Female singer arrested during live performance in Tehran
Iranian singer Hiva Seyfizadeh
Iranian female singer Hiva Seyfizadeh was arrested during a live performance in Tehran on Thursday night after security forces raided the venue, whose audience included both men and women in defiance of the theocracy's gender-mixing laws.
Female singer arrested during live performance in Tehran | Iran International
Iranian law prohibits women from singing solo before mixed audiences that include men and mandates adherence to strict hijab regulations.
Although the restrictions are longstanding, a surge of recent such performances have challenged legal and cultural boundaries.
According to music journalist Bahman Babazadeh, the concert had received official authorization. However, during the performance, security forces—accompanied by four female officers—entered the venue and took Seyfizadeh into custody.
Authorities have not given an official reason for the arrest, but an eyewitness, speaking to Iran International on condition of anonymity, confirmed that men were present at the event.
The eyewitness also noted that organizers had prohibited the audience from recording the concert.
Shortly after the incident, Emarat Rooberoo, the venue where the concert was held, announced via Instagram that it would remain closed until further notice.
It is unclear whether authorities or a preemptive decision by the organizers imposed the closure.
Seyfizadeh has previously drawn attention for performing without the mandatory hijab in solidarity with anti-government protesters during Iran’s recent wave of civil unrest.
Her arrest follows a broader crackdown on female performers defying Iran’s strict regulations on women’s public appearances and artistic expression.
In December, security forces arrested and later released singer Parastoo Ahmadi after she livestreamed a concert without the mandatory hijab. Ahmadi’s performance, in which she appeared with bare shoulders, directly challenged Iran’s enforced dress code.
Later that month, the Iranian Judiciary issued a statement condemning the event, stating that the concert had been held "without legal authorization and adherence to Sharia principles" and that it would take unspecified action against the singer and the production team.
Despite internet restrictions, Ahmadi’s Caravanserai Concert quickly became one of the most discussed topics on Iranian social media. Though YouTube is officially restricted in Iran, the performance garnered over 1.5 million views within three days, with clips widely shared online.
Iran has welcomed the call for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to lay down its arms, viewing it as a significant step toward ending violence and promoting regional security.
Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, praised the announcement made by jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who urged the group to dissolve itself in a letter read by Turkey’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran supports any process that leads to the cessation of terrorism and strengthens security in neighboring Turkey,” Baghaei said Friday, expressing hope that this development would have positive effects throughout the region.
Ocalan’s statement comes amid shifting dynamics in the Middle East following the collapse of the Assad government in Syria. The new Syrian administration, backed by Ankara, is seeking to consolidate control over Kurdish-held areas in the north, while Turkey has intensified its push to dismantle Kurdish militant groups in both Syria and Iraq.
Last month, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called on Iran to align its stance with Ankara’s efforts against the PKK, saying, “There are some who think differently about the PKK in Iran, but we urge all countries, including Iran, to cease support for the group.” His remarks followed reports of an alleged meeting between Iran’s IRGC Quds Force Chief Esmail Qaani and leaders of the PKK-linked YPG in Syria.
Ankara, which classifies the YPG as a terrorist organization, has repeatedly warned that it will take military action if Kurdish militants do not disarm and withdraw. The disbandment of the PKK could reshape security dynamics in the region, particularly in oil-rich northern Iraq, where the group has maintained a base for decades.
Iran has paid a heavy price to maintain its influence in Iraq and Syria, yet its gains have been minimal compared to the costs, Turkey’s Foreign Minister said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday.
Hakan Fidan, who served as Turkey’s intelligence chief for nearly eight years, said he had shared this assessment with Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020. Iran’s regional strategy has fallen short of its goals, and shifting geopolitical dynamics have forced Tehran to reassess its role, according to Fidan.
His latest remarks echo his December interview, in which he criticized Iran’s involvement in Syria, arguing that despite its extensive presence, it failed to prevent the devastation in Gaza caused by Israel’s offensive. That interview highlighted Turkey’s evolving stance, as Ankara has gained leverage following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, Iran's key ally in the region.
Ankara is widely regarded as the primary backer of the Syrian rebels who toppled Assad, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, however, insists that Tehran's armed groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah, remain strong despite external pressures. Addressing developments in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, he accused the United States and Israel of misjudging the strength of Iran-backed groups, an assessment that appears increasingly disconnected from the shifting realities on the ground.
In a separate interview with the Saudi-affiliated Al-Hadath, Fidan noted that Iran must reflect on its actions post-Assad. He stressed the need for a regional order built on cooperation, sovereignty, and mutual interests, one that moves beyond the dominance of any single power, whether Iranian, Turkish, or Arab.
The Iranian government will raise diesel prices starting next month, Iran International has learned, in a move which could stoke unrest as economic malaise mounts.
Diesel will be sold at market rates, and a significant portion of government subsidies will be eliminated.
An executive directive outlining the changes has already been drafted and awaits official approval.
The change is likely to deepen the economic burden on citizens, adding to the existing strain caused by a weak currency and high inflation.
A gasoline price hike in November 2019 triggered days of nationwide protests, during which authorities deployed paramilitary forces who used overwhelming force to suppress the unrest.
At least 1,500 people were killed, according to a Reuters investigation.
Economic conditions have since worsened, with persistent high inflation pushing tens of millions of Iranians into deeper poverty.
Iran International reported in December that Iran was preparing to ease fuel subsidies in a move likely approved at the highest levels of government.
At the time, documents indicated that the monthly distribution of subsidized gasoline would be drastically cut from 87 million liters to 42.5 million liters.
Iranians had already begun noticing changes as fuel stations started installing eight-digit price displays—signaling a potential shift in pricing policies.
The diesel price increase comes as Iran’s top officials continue to discuss also a possible gasoline price hike this spring.
Sources told Iran International that security agencies are increasingly worried about the country’s growing dependence on fuel imports and its shrinking capacity to meet demand under escalating US sanctions.
Washington this week imposed a new round of sanctions targeting Iran’s oil industry, including key brokers, shipping firms, and the head of the National Iranian Oil Company.
These measures, part of the renewed "maximum pressure" campaign by the Trump administration, aim to cut Iran’s oil revenue, which remains the backbone of its economy and regional military operations.
With Iran pumping 3.2 million barrels per day as of January, the latest restrictions are expected to further strain the country’s financial and energy sectors.
A former US Navy sailor has pleaded guilty in a Chicago federal court to plotting an attack on Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois purportedly on behalf of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), the Justice Department said on Thursday.
Xuanyu Harry Pang, 38, of North Chicago, pleaded guilty on Nov. 5, 2024, to conspiracy and attempted destruction of national defense facilities, but his case was unsealed on Thursday.
"In the summer of 2021, Pang communicated with an individual in Colombia about potentially assisting with a plan involving Iranian actors to conduct an attack against the United States to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani ," the US Justice Department said in a press release.
Soleimani, a commander of IRGC's Quds Force was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020, a move ordered by US President Donald Trump.
An undercover FBI employee, posing as an affiliate of the IRGC's foreign operations arm the Quds Force, later engaged with the Colombian contact, who connected the agent to Pang.
While stationed at Naval Station Great Lakes, Pang discussed possible attack targets, including the base and other locations in the Chicago area.
Pang met with an undercover FBI operative three times in late 2022, including in downtown Chicago and Lake Bluff, Illinois. During these meetings, he provided images and videos of the naval base, US military uniforms, and a cell phone that could serve as a test detonator.
Pang remains in custody and faces up to 20 years in prison. His sentencing date has not been set.
The Islamic Republic cannot be reformed and cannot offer democracy or freedom, Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi told the French weekly magazine Nouvel Obs.
"People in Iran, based on historical experiences and decades of efforts now demand a transition from tyranny to democracy, meaning a shift away from the Islamic Republic," she said.
Mohammadi, who won the Nobel Prize in 2023, is currently on temporary leave from prison.
In her interview featured on the cover of a Nouvel Obs special edition on Iran, she described the government in Tehran as unaccountable and inefficient, asserting that its downfall is inescapable and what Iranians want.
"The transition from the Islamic Republic is aimed at creating a democratic and secular structure where human rights and women's rights are guaranteed, and civil society is realized and strengthened," she said.
Mohammadi, 52, has spent much of the past 20 years in and out of prison. She has been arrested, tried, and sentenced to prison multiple times because of her human rights work.
Last December Mohammadi was released from Tehran's Evin prison to receive medical care where she was serving a 13-year sentence.
She was awarded the Nobel peace prize for her three-decade campaign for women's rights in Iran.