Australia links synagogue arson to Iran through funding trail

Araghchi stressed that no agreement had yet been finalized with the UN nuclear watchdog regarding a broader framework for cooperation.

He also said the law passed by parliament after the June Israeli and US strikes — requiring all IAEA inspections to be approved by the Supreme National Security Council — had been observed. “All IAEA requests go to the Supreme National Security Council, which makes decisions in accordance with the law,” he said.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also defended the move, saying on Wednesday that the inspectors’ return was lawful and complied with the terms of the new legislation. “The law passed by parliament in this regard has been observed,” he said.

Hardline lawmakers push back

Despite these assurances, several lawmakers sharply criticized the decision. MP Amirhossein Sabeti said a document claiming to outline the terms of a new deal between Iran and the IAEA had reached parliament and called it “a disaster.”

“If it’s false, deny it — we’ll be glad,” he said. “But if it’s true, this agreement guarantees the next war,” warning that the document required Iran to hand over pre- and post-attack data that could guide future Israeli strikes.

Kamran Ghazanfari also objected, saying the return of inspectors violated the parliament’s legislation. “This is a clear breach of the law,” he said, warning that legal action could be taken against the head of the SNSC if cooperation continued without meeting parliamentary conditions.

No finalized text with IAEA, Araghchi says

Addressing these concerns, Araghchi emphasized that no finalized agreement—referred to by some as a new “modality” framework—had been reached with the IAEA. “Some texts have been exchanged and positions presented, but no draft has been finalized,” he told Khaneye Mellat, parliament’s official outlet.

“I don’t know where the text referenced by the lawmaker came from, but it is not a negotiated or agreed document,” Araghchi added.

IAEA inspections resume amid international pressure

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi confirmed on Tuesday that the agency’s inspectors had returned to Iran for the first time since their expulsion during the June conflict. “Now the first team of IAEA inspectors is back in Iran, and we are about to restart,” he said.

France, Germany, and the UK are tying Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA to their decision on whether to trigger the UN snapback sanctions mechanism by the end of August. Tehran has rejected the legality of such a move.

“The law passed by parliament in this regard has been observed,” Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said during the open session, according to IRNA.

The legislation was passed after the June 22 military strikes by the US and Israel on Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The law stipulates that any future inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency must receive approval from the Supreme National Security Council.

Several lawmakers, including Amirhossein Sabeti and Kamran Ghazanfari, argued that the return of inspectors violated the law and lacked transparency.

Sabeti said a copy of the reported agreement with the IAEA and the government had reached lawmakers and called it "a disaster." He said the text required Iran to share sensitive information from before and after Israeli strikes, which he said could enable future attacks. “If it’s false, deny it — we’ll be glad. But if it’s true, this agreement guarantees the next war,” he said.

Ghazanfari said any such cooperation without meeting the parliament's conditions would be a "clear violation" of the law and warned legal action could be pursued against the head of the Supreme National Security Council.

Ghalibaf was responding to lawmaker Mohammad Taghi Naghdali, who questioned whether the safeguards for Iran’s sovereignty and scientists had been ensured.

Naghdali said parliament had approved a measure requiring all cooperation with the UN watchdog to be suspended unless Iran’s territorial integrity, the safety of its nuclear scientists, and its inherent rights were fully guaranteed.

“If anyone acts against this law, they are committing a crime,” he said, warning that violators would face penalties under Iran’s criminal code.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi confirmed on Tuesday that inspectors had returned to Iran for the first time since their expulsion during a short war with Israel and the United States.

“Now the first team of IAEA inspectors is back in Iran, and we are about to restart,” Grossi told Fox News, while noting there was no set timeline for resuming full monitoring.

Germany, Britain, and France have tied Iran’s return to full cooperation with the IAEA to their decision on whether to trigger the UN sanctions snapback mechanism at the end of August. Tehran has rejected the legitimacy of such a move.

“There could be another cycle [of conflict] because the military operations have not resolved anything,” the diplomat said. “There’s debate about how severely the nuclear facilities have been damaged, but it’s not so damaged that the programme is destroyed.”

Although Israeli and US strikes severely damaged Iran’s nuclear facilities, its programme has not been destroyed, the FT said. The report added that the longer there is no diplomatic solution, the greater the risk of renewed conflict.

A new round of nuclear talks between Iran and France, Germany and the United Kingdom concluded in Geneva on Tuesday without progress, as the three European powers consider triggering the snapback mechanism to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Tehran.

The snapback, part of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, allows parties to the 2015 nuclear deal to restore previous UN sanctions if Iran is found to be in serious non-compliance.

Western officials told media outlets that Iran had offered vague proposals in Geneva, lacking detail or concrete deliverables. “Very little to work with,” one source told Axios. The E3 envoys are expected to report back to their foreign ministers before deciding whether to activate the process in the coming days.

Israel launched a 12-day air campaign against Iran in June, with brief support from the United States, targeting nuclear sites and killing senior military officials and nuclear scientists. The strikes crippled much of Iran’s air defense network and damaged a significant portion of its ballistic missile arsenal, Israel said.

Army chief: No choice but to grow stronger

Iran must become more powerful to protect its sovereignty, the Armed Forces commander Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami said on Wednesday in Tehran.

“In such a world, we have no path but to grow stronger,” Hatami said. “We need a powerful army to protect our nation.” He said military strength depends on every unit fulfilling its role, including the armed forces’ medical services.

Iran warns next war will target new regions

Iran will expand future conflicts across new geographic, political and economic fronts if attacked again, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Tuesday.

“In the next possible war, our restraint will end,” Ghalibaf told lawmakers. “New geographic areas and targets will be added to our response.”

His remarks follow comments by Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, who said Iran now possesses a more advanced generation of missiles and claimed Iranian strikes became more accurate as the June war progressed. He said Israel’s missile defense systems failed to intercept most Iranian missiles by the end of the conflict.

Divided voices inside Iran weigh postwar strategy

Political figures quoted by the Financial Times offered differing perspectives on how Iran’s leadership should respond to the fallout from the June war.

Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a former vice-president, said Tehran faces a growing disconnect with society. “There’s a 20-year gap between the people’s demands and the system,” he said, adding that bridging that divide will not be easy.

Abdollah Momeni, a longtime political activist, said the war undermined the state’s credibility as a security guarantor. “With this war, the only thing they had left — security — was lost,” he said.

Foad Izadi, an analyst close to hardline circles, said the leadership may respond with greater resolve. “The military capacity is less, but the willingness to use it is more,” he said, pointing to the emergence of a new generation of Revolutionary Guard commanders.

“The embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London expresses deep concern about the repeated publication of biased and unfounded reports on Iran by the Daily Telegraph,” the mission said in a statement carried by IRNA.

“These articles, based on vague and unreliable sources, lack credibility and present a distorted and misleading picture of realities in Iran.”

The Telegraph reported on Sunday that Iranian officials were considering reducing enrichment from 60% to 20% under the guidance of Ali Larijani, the country’s new security chief, in order to avert further Israeli and US airstrikes and avoid the reimposition of UN sanctions.

Citing unnamed officials, the paper said Larijani was trying to convince Iran’s leadership that lowering enrichment levels could ease external pressure.

The embassy dismissed the report. “These unfounded claims are categorically rejected,” it said.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei had earlier criticized the newspaper’s reporting practices, saying that the outlet had previously attributed news to “nonexistent informed sources” when producing stories on Iran.

The report coincided with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s rejection of proposals from within Tehran’s reformists camp for direct talks with Washington.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany have warned Iran they will trigger a snapback of UN sanctions by the end of August unless Tehran reenters negotiations and delivers concrete results on its nuclear program.

The snapback is part of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Under Resolution 2231, any party to the accord can file a complaint accusing Iran of non-compliance. If no agreement is reached within 30 days to maintain sanctions relief, all previous UN sanctions automatically return, including arms embargoes, cargo inspections, and missile restrictions.

The hardline daily Kayhan said Australia is tied to Britain through the monarchy and, Britain should be held responsible. “When a dog bites someone, the owner is punished,” the piece said, comparing Canberra’s actions to those of a subordinate power.

The column described Australia’s decision as a move to “please the Zionist regime” following “massive protests by hundreds of thousands of Australians against genocide and the crimes of the Zionist regime,” and called it “a show to cover up pressure from the people.”

Australia accuses Iran of directing attacks on Jewish sites

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards orchestrated two arson attacks in 2024, one at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and another at the Lewis Continental Kitchen, a kosher restaurant in Sydney.

“These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil,” Albanese said.

He added that Iran’s ambassador and three diplomats had been ordered to leave the country, and that Australia’s embassy in Tehran had suspended operations. It was the first expulsion of a foreign envoy by Canberra since World War II.

Tehran rejects charges, says Canberra is scapegoating

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied the allegations and said Iran was being punished for public support for Palestine. “Iran is paying the price for the Australian people’s support for Palestine,” he said on social media.

Araghchi said it made “zero sense” to accuse Iran of attacking Jewish sites abroad while it protects synagogues at home, and repeated criticism of Albanese. Quoting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he wrote, “I am not in the habit of joining causes with wanted war criminals, but Netanyahu is right about one thing: Australia's PM is indeed a weak politician.”

Netanyahu says pressure worked, Australia denies link

Netanyahu’s spokesperson said the Israeli prime minister’s criticism of Australia’s recognition of Palestinian statehood may have pushed Canberra to act. “It’s welcome that after the prime minister’s intervention, these actions were taken,” the spokesperson said.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke rejected that claim. “Complete nonsense,” he said. “There was not a minute between us receiving this assessment and working through our response.”

Court hears case tied to Melbourne synagogue fire

A 20-year-old man appeared in court in Melbourne on Wednesday in connection with the synagogue fire that caused millions of dollars in damage and destroyed sacred texts. Two other suspects have also been charged.

Burke said the individuals were unlikely to have known they were acting under Iranian direction, but added that this did not diminish the seriousness of the case.