Iranian official downplays market reactions to snapback as 'emotional'
"The snapback of UN sanctions will certainly affect Iranian people’s lives, but the extent depends on the resolution’s text," said Iranian deputy foreign minister for economic diplomacy.
"The market’s current reactions to the snapback issue are emotional," Hamid Ghanbari added.
Two prisoners died in Iranian jails this week after being denied medical treatment, while a third inmate — a political prisoner recently transferred to a hospital — remains in critical condition.
Jamileh Azizi, a financial crimes inmate at Gharchak prison near Tehran, died Friday evening after weeks of ignored pleas for hospital transfer, according to information obtained by Iran International.
“Azizi repeatedly requested medical care in recent weeks and was dismissed by prison authorities each time,” a source familiar with her case said.
“She finally showed symptoms of a stroke but was told by the prison clinic she had no problem. She died hours later inside prison.”
Her death was caused by deprivation of medical treatment, the Iran Human Rights Society wrote, noting that her bail had been secured and she was due for release. Her relatives directly blamed prison officials for her death.
Mohammad Manghali, also jailed for financial crimes in Yazd, died after suffering breathing difficulties and being accused of faking his illness, the human rights group HRANA reported Friday.
“The prison doctor dismissed his symptoms as malingering and he was left untreated,” a source close to his family told HRANA.
Political prisoner in critical condition
Human rights groups reported worsening health for political prisoner Somayeh Rashidi, 42, who was moved from prison to hospital on September 16. Doctors have told her family they see little chance of recovery.
Rashidi’s level of consciousness has dropped to five, with physicians warning that if it falls to three she will not survive.
Prison authorities withheld essential medical care for Rashidi for months despite her critical condition, Iran International previously reported.
She was arrested in April while writing slogans in a southern Tehran district and later transferred to Gharchak prison after Israel’s June 23 attack on Evin prison. Fellow inmates have said she was beaten during her arrest and denied treatment for her injuries.
“Prison and clinic officials give inmates random medication without specialist diagnosis just to silence them. In many cases this causes severe complications and even death,” a former prisoner told Iran International.
Earlier this month Iran International reported the death of Maryam Shahraki, held in a prison in Karaj, after misdiagnosis and denial of urgent transfer following chest pains.
“Safeguarding the lives of political and general prisoners, stopping executions, and releasing those in need of medical care is the first step toward real change in this country,” political prisoner Ahmadreza Haeri wrote from Ghezel Hesar prison earlier this month.
Last year, Haeri and two other detainees accused prosecutors of pursuing “systematic murder” by denying treatment.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in a Saturday meeting chaired by President Pezeshkian, concluded that the Europeans’ push to reinstate UN sanctions on Iran "will in practice lead to a suspension of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog," the state TV said.
The foreign ministry was also tasked with continuing diplomatic outreach in line with the Council’s decisions.
On September 9, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signed an agreement in Cairo that set out procedures for inspections, notifications, and reporting obligations.
However, Araghchi said at the time that the agreement would be scrapped if European powers proceed with reimposing UN sanctions on Iran through the so-called "snapback" mechanism.
Tehran conducted a successful test of an intercontinental missile late Thursday, an Iranian parliamentarian said, after videos shared online appeared to show trails of smoke from the launches arcing upward in the sky.
“Two nights ago, we tested one of the country’s most advanced missiles, which had not been tested so far, and it was successful,” Mohsen Zanganeh told state broadcaster IRIB.
“I want to say that even under these circumstances, we are conducting a security test of an intercontinental missile.”
Residents across Tehran and in nearby cities including Gorgan, Sari and Semnan reported seeing the missile’s trajectory in the night sky. Eyewitness videos posted on social media showed arcs of smoke and light, while a Revolutionary Guards-affiliated channel shared images of the launch without claiming direct responsibility.
A local official confirmed missile tests had taken place around the capital on Thursday evening.
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)
Less than a month after the end of June's 12-day war with Israel, Iran conducted a suborbital test using a satellite launch vehicle in a move experts said showcased its defiance and determination to advance its strategic goals.
A 2019 report from the US Defense Intelligence Agency concluded that expertise in space launch vehicles “can be used as a test bed for developing an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missiles).”
While the Islamic Republic has gained multi-stage launch capabilities through its satellite projects, there is no evidence yet of a fully developed intercontinental ballistic missile, Shahin Modarres, an international relations scholar and security analyst, told Iran International.
“Now the knowledge is there, but until this moment there has been no test and no sign of a built intercontinental weapon,” he said.
“If such a missile had been developed, Israel would already be within range, but the danger would also extend to Europe, while questions remain over whether they have the guidance systems or technology to reach the United States.”
Western governments have repeatedly voiced concern over Iran’s satellite launches, warning that the same rocket technology can be used for intercontinental ballistic missiles. Tehran, however, says its space program is peaceful.
Push for atomic bomb
Hardline voices in Iran's parliament are pushing for escalatory steps after the UN Security Council voted against lifting sanctions against Iran ahead of the so-called "snapback" of UN embargoes on September 28.
“Withdrawing from the NPT, adopting a policy of ambiguity and ultimately testing the atomic bomb is the only option that can spare Iran the fate of Iraq and Libya,” Ahmad Naderi, a member of the parliament’s presiding board said on Saturday.
"Experience has shown that countries without nuclear deterrence eventually become victims of invasion or regime change. The time has come to make hard but necessary decisions."
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons citing a fatwa by the Supreme Leader and insists that its missile program is defensive. Yet several high-ranking officials have in recent years talked about the necessity of developing an atomic bomb and the possibility of changing the "nuclear doctrine".
The Cairo understanding between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog has collapsed and there is no longer any reason to continue cooperation with the IAEA or remain in the NPT, a senior lawmaker said on Saturday.
Iran must stop abiding by the restrictions under the 2015 nuclear deal, redesign the 40-megawatt Arak reactor, and build new generations of centrifuges, said Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.
He added: “The return of sanctions will not have any new economic impact, and the fluctuations in the currency market are mostly psychological. The government must rely on domestic capacities, focus on neutralizing sanctions, and have no hope in the United States or Europe.”