Iran says attack on its nuclear sites would be ‘a historic mistake’

"We have worked to continuously strengthen our defense capabilities with the efforts of dedicated, innovative young scientists. This development will continue, and dear Iran will join the ranks of countries conducting extraterrestrial flights, showcasing our nation's scientific strength," Pezeshkian told officials and media.

Defense Minister General Aziz Nasirzadeh framed Iran’s ballistic missile program as an extension of its space launch efforts.

“Iran began its space activities by developing satellites. When challenges arose in satellite launches, the country shifted to building satellite carriers, a field in which it has now reached maturity. He added that there are promising plans, including the possibility of providing services to friendly nations,” the minister said.

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Iran has launched a few satellites into low orbit, but its ballistic missile technology is viewed as a serious threat to regional countries and even most of Europe if its range extends beyond 2,000 kilometers. Last year, Iran launched two missile attacks on Israel, firing hundreds of medium-range ballistic missiles. While Israeli, American, and allied air defenses limited the damage, the attacks underscored Tehran’s ability to threaten regional countries with an estimated arsenal of 3,000 missiles.

President Pezeshkian also highlighted Iran’s space program as a driving force behind its missile development. "Our enemies constantly try to prevent us from standing on our own feet, but this has driven us to achieve scientific and technological advancements."

Iranian media have voiced concerns that President Donald Trump may push for limits on Iran’s ballistic missile program, as he did in 2018 when he withdrew from the JCPOA nuclear deal during his first term. Largely state-controlled and often reflecting official views, the media has repeatedly emphasized that Iran will not negotiate on any issue beyond its nuclear program.

Cécile Kohler's sister Naomi told Iran International that her sister's conditions in prison are terrible and that interrogators are trying to break her psychologically.

1,000 days have passed since the arrest of French teachers Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris. Grondeau has also been under arrest for 843 days.

On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron called for their release. "I am thinking of them and their families, whom I will be receiving soon. Their detention is undignified and arbitrary. We demand their release."

Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris have spent nearly three years in Ward 209 of Tehran’s Evin Prison, their freed compatriot said earlier this month, a secret detention facility notorious for harsh conditions which is operated by the country’s intelligence ministry.

In his first interview since his release in June 2024, Louis Arnaud described the harrowing realities of life in the ward, where prisoners face extreme isolation, constant surveillance and relentless psychological pressure.

“Jacques (Paris) and Cécile (Kohler) have been there for almost three years now,” Arnaud told FRANCE 24.

Prisoners in Ward 209 endure blindfolded interrogations, forced confessions and limited contact with the outside world, according to Arnaud.

The French Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador on January 10 over the issue of French nationals who were "hostages of the state of the Islamic republic of Iran."

"Their situation is unbearable, with undignified detention conditions that, for some, constitute torture under international law," the ministry said, adding that French nationals are advised not to travel to Iran.

His response followed a report by Sweden’s TV4 and an article by Expressen, one of Sweden's most prominent dailies, which accused him of involvement in a network linked to Iran’s ministry of foreign affairs.

On Tuesday, TV4 reported that Parsi, the brother of former NIAC president Trita Parsi, had been connected to an Iranian initiative aimed at shaping Western policies.

The investigation, which cited emails provided by Iran International, followed a 2023 joint exposé by Iran International and Semafor that detailed Tehran’s efforts to cultivate relationships with academics and analysts abroad to expand its influence.

Sophie Löwenmark, a columnist for Expressen, wrote on Friday that “Parsi has participated in an advocacy network for a brutal dictatorship that today is a threat to Sweden, Swedish-Iranians, and Jews.”

She argued that his engagement had been secretive, without disclosure to his employers, and concluded that “this is not how someone you have full confidence in acts, but rather someone who appears to be the mouthpiece of the mullahs in Sweden.”

Parsi rejected her remarks in a response published by Expressen, saying that he had no financial ties to the Islamic Republic. He emphasized that his role as an academic allowed him to engage with different parties without political consequences.

“Unlike states, I do not represent any party and can therefore speak to everyone,” he wrote.

He also said that he participated in the Iran-led initiative on behalf of the British Foreign Office, not the Swedish Institute for International Affairs, arguing that TV4 and Löwenmark had omitted that detail.

“Certainly, Iran's aim with the initiative was to influence the West, but the participants' motives were something else entirely,” Parsi noted, adding that Western governments used such interactions to strengthen their positions in nuclear negotiations with Iran.

He dismissed criticisms from some Swedish-Iranians over his alleged ties to the Islamic Republic, saying, “My ‘crime’ is that I refuse to follow their lead and don't paint everything related to the Middle East and Iran in bright colors consistent with their ideologies.”

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Löwenmark responded in Expressen, challenging Parsi’s arguments. She argued that he acknowledged Iran’s intent to influence Western perspectives but failed to address leaked data showing that participants actively collaborated with Tehran’s interests through ghostwriting and other methods. She also noted his lack of transparency about how he joined the network or why he kept his participation hidden from colleagues.

“More importantly, he doesn’t seem to mind being part of a confidential circle convened by one of the world’s most brutal and repressive states,” she wrote. “It is inexplicable that he does not seem to realize the significance of the fact that the agenda of this secret network was not human rights, taxes, or welfare—but nuclear programs.”

Swedish MP says Parsi promoting Iran's interests

Swedish lawmaker Nima Gholam Ali Pour on Saturday accused Parsi of "promoting the interests of the Iranian regime", vowing to follow up his dismissal from taxpayer-funded the Swedish Institute for International Affairs at the Parliament as his employment is "completely unacceptable."

"If individuals like Rouzbeh Parsi—who sympathize with Sweden’s enemies—are to work at the Institute, why should the Swedish people fund such an organization? The Institute might as well reach out to the mullahs and ask for money," the Swedish MP of Iranian origin said in a post on his X account.

The nuclear program is a pillar of our development, but not its entirety, he said on Saturday, stressing that despite his direct role in past negotiations, its scope must remain within defined limits.

"The nuclear issue is part of our national strength, but it is not all of it. People must live their lives, and progress must be achieved in various fields. The nuclear agreement [JCPOA] preserved nuclear knowledge, ensuring its continuation, but reduced the number of centrifuges from 9,000 to 5,000," Larijani, who is considered a moderate conservative in the Islamic Republic's political spectrum, argued.

His comments come as Iran’s leadership wrestles with the idea of re-engaging with Washington over the nuclear program in order to reduce US economic sanctions.

Mahmoud Vaezi, the former chief of staff to ex-President Hassan Rouhani, suggested that Tehran should talk to President Donald Trump through key figures inside the US rather than third countries.

"Trump today is different from before—he’s got four years of experience under his belt," Vaezi said on Saturday. "It’s better to talk to him through certain people in the US rather than countries with their agendas." It was unclear whether Vaezi was referring to those who have long advocated for accommodation with Tehran or other intermediaries.

Vaezi also warned against letting Israel dictate Iran’s place on America’s foreign policy agenda. His stance echoes that of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who recently said that while Tehran is open to discussions, any new deal will be much harder to achieve than in 2018.

"The situation is different and much more difficult than the previous time," Araghchi said. "Lots of things should be done by the other side to buy our confidence … All we have heard is just nice words, and this is obviously not enough."

After Trump said earlier this month that it would be "nice" to resolve the nuclear crisis without escalation or military action from Israel, reactions in Iran have been anything but uniform.

While some officials hint at a willingness to explore diplomacy, hardline clerics are having none of it. Mohammad-Mehdi Hosseini Hamedani, the Friday prayer Imam of Karaj and the Supreme Leader’s representative in Alborz province lashed out at those pushing for talks, accusing them of misleading the public.

"The enemy threatens us daily, yet some still talk about negotiations," he warned. Another cleric, Abdolnabi Mousavi-Fard, called any broad discussions with Washington a "surrender to illegitimate American demands."

Their pushback comes after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei made an ambiguous statement earlier this week, telling officials to “know their enemy” before entering any talks. Some see this as a quiet nod to negotiations, while others insist it’s just another reminder to stay wary of the US.

The debate over whether to engage with Trump is exposing deep divisions in Iran’s leadership. While some see an opportunity, hardliners are digging in, warning that diplomacy could mean dangerous compromises. Reformists argue that isolation is not a sustainable strategy and that engagement with global powers, including the US, could help lift sanctions and improve Iran’s economy.

"We are preparing ourselves to confront any enemy, at any scale, in any manner, and in any geography," said IRGC Navy Chief Alireza Tangsiri after unveiling the new underground missile city.

The missile bases are unveiled as a message to Iran's enemies, IRGC Chief Commander Hossein Salami said, calling on them to "make more precise calculations and to ensure they do not make mistakes that would put both themselves and others in trouble."

Should they make any mistake, "all these systems you see will be activated," he warned.

The IRGC also unveiled a new cruise missile, named Ghadr-380, which has "anti-jamming capabilities" and a range of more than 1,000 km (more than 600 miles), according to IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri.

"Cruise missiles with the capability of countering enemy destroyers' electronic warfare are stationed in the IRGC's new underground missile city," the IRGC-affiliated Sabereen News reported.

"These missiles, with significant upgrades to their weapon systems and electronic warfare countermeasures, are ready for deployment in the shortest possible time," the report added.

This is the third underground missile base being unveiled by the Revolutionary Guard over the past month.

On January 18, the IRGC Navy unveiled an underground naval missile base at an undisclosed Persian Gulf location, two days before Trump's return to the White House.

The base is one of several built underground for vessels capable of launching long-range missiles and carry out distant warfare, IRGC Chief Commander Hossein Salami said after visiting the secret base during war games.

Footage released by IRGC-affiliated media and the state TV showed tunnels with long rows of "a new version of Taregh-class radar-evading speedboats which can launch cruise missiles."

Also on January 10, the IRGC's Aerospace Force unveiled what state TV called an underground missile city.

The base was used in the Iranian missile attacks against Israel in what the Islamic Republic codenamed operations True Promise 1 and 2 in April and October 2024, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim said.

"The volcano lying under these mountains can erupt in the shortest time possible," state TV's report said.

Iran has been conducting multiple military exercises in the past few weeks, including air defense drills near nuclear sites like Natanz and a 110,000-strong Basij mobilization in Tehran, to showcase its capabilities and project a message of strength in the region, following consecutive defeats for its allies since September.

IRGC commander-in-chief Hossein Salami said earlier this month that the ongoing military exercises aim to make the enemies refine their assessments of Iran’s defense capabilities and demonstrate that the country’s deterrence is unaffected by external events, a tacit reference to the fall of Tehran’s longtime ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria.