EU and E3 talks with Iran expected in January, WSJ reporter says

The French magazine has often produced satirical content about the government in Iran.

Last year, it launched an international competition titled "Mullahs Get Out" to create caricatures of Iran's Ali Khamenei, whom it described as a “symbol of backward-looking, narrow-minded, intolerant religious power.”

Yalda Night, or Shab-e Chelleh, marks the longest night of the year and is one of the most significant events on the Iranian calendar. Similar to Nowruz, the celebration of the Spring Equinox and the Iranian New Year, Yalda's origins trace back to at least the Achaemenid era (circa 500 BC). The word "Yalda," however, is derived from ancient Syriac and means "birthday."

The celebration of Yalda, like Christmas, is an important family event celebrated with special foods, fruits such as watermelons and pomegranates, nuts and dried fruits, candles, poetry reading, games, and song and dance.

To ancient Iranians, the night of the Winter Solstice was the eve of the birth of the God of light and love, Mithra. On this night, they believed, Light defeated the powers of Darkness, and the sun gained its power again to make days longer and bring about the rebirth of nature at Spring Equinox.

President Masoud Pezeshkian who has been on a visit to Cairo, sent a special message to Iranians on Thursday to congratulate for Yalda. “We Iranians believe that Yalda will bring light [after long days of darkness]," he wrote in his message.

Alireza Arzani, an official with Iran's Chamber of Guilds, stated Wednesday that while the prices of food and items essential for Yalda celebrations have remained relatively stable compared to last year, people's purchasing power has dropped by around 50% during the same period, leaving many businesses struggling.

Arzani, representing nut and dried fruit retailers at the Chamber of Guilds, explained that declining demand has compelled retailers to reduce profit margins and lower prices in an effort to clear stock typically sold during this season.

Tejarat News, an economic newspaper, estimates that a family of four would need to spend approximately 25 million rials (around $30) for a modest Yalda spread this year. This amount represents 20-25% of the average monthly income for most Iranian workers and civil servants.

Iran's hardline Shiite clerical establishment frowns upon pre-Islamic celebrations, viewing them as remnants of paganism. However, the deep-rooted traditions of the Iranian people have largely thwarted their efforts over the past four decades to diminish the significance of ancient festivals in favor of Islamic ones.

Most Iranians find no contradiction in celebrating both ancient festivals and Islamic occasions. Each year, they send tens of millions of text messages to mark the Winter Solstice, much like they do during Nowruz. Similarly, a minority of devout individuals exchange greetings on religious occasions, such as the birthdays of Prophet Muhammad and the first Shiite Imam, Ali ibn Abi Talib.

In 2023, Iran's Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution (SCCR) renamed some calendar events including Yalda which they designated as the "Day of Promotion of the Culture of Hosting and Connecting with Relatives”.

Many of the members of SCCR are appointees of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The Council is mandated with ensuring that non-Islamic cultural influences and ideologies are defused, and education and culture comply with values prescribed by the religious establishment and the state.

The public reacted very negatively to the SCCR’s move. In defiance of what they saw as an attempt to obliterate the country’s pre-Islamic past, many vowed to celebrate the festival with even more vigor. Social media users also posted numerous jokes about the long name proposed for the ancient festival.

The highly negative reaction forced the authorities to backtrack. The state-run television which has a monopoly on broadcasting, and the hardline dominated Tehran municipality, even tried to show an unprecedented interest in honoring Yalda with special programs and decorations installed around Tehran by the municipality. The same trend has continued this year.

At Lakan prison in Rasht, political prisoners held in the Misaq Ward are in quarantine-like conditions and are isolated and poorly equipped to weather cold winter months.

The small yard, barely four square meters in size, is surrounded by tall concrete walls topped with metal mesh, offering little in the way of ventilation or natural light.

Inside, the metal beds are short and lack mattresses, forcing prisoners to either sleep hunched over or on the damp, cold cement floors.

With the arrival of winter, the situation has worsened, with inmates forced to use thin, inadequate blankets to shield themselves from low temperatures just above the freezing point.

Despite these efforts, illness—ranging from colds to more serious flu outbreaks—has become widespread, especially among prisoners with preexisting health conditions.

Some of the men in the section are middle-aged and suffer from chronic joint pain, yet they are compelled to wash with ice-cold water as the ward lacks hot water and functional heaters. Frequent power outages only exacerbate the problem, as the prison’s heating system does not have a backup power supply, leaving inmates without warmth day and night.

Prison regulations make matters worse. Clothing from families is only accepted twice a year, and the garments must meet strict standards, with hats, zippers and decorations banned.

With the onset of cold weather, the prison administration has shut down the office responsible for distributing warm clothing, declaring that it is now impossible to provide such items to the inmates.

Conditions in the women’s section of Lakan prison, where around 150 female prisoners are held, are similarly grim.

According to Forough Saminiya, a women’s rights activist and prisoner in Lakan, the women’s quarters are cramped, and the kitchen only contains a samovar, leaving prisoners with little means to feed adequately feed themselves.

The prison food is described as substandard and barely provides sufficient nutrition.

Saminiya also highlighted the exploitative nature of the prison shop, which has been monopolized by a single individual.

With over 150 regular customers, the shop charges exorbitant prices for essential goods. For those with specific dietary needs—such as Saminiya, who suffers from diabetes—the shop offers little to accommodate their conditions.

“Maintaining a proper diet in Lakan Prison is impossible,” she said, lamenting the lack of vegetables and the need to avoid starch.

Systemic Abuse in Qarchak prison

Across the country in Qarchak Prison near Tehran, the conditions for women and children have also become increasingly dire.

Jila Baniyaghoob, a journalist and women’s rights activist, reported that almost all of the prisoners have fallen ill with colds, and there is a shortage of medicine.

Sick prisoners are only given two antibiotic capsules, an inadequate remedy for the health issues. In addition, the prison’s medical facilities are under-resourced, with the number of available medical visits severely limited—only five prisoners per ward are allowed to see the doctor at a time.

Baniyaghoob also pointed out the water shortages in Qarchak, where drinking water has been cut off for several days. "Clean water has been cut off for several days. Each prison ward, with over a hundred prisoners, has only one tap of clean water, which is used for brushing teeth, washing dishes, and drinking," she said.

The heating system in the prison is unreliable, leaving inmates to endure near freezing temperatures, especially in the winter. Despite these conditions, prison authorities prevent families from providing extra clothing or necessary items for warmth.

Qarchak Prison, situated in a desert region, has long been described as a symbol of the systematic human rights violations within Iran's prison system.

In its report, the Iran Human Rights Organization recently condemned the facility as a “hell for women and children.” Originally a poultry farm, the prison has been converted into overcrowded wards that lack basic amenities, such as adequate ventilation, safe drinking water, and sufficient toilets.

Prisoners are forced to endure unsanitary conditions, with vermin including cockroaches, mice and even poisonous spiders inhabiting the cells.

The authorities’ failure to address these issues has prompted growing international concern.

Human rights organizations continue to call for accountability, urging the Iranian government to respect the basic rights of prisoners, particularly political detainees, who face disproportionate hardships in an already overburdened system.

The investigation, led by a national unit focused on terrorist financing, follows a dossier suggesting connections to groups backed by Tehran. DAT and the associated Abrar Islamic Foundation (AIF), also based in London, deny any wrongdoing.

The Charity Commission started a regulatory compliance case into DAT and AIF but paused it while law enforcement reviewed the dossier. One DAT trustee has praised a commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and described the October 7 Hamas attacks by saying Palestinians “rose up and became the master of the situation.”

The investigation comes amid wider concerns in the UK about activities tied to Iran. Intelligence officials have accused Tehran of supporting assassination attempts, kidnappings, and efforts to silence dissidents living in Britain.

Last year, the Charity Commission began investigating other Iran-linked charities in the UK, some of which hosted hardline Islamic clerics and paramilitary figures. In addition, The Times of London revealed more than six UK-based groups connected to Tehran, including organizations active in pro-Hamas rallies. British officials have voiced fears that hostile actors are using these groups to inflame tensions over the Gaza-Israel conflict.

“Today, the United States is taking action to stem the flow of revenue that the Iranian regime uses to support terrorism abroad, as well as to oppress its own people," the Treasury Department said in a statement. "The Department of State is imposing sanctions on four entities engaged in the Iranian petroleum trade and identifying six vessels as blocked property.”

The sanctions include individuals, companies, and vessels tied to the trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals, a critical source of revenue for Tehran’s leadership. According to the Treasury, these funds support Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile development, and the financing of proxy groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.

Also, Iran’s Ghezel Hesar Prison was designated for gross violations of human rights, the Treasury Department announced.

The designation, made under Section 106 of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), identifies the prison as responsible for cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment against individuals in Iran exercising their internationally recognized right to freedom of expression.

The Department of State and the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) jointly listed the facility for its role in these abuses, reinforcing US efforts to hold accountable those involved in human rights violations.

The designation blocks all property and interests of Ghezel Hesar Prison within the United States, largely a symbolic act, and prohibits US persons from engaging in transactions with the institution.

Bradley Smith, acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, emphasized in a statement that the United States remains committed to disrupting Iran’s revenue streams that fund destabilizing activities. He pointed to a "shadowy network" of vessels, companies, and facilitators used by Iran to sustain these operations.

The vessels sanctioned include the Djibouti-flagged crude oil tanker MS ENOLA, owned by Journey Investment Company; the San Marino-flagged MS ANGIA; and the Panama-flagged MS MELENIA. The latter two are managed and operated by Liberia- and Greece-registered Rose Shipping Limited.

In addition to targeting the vessels, the Treasury imposed sanctions on 12 individuals involved in Houthi procurement and financing activities.

Among them is Hashem Ismail Ali Ahmad al-Madani, head of the Houthi-aligned central bank in Sanaa. These individuals are accused of roles in arms trafficking, money laundering, and shipping illicit Iranian oil to benefit the Houthis.

The sanctions freeze all property and interests in the United States of the designated parties. US persons and entities dealing with them risk sanctions or enforcement actions, including fines. Iran continues to assert that its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes.