Israel expands tanker fleet to sustain air operations deep into Iran - Ynet

"This change effectively bans independent travel, requiring tourists to submit additional documentation, including a detailed resume, tour operator contract, and confirmed hotel bookings," the online magazine said.

Under the new rules cited by the outlet, tourists are also required to travel with licensed guides for their entire stay. Payments are only made once the visa is approved, and applications take two to three weeks to process.

Iran’s foreign and tourism ministries have not confirmed the report or announced any changes to the country’s visa regulations.

Though framed as a means to ensure structured and secure tourism, these newly reported regulations are being introduced just a couple of months after Iran arrested thousands including foreign visitors following the 12-day conflict with Israel in June.

The Islamic Republic has a longstanding record of detaining visiting academics, dual nationals, and other foreigners—often accused of espionage in cases widely perceived abroad as political leverage or hostage diplomacy.

In June, a European national was arrested in northwestern Iran for allegedly attempting to spy on sensitive areas. In another case, two foreign nationals were detained in Karaj, west of Tehran, for allegedly working as Mossad agents.

The rising number of detentions triggered concern across Europe and the United States. A US State Department cable cited unconfirmed reports of Americans being detained and noted that many US nationals faced delays and harassment while trying to leave Iran.

“This measure is intended to give authorities a deeper understanding of the applicant’s background and to evaluate any potential security risks,” the report by the Travel and Tour World website said.

According to the report, Iranian authorities now require applicants to provide a signed contract with an officially registered tour operator. This contract must include a detailed itinerary specifying travel dates, routes, and destinations, as well as confirmed hotel reservations arranged directly through the tour agency.

Independent accommodation—such as staying with private individuals or using platforms like Couchsurfing—will also be strictly prohibited, the report said.

If true, the new visa regulations would make it more difficult for foreign travelers to visit Iran on their own.

The country, historically known for its rich cultural and historical heritage as well as its natural beauty, has struggled to attract foreign tourists in recent years. Despite its allure, the country faced challenges such as strict dress codes for women and restrictions on alcohol and nightlife.

“A review of the documents on these individuals' activities shows that they defied (mandatory) hijab laws, incited students to leave classes, and even procured solar panels and supplies for armed (opposition) elements,” Fars News Agency wrote.

The acknowledgment followed days of concern from unions and civil society groups, which said teachers were being targeted under broad security pretexts.

“According to the confessions of these teachers and the documents available, they not only played a role in the 2022 unrest but were also in contact with the PJAK militant group and provided them with food and equipment,” Fars reported citing an informed source.

PJAK, a PKK-affiliated group designated as a terrorist organization by Iran, Turkey, and the United States, seeks self-determination for Iran's Kurdish minority.

“These individuals, by abusing their job positions, have tried to create unrest and disrupt the educational process by closing schools, threatening other teachers, and organizing illegal sit-ins," the Fars report said.

However, a former teacher in Iran's Kordestan province says the crackdown targets teachers for their civil activism and their defense of students and their rights.

"At least six teachers have been fired, two suspended, several forced into early retirement, and one sent into exile — all because they refused to 'repent' for their civil activities and for standing firm in defending their students," Shahed Alavi told Iran International.

"This is the outcome of their resilience and defiance," he added.

Teachers’ unions denounce expulsions

Three professional associations of teachers in Kordestan and Kermanshah issued statements condemning the expulsions and disciplinary measures on Friday. They warned that the policies amounted to organized repression and would deepen the educational crisis while threatening the future of students.

The Kordestan Teachers’ Union described the dismissals as “unjust and vindictive,” calling them proof of the state’s “repressive policies.”

It further warned of consequences for the authorities, arguing that the expulsions represented the beginning of a new phase of resistance.

“Teachers in the province had long been subjected to pressure and discrimination, which intensified after the nationwide protests of 2022,” read the statement.

The 2022 protests in Iran, also known as the Woman Life Freedom Movement, erupted in September after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa "Jina" Amini in the custody of Iran’s morality police.

Her death sparked widespread outrage, with demonstrations quickly spreading across dozens of cities. Protesters—many of them women and young people—called for greater freedoms, the abolition of mandatory hijab laws, and broader political reforms.

The movement soon evolved into one of the largest waves of dissent in Iran in decades, with workers’ strikes, university demonstrations, and global solidarity rallies amplifying the calls for change.

The government responded with a harsh crackdown, including mass arrests, internet shutdowns, and deadly force against demonstrators, drawing international condemnation.

A statement by the provincial intelligence department said two intelligence officers and one police force were also injured in the operation.

The department said the militants had crossed the country’s eastern border in recent days.

The group was described as being “equipped with various weapons, ammunition and explosive devices."

The operation came one day after Jaish ul-Adl gunmen attacked two police patrol units near Iranshahr in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province, killing five officers.

Police said the attackers opened fire on vehicles stationed on the Khash-Iranshahr road.

The attack was the latest in a surge of violence in the province, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan and has long been a hotspot for militant activity and drug trafficking.

On August 15, an Iranian police officer was killed and another wounded when Jaish ul-Adl gunmen opened fire on their military vehicle in Iranshahr, local police said.

On August 10, Iranian police said three militants and one officer were killed in a clash in Saravan.

In late July nine people died in an assault on a courthouse in the provincial capital Zahedan, which the group also claimed.

Jaish ul-Adl has been designated a terrorist organization by both Iran and the United States.

“Unlike Russia, Belarus is less restricted by sanctions in the military-technical sphere and could become a channel for restoring Iran’s defense capabilities,” the intelligence agency said in a statement, according to The Kyiv Independent.

The report said the request was raised during President Masoud Pezeshkian’s recent visit to Minsk, where he met Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

While official discussions focused on trade and investment, Ukrainian intelligence said Tehran sought covert support for defense needs.

“Iran plans to use Belarus as another channel to access sanctioned goods,” the statement said. “For Minsk, this presents the prospect of participating in projects that go far beyond the officially announced topics.”

Both countries are close allies of Moscow. Iran has supplied Russia with drones and missiles used in attacks on Ukraine, while Belarus allowed Russian forces to use its territory to stage operations.

Pezeshkian’s August 20 visit to Belarus highlighted Tehran’s “Look East” strategy of closer alignment with Russia, China and their sanctioned allies.

Iranian state-linked outlets framed the trip as defiance of Western pressure and a “clear message against unilateralism and sanctions.”

Pezeshkian’s August 20 visit to Belarus highlighted Tehran’s “Look East” strategy of closer alignment with Russia, China and their sanctioned allies.

Iranian state-linked outlets framed the trip as defiance of Western pressure and a “clear message against unilateralism and sanctions.”

Belarus, like Iran, is under heavy sanctions and has faced sharp isolation over its support for Moscow in Ukraine.

Iran entered the June war with a fragmented mix of Russian S-300s, Chinese batteries and its own Bavar-373 systems, supported by short-range platforms like Raad, Khordad and Azarkhsh, but with poorly integrated radars.

Israeli strikes on June 13 destroyed or disabled about 120 systems — a third of Iran’s arsenal — including long-range units, aided by Mossad drone attacks inside Iran. For much of the 12-day conflict, Israeli jets, including F-35s, struck targets nationwide with little resistance.

Tehran admits some defenses were damaged but says pre-positioned reserves quickly replaced them.

By August, state media said defenses were rebuilt and “multiple times stronger,” while Western and Israeli sources said radars remain compromised and vulnerable to suppression.

“This is another grim reminder of systemic impunity for the mass executions of the 1980s,” Amnesty Iran said on X, adding that the graves in Lot 41 of Behesht-e Zahra cemetery were being bulldozed with official permission.

“By destroying them, authorities are concealing evidence of their crimes and hampering the rights to truth, justice and reparations.”

Tehran’s deputy mayor Davoud Goudarzi admitted last week that the plot had been cleared to provide parking for visitors to nearby graves, saying permission was granted by provincial authorities.

Lot 41 contains the remains of members of opposition groups, including the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK), as well as Baha’is and others executed in the early years after the 1979 revolution.

Rights groups and families of the victims say the site is a crime scene that requires forensic preservation.

“Destruction of these graves is a serious human rights violation as it hinders future investigations into the mass executions carried out by the Islamic Republic,” Shahin Milani of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center told Iran International this week.

Lot 41, long known as the “section of the executed” or “curse-land,” has been under tight surveillance for decades.

Authorities have previously destroyed or desecrated headstones of victims from the 1980s and of more recent unrest, including the 2022 protests.

Amnesty renewed its call for Iran to “stop the destruction and desecration of graves” and to respect families’ rights to bury their loved ones with dignity.