Iran says it thwarted regime change plots by sprawling cabal

Thornberry, who leads the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee, said a broad deal resembling a 2015 agreement from which US President Donald Trump withdrew in his first term would likely be needed to resolve the nuclear impasse.

“Donald Trump egged on by Netanyahu decided to turn his back on it and he thought there were other ways that he could get what he wanted," she said.

"Clearly he hasn't, and there's been bombing in between and bombing with Israel and America. We need to get back into an agreement and I suspect we need to get back into something that's going to look very much like the JCPOA."

Her remarks are a rare critique of US policy toward Iran by a prominent member of the ruling party of a key US ally. US attacks on three Iranian nuclear sites capped off a 12-day war between Israel and Iran last month.

Trump said the attacks had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program and has been ambivalent about the need for further talks.

European powers including Britain have mooted triggering renewed United Nations sanctions on Tehran if it does not return to negotiations on its nuclear program.

Iranian threats on UK soil

The UK Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) last month warned that Iran poses one of the gravest state-based threats to British national security, on par with adversaries like Russia and China.

Asked whether Iran might be more dangerous following the war, Thornberry stressed the need for talks to defuse tensions.

"I think any country, if they feel isolated is likely to be more dangerous. That's the reason, one of the many reasons, why we want to be able to talk to Iran and bring them in," she said.

"We cannot accept it, and we have to make sure that we protect people. I've had people come to talk to me who personally feel threatened by the Iranian regime," she added. "We need to be able to live peacefully with one another and we need to be a center of free thought and an open discussion."

British interior minister Yvette Cooper said in May that Iran posed an "unacceptable threat" to domestic security after authorities charged three Iranian nationals under a national security law following a major counter-terrorism investigation.

The sharp statement came after the arrests of Iranian nationals on UK soil in terrorism-related cases.

In two separate operations on May 3, eight men including seven Iranians were arrested by the British counter-terrorism police.

Three of the Iranian nationals were later charged with offences under the National Security Act, accused of acting on behalf of Iran’s intelligence service and carried out surveillance targeting Iran International journalists.

The hour-long interview, part of the “Story of the War” documentary series produced by the Islamic Propaganda Organization, was scheduled to air on Saturday. But to the public's surprise, it was rejected by the state broadcaster IRIB without explanation.

Instead, the segment was uploaded on Sunday to the organization’s YouTube channel, ON TV. Clips quickly spread across social media.

On X, Araghchi’s media adviser, Mehran Ranjbaran, confirmed IRIB had blocked the broadcast, validating widespread suspicions online.

What did Araghchi say about the war?

Araghchi made several notable disclosures—some politically sensitive. Perhaps most strikingly, he admitted to direct and ongoing contact with US negotiator Steve Witkoff throughout the conflict via messaging apps.

“I posted the tweet announcing the end of the war after coordinating with higher authorities. The system had already decided in advance that if the other side stopped the attacks, without any preconditions, we would stop as well,” he said.

In Iranian political jargon, the system (nezam) usually refers to the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. 

He added that when confusion arose over ceasefire terms, “Right then and there, I messaged Witkoff and told him that Israel was making excuses and accusing Iran of violations—which hadn’t happened—and that if they took any action, we would respond immediately and more forcefully than before.”

Araghchi claimed that the US President Donald Trump then ordered Israeli pilots to stand down—proof, he said, that Israel had been acting in coordination with the US all along.

Khamenei has on several occasions confirmed that the foreign ministry only carries out the decision made by the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). The council’s decisions can only be implemented after his endorsement. Araghchi's remarks, therefore, highlighted his responsibility for all decisions taken related to the war.

The retaliation debate

Araghchi also pushed back against hardliners’ claims that President Masoud Pezeshkian had opposed retaliatory action for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last year.

According to him, Iran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, who was killed in the war, firmly dismissed such allegations.

Bagheri, according to Araghchi, said he was responsible for defending the country and would carry out his duty the moment he was sure he could protect the country from the consequences of retaliation. “He said he hadn’t even asked the President yet,” he added.

Many believe the official who criticized Pezeshkian was IRIB’s head Peyman Jebelli who is sometimes invited to the SNSC’s sessions.

Some of Bagheri’s positions had come under fire in the months leading up to the war from ultra-hardline outlets like Raja News, which is affiliated with Iran’s Paydari Party.

Public reaction

Araghchi’s disclosures have triggered strong responses from journalists, analysts, and online users. Many condemned IRIB’s refusal to broadcast the interview.

“Either Araghchi is not the foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, or the national broadcaster is not truly national. Logically, it can't be anything other than one of these two,” political analyst Erfan Pazhuhandeh wrote on X.

IT expert Mohammad Keshvari similarly criticized the IRIB in a post on X. “The untold stories of the war—told by the Foreign Minister—something any sensible TV network would jump at the chance to broadcast, ended up being aired by the online platform ON. These same people will then complain that they can't compete with online platforms.”

“It’s understandable why the national broadcaster didn’t air the interview—because it brings everything that they have said against the diplomatic apparatus into question,” journalist Ehsan Taghadosi remarked on X.

IRIB and the ultra-hardliners

IRIB is led by figures close to Iran’s ultra-hardline Paydari Party and former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. The latter’s brother, Vahid Jalili, serves as the organization’s deputy head in cultural affairs.

Vahid Jalili,an official member of the Paydari Party, has considerable influence over IRIB’s editorial direction and programming decisions.

Under Jebelli and Vahid Jalili’s leadership, IRIB has become a mouthpiece for Paydari-aligned narratives, often downplaying diplomacy in favor of confrontation with the West and Israel.

“Some might think my father was killed in an airstrike, but it was a direct chase with the Israelis,” Mahdieh Shadmani said in a video posted on Instagram on Monday.

The assertion, if confirmed, would further underscore Iranian security failures which allowed Israel to track and kill hundreds of security personnel in a 12-day war last month.

Ali Shadmani was declared dead on June 17, reportedly from wounds sustained from an Israeli air attack in Tehran.

As commander of the Islamic Republic's war room, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Shadmani was effectively in charge if Iran's war effort.

Shadmani was killed only four days after assuming the post after his predecessor Gholam Ali Rashid was assassinated in an Israeli strike.

Mahdieh Shadmani had earlier disputed official Iranian assertions which blamed messaging applications like WhatsApp for exposing locations that led to Israeli assassinations.

“My father’s location changed every few hours. He carried no smart devices or phones. Security protocols were followed, yet during his time commanding the war headquarters, he was repeatedly targeted for assassination by Israel,” she said on July 4.

Her comments have sparked backlash among supporters of the Islamic Republic. One anonymous user on X said the families of those killed during the 12-day war with Israel “should watch their mouth” and that “some control is needed over their speech.”

Several official narratives regarding the scope and consequences of Israel’s strikes on Iran have come under growing scrutiny.

On July 22, an Iranian political analyst said there had been widespread sabotage of Iran's missile launchers and air defense systems by Israel.

Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks during the 12-day war killed hundreds of Iranians including civilians, military personnel and nuclear scientists. Iran's retaliatory missile strikes killed 29 Israeli civilians.

Vahid Yaghoubi, a member of Iran’s Steel Producers Association, said steelmakers have faced a 90% power cut since late April, leaving many factories with just 2–3% of their required electricity -- “not even enough to light facility walkways,” he told state media.

While some industrial zones have retained limited access to electricity, steel producers have borne the brunt of the nationwide power crisis, he said.

The energy restrictions, originally presented as a temporary two-week measure by the Energy Ministry, have stretched over two months now, Yaghoubi added.

“Almost all steel plants are now shut,” he added, saying that even companies that invested in their own power plants -- known as Article 4 facilities -- have been unable to use their electricity due to government intervention.

The Energy Ministry has requested control of these privately funded power stations to manage the national grid. Industry officials argue that the move contradicts existing contracts that prioritize use of this energy for the companies that invested in such power stations.

Iran’s steel industry, which produces over 30 million tons annually and is among the world’s top ten producers, plays a key role in the country’s non-oil exports.

Some firms have turned to Iran’s energy exchange to buy “green electricity” at premium prices in an attempt to keep minimal operations running. However, Yaghoubi said even these paid deliveries were disrupted, with some companies experiencing arbitrary outages.

18,000 workers unpaid at Esfahan Steel Company

The crisis has rippled beyond production, with some companies now unable to pay workers due to frozen accounts and mounting financial strain.

The head of Esfahan Steel Company, Iran's largest, said on Tuesday that the wages of 18,000 workers have been delayed after Iran’s tax authority froze the firm’s bank accounts over unpaid taxes, according to local media.

Ardeshir Afzali told ILNA news agency that the Tax Organization has withdrawn substantial funds from the company’s accounts but has yet to lift the freeze.

He criticized the move, saying authorities “do not understand the fragile post-war economic conditions or the difficulties facing producers.”

In an interview with the Associated Press published Tuesday, al-Sudani said the attacks were aimed at Israel and US military bases inside Iraq.

“These operations were neutralized by Iraqi government security measures,” he said, though declined to elaborate on details.

“We know that the Israeli government had a policy — and still does — of expanding the war in the region. Therefore, we made sure not to give any justification to any party to target Iraq.”

The prime minister said his government engaged in direct communication with Iranian leaders during the crisis, encouraging de-escalation. “We reached out to leaders in Iran to urge them toward calm and to make room for dialogue and a return to negotiations,” al-Sudani said.

Since the 2003 US invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, numerous militias have emerged in Iraq, many with ties to Iran. Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023 and the recent Israel-Iran escalation, including US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, the pro-Iran factions have periodically targeted US bases in Iraq.

Groups within the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of mostly Shia armed groups originally formed to fight the Islamic State and then integrated into Iraq's security forces, have been among those involved.

Al-Sudani acknowledged that the continued presence of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition has provided a “justification” for such groups to remain armed. The withdrawal process began in 2023, but is not yet complete.

“When the coalition withdrawal is complete, there will be no need or justification for any group to carry weapons outside the scope of the state,” he said.

Future of Popular Mobilization Forces

A focal point of US-Iraqi tensions lies in the future of the PMF. Though nominally under Iraqi military command since 2016, many PMF units maintain strong ties to Iran and operate with broad autonomy.

A new bill in Iraq’s parliament is aimed at formalizing the PMF’s status within the security apparatus, a move that has drawn criticism from Washington. The US State Department recently warned the legislation “would institutionalize Iranian influence and armed terrorist groups undermining Iraq’s sovereignty.”

Al-Sudani, however, defended the initiative, saying that it is part of an effort to ensure that arms are controlled by Baghdad. “Security agencies must operate under laws and be subject to them and be held accountable,” he said.

Kurdish region attacks

In recent weeks, a series of drone attacks targeted oil facilities in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region, with Kurdish regional authorities blaming groups in the PMF. Baghdad has denied it, but has not publicly named any perpetrators.

Al-Sudani called the attacks a “terrorist act” and said his government is working with Kurdish authorities and coalition forces to identify those responsible and hold them accountable.