Iran summons Swedish ambassador after minister calls Iran a ‘rogue state’

"The US Department of Justice is prosecuting these three men in federal court, and I must look them in the eye and testify," Alinejad said in a video message on Sunday.

The two-week trial will begin on Monday, March 10, according to Alinejad.

Rafat Amirov, 43, from Iran, Polad Omarov, 38, a citizen of both the Czech Republic and Slovenia, and Khalid Mehdiyev, 24, from Yonkers, New York, were indicted in a New York federal court on charges of money laundering and murder-for-hire in 2023.

The Justice Department charged the three men in an alleged plot that originated in Iran to kill Alinejad.

The Islamic Republic "is not only killing innocent people in Iran but is also targeting them in the heart of America and Europe," Alinejad said in her message.

"Here, in a federal court in Manhattan, the truth will be laid bare before the world."

Mehdiyev was arrested in New York in 2022 for possessing a rifle near the residence of Alinejad. Amirov was taken into custody in the Southern District of New York in January 2023. Omarov was extradited to the US by the Czech Republic in February 2024 after his arrest in January 2023.

The three were part of an Eastern European criminal organization called the "Thieves in Law".

Iran’s partnership with criminal gangs is partly born out of necessity. According to Western officials, the government’s own operatives face increasing scrutiny and surveillance from intelligence services, limiting their ability to conduct missions abroad. By turning to these criminal groups, the Islamic Republic circumvents the obstacles while tapping into networks that are already embedded in the West.

In 2021, US officials uncovered a plot involving two Hells Angels members hired to kill an Iranian defector and his wife in Maryland.

In an interview published by the Israeli newspaper on Sunday, Maria Zakharova referred to the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran and said, "A similar approach might be useful now in order to stabilize the situation."

"We are prepared for the closest cooperation with Tehran and with the other involved parties for the sake of reducing tension and finding sustainable solutions that will enable an effective and long-term accord," she was quoted as saying.

Iran had largely restricted its nuclear program in exchange for some sanctions relief as per the agreement it signed in July 2015 with world powers, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

However, the deal reached under US President Barack Obama was criticized by his successor Trump, who pulled out of the agreement, as too lenient on Tehran.

Trump warned on Friday that the situation with Iran had reached a critical stage, adding that he preferred to reach a deal over Tehran's nuclear program.

“We can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office. “We are at final moments with Iran. Something’s going to happen very soon."

There’ll be some interesting days ahead, that’s all I can tell you. You know, we’re down to final strokes with Iran,” he added.

He also said he has sent a letter to Iran's supreme leader. However, Ali Khamenei on Saturday ruled out the possibility of negotiation with the United States, in his first public speech after Trump's remarks.

Abol (Hamid) Korkor ended his life on Saturday after the Islamic Republic's security forces surrounded his hiding place and fired continuously, according to an account from activist and former political prisoner Foad Choobin on X.

Korkor, who had lived in hiding for over two years, streamed the raid live on Instagram as security forces stormed his home. He is the latest in a long line of protesters to take their own lives under pressure from Iran's security forces, exacerbated since the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising.

During the stream of gunfire, Korkor is repeatedly heard shouting, "We surrender," but the forces continued shooting.

In the end, Korkor said, "I have no choice. Goodbye, Iran," before taking his own life, the video shows.

Korkor's final words, "Goodbye, Iran," have been widely shared, with Iranians including opposition figures, activists, and artists mourning his death and condemning the government’s crackdown on dissent.

Iran's exiled Reza Pahlavi in a post on X called Korkor a "courageous martyr" and said his name should be "eternal and revered."

Women's rights activist Masih Alinejad wrote in a post on Instagram that Korkor "refused to surrender to the soldiers of the Islamic Republic’s terrorist Revolutionary Guards."

Iran-based rights activist Hossein Ronaghi described Izeh as a city with a long history of resistance, saying its people have "never bowed to tyranny."

"From the past to the present, the people of Izeh have stood courageously against injustice, proving that freedom is only achieved through resistance and struggle," he wrote in a post on X,

"With the cry of 'Goodbye, Iran,' he took his final breath," Ronaghi wrote, framing Korkor’s death as a symbol of defiance in the face of repression.

Iranian dissident rapper Hichkas also paid tribute, writing, "When you think of Iran until the moment of death," referencing Korkor’s final words, "Goodbye, Iran."

Similarly, rapper Shahin Najafi paid tribute sharing a photo of Korkor and writing on X, "Our code is to die standing," in reference to Korkor’s decision to take his own life rather than surrender to the Islamic Republic’s security forces.

Rapper Toomaj Salehi, who has faced imprisonment for his activism, expressed frustration over the isolation of Izeh, writing in a post on Telegram, "We left Izeh alone."

He also revealed that just a month ago, intelligence agents had blocked his attempt to travel toward Izeh, in what appeared to be a reference to the heavy security presence surrounding the city.

Former Iranian soccer star Ali Karimi echoed Korkor’s final words, writing on X, "'Goodbye, Iran' meant freedom for him."

On Sunday, Choobin further reported on X that Korkor's family are under pressure from intelligence and security agencies to not hold a ceremony for Koror, to avoid unrest in the city, and that the authorities have not yet given his body to the family.

"If the objective of negotiations is to address concerns vis-à-vis any potential militarization of Iran’s nuclear program, such discussions may be subject to consideration," Iran's UN mission said in a post on its official X account.

However, it added, "should the aim be the dismantlement of Iran’s peaceful nuclear program to claim that what Obama failed to achieve has now been accomplished, such negotiations will never take place."

A few hours later, Iran's foreign minister appeared to revise the statement by Tehran's UN mission.

"Iran's nuclear energy program has always been—and will always remain—entirely peaceful. There is fundamentally no such thing as its 'potential militarization'," Abbas Araghchi said.

"We will NOT negotiate under pressure and intimidation. We will NOT even consider it, no matter the subject," he added in a post on his X account.

On Saturday, Khamenei dismissed the prospect of talks with the United States in his first public speech after President Donald Trump said he sent a letter to him.

"The insistence of some bullying governments on negotiations is not aimed at resolving issues but rather at asserting dominance and imposing their demands," Khamenei said in a meeting with Iranian officials in Tehran.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will certainly not accept their demands," he added.

The White House, responding to Khamenei's comments, reiterated Trump's assertion that Tehran can be dealt with either militarily or by making a deal.

"We hope the Iran regime puts its people and best interests ahead of terror," White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement.

A State Department spokesperson also told Iran International the Trump administration will maintain its maximum pressure campaign on Iran if Tehran refuses to reach an agreement.

Trump warned on Friday that the situation with Iran had reached a critical stage, adding that he preferred to reach a deal over Tehran's nuclear program than turn to military force.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Sunday that an attack on Iran's nuclear sites would leave the Persian Gulf with "no water, no fish, nothing ... no life".

He specifically mentioned his country, Kuwait and the UAE, and said some of Iran's nuclear sites were closer to Doha than they were to Tehran. Iran's only operating nuclear power plant is on the Persian Gulf coast at Bushehr.

Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait are three desert states, facing Iran on the opposite side of the Persian Gulf, with minimal natural water reserves and more than 18 million people whose only supply of potable water being desalinated water drawn from the Persian Gulf.

Israel has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites but on Friday, US President Donald Trump said he had written to Iran warning it to open negotiations or face a military attack.