Guards spokesman says US failed to sustain war against Iran

Tarahomi, head of legal affairs at the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters, told state media that speculation about legalizing poppy cultivation was misplaced. “What is under consideration is licensing controlled cultivation of certain poppy species such as Papaver bracteatum -- also known as the Iranian poppy -- for medical use, not opium poppy,” he said.

He explained that Iran had voluntarily halted poppy farming after the 1979 revolution, meeting pharmaceutical needs through seizures and imports. But declining production in Afghanistan has forced Tehran to consider limited licensed cultivation for morphine and related medicines under international conventions.

Tarahomi said licensed crops would be grown only on enclosed land with state purchase and factory processing, leaving no possibility of diversion. By contrast, he warned, illegal growers would face escalating penalties: “The first time a fine, the second time a fine and prison, and from the third time onward, fine, prison and confiscation of agricultural land.”

Officials have previously reported a sharp fall in opium seizures and rising concerns over illegal cultivation in some provinces, with authorities destroying thousands of hectares of illicit fields.

A new wave of cryptocurrency speculation has swept through Iranian online markets, with high demand for Tether driving billion-rial trades on unlicensed domestic exchanges, wrote the IRGC-linked outlet Tasnim on Monday.

The agency cautioned that behind the excitement lies a severe risk of financial damage.

“The digital currency market these days is full of real stories of heavy losses,” Tasnim wrote, citing cases of blocked accounts, frozen assets and steep declines in value.

Tasnim quoted experts as saying that in Iran’s economic climate, “we are facing a market with no official oversight, no licensed exchanges, and no recourse if problems arise.”

Recent sanctions pressures and global compliance rules on Tether make Iranian traders especially vulnerable to sudden freezes, with little chance of recovery, added the report.

Adversaries of the Islamic Republic acted on flawed assumptions that led to their defeat, Ali Fadavi, the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards said on Monday.

“The enemies of the revolution acted based on flawed calculations and in many cases made misjudgments that resulted in their defeat,” he said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian rejected Western pressure and sanctions, insisting the country would not yield to outside demands.

“They want to sanction us because we refuse to bow before them. The idea of bringing us to our knees is nothing but a fantasy,” he said at an event for firefighters.

“This human rights, the United Nations and UNESCO are nothing but lies. Israel can attack any country it wishes without cost.”

“They want to force us to yield before dishonorable people, but even the thought has no place in my mind,” he added.

Japan on Sunday urged renewed diplomacy after UN sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program were reinstated, following the collapse of efforts to sustain the 2015 nuclear deal.

“Japan has consistently emphasized the importance of resolving the issue through dialogue, based on the position that Iran's development of nuclear weapons must never be allowed,” Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said.

“It is regrettable that the parties involved could not reach an agreement.” The sanctions returned Saturday after the Security Council failed to extend relief, following European warnings that Iran was not meeting its commitments.