Israel on high alert as UN snapback sanctions hit Iran - Ynet

The decision, adopted during the Central Bank’s High Council session this week, applies to all traders and users on licensed digital platforms and must be implemented within a one-month transition period, according to Asghar Abolhasani, secretary of the High Council.

“From now on, the ceiling for purchasing stablecoins is set at $5,000 per user annually, and holdings cannot exceed $10,000,” Abolhasani told Iran's state TV.

He said those already holding stablecoins will have only a brief period to comply.

“The important point is that in regard to stablecoins currently in possession, a maximum one-month transition period has been set, during which the authorized ceiling for holdings must be observed.”

Stablecoins are digital tokens pegged to traditional currencies, with Tether (US dollar) being the most widely used.

In Iran, Tether has become a lifeline for households and traders seeking to protect savings from inflation or to move money abroad, offering the stability of the US dollar without the barriers of the formal banking system.

The new restrictions come as the rial continues to collapse, hitting an all-time low of 1,136,500 per US dollar on Saturday. The national currency is likely to lose further value amid the looming renewal of UN sanctions and worsening public confidence in government controls.

Stablecoins such as Tether have surged in popularity among Iranians since the war with Israel and US earlier this year. For many, converting rials into digital dollars has been the only way to preserve value.

The new cap is expected to affect thousands of small traders who have been making a living in crypto and could now face penalties for exceeding the legal ceiling.

The Central Bank’s move mirrors past efforts to curb demand for foreign currency during sharp market downturns. In earlier crises, authorities restricted access to dollars and gold in hopes of stabilizing the rial, but the measures had little long-term impact and often pushed transactions into black markets.

Iran’s currency has steadily depreciated over the past decade, battered by sanctions, inflation, and mismanagement.

“We are hopeful for the future of the region. Awareness and vigilance in the region are on the rise,” said Larijani.

“The Israeli regime spares no country as seen in the recent incident in Qatar,” he said.

“Many countries are seeking to establish a joint mechanism for cooperation, and we support this path,” Iranian media quoted him as saying.

Larijani will meet senior Lebanese officials to discuss bilateral relations and regional and international issues of mutual concern, the Iranian embassy in Beirut said.

He is joined by Ebrahim Azizi, head of parliament’s National Security Committee, and Rouhollah Motefaker Azad, a deputy speaker, during his trip to Lebanon.

In his previous Beirut visit in August, Lebanese political figures publicly criticized Tehran’s influence and interference, warning that Iran’s pressure on Hezbollah’s armament threatened Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Though Hezbollah was once seen as Iran’s dominant proxy in Lebanon, it has endured heavy losses. Israeli strikes last year killed thousands of its fighters and senior leaders, with much of its military infrastructure destroyed.

Lebanese officials have said a sovereign, unified Lebanon requires the elimination of foreign influence, adding that Hezbollah’s control over armed power remains a major obstacle.

Founded in 1982 by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Hezbollah has long been Israel’s principal military adversary in Lebanon. Fighting late last year left the group weakened.

The Lebanese cabinet last month ordered the army to disarm Hezbollah, prompting sharp criticism from Tehran.

Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, wrote that the situation is “deeply troubling” and “profoundly affected by the devastating military escalation and its aftermath” in the first half of 2025.

“While the military escalation between States ceased on 24 June, its end has not brought relief to the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who continue to face systematic repression,” according to the report.

The attacks, which targeted nuclear facilities, residential areas and Evin prison, killed more than 1,100 people and injured over 5,600, with between 40 and 60 per cent of deaths estimated to be civilian, the report said.

The strikes also killed 14 Iranian nuclear scientists and destroyed medical centers, worsening shortages and leaving vulnerable populations without care, according to the report.

The response of Iranian authorities was also criticized. Tehran’s actions included “scapegoating of ethnic and religious minorities, the mass deportations of vulnerable Afghan nationals and the introduction of draconian legislation that further criminalizes legitimate civil rights activities,” the report added.

On women’s rights, the report pointed to systemic impunity in cases of gender-based killings, noting that at least 108 femicides were documented.

“The legal framework of the Islamic Republic of Iran violates the right to life by providing protections for perpetrators of gender-based killings through discriminatory provisions.”

Executions also continued at what the report called an “alarming pace,” with more than 700 people put to death between January and July, including 98 Baloch, 42 Kurds and 45 Afghans.

Sato urged Iran to “establish a moratorium on the death penalty with a view to its complete abolition” and to end corporal punishments including amputation and flogging. She also recommended international support for exiled activists and Afghan refugees.

Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, appeared via video link from a high-security prison in south London.

The three Iranian nationals have been charged with engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service between 14 August 2024 and 16 February 2025.

Sepahvand has also been charged with engaging in conduct, namely surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research, between 14 August 2024 and 16 February 2025, intending to commit acts, namely serious violence against a person in the United Kingdom.

Manesh and Noori have also been charged with engaging in conduct, namely surveillance and reconnaissance, with the intention that acts, namely serious violence against a person in the United Kingdom, would be committed by others.

The charges include collecting information and planning to commit acts of violence on British soil.

Their targets are allegedly staff members of Iran International.

At today’s hearing, Farhad Manesh’s application for bail was refused by the Judge, the Honourable Mrs Cheema-Grubb.

All three accused will be held in remand until the trial itself begins on October 5, 2026, at London’s Woolwich Crown Court.

The three are the first Iranian nationals to be prosecuted under the UK’s 2023 National Security Act, a law designed to counter threats from hostile states.

Iran International, founded in 2017, has reported escalating threats, particularly after the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests. Its staff have reported death threats, harassment of relatives abroad, and attacks

Rights groups and the broadcaster accuse Iranian authorities of waging a sustained campaign against Iran International since its launch, including hacking attempts attributed to actors linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The resolution aimed to extend sanctions relief under Security Council Resolution 2231 for six months to allow further diplomacy.

Russia, China, Algeria, and Pakistan voted in favor, while the United States, Britain, France, and five other members opposed it. Guyana and South Korea abstained.

Dorothy Shea, Acting US Representative to the UN advised Russia and China to ask Iran for full cooperation instead of postponing the sanctions.

“They must press leaders in Tehran to take meaningful immediate steps to fulfill its commitments and obligations, including by fully cooperating with the IAEA,” Shea said.

British ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward told the Security Council the doors to diplomacy are not yet closed.

"The United Kingdom remains committed to pursuing a diplomatic solution that ensures Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, while maintaining Iran's right to a civil nuclear program in line with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."

Russia's representative at the meeting said Moscow "had hoped that the US, that European colleagues in the US, would think twice and that they would opt for the path of diplomacy and dialog instead of their clumsy blackmail, which merely results in escalation of the situation in the region."

However, the envoy said, "what did we see instead, in the 29 days that have elapsed since then, was the very same typical scenario for Europeans of pressure."

Iran had already warned if the UN sanctions reinstated, it will halt cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, (IAEA).

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told the UN Security Council that "Iran put forward several constructive proposals in New York to avert an unnecessary and avoidable crisis, all were ignored."

"I have to remind the distinguished representative of France that two nights ago, I agreed with your foreign minister a framework agreement, but he was not able to get the agreement of the United States," Araghchi said.

Following the Security Council meeting, Araghchi told Iran International that the reimposition of UN sanctions could jeopardize Tehran's cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

The snapback mechanism was triggered on August 28 by France, Germany, and the UK (E3), citing Iran's "significant non-performance,” including enriched uranium stockpiles exceeding JCPOA limits and restricted IAEA access to facilities like Natanz and Fordow.