Reform UK urges cancellation of Shi'ite summer camp over alleged Iran ties

The Intelligence Ministry said that the return of so-called snapback sanctions will include a ban on arms sales, freezing of assets and foreign currency accounts of companies abroad.

“Re-sanctioning of legal and natural persons active in industries such as oil, petrochemicals, banking, shipping, insurance and sensitive technologies will be activated,” the document said.

Potential fallout could roil markets and exacerbate unemployment and deepen popular discontent, the ministry added.

“Severe currency fluctuations, reduced purchasing power, increased unemployment, layoffs and heightened social discontent are to be expected,” the Intelligence Ministry said.

The snapback mechanism is part of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed a 2015 deal over Iran's disputed nuclear program called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Under Resolution 2231, any party to the accord can file a complaint accusing Iran of non-compliance. If no agreement is reached within 30 days to maintain sanctions relief, all previous UN sanctions would automatically “snap back,” including arms embargoes, cargo inspections and missile restrictions.

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry also pointed to potential alternative partners for the Islamic Republic to evade the sanctions.

“Identify alternative suppliers in countries like China, Russia, Iraq, etc., which will be less affected by sanctions,” the statement said.

The guidance also warned of renewed threats to national security including cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.

“Increased targeted cyberattacks on economic infrastructure, focusing on supply chains, automation, and financial management, as well as efforts by foreign intelligence services to infiltrate through third parties, contractors, or organizational applications, will be some of the threats,” the statement said.

France, the United Kingdom and Germany told Iran they would restore UN sanctions unless it reopened talks on its nuclear program immediately and produced concrete results by the end of August.

Iranian diplomates last met representatives of the three European countries in Istanbul on July 25.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei described the meeting with Britain, France and Germany as a “test of realism” for the E3 powers, calling it a chance for them to correct past positions.

"I suggest to the Iranian dictator Khamenei that when he leaves the bunker, he occasionally look up at the sky and listen carefully to every buzz," Katz wrote on X Monday.

"The participants of the 'red wedding' are waiting for him there," he added referring to the codename of an Israeli campaign starting on June 13, 2025, in which a series of coordinated strikes killed several of Iran’s most senior military leaders.

The operation, named after a massacre scene in the Game of Thrones TV series, targeted top figures including Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami, chief of staff of armed forces Mohammad Bagheri, and senior general Gholam Ali Rashid.

Katz's warning followed the release of an assassination list by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated Telegram channel Saberin News amid continued tensions between Israel and Iran despite a US brokered ceasefire on June 24 which ended the 12-day conflict.

Last week, the new intelligence chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Tehran views the ceasefire with Israel as merely a pause to an ongoing war, as Iran's security establishment doubled down on confrontational rhetoric toward its arch-nemesis

Iran’s newly appointed Supreme National Security Council secretary, Ali Larijani, is undertaking consultations as part of his first foreign trip since taking office.

The talks aim to secure backing from key Shia groups for the PMF law project, which seeks to formalize the status of Iran-backed militias integrated into Iraq’s security apparatus, according to the Baghdad-based source.

The source told Iran International that Larijani will meet with Shiite leaders to stress the “necessity” of passing the legislation.

Larijani arrived in Baghdad on Monday as part of his first regional diplomatic tour as Iran's top security chief that also includes Lebanon. He has indicated plans to sign a bilateral security agreement with Iraq and engage various political currents.

The timing of Larijani’s visit follows recent remarks by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who emphasized that weapons should be controlled by the state and reported efforts to curb Iran-aligned militias’ participation in the June 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran. Iraqi authorities say they have prevented multiple planned attacks by these groups on US military bases.

Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, the country’s security landscape has been significantly influenced by various militias, many of which maintain close ties with Iran.Among these, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella organization composed primarily of Shia militias, was initially formed to combat the Islamic State.

Although integrated into Iraq’s formal security forces in 2016 and legally subordinate to the Iraqi prime minister, the PMF continues to operate with a high degree of autonomy, with many of its factions maintaining strong Iranian connections.

The PMF consists of approximately 67 armed groups, nearly all of which are backed by Iran. These militias play a crucial role in Iraq’s security environment but have also been a source of controversy due to their influence and perceived external alignment.

Efforts to reform the PMF aim to reduce this influence by formalizing their integration under Iraqi state control.

In March 2025, the Iraqi parliament introduced draft legislation seeking to reform the PMF by placing it more firmly under the authority of the prime minister as commander-in-chief, explicitly aiming to limit external influence, including from Iran.

The proposed law also includes provisions such as a mandatory retirement age for senior commanders, potentially replacing key figures with longstanding Iranian ties.

The vessel, identified as Phoenix and sailing under the flag of a third country --Cook Islands -- was intercepted in Iran’s exclusive waters near Jask, said Ahmadali Goudarzi, commander of the border guards.

He said the operation was carried out following aerial surveillance and electronic monitoring that indicated an alleged large-scale smuggling attempt.

Authorities said 17 foreign nationals on board were detained and transferred to Jask for legal proceedings.

The cargo’s value was estimated at 759 billion rials (about $840,000), according to state media.

Iran has stepped up maritime enforcement in recent months, especially in waters near the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, where fuel smuggling remains a persistent issue due to price differences with neighboring countries.

In April, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said it had seized a tanker carrying 100,000 liters of smuggled fuel and detained six people, according to Fars News Agency. That followed a separate operation in which two tankers allegedly transporting more than 3 million liters of diesel were intercepted and taken to the port of Bushehr.

The IRGC regularly announces such seizures as part of what it calls efforts to curb fuel trafficking in the region, a key route for global oil shipments. Iran has also seized tankers over maritime disputes or in response to international sanctions enforcement.

“It is natural that the struggle between right and wrong has existed from the beginning, exists now, and will continue until the end,” said Ali Fadavi, deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), when asked if Israel remained a threat.

“This [renewed aggression] depends on whether these malicious ones think they have a chance of success — in that case, they will definitely act,” Fadavi said, according to Iranian media.

He added that Israel had “suffered a major blow” in its recent confrontation with Iran, saying that “the whole corrupt world” was on Israel’s side, while Iran stood alone before its adversary until it called for an end to the fighting.

The 12-day war between Iran and Israel began on June 13, when Israel launched a surprise military campaign targeting military and nuclear sites, killing hundreds of Iranians, including civilians, military personnel, and nuclear scientists, as well as assassinating senior commanders.

Iran retaliated with missile strikes that killed 32 people, including 31 civilians and one off-duty soldier.

On June 22, US President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities at Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow, before brokering a ceasefire that was announced on June 24, two days after Tehran struck a US airbase in Qatar.