More Stories
Condom purchases in Iran jumped 26% during the country’s 12-day conflict with Israel in June, according to data from the country’s largest e-commerce platform Digikala.
The report on consumer behavior showed a surge in demand for a range of health-related products during the war, including sanitary pads, disinfectants, blood glucose test strips, medical bandages, nail extension supplies, blood glucose monitors, adult diapers, and sanitary underpads.
The report comes three months after Israel launched a surprise military campaign on June 13, striking military and nuclear facilities in Iran. Air attacks killed nuclear scientists along with hundreds of military personnel and civilians. Iran retaliated with drone and missile attacks which killed 31 Israeli civilians and one off-duty soldier.
The United States joined the conflict on June 22, conducting strikes on major nuclear sites including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, before brokering a ceasefire on June 24.
Global perspective
Similar spikes in condom sales have been reported in other countries during times of conflict or crisis. After North Korea’s nuclear test in October 2006, South Korean convenience stores recorded a surge, with condom sales averaging 1,930 per day, compared to about 1,508 per day previously.
In Russia, following the invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, major retailers reported sharp increases. The pharmacy chain Rigla noted a 26% rise, while online marketplace Wildberries saw sales climb by about 170% year-on-year, a surge linked to consumer fears of shortages and price hikes.
Similar behavior was documented in the United States during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when condom makers such as Reckitt Benckiser reported sales jumps linked to consumer uncertainty and supply chain fears but not necessarily increased use.
Iran and European powers will hold last-ditch talks in New York on Tuesday to try to prevent the revival of UN sanctions on Tehran, though diplomats on both sides cautioned that chances of success remain slim, Reuters reported.
Foreign ministers of Iran, Britain, France and Germany – the so-called E3 – are due to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, joined by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, amid warnings that a 30-day “snapback” process to reimpose sanctions will expire on September 27.
“Iran has been in contact with E3/EU officials and (the UN nuclear chief Rafael) Grossi since this morning at the UN Different ideas have been raised and discussed,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday.
“Iran’s top diplomat will meet with the E3 foreign ministers and EU foreign policy chief Kallas tomorrow and will continue the discussions.”
Another Iranian official said “everyone seems to be trying” to find a resolution. Two European diplomats confirmed the Tuesday meeting.
Debate has erupted in Iran over President Masoud Pezeshkian’s upcoming trip to the UN General Assembly in New York, with politicians, clerics and commentators split on whether he should meet Donald Trump or avoid the risk.
Here are ten of the sharpest takes.
1. Make history
Former Tehran mayor Gholamhossein Karbaschi:
“If Pezeshkian wishes to be remembered honorably by history, this is the time for it.”One reader commented: “Should he seek authorization to negotiate—or permission to surrender?”
2. Last chance for diplomacy
Political commentator Ali Bigdeli:
“Pezeshkian’s presence in New York is Iran’s last chance for diplomacy. If he goes empty-handed, he would be better off staying home than attending the UNGA.”
3. Only if Trump asks
Former lawmaker Ali Motahari:
“If Trump asks for a meeting with Pezeshkian, our president should accept for the sake of national interests, despite Trump’s hypocrisy and lies. Perhaps Trump’s ambition to take credit for everything could work in Iran’s favor.”
4. Negotiation is fantasy
Mohammad Mehdi Imanipour, head of the Islamic Culture and Communication Organization:
“Holding talks with Trump and similar ideas are fantasy. This is a precious opportunity to tell the world about the 12-day war with Israel and to make clear that Iran was attacked while pursuing peaceful negotiations.”
5. Don’t count on China, Russia
Political commentator Qasem Mohebali:
“It is wise to reach an agreement with the West now. We can renegotiate later from a position of strength. The most China and Russia would do for us is preserve the status quo.”
6. Seek the Leader’s backing
Reformist figure Mohammad Atrianfar:
“If Pezeshkian wants to change the current trajectory of negotiations, he must create a turning point by doing something new. If he secures Khamenei’s backing, he could even hold direct talks with Trump and seize the opportunity to serve the country’s interests.”
7. Don’t meet E3 leaders
Conservative commentator Nasser Imani:
“Pezeshkian should strictly avoid meetings with the leaders of the three countries that activated the trigger mechanism against Iran … The US and European leaders undermined not only international law but also the very organizations they themselves created.”
8. Avert UN sanctions
An editorial in the moderate daily Ham Mihan:
“(We should) not take the risky path toward sanctions. It is not true that it can do no further harm … We are masters of wasting time and missing opportunities.”
9. Do what you believe is right
Another Ham Mihan editorial:
“Do what you honestly believe is essential for the public good and the country’s survival. Never think in terms of personal interests. Do not fear criticism, and avoid later saying you wanted to act differently but were not allowed.”
10. For a picture only
Hardline figure Abdollah Ganji, former editor of the IRGC’s Javan daily:
“Two countries that have fought each other—and one of them has imposed over 3,000 sanctions on the other—cannot negotiate like this.”
Ganji branded moderates “shameless,” accusing them of seeking to put Pezeshkian “in the same picture with Trump for a moment regardless of the result.”
The US state department on Monday announced it would limit the movement of Iran's delegation to the UN General Assembly annual meeting this week to prevent lavish shopping and the promotion of Tehran's "terrorist agenda."
"The United States took action this week to impose maximum pressure on the Iranian regime by restricting their UNGA delegation’s movement and access to wholesale club stores and luxury goods," the state department said in a statement.
"We will not allow the Iranian regime to allow its clerical elites to have a shopping spree in New York while the Iranian people endure poverty, crumbling infrastructure, and dire shortages of water and electricity.”
Iranian serial killer Kolsoum Akbari, a 58-year-old woman convicted of murdering 11 former husbands over about 20 years by poisoning, was sentenced to 10 death penalties, Iranian media reported.
Born in 1967, Akbari allegedly used sedatives to kill her spouses, with the murders spanning the 1990s to the 2010s.
Arrested in September 2023 for attempting to murder her 82-year-old husband, she was caught after he grew suspicious and realized she was trying to kill him.
After several trial sessions, a court in Mazandaran in northern Iran sentenced Akbari to 10 death penalties.
Ten families demanded qisas (the eye-for-an-eye punishment, equivalent to the death penalty). The family of one victim agreed to forgo their right to qisas if she pays them blood money.
Akbari also received a 10-year sentence for an attempted murder.
She is the second known female serial killer in Iran, following Mahin Qadiri, who was executed in 2006 for murdering her seven husbands by poisoning them over 17 years.
