US senator says Israel’s strike in Qatar imperils Gaza peace bid

Shahbazi, a father of two, had been moved to solitary confinement on Tuesday after a court in Tehran rejected his third request for a retrial, sources close to the family told Iran International.

He was detained in January 2024 and later convicted of “spying for Israel” and “corruption on earth,” charges he denies.

Rights groups have described the proceedings as grossly unfair and based on forced confessions obtained under torture.

"The court rejected our request for a retrial for the third time this morning and moved him to solitary confinement by around noon," the source said.

"We are worried they may have taken him to solitary confinement in preparation for execution," the source said.

Shahbazi was being held in Ghezel Hesar prison, one of the largest in Iran, located about 20 kilometers northwest of the capital, Tehran.

His initial sentence was handed down in May 2025 by Judge Abolghasem Salavati, who was sanctioned by the United States in 2019 for presiding over unfair trials, extracting forced confessions, and imposing harsh sentences on political prisoners and journalists.

Messages to Zelensky

The source said Shahbazi had sent messages to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2022, offering help against the Russian invasion.

The messages were later falsified by Iranian authorities to make them appear as if they had been addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli military, according to the source.

“They have no evidence against him, and they haven’t even given the family a final visit, which usually happens before an execution,” the source said.

During his detention, authorities placed Shahbazi in a cell with a prisoner who was a member of the Islamic State, the Sunni Muslim militant group.

“It was as if they deliberately wanted him to be killed in prison. When the family visited him days later, both his eyes were bruised,” the source said.

Shahbazi was pressured to write dictated confessions under the promise that his death sentence would be commuted to three years if he signed them in front of his lawyer, according to the source.

“He refused to sign because he hadn’t done those things. They even slipped in pages that weren’t his writing and told him to sign, but he didn’t. Despite that, the court sentenced him to death on the basis of unsigned dictated notes,” the source said.

The source said authorities also relied on a coerced statement by Esmail Fekri, who was executed in June after being convicted of spying for Israel. Rights groups described his trial as unfair as well.

“They told him if he confessed against Babak (Shahbazi), his cryptocurrency would be returned to him. He even later wrote a letter saying he had been forced to make that confession,” the source said.

“No rational and patriotic Iranian would ever believe the claim of friendship and sympathy by a regime with a long history of meddling in Iran’s affairs and committing crimes against Iranians,” the foreign ministry said in its statement.

It cited grievances ranging from a CIA-orchestrated 1953 coup and US support for Saddam Hussein during the 1980–1988 war to the downing of an Iranian passenger jet in 1988, years of sanctions and joining Israel in attacks on nuclear sites in June.

Tehran also argued that the US, as Israel’s main supporter and a country it described as steeped in racism, has “no credibility to speak on human rights.” It vowed that Iranians “will never forget or forgive” America’s actions.

Mahsa "Jina" Amini, 22, died in morality police custody on September 16 2022, igniting nationwide protests under the slogan “Woman, Life Freedom” that remain a rallying point for calls for systemic change in Iran.

In its message on the eve of the anniversary, the US State Department said it “stands with the people of Iran in their calls for dignity and a better life,” adding, “Mahsa’s name will never be forgotten” and accusing Tehran’s leaders of “crimes against humanity.”

The statement charged that Iran’s rulers had squandered the nation’s wealth on exporting ideology abroad while leaving citizens to endure “shortages of water and electricity, poverty, and crumbling infrastructure.”

In Larijani's meeting with the Crown Prince, discussions focused on strategic regional issues and the situation in Islamic countries, with both sides exchanging views on the future of the region.

The meetings come amid heightened regional tensions following an Israeli airstrike in Doha on September 9 which targeted Hamas leaders. Qatar and other Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, condemned the attack as a violation of sovereignty.

Larijani and Bin Salman also explored ways to expand economic cooperation between Tehran and Riyadh, including resolving obstacles facing traders and examining opportunities for joint investments, Iranian official media reported.

Larijani later held a meeting with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid Bin Salman, during which both sides discussed prospects for bilateral cooperation in the defense field as part of broader efforts to consolidate ties between the two countries, according to IRGC-affiliated Fars News.

Following talks with Larijani, Khalid bin Salman said he had reviewed bilateral relations and regional developments.

“In my meeting, we discussed Saudi-Iranian relations and addressed a number of issues of mutual interest, as well as regional developments and efforts to achieve security and stability,” the Kingdom's defense minister said.

Khalid bin Salman in April paid a rare visit to Tehran, where he met with Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. It was the first time Khamenei had received a Saudi official since 2006.

Guterres said building trust through dialogue is essential, speaking in response to a question from Iran International's reporter at the UN on Tuesday.

“My appeal to Iran and to the other powers is to use diplomacy and to create the conditions of trust in order to be able to avoid it,” UN Secretary General said.

Guterres added that he has been in contact with both sides and aimed to facilitate discussions.

“Of course, offering my good offices, but it all depends on the diplomatic efforts that are made in order to establish the trust that is needed for the snapback to be avoided,” Guterres said.

Last month, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom triggered the UN snapback sanctions mechanism in a partly lapsed 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran.

The move initiated a 30-day window for diplomacy before sanctions are due to take effect on October 18.

Iran-IAEA cooperation

One of the demands of the three European countries is the immediate resumption of full work between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog.

Iran and the IAEA signed an agreement in Cairo last week aimed at eventually resuming nuclear inspections in Iran. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi on Monday urged Iran to immediately implement the deal to resume inspections.

Iran's nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami on Tuesday criticized European powers for adopting an even more bellicose rhetoric against Tehran after the Cairo deal.

"From the very moment the agreement was signed between our esteemed foreign minister and the IAEA director general, we witnessed new and harsher positions from European countries," he told reporters in Vienna.

The Europeans also seek unconditional renewed talks with the United States severed since Israeli and US attacks on Iran in June.

Last month, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rejected calls by Tehran moderates for direct negotiations with the United States, insisting that Washington’s hostility cannot be resolved through talks.

"The Iranian regime must focus on addressing the needs of its people instead of engaging in destructive war rhetoric," the State Department said in a post on its Persian-language account on X.

"After years of economic hardship and international isolation, the people of Iran deserve peace and prosperity."

Iranian officials, especially hardliners and military leaders, have repeatedly mooted striking Israel and the United States if attacked again following their surprise military campaign in June. Officials have also issued menacing rhetoric to dissidents abroad.

Last month, Iran's top security official Ali Larijani said the country must remain prepared for a fresh round of conflict as the war with Israel is not over despite a US-brokered ceasefire that put an end to a 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June.

The Islamic Republic needs to "create capacities so that the enemy will not be tempted to take action again," Larijani said in an interview with the Supreme Leader's official website.

His remarks were the latest in a series of sharp comments from leaders on both sides, with Israel’s army chief vowing readiness for further strikes and Iran’s General Staff warning of “a far stronger response” to any future attacks by the United States or Israel.

Meanwhile Israeli officials have frequently asserted that their military quarrel with Iran is not yet finished and continue to cite Iran as an alleged existential threat.

Iran’s navy test-fired a range of cruise missiles during large-scale drills last month, and the defense ministry warning of stronger response in any new war with Israel.

"Any miscalculation in the region will be met with a very strong response from Iran’s powerful armed forces,” it said in a statement.

"Senior officials of the regime have chosen to distract from internal challenges by instilling fear of external threats," the State Department said in its post.

"Iran’s leadership should instead prioritize actions that restore economic stability, improve living conditions, and rebuild trust with both its citizens and the international community."

Iran’s currency, the rial, now trades at nearly one million to the dollar, having lost almost a third of its value since Donald Trump won the US presidential election last November.

Iran faces one of the highest inflation rates in the region. According to the International Monetary Fund's estimates, the annual inflation rate has averaged above 42% since 2020, sending costs of living soaring.

Sanctions, corruption and economic mismanagement have contributed to widespread economic hardship and market instability as Iran's currency the rial has lost over 90% of its value since US sanctions were reimposed in 2018.

A poll by Iran's leading economic newspaper Donya-ye Eqtesad last month reported that just under 90% of Iranians described their level of satisfaction with government economic policies as low or very low.