Iran seeks Persian Gulf nuclear consortium with UAE, Saudi – Guardian

Representatives from Iran, Britain, France and Germany will meet in Istanbul on Friday, Reuters reported citing two European and an Iranian diplomatic source.

Iran and the three European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal were supposed to meet earlier this month but postponed the meeting after the fourth round of Iran-US talks was delayed.

While the sentence remains in place, the case has entered a new phase. Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei has approved preliminary steps to examine the ruling.

“According to legal procedure, the case will be examined by relevant experts to assess whether the verdict contradicts Sharia,” Tataloo’s lawyer Majid Naghshi told the Revolutionary Guards-linked Fars News Agency.

“If confirmed, the file will be sent to a parallel court branch for a final ruling.” He added that the process occurs only once and emphasized, “No final decision has been made yet, but this is a step forward in the legal path.”

Tataloo’s sister, Naghmeh Maghsoudloo, also announced the decision, noting that the case is now under Supreme Court review.

The singer remains imprisoned in Tehran’s Fashafuyeh facility, serving a 10-year sentence for “encouraging corruption.” Other charges include disrupting Islamic law, operating a gambling platform and publishing obscene content.

A separate blasphemy case led to a three-year sentence for insulting sanctities and initially, a death sentence for insulting the Prophet—a charge from which he had first been acquitted before a later court reversed the ruling.

The 37-year-old artist had lived in Istanbul since 2018, where he remained active on social media and announced plans to establish a so-called “Sultan’s Palace,” inviting girls between 15 and 20 to join. Instagram removed his account in 2019 over misogynistic content and promotion of child marriage.

On December 4, 2023, Turkish police arrested Tataloo following a complaint from the Iranian consulate in Istanbul, which accused him of harassing consular staff. He was later extradited to Iran and taken into custody at the Bazargan border.

Public figures across Iranian cultural life have rallied in opposition to the sentence. Rapper Toomaj Salehi, footballer Mehdi Taremi, actress Sahar Ghoreishi and bodybuilding champion Hadi Choopan all denounced the ruling in separate statements.

“You insulted all my sisters. But my heart cannot bear your voice being silenced,” Salehi wrote online, referring to Tataloo's controversial remarks against Mahsa Amini, the girl whose death in police custody sparked Iran's 2022 Woman Life Freedom protests.

Tataloo’s uncle, Mohammadali Maghsoudloo, revealed in an interview that the singer married inside prison just one week ago. He added that officials have provided accommodations for Tataloo’s vegetarian diet while in custody.

Once promoted by state-linked figures—he famously released a pro-nuclear anthem in 2015 and appeared with Ebrahim Raisi during the 2017 campaign—Tataloo later became a pariah, accused of corrupting youth and drawing numerous complaints from many families, according to the judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency.

In court, he expressed remorse, saying, “I didn’t get proper training, and I made a mistake.” Court documents also referenced a personal letter in which he asked to “marry, have children and pursue music in the right way.”

Once the death sentence is lifted, the case will move into the hands of Iran’s Supreme Court—an uncommon reversal in a legal system rarely swayed by public figures or online campaigns.

The network facilitated "the shipment of millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil worth billions of dollars to China on behalf of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) and its front company, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars (Sepehr Energy)," a statement by the State Department said.

Iran International reported that Sepehr Energy company worked on behalf of the Iranian military and spawned a network of shell companies to sell sanctioned Iranian oil to Asia and did business with a Netherlands-based firm that was aware of its government ties.

Business documents and emails obtained by Iran International revealed a layered network of shell companies used to mask the military links and channel the sanctioned oil through foreign intermediaries.

In a separate statement on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department said "nearly two dozen firms operating in multiple jurisdictions in virtually every aspect of Iran’s illicit international oil trade" were targeted in the latest designations.

One of the entities sanctioned by the US Treasury on Tuesday was Xin Rui Ji, a company cited in Iran International's reporting.

"The Iranian government allocates billions of dollars’ worth of oil annually to its armed forces to supplement their budget allocations, underwriting the development of ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as financing regional terrorist groups," the Treasury said.

The State Department also said that "the revenue from the sale of this oil funds the development of ballistic missiles and UAVs, nuclear proliferation, and Iran’s terrorist proxies, including the Houthis’ attacks on Red Sea Shipping, the US Navy, and Israel."

“Today’s action underscores our continued focus on intensifying pressure on every aspect of Iran’s oil trade, which the regime uses to fund its dangerous and destabilizing activities,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.

“The United States will continue targeting this primary source of revenue, so long as the regime continues its support for terrorism and proliferation of deadly weapons.”

Iran’s foreign ministry said no agreement will be reached without concrete guarantees, pushing back against pressure to halt its nuclear program.

“We have made it clear that without receiving specific commitments, no agreement will be achieved,” ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Tuesday.

He rejected any suspension of Iran's nuclear activities, saying, “The suspension of the nuclear program is not under discussion, and Iran has consistently emphasized the need for security guarantees.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard chief described the United States as a declining force, citing what he called structural weaknesses and growing internal challenges.

“The United States has a decayed military, incapacitated officials, and widespread challenges,” Major General Hossein Salami said Tuesday.

He said Iran’s capabilities have sharply increased.

“Our power has multiplied dozens of times since last year, and the theory of attacking Iran no longer exists.”

“We stand firm on our principles in the face of the enemy,” he said, adding that “a change in the US president does not alter the reality of its declining power.”