Pezeshkian faced drone threats during Israel attacks, aide says

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry on Thursday warned citizens against engaging with online accounts it said were newly created by Israel’s Mossad to compensate for lost networks inside the country.

“These pages are aimed at extracting information, spreading false news, and laying the groundwork for terrorist operations,” the ministry said in a public statement.

Authorities said the move came after Iranian security forces disrupted communications and access for Israel.

"Individuals found cooperating with such entities would face the maximum penalties under national security laws," the ministry threatened, citing prior directives by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and the judiciary.

Funeral processions for the slain commanders and scientists will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, starting at Tehran’s central Enghelab Square and ending at Azadi Square, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said.

Commander Mohammad Bagheri will be buried in Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in southern Tehran, the IRGC said.

The remains of former IRGC chief Hossein Salami and several nuclear scientists will be interred at the shrine of Imamzadeh Saleh in northern Tehran near Tajrish Square.

Former Guards’ Aerospace commander Amir-Ali Hajizadeh will be buried in Behesht-e Zahra among the graves of slain Quds Force personnel.

Mohammad-Mehdi Tehranchi, a nuclear physicist, will be buried at the shrine of Shah Abdol-Azim in Rey, south of Tehran.

Allowing IAEA inspectors into Iran now amounts to espionage, Iranian former lawmaker Ali Motahari said Thursday, following the official enactment of a law mandating suspension of cooperation with the nuclear watchdog.

“The entry of inspectors into Iran under current conditions is nothing but an act of spying,” said Motahari, a supporter of the law.

His remarks came as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged continued Iranian cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran’s exiled prince Reza Pahlavi on Thursday urged Iranians to engage in civil disobedience to bring down the Islamic Republic, saying the state had sharply weakened in recent weeks.

“The regime is trying to intimidate and demoralize you. The truth is that the Islamic Republic has grown dozens of times weaker over the past two weeks, while we are stronger and more prepared than ever,” Pahlavi said in a video message.

In this message, Pahlavi framed the moment as ripe for mass, coordinated disobedience.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday called on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to investigate reports that Israeli drones may have entered Iranian airspace via Azerbaijani territory during the recent conflict with Israel.

In a phone call, Pezeshkian stressed the need for verification of claims that drones and micro-UAVs linked to Israel crossed into Iran from Azerbaijan.

According to Iran’s readout of the call, Aliyev denied reports that Azerbaijan allowed its airspace to be used in attacks against Iran.