Trump optimistic about success of Iran talks, State Department says
US President Donald Trump's optimism on Iran "is what is true as well... His actions and his statements are based on the nature of the conversations he knows are being had," the US State Department spokesperson said on Tuesday.
"He wouldn’t be doing something that he didn’t think he could accomplish. And I think that belief is, in part, fueled by his optimism," Tammy Bruce told reporters.
"He has been very vocal on his optimism in that regard as well. I have not heard anything to counter that, but again, I'm not in those rooms and I'm not going to read his mind."
An exhibition by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards meant to offer a visceral experience of the afterlife—particularly the torments of hell—has instead provoked widespread ridicule and criticism.
Inaptly titled Heaven Time, the display opened this week at a Revolutionary Guards’ base in Fouman in Iran’s lush northern Gilan Province.
Organizers claimed the project had the approval of prominent religious figures.
Fire, smoke, fake paradise
Photos and videos circulating on social media show visitors walking across a suspended bridge surrounded by real gas flames—meant to simulate the searing heat of hell.
Actors in grotesque costumes moan and writhe amid the fire and smoke, while loudspeakers blast Quranic verses describing punishments for sin and disbelief.
The display includes a dramatization of grave questioning by Nakir and Munkar—two angels in Islamic theology believed to interrogate the dead.
A makeshift depiction of paradise has drawn even sharper criticism for lacking the beauty or design of an ordinary public park.
The nearly barren pavilion features a patchy lawn, a narrow pond meant to represent paradise’s milk and honey streams, and a few scattered potted plants—leaving many visitors unimpressed by its aesthetics or spiritual feel.
Mocked by the masses
Criticism has poured in from across the political and religious spectrum—from ordinary Iranians to journalists, intellectuals, and conservative figures.
“You were supposed to build a paradise (in Iran), but created a hell instead and inaugurated it with a smile!” Iranian journalist Azadeh Mokhtari posted on X.
Outspoken wrestling Olympic champion Rasoul Khadem pilloried the whole idea.
“What hell is greater than a crowd of ungrateful and godless people with full stomachs and sick hearts urging the poor and hungry to be patient, content, self-restrained, pure-hearted, and honest?” he posted on Instagram.
Images of the exhibition went viral with comments that were almost unanimously negative, some with sharp humor underscoring the society's shift away from religion.
“There wasn’t a single unveiled woman in the hell that you built at so much cost. All these years you said unveiled women would go to hell, but none is to be seen there now that you have built a display of hell,” a user calling himself Ali’s Dad posted on X.
Backlash from the faithful
Even among the devout, the display was seen as offensive—more a parody of faith than a defense of it.
“It seems that superficial, rigid, and sanctimonious zealots have so dominated all spheres with their shallow and frozen understanding of religion that no scholar dares to oppose them!” prominent journalist and political activist Ahmad Zeydabadi posted on his Telegram channel.
The exhibition, he lamented, was a “mockery of religion”, and an “affront to Islam and the Quran.”
Conservative politician Abdolreza Davari warned that the display could erode, rather than reinforce, religious belief.
“The young Muslim will ask himself: ‘Is this the paradise that God has promised to those who worship Him their entire life and stay away from sin?" he posted on X. "For God’s sake, stop meddling with people’s religion and faith!”
Rolling power cuts across Iran continue to mar daily life and livelihoods, according to firsthand accounts by everyday people submitted to Iran International.
From scorched household appliances to destroyed crops and collapsing businesses, Iranians describe a national infrastructure crisis they say is pushing them into ruin.
Below are excerpts from voice messages sent to Iran International’s platform for citizen testimonies.
'How are we supposed to survive?'
A farmer from Semnan province in northeastern Iran sent a passionate voice message describing how repeated blackouts have destroyed his equipment and ruined his harvests.
“My irrigation pump has burned out twice,” he said. “Where am I supposed to find 800 million tomans ($9,670)? I’m a village farmer. We’re being crushed.”
The average monthly income in Iran is about $150.
He said blackouts come every five or six hours, killing crops and rendering farming impossible. “They’ve destroyed agriculture, the backbone of our economy. They’ve turned the clock back 1,400 years.”
Expressing broader political anger, he added, “As long as we sit and do nothing, they’ll keep dragging us backward—to the Qajar era, even the Safavid. They aren’t here to help us. They’re here to humiliate us.”
Businesses collapsing: 'I had to buy used fridges again'
A small supermarket owner shared how frequent power cuts ruined expensive appliances—even with surge protectors.
“My dairy fridge and ice cream freezer burned out. I had to replace them with second-hand ones,” he said.
Even those whose businesses are not directly affected by outages expressed sorrow. “I don’t work with electricity, but when I see shopkeepers sitting helplessly outside their stores, it breaks my heart,” one person said. “When will we wake up?”
Shoemakers work following a power outage at a shoe workshop in Tehran, Iran, June 3, 2025.
'God help the sick': Medical risks from power loss
Another voice message warned of life-threatening consequences from blackouts.
“Our bread dough spoils. Appliances burn out. But the real danger is for families who rely on oxygen machines,” the speaker said. “When the power cuts, they might lose a loved one.”
She called the blackouts a clear sign of state failure: “These blackouts prove the regime’s total incompetence. Only real change can fix this. God willing, the people will rise.”
Wrecked appliances
Many described a constant cycle of broken appliances and unbearable heat.
“I burn out a cooler motor every week,” said one angry resident.
Others reported fridges and air conditioners failing due to voltage spikes. “This isn’t just about heat. It’s engineered poverty. Engineered unemployment. Engineered misery,” another added.
A voice message captured the mood in one bitter list: “No jobs. No water. No power. No future. Even morality is breaking down. And it’s all by design.”
Priorities
Multiple speakers criticized the government’s priorities—pursuing military ambitions while ordinary Iranians suffer without basic utilities.
“They’ve been chasing nuclear power for 30 years,” one man said. “But they can’t provide a single kilowatt of electricity for the people.”
The comments come as Iran and the United States remain locked in faltering nuclear negotiations, with apparent mixed signals from Washington fueling uncertainty in Tehran.
He praised Iran’s truck drivers for their recent strikes and urged others to resist. “We have to stop watching each other suffer in silence. This is a war. And it’s being waged against us.”
Truck drivers are now on the 13th day of a nationwide strike, with actions reported in over 150 cities and towns despite growing government pressure.
"If any specific action is taken in the Board of Governors, Iran will take the necessary measures regarding its nuclear activities and the UN nuclear watchdog's access (to its sites)," said Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi.
He said he met the ambassadors of 17 members of the IAEA Board of Governors to warn that any "political move" at the upcoming meeting of the Board would threaten Tehran's cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
He said he also elaborated on Iran's positions during separate meetings with the ambassadors of Russia, China, Germany, France and Britain.
The United States' negotiation position in the ongoing nuclear talks with Iran risks overlooking key threats, including Tehran’s ballistic missile program, drone warfare, and support for regional proxies, said Eric Mandel, the founder and Director of the Middle East Political and Information Network (MEPIN).
"What's maybe even more worrying is that ballistic missiles are not discussed or are part of this, drones, the abandonment of Iranian people, and proxies," he told Iran International.
Iran's foreign minister said on Tuesday Iran has received a US nuclear deal proposal that contains many ambiguities.
Speaking in Beirut after unveiling his "Power of Negotiation" book, Abbas Araghchi said a response will be given in the coming days in line with Iran’s interests.
“Preventing us from enriching uranium in Iran is a red line — and this is a reality recognized by all countries," he said. "We won't ask for anyone's permission for continued enrichment."
Araghchi said it is perfectly clear that negotiations under the current circumstances are not from an equal position and resemble a negotiation of surrender.
He also dismissed the US threats to use the military option against Iran, saying, “If the United States was truly capable of bombing our nuclear facilities, it wouldn’t have seen a need to enter negotiations."
