Trump, Netanyahu discuss Iran as Israeli officials moot new war

Mostafa Nili said Panahi was sentenced in absentia and that Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court also imposed a two-year travel ban and barred him from membership in any political or social organizations.

Panahi had travelled to the United States to collect three awards, including best director, at the Gotham Awards in New York for his latest film, It Was Just an Accident.

As one of Iran’s most acclaimed directors and a winner of major international film awards, Panahi has faced repeated arrest and curbs on his work in recent years.

In May, Panahi received the Palme d’Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival for his film It Was Just an Accident, a political thriller shot secretly in Iran without government authorization and in open defiance of the country’s compulsory hijab laws.

In his acceptance speech, Panahi urged unity among Iranians striving for democracy: "Let's set aside our differences. The important thing now is the freedom of our country, so that no one would dare to tell us what to wear or what film to make."

In September, France selected the film as its submission for the Academy Awards in the international feature category, giving the filmmaker a path to Hollywood that Tehran was unlikely to offer.

The 98th Academy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on March 15, 2026.

Panahi has spent much of the past 15 years under house arrest or in prison. He was arrested in July 2022 after he protested against the arrest of two fellow filmmakers who had voiced criticism of the authorities. He was sentenced to six years in prison before being released on bail in early 2023.

The rise outstrips a previous record of 1.17 million hit on September 30 after European states moved to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program, further constraining its trade opportunities.

By Monday afternoon, the dollar was trading at just over 1.19 million rials, the Euro about 1.38 million and the UK Pound near 1.57 million.

Local exchange-rate websites also showed the Emami gold coin — Iran’s most traded benchmark coin used by households and investors as a store of value — hitting a fresh record above 1.26 billion rials, extending a sharp rise that began over the weekend.

The latest slide in the rial comes amid soaring inflation, renewed volatility in Iran’s unofficial markets and continued uncertainty over stalled nuclear talks with the United States.

The US dollar, which traded at about 140,000 rials in 2018, has risen roughly eight-fold since Donald Trump restored US sanctions on Iran seven years ago.

Britain, France and Germany triggered the so-called snapback mechanism to restore UN sanction under Security Council Resolution 2231, citing Iran's failure to comply with its nuclear obligations.

The move restored UN penalties previously suspended under the resolution, tightening external constraints on Iran’s economy. Tehran denies seeking a nuclear weapon and accuses the United States and European countries of economic warfare.

On Monday, local media reported that alongside fading hopes for reviving nuclear talks, rising gasoline prices have also contributed to turbulence in Iran’s currency and gold markets.

After months of debate, the government formally introduced a three-tier gasoline pricing system, with the third rate set to take effect at 50,000 rials on December 6.

Nasir Abedi, the former administrative and financial deputy of IIDO's Tehran office, had been convicted of rape and sexual abuse of one daughter and assault against another, according to the source who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Abedi, the source said, repeatedly assaulted one girl before she turned twelve, adding that a forensic examiner confirmed rape and the court upheld the findings.

But senior figures, the source added, intervened in the judicial process as the case progressed.

The charge relating to the second child was removed from the final verdict following internal pressure, leaving only one count of rape. The sentence of flogging “was never carried out because of outside interference,” the source told Iran International.

The organization, according to the source, also acted to block any public disclosures once details of the case circulated internally.

Potential death sentences

Under Iranian criminal law, sexual relations with close relatives constitute one of the gravest offenses, carrying a potential death sentence if penetration is legally established.

While cases involving coercion against children can result in capital punishment or other severe penalties, proceedings within family structures are often influenced by pressure from political, clerical or security institutions.

The timing of the revelations coincides with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, drawing renewed attention to domestic and sexual violence in Iran.

Advocacy groups and survivors have long argued that opaque judicial processes allow politically connected offenders to evade serious consequences.

Past cases echo similar pressures

The Islamic Republic has faced earlier allegations of interference in sexual-abuse cases involving figures.

A former provincial Islamic guidance official, Reza Seghati, received only a flogging sentence after a court classified his same-sex encounter in 2023 as “incomplete,” a decision critics said reflected extra-judicial pressure.

Another notable case involved Saeed Toosi, a prominent Qur’an reciter linked to the Supreme Leader’s office, whose accusers said judicial proceedings collapsed under political influence.

Abedi previously held positions in other religious foundations, including the Ghadir International Foundation, and in public statements had described the IIDO as an institution “serving Islam” and “affiliated with the leader.”

The organization identifies the promotion of what it calls “pure Islam” as its mandate and plays a central role in enforcing the compulsory hijab and state-endorsed social norms.

Transparency concerns

Although many sexual-violence cases in Iran remain confidential, available reports suggest incidents involving women and children have risen in recent years.

Activists say survivors often lack safe reporting channels and face family pressure and social stigma, while state bodies have at times prioritized institutional reputation over accountability.

The latest allegations highlight the structural obstacles confronting survivors who seek justice and the enduring role of secrecy in shielding powerful offenders.

The Sahand-2025 drill, led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces, is underway in Shabestar near Tabriz, Iranian state media say.

SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) director Olarbek Sharshiev said invitations went to SCO members and observers for the exercise in October.

Designed under Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff with input from the foreign ministry and the SCO’s anti-terror body. It follows a 2024 all-member counterterrorism drill in Xinjiang.

Officials describe the drill as part of broader efforts to tighten intelligence-sharing, interdiction, and rapid response to cross-border militant networks, with scenarios covering joint pursuit of cells and trafficking rings and coordination through SCO intelligence channels.

The exercise is staged around Shabestar, northwest of Tabriz, near borders with Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Nakhchivan exclave – an area long used by smuggling networks and, at times, armed groups operating across rugged frontiers.

Local records identify the IRGC’s Imam Zaman Mechanized Brigade in Shabestar as the host site. Neither Tehran nor the SCO released unit counts or a full participant roster on Monday.

Iran says the focus is countering “terrorism, separatism and extremism,” the SCO’s long-standing “Three Evils” mandate.

While officials did not name a specific adversary, security analysts often point to Kurdish armed networks along Iran’s western borderlands, as well as trafficking routes for fuel, narcotics, and arms that cut across the South Caucasus.

Groups Tehran designates as terrorist in the northwest include the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), which has periodically clashed with Iranian forces.

The region has seen sporadic incidents over the past year. In June, a major fire and explosion hit a refinery complex in Tabriz, prompting a large emergency response; authorities did not immediately give a definitive public cause.

RATS – the SCO’s permanent security arm – coordinates shared watchlists and joint training among China, Russia, India, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Tehran’s engagement with the SCO has deepened since Iran became a full member in 2023 and Belarus joined in 2024. Iranian officials used the July 2025 SCO ministerial in China to court support from Russia and China after the June conflict, underscoring the bloc’s expanding security role beyond Central Asia.

Iranian media said the exercise commander would release further details on participating units and live-fire elements during the week.

Brigadier General Ali-Mohammad Naeini, the IRGC’s spokesman and deputy for public affairs, described the fighting as a high-intensity hybrid conflict and said Iran’s adversaries misread the sources of Tehran’s power, including mass-mobilization structures such as the Basij that he credited with sustaining social and logistical support during the flare-up.

“The Zionist regime suffered a decisive defeat in the 12-day war,” Naeini said. “If the enemy undertakes any new act of mischief or aggression, it will receive a more serious response, and there is no doubt about that.”

Naeini said Iran’s missile, cyber and electronic-warfare units operated with high tactical readiness and that production lines remain active.

Naeini also said: “The armed forces of the Islamic Republic are currently at the highest levels of tactical readiness, armament and innovation.”