Iran revives wartime Defense Council to centralize military planning

“The pattern of fires this year in oil, gas, and petrochemical facilities is abnormal,” Mohammad Bahrami, a member of parliament’s energy committee, told the Iranian news outlet Didban Iran.

“Some of these incidents have occurred repeatedly and within short time intervals at sensitive complexes,” he added.

While Bahrami blamed aging equipment and lack of preventive maintenance as the key causes, he did not rule out possible sabotage operations by Israel.

“Around 50 percent of these incidents are caused by aging equipment, a lack of preventive maintenance, and outdated monitoring systems. About 30 percent stem from human error, insufficient training for operational staff, and failure to follow safety protocols," Bahrami said.

"The remaining 20 percent are a combination of managerial failures, delays in emergency response, weak HSE budgets, inadequate digital warning systems, and recent hostilities with the Zionist regime (of Israel),” he added.

A report by New York Times last month said Iranian officials increasingly suspect a coordinated campaign of sabotage may be behind the recent wave of unexplained fires and explosions across the country.

At least 12 major or mid-scale fires and explosions have occurred in oil and gas infrastructure during the first half of the current Iranian year which began in late March, according to estimates cited by Didban. The number exceeds 20 when minor fires and smoke-causing leaks are included.

Bahrami said the fires had led to deaths in incidents such as those at the Kharg petrochemical facility and Abadan refinery.

“Gas units have been taken offline for days, and both production and exports have been affected. Our international insurance and energy market reputation has suffered,” he said.

Bahrami warned that without structural reform and investments in digital safety infrastructure, Iran’s energy sector could suffer deeper reputational, financial, and operational damage.

In a video published by the IRGC’s political affairs office, Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, the deputy for political affairs at Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), addressed recent public criticism about the limited support shown by Beijing and Moscow during the conflict, which saw multiple Israeli and US strikes against Iranian military and nuclear sites.

“Some people in society asked during the war why China and Russia, with whom we have 25-year and 20-year cooperation agreements, did not assist us,” Javani said. “The answer is that the nature of these agreements does not include mutual defense or obligations for either country to enter a war on the other’s behalf.”

Javani emphasized that Iran did not seek outside military support during the conflict. “The Islamic Republic did not request help from any country—not even from members of the Axis of Resistance,” he said, referring to Tehran-backed militia forces across the region.

Responding to suggestions that the long-term agreements with Beijing and Moscow implied mutual military backing, Javani said: “These are cooperation agreements that involve military collaboration, arms sales, and other areas. But unlike formal security pacts, they do not obligate the parties to come to each other’s defense in times of war.”

He offered an analogy: “For example, we have a military cooperation agreement with Moscow, but when Russia entered into a war with Ukraine, we were not obligated to support them, and likewise, they are not obligated to join us in any conflict.”

The comments come amid debate within Iranian media and political circles over what some perceive as tepid responses from Iran’s strategic partners.

During the conflict, Russia condemned USairstrikes on Iranian targets as “unjustifiable” and “aggressive,” while China called for restraint and dialogue. Both stopped short of offering any material or military assistance.

Iranian state media and officials have described the conflict, which lasted nearly two weeks, as a significant test of Iran’s defensive capabilities as well as its diplomatic alliances.

The Jomhouri-e Eslami daily recently criticized the Kremlin over the long-promised but undelivered S-400 air defense systems.

The same editorial questioned whether China would take concrete steps to address Iran’s defense vulnerabilities—or whether the 20-year strategic cooperation agreement would remain, in their words, “just a piece of paper.”

Despite this, Javani defended Russia’s role during the war. “President Vladimir Putin made notable diplomatic and political efforts in support of the Islamic Republic in international forums,” he said. “These are the types of actions we expect on the political level, and he delivered.”

“The Islamic Republic… is in a serious pickle,” The Economist wrote in its Friday report.

Flooding the Persian Gulf with fruit and veg is one of its ways to pay for foreign goods it so desperately needs, added the outlet, saying “Iran now supplies nine out of ten cauliflowers, tomatoes and watermelons imported by the UAE.”

The trade relies on large state subsidies that make water, fertilizers and energy almost free.

Iran’s greenhouse cultivation has more than tripled in area since the early 2010s, supported by imported technology from countries including China and the Netherlands. Much of the equipment, The Economist wrote, originates from Israel—“a leader in the field”—though routed indirectly.

But this export boom is exacerbating water scarcity across Iran. With agriculture consuming over 90% of available water, and government support concentrated on export-focused farms, residents in cities like Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, and many others endure hours-long daily shutoffs. Officials have warned of a collapse of groundwater resources and irreversible environmental damage.

Across Iran, families are enduring days without running water. Many are stockpiling bottles, installing rooftop storage tanks, or relying on tanker deliveries—some of which provide unsafe supplies.

Satellite images obtained by Iran International show that Tehran’s main reservoirs—Amir Kabir, Lar, and Latyan—are at historic lows, holding less than 10% of their usable volume.

At the same time, the capital is physically sinking. Excessive extraction from depleted groundwater resources has caused sections of Tehran to subside by more than 25 centimeters per year.

Iran's produce in Sharjah port

The report by the Economist details how Iran’s produce reaches the UAE’s Sharjah port via small ships from Bandar Lengeh, south of the country.

From there, trailers carry shipments to Dubai’s Al Aweer market, the region’s largest wholesale food hub, where wholesalers blend Iranian goods with other imports or repackage them entirely.

Labels are swapped to hide origin—“We just put a sticker on the carton with a new origin: Azerbaijan, Turkey—anything but Iran,” one trader said.

The export trade operates through a parallel financial system. Formal banking channels are avoided due to US sanctions, so traders use the informal system to settle payments.

UAE-based middlemen collect dirhams from food buyers and channel them to Iranian exporters—often in exchange for vital machinery and appliances Tehran cannot otherwise import.

The Economist estimated the value of this clandestine export trade at $4bn to $5bn in 2024 alone.

Iran’s fruits often reach Persian Gulf supermarkets disguised and mispriced. Wholesalers inflate margins by mixing cheap Iranian tomatoes with Dutch imports and reselling the lot as premium goods.

“Instead of 4–5 dirhams, they sell the lot for 20–25 dirhams per kg,” said one insider. Some retail chains fly their staff business class and house them in luxury hotels—funded by “blended” produce profits, according to The Economist.

Despite occasional anti-dumping probes, Persian Gulf states appear to tolerate the flow. The report suggests some governments may see cheap Iranian food as a way to control inflation—or even preserve their own scarce groundwater by outsourcing farming to Iran.

But as water crisis deepens across Iran and key basins dry beyond recovery, Tehran’s strategy of exporting fruit may prove unsustainable. “However tempting,” The Economist warned, “bingeing on Iranian produce looks like a recipe for trouble.”

Known only as T, the commander of the 9th UAV squadron for the past three years, told the Israeli daily: "There is no arena in which we can rest on our laurels, and there is no choice but to prepare for another arena against Iran."

Israel has fought Iranian-aligned groups on several fronts since October 2023 and, most recently, engaged in its first direct conflict with the Islamic Republic.

"I believe that regarding Iran, situation assessments are being made, and all preparations against Iran are subject to the political echelon - when it is clear that right now we need to be prepared for any scenario."

He said that the country’s UAV array was critical in the 12-day war in Iran, which began with surprise air attacks on June 13 and saw dozens of top commanders, including the chief of staff, and multiple nuclear scientists killed on the first night alone.

“The big change here was our ability to bring the array to ... Iran, because the distance is enormous, the topography is different, and there are many threats and challenges along the way."

Last month, Iran's president said that the country is ready for further conflict with Israel as tensions continue to simmer, saying that he does not believe that the fragile ceasefire is final.

Masoud Pezeshkian told Al Jazeera Arabic, “We are fully prepared for any Israeli military action, and our forces stand ready to strike deep into the occupied territories once again,” stressing however that the country does not want war.

"A 1% threat must be perceived as a 100% threat. We should not underestimate the enemy and consider its threats as over," Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami said on Sunday.

He added that the Islamic Republic's missile and drone power "remains standing and ready for operations."

Last month, Iran's president said that the country is ready for further conflict with Israel as tensions continue to simmer, saying that he does not believe that the fragile ceasefire is final.

Iran's government says 1,062 people were killed during the 12-day conflict with Israel, including 786 military personnel and 276 civilians. Iranian strikes also killed 29 civilians and one off-duty soldier, Israeli media reported.

Hatami, addressing senior commanders of the Army’s Ground Forces, accused Israel of pursuing various plots against Iran “under the illusion that it could harm the Islamic system.”

He said Tel Aviv’s “miscalculation” was exposed during the 12-day war, which saw Israeli strikes and Iranian retaliation in June. “With the miraculous steadfastness of the Iranian people, Israel realized it had made a strategic mistake."

“We continued our attacks until the very last moment before the ceasefire,” Hatami said, hailing Iran’s defense posture.

Hatami warned that the country’s adversaries should expect Iran to pursue its military and scientific development “with more resolve than ever.”

On Saturday, an Israeli air force commander involved in the June war with Iran said the country has no choice but to prepare for another round of fighting.

Known only as T, the commander of the 9th UAV squadron for the past three years, told Israel Hayom: "There is no arena in which we can rest on our laurels, and there is no choice but to prepare for another arena against Iran."