UN nuclear inspectors quit Iran after cooperation severed

"The IDF achieved remarkable successes in thwarting Iran’s nuclear program and missile production system—the two threats that posed the greatest danger to Israel,” Katz said during a joint situational assessment with senior military officials.

He added that the Israeli army “must prepare both intelligence-wise and operationally to ensure air superiority over Tehran and to prevent Iran from rebuilding its capabilities.”

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who also took part in the briefing, said the recent operation marked a major milestone in Israel’s defense strategy. “The operation is over — but the campaign is not,” he said, describing it as the result of years of planning, intelligence gathering, and operational preparation.

US says Iran’s nuclear program set back by up to two years

The comments came as the US confirmed that strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure last month caused major setbacks. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on Wednesday that the June 22 attacks, carried out with bunker-buster bombs and Tomahawk cruise missiles, had set Iran’s program back by one to two years.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Fordow site had sustained heavy damage but insisted the nuclear program would continue. “Our peaceful nuclear program has turned into a matter of national pride and glory,” he told CBS News.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said Iran retains the technical ability to resume enrichment within months. In response to the strikes, Iran’s parliament passed a law requiring the suspension of cooperation with the IAEA until the security of its nuclear sites and scientists is guaranteed. The Supreme National Security Council has been tasked with assessing those guarantees, and the government must report to parliament every three months on the status of implementation.

Araghchi denied that Iran had ended its cooperation entirely, calling such claims “fake news.” He said Iran remains committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its safeguards agreement with the IAEA, and that future cooperation would now be coordinated through the National Security Council due to heightened security concerns.

"We just did a really great job. And then, of course, you cap it off with the hit, the perfect hit in Iran, where they were talking awfully badly, you know, death to America, death to Israel. They were talking awfully badly," Trump said at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa.

"They're not talking badly anymore, to be honest with you. And we might even meet with them and see," he added.

"They want to meet, they want to meet, and we'll see if we can do something. But they want to meet. I think they want to meet very badly."

'US not looking to hurt Iran'

Earlier in the day, Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews that "Iran does want to speak. And I think they'd like to speak to me. And it's time that they do."

"We're not looking to hurt them. We're looking to let them be a country again. They got beat up and, you know, they were they were both exhausted, frankly. But Iran really got beat up. And I think they want to meet. I mean, I know they want to meet. And if it's necessary, I'll do it."

Trump made the remarks after his phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where the two sides discussed Iran and Ukraine.

First sanctions after strikes

The US Treasury imposed sanctions on Thursday against a network that smuggles Iranian oil disguised as Iraqi oil and on a Hezbollah-controlled financial institution, the Treasury Department said.

A network of companies run by Iraqi-British national Salim Ahmed Said has been buying and shipping billions of dollars worth of Iranian oil disguised as, or blended with, Iraqi oil since at least 2020, the department said.

They were the first round of sanctions imposed against Iran following the US and Israeli strikes against Iranian military and nuclear facilities.

Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri, a 47-year-old farmer and father of three from the Kurdish city of Bukan, was arrested in April 2023 in connection with the nationwide Woman Life Freedom protests sparked by the death in custody of 22-year old Mahsa Zhina Amini.

He was detained after providing aid and medical supplies to to the wounded protesters in the northwestern Iranian city of Bukan. However, his daughter now reveals a new charge leveled against him.

"Something deeply concerning has happened: a completely new accusation—‘plotting to assassinate the Supreme Leader’—was suddenly introduced at the time of the verdict," his daughter Zhino told Iran International on Thursday.

"This charge was never part of any formal investigation, court hearings, or case files, and my father only learned about it after the death sentence was issued," she added.

In addition to the new charge, Babamiri faces several others, including waging war against God, spreading corruption on earth, propaganda against the Islamic Republic, cooperation with hostile groups or governments, disturbing public order, and inciting people to protest.

Zhino said the death sentence was handed down by Judge Reza Najafzadeh at Branch 1 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court, which handles political and security-related cases.

According to the Kurdish human rights group Kurdpa, Najafzadeh has issued rulings in at least 34 cases involving political, civil, and religious defendants, including 11 death sentences—four of which have been carried out. The group has raised concerns about due process in his courtroom, citing limited access to legal representation and the use of confessions obtained during interrogation.

Responding to the charges brought against her father under Najafzadeh’s court, Zhino said: “These charges are politically motivated and grossly exaggerated. My father is a humanitarian who was simply helping the injured—something any decent person would do.”

She also referred to a separate case earlier this year, in which Urmia’s Criminal Court sentenced her father to 15 years in prison on charges of complicity in murder of a member of the Basij paramilitary force, alongside several protesters.

Rights groups have described that case as legally flawed, citing a lack of evidence, due process violations, and the use of forced confessions during interrogation.

“My father has endured severe physical and psychological torture in custody. These included beatings, threats, extended isolation, and psychological pressure—all aimed at forcing him to sign false confessions. These confessions, extracted under torture, have been used as primary evidence in his trial,” Zhino said.

In a letter from prison in April this year, Babamiri described being subject to severe torture including mock executions.

Facing what she described as an imminent threat to her father’s life, Zhino appealed to Western leaders and the international community to intervene:

“He’s not just a name or a number, he’s my dad. A kind, selfless man who raised me to believe in compassion and justice. Now he’s alone in a prison cell, sentenced to death for doing the right thing. Every day, I wake up with fear in my chest that they might take him from me. Please, help me keep him alive. Raise his name, demand transparency, and put pressure on the Iranian authorities. Your voice could be the difference between life and death.”

At least 98 people were executed in Iran last month, bringing the 2025 total to 612—up 119% from the same period in 2024, according to Norway-based rights group Iran Human Rights (IHR).

Six men were hanged for alleged espionage charges last month.

Activists and rights groups say Iranian authorities have intensified repression in the aftermath of the 12-day Israel–Iran war to suppress dissent and consolidate control.

“The Islamic Republic is at its weakest point in its history, and in order to survive, it needs to carry out more executions to intimidate what it sees as its greatest threat: the Iranian people,” IHR Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said in a statement.

Amnesty International has warned that following the Iran-Israel conflict, Iranian authorities have called for expedited trials and executions, raising concerns over arbitrary use of the death penalty.

Tehran will continue its uranium enrichment program, he added, saying “Iran has every right to enrich uranium within its own territory. The only restriction we observe is avoiding militarization.”

“We are ready to engage with others to talk about the scope, level, and capacity of our enrichment program.”

The remarks come after President Donald Trump said Iran “is not going to have enrichment, and they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. They’re going to get on to being a great trading nation.”

Takht‑Ravanchi confirmed that Iran remains willing to negotiate, saying that “we are for diplomacy, we are for dialogue—to convince us that they are not going to use military force while we are negotiating.”

Sssurance is “an essential element for our leadership to be in a position to decide about the future round of talks,” he added.

Earlier, Axios reported that US special envoy Steve Witkoff plans to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Oslo next week to explore next steps in nuclear diplomacy.

Regarding the status of Iran’s 400 kg (880 pounds) stockpile of highly enriched uranium, Takht‑Ravanchi replied, “I do not know where those materials are, and I will stop at that.”

Tehran’s Mehrabad and Khomeini airports—alongside airports in the north, south, east, and west—are now operational and ready to serve both domestic and international traffic, according to the statement.

"From July 4, all airports except Isfahan and Tabriz will host daily flights between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m.," read the statement.

The skies over central and western Iran are also reopened during this window for international overflights, the statement added.

Eastern airspace, the organization said, remains open around the clock. Airports in the east continue to operate 24/7 under previous schedules.

The Civil Aviation Organization added that Isfahan and Tabriz airports will resume operations once infrastructure is restored and no further restrictions are in place.

The country closed its airspace on June 13 following Israeli airstrikes on Tehran and other areas. After a 12-day aerial conflict, the two countries achieved a ceasefire on June 24.