Iran waging ‘shadow war’ inside UK through influence operations – Telegraph

Esmail Baghaei said it is “entirely unrealistic” to expect Iran to have normal cooperation with the IAEA, and that IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi’s insistence on continuing cooperation at this time is “not understandable.”

Speaking in a weekly press conference, the spokesman also condemned US President Donald Trump’s remarks against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, saying, “It is completely clear that such vulgar, insulting, and provocative remarks are wholly rejected and condemned."

"These words have hurt the sentiments of millions of Iranians and Muslims inside and outside Iran and will only increase hatred and resentment toward US policies in the region and against Muslims.”

Talks with Europe

Baghaei said Tehran maintains diplomatic relations and regular communication with Britain, France, and Germany, and Iran’s president recently spoke with his French counterpart.

However, he said no date has been set for the next round of negotiations, which will be announced once finalized.

French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart called for Tehran's return to the negotiating table to address ballistic and nuclear issues, and for the resumption of the IAEA's work in Iran, his X account said on Sunday.

The French president also called on Tehran to respect the ceasefire with Israel and to help restore peace in the region, the post on his X said.

Iran warns neighbors

Baghaei also warned neighboring countries against allowing their territories or airspace to be used for hostile actions by Israel, saying that's prohibited by the international law.

“Without exception, all neighboring countries have assured us that they will under no circumstances permit Israel to misuse their airspace or territory for aggressive actions against Iran.”

Criticism of international responses

Iran is compiling evidence of Israeli attacks on its nuclear sites to present to international bodies, Baghaei said, accusing Israel of “war crimes” and describing it as “an apartheid regime” subject to prosecution by the International Criminal Court.

He said the recent IAEA report provides a pretext for Israeli and US strikes. “The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has clear technical duties and its director general must avoid political influence.”

The Iranian diplomat also slammed Germany and France’s positions on Israel’s attacks as unacceptable and warned that recent German officials’ remarks will leave a “historic and eternal shame” on Berlin.

Baghaei urged the German public and international community to hold their leaders accountable, saying, “I never imagined that the German chancellor would use the same language that was used to justify the racist actions of Hitler. This is something that the people of Germany and the world must demand from their officials.”

The legislation classifies any collaboration with Israel and the United States as “corruption on earth”, which is punishable by death.

“Any intelligence, espionage, or operational activity for Israel, the US, or other hostile regimes and groups or their agents against the country’s security or national interests is considered corruption on earth and punishable by death,” the law says.

It further criminalizes “any security, military, economic, financial, technological action or any direct or indirect assistance knowingly done to approve, strengthen, consolidate, or legitimize Israel,” also punishable by death.

The third article specifies that manufacturing, transferring, or importing drones with military or sabotage uses against critical infrastructure qualifies for the death penalty. It also includes cyberattacks, disruption of communication networks, and sabotage of public or private facilities.

The law penalizes receiving funds from intelligence agents knowingly, regardless of active involvement.

Political, cultural, media, or propaganda activities causing public fear, division, or damage to national security carry 10 to 15 years imprisonment.

Sharing content with "hostile foreign networks" that weakens morale or creates division results in two to five years in prison.

Illegal wartime protests carry five to ten years imprisonment.

The use or import of unauthorized internet communication tools like Starlink is punishable by six months to two years in prison, according to the law.

Importing more than ten Starlink devices “with intent to oppose the Islamic Republic” results in five to ten years’ imprisonment.

The law applies retroactively to offenses committed before its enactment, violating Iran’s constitution and penal code provisions prohibiting retroactive laws, according to experts.

Despite some limited card reactivations, Pasargad’s most banking services remain offline, leaving customers unable to perform routine transactions.

In Tehran, customers report that banks are refusing to process checks, urging clients to wait days for resolution.

During the recent Israeli and US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, a cyber battle erupted targeting critical Iranian infrastructure.

Sepah Bank, Pasargad Bank, and Nobitex, Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, confirmed cyberattacks against their systems.

Internet banking, mobile banking, and ATMs of these banks remain largely nonfunctional.

A physical malware intrusion in Sepah Bank’s systems prevents successful data backup restoration, prolonging the outage, Rouydad 24 website reported Sunday.

The pro-Israel hacker group Predatory Sparrow, known for prior cyberattacks on Iran’s fuel infrastructure, claimed responsibility for disabling Sepah Bank, writing on X that they paralyzed the state bank.

The bank is responsible for processing the payments of military personnel.

Predatory Sparrow also hacked Nobitex. According to the cryptocurrency exchange's CEO Amir Rad, hackers extracted approximately $100 million from the platform.

While no hacker group has claimed responsibility for the cyberattack against Pasargad Bank, Iranian media are portraying it as part of Israel’s campaign against the Islamic Republic.

Over 99 percent of listed companies dropped in value, triggering an unprecedented 350 trillion-rial (approximately $416.7 million) sell-off queue.

By the close on Saturday, total sell orders reached 350 trillion rials. The main index fell 62,503 points, or 2.1 percent, to 2,922,101. The equal-weight index lost 15,522 points, ending at 908,163.

The market’s sensitivity to political and security developments deepened investor distrust and anxiety this time. Tehran’s stock market had previously declined amid Tehran’s risky foreign ventures.

In prior crises such as earlier missile strike operations on Israel and after the death of former president Ebrahim Raisi, the Securities and Exchange Organization curtailed daily trading limits to contain losses. Normally, Iran’s daily price fluctuation limit is five percent.

“It was expected the market would start negatively after nine days of closure. Officials tried to control the fallout from Israel’s attack but failed,” economic journalist Arash Hassannia told Iran International.

The market reopened amid crisis signals. Within 90 minutes, over 99 percent of stocks traded in the red. The main index dropped about one percent to 2,957,000 points. The equal-weight index slid nearly 3,800 points, nearing 920,000.

Trade volume in the first 90 minutes exceeded 20 trillion rials ($23.8 million), with nearly 12 trillion rials ($14.3 million) withdrawn by individual investors. Banks and investment firms led trading values with 6.6 trillion rials ($7.85 million) and 2.8 trillion rials ($3.33 million), respectively.

Economy news outlets described the market situation as “a full-scale crisis.” One warned that the military conflict’s end failed to calm the market; instead, uncertainty deepened, with investors fearing new fighting. Analysts see this drop as potentially signaling a longer-term crisis.

Massive sell queues, scarce buyers, broad liquidity outflows, and widespread losses are signs of what analysts call “the start of a psychological and structural crisis.”

The inquiries, which focused on personal ties with relatives in Israel, mark the most expansive state action against Iranian Jews in decades, HRANA reported.

“Emphasis was placed on avoiding any phone or online communication with abroad,” the rights group cited a source close to the families as saying.

Jews are not the only minority group being targeted. Iranian security forces raided at least 19 homes belonging to members of the Baha’i community during and after the Israel war, human rights groups say.

Analysts say the moves reflect both the state’s effort to project strength and its its reliance on targeting minorities when facing external setbacks.

Rights concerns

Pegah Bani-Hashmi, a senior legal researcher, told Iran International that the accusations of espionage against Jewish and Bahai citizens are “factually baseless and violate Iran’s own constitution.”

“These communities usually stay out of political activism,” she said. “There’s no legal or security justification for what the state is doing.”

Shahin Milani, director of the Human Rights Documentation Center, told Iran International the arrests expose the government’s failure to identify actual threats.

“Baha’is and other citizens don’t have access to classified information. They’re always under surveillance. Accusing them of spying is just an excuse to deflect blame and intimidate the population,” he said.

Iran’s parliament passed a law in 2011 banning travel to Israel. Many Iranian Jews maintain familial and religious ties there, and rights experts say the law has become a tool for suppression.

Community fears grow

A senior figure in Tehran’s Jewish community told HRANA that “we’ve seen limited cases before, but this is unprecedented.” He said the scale of recent summonses has triggered deep concern about the safety of their community.

Authorities have not issued formal charges but told families the actions are intended to gather information to prevent crimes.

Rights lawyers warn that these measures could constitute discrimination based on religion and ethnicity, in breach of Iran’s obligations under international law.

Rani Omrani, an independent journalist, told Iran International that Tehran’s tactics reflect its inability to confront Israel directly.

“Because they can’t reach Israel, they’re punishing innocent Jews at home,” he said.