international human rights principles when issuing verdicts,” read the statement.

The authors also expressed appreciation for support online, in the media and through domestic and international gatherings by various groups on the anniversary of the campaign, expressing hope that enthusiasm continues for the cause

The initiative started on January 30, 2024, when female political prisoners in the women's section of Tehran’s Evin Prison initiated weekly hunger strikes to protest the rising number of executions and to express solidarity with inmates at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, who were taking similar actions.

Now well into its second year, the movement has continued to build momentum, gaining support from political prisoners nationwide.

Waltz added that the US and Israel are on the same page when it comes to Iran not acquiring a nuclear weapon.

His comments came one day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a joint press conference with Trump that the two leaders see eye to eye when it comes to the threat posed by their common enemy.

"We're both committed to rolling back Iran's aggression in the region and ensuring that Iran never develops a nuclear weapon," Netanyahu continued.

He made the remarks after Trump signed a directive restoring the so-called maximum pressure policy on Iran of his first term and warned of "catastrophic" consequences if Tehran does not make a deal on its nuclear program.

Trump said he hoped for an agreement denying Iran nuclear weapons "so that it doesn't end up in a very catastrophic situation," but sounded a dovish note by saying he was prepared to speak with his Iranian counterpart.

"For my part, I would say that whenever I get the opportunity, I will not hesitate for a moment to kill you, Donald Trump," said Mojtaba Zarei, a member of the Iranian Parliament's Foreign Policy Commission.

"And I am a political official speaking this diplomatically," he said in a post on Iranian social media platform Eitaa.

While signing a sanctions directive on Tuesday to increase pressure on Tehran, Trump was asked about the potential fallout for Iran if it made an attempt on his life.

US law enforcement last year accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a powerful paramilitary organization, of organizing a plot to kill Trump in retaliation for his order to assassinate its foreign operations chief Qassem Soleimani in 2020.

"If they did that, they would be obliterated," Trump said.

"That would be the end. I've left instructions - if they do it, they get obliterated. There won't be anything left."

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei reacted to the remarks on Wednesday, saying, “Tehran reserves its right to pursue a legal process for achieving justice regarding the killing of national champions and senior officials to achieve results in domestic and international courts.”

"The US says it is sanctioning Iran, but if we manage our resources well and maintain good relations with our neighbors, how can a country with such capacity and longstanding ties with its neighbors be easily sanctioned?" President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an event held at the country's energy ministry.

His comments came one day after the US president restored his so-called maximum pressure policy on Iran with a presidential memorandum signed ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington DC.

In Trump's first term in office, Iran's oil exports were reduced to near zero after he re-imposed the sanctions that had been lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. Under former US President Joe Biden, however, Iran's oil exports increased starting in 2021 as Tehran found ways to circumvent the curbs.

"They think everything we have depends on oil and want to block our oil exports, while there are many ways to neutralize their objectives," Pezeshkian said Wednesday.

However, he did not address Trump's mooted openness to engage in conversations with his Iranian counterpart after signing the directive.

"I would reach out (to Iranians). I'm the one that doesn't care whether I reach out or they reach out. A lot of people say let them reach out," Trump told reporters on Tuesday. "To me it doesn't matter. It's just talks. I want to see peace in the Middle East and elsewhere."

Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said that although a meeting between "two human beings" is not impossible, engaging in talks with Trump is not currently on the Islamic Republic's agenda.

The Iranian government spokeswoman also reacted to Trump's remarks regarding his readiness to negotiate with the Iranian president.

"Our country's foreign policy has always been based on a set of fixed principles. We follow three key principles: the dignity of the country and its people, wisdom in understanding underlying issues, and expediency," Fatemeh Mohajerani said.

"All national matters, particularly relations with other countries, are pursued based on these principles."

"I want Iran to be a great and successful Country, but one that cannot have a Nuclear Weapon. Reports that the United States, working in conjunction with Israel, is going to blow Iran into smithereens,” ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED," Trump said.

Iran has denied seeking a nuclear weapon, but Israel has long contended Tehran wants a bomb and that its arch-enemy poses an existential threat.

Long opposed to foreign wars, Trump has nevertheless adopted a hard line on Iran, saying that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon but also maintaining that Washington should not pursue regime change.

"I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper. We should start working on it immediately, and have a big Middle East Celebration when it is signed and completed. God Bless the Middle East!" he added in the post on his Truth Social platform.

In the White House Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump signed a directive reviving the maximum pressure policy on Iran from his first term aimed at driving the Islamic Republic's oil exports to zero, adding he was reluctant and preferred to make a deal.

Trump said last month that he hoped a deal over Iran's nuclear program would make it so that the United States did not have to support an Israeli attack on Iran.

Asked by a reporter in the Oval Office whether he would support Israel striking Iran's nuclear facilities, Trump said: "Obviously, I'm not going to answer that question."

"It would really be nice if that could be worked out without having to go that further step ... Iran hopefully will make a deal, and if they don't make a deal, I guess that's okay too."