Loans and pawned gold: Iranians reveal cost of beauty surgeries

Senior Israeli officials were quoted by Hebrew media as calling Liberman’s post on X “bizarre and detached from reality.”

Defense officials cited by Channel 13 said that such comments could lead to a “miscalculation” in which Iran might assume Israel was preparing an assault and respond preemptively.

Sources cited by Ynet said Israel had chosen not to officially reply “so as not to bolster” Liberman’s remarks, adding there was “no substance to them.”

Liberman, head of the Yisrael Beytenu party and a former defense minister, wrote on X on Friday that “whoever thinks the conflict with Iran is over is misled and misleading,” saying that Tehran was restoring activity at its nuclear sites and “trying to surprise us.”

He urged Israelis to celebrate the Sukkot holiday “close to protected spaces,” adding, “This government cannot be trusted. Until we’ve fixed their damage, we have only ourselves and the IDF to rely on.”

In a new post on Saturday, he listed what he called “open-source intelligence,” showing Iran’s missile and nuclear activity since late July, including satellite images at Natanz, reports of missile tests, and new sanctions by the United States and Europe. “All these facts together must lead us to the conclusion that the Iranians are not seeking a Nobel Peace Prize, but revenge,” he wrote, adding that the next confrontation with Iran was “not a question of if, but when.”

The IDF Home Front Command said there were “no changes to its guidelines,” while defense officials accused Liberman of fearmongering.

Officials warn against political missteps

Defense sources told Hebrew outlets that intelligence agencies have not detected preparations for a new Iranian offensive or for Israel to launch one. They warned that inflammatory rhetoric from politicians could prompt Tehran to misread Israel’s posture.

Israeli assessments cited by Ynet indicate that Iran is attempting to rebuild its air defense systems destroyed in the June war and to restart limited ballistic missile production, reportedly seeking technical help from China, Russia, and possibly North Korea. However, the reports said there are no signs Iran has resumed uranium enrichment or nuclear weapons development, and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has yet to decide on reactivating those programs.

Officials expressed concern that Iran’s suspension of cooperation with International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors has left critical blind spots, including uncertainty over its stockpile of roughly 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent. Intelligence officials view the chance of Iran producing a crude device or “dirty bomb” as remote.

Kayhan says confrontation 'very probable'

In Tehran, Kayhan—a newspaper supervised by Khamenei’s office—published a Saturday editorial asserting that the world stands “on the brink of a historic turning point.” The paper said a renewed confrontation between Iran and what it called “the American-Zionist front was very probable,” citing Liberman’s own words as proof that Israel was bracing for another war it might not win.

“It is not necessarily the case that this time the opponent will strike first,” Kayhan wrote, arguing that Iran’s unity and deterrence capabilities had prevented its defeat in the 12-day war in June. The editorial linked economic volatility in Iran to foreign hybrid warfare and urged authorities to reinforce “military strength, domestic cohesion, and resistance economics” as protection against renewed aggression.

While Israel’s defense establishment insists calm prevails, Kayhan portrayed the same moment as an approaching inflection point—one in which, it warned, “the future will be shaped by vigilance and strength, or lost to weakness.”

Kalateh, a master’s student in metallurgy and materials engineering, died instantly in Thursday’s explosion, while two other students were injured and remain under treatment. A professor suffered minor injuries. The blast shattered windows and walls of the two-storey building, according to the fire department.

One committee will examine the cause of the incident and the second will review hazardous equipment across university laboratories. Omid said all labs with potentially dangerous devices had been temporarily suspended pending inspection. “Our labs are subject to regular technical inspections. The reason for this bitter incident must be clarified and reported,” he said.

Kalateh’s body was laid to rest Saturday in the Namavaran section of Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran after a funeral attended by students and officials. Science Minister Hossein Simayi called his death “an irreparable loss” in a message of condolence, and university leaders later visited the family’s home. Omid described Kalateh as a gifted and hardworking student preparing to defend his thesis.

The blast was not the first serious incident in an Iranian university laboratory. In 2023, a fire at Sharif University’s civil engineering faculty caused up to $10 million in damage, and in 2022 an accident at Tehran University’s Abureihan campus left a student and a lab technician with burns. Students at the time cited poor safety standards, while officials blamed human error.

“Australia supports the decision of France, Germany and the UK (the E3) to trigger the ‘snapback’ mechanism under UN Security Council Resolution 2231,” a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told Iran International.

The spokesperson said Iran must be held accountable for its “longstanding non-performance” of nuclear commitments under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Australia called on Iran to return to talks and reach a diplomatic solution “which provides assurances that it can never develop a nuclear weapon.”

Canberra said it is obliged under international law to implement Security Council sanctions and will do so through amendments to domestic regulations, which may take time.

New Zealand’s foreign ministry said it was “deeply concerned” about Iran’s non-compliance and that work was underway on regulatory changes.

“As a UN Member State, New Zealand is bound to implement sanctions imposed by the UNSC,” the ministry said in a statement. “We advise New Zealanders to apply heightened due diligence in reviewing any ongoing transactions during this interim period.”

The United Nations sanctions, reimposed on Sept. 28, include restrictions on Iran’s nuclear and military activities, asset freezes on designated entities, and a duty to “exercise vigilance” when doing business with Iran.

Western powers say Iran left no choice

France, Germany and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement the reimposition of sanctions was unavoidable after Iran’s “persistent breaches” of the 2015 nuclear deal, citing enriched uranium stockpiles 48 times above agreed limits.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the sanctions were a “serious mistake” by Tehran’s rulers that harmed ordinary Iranians, but added diplomacy was still possible. “Iran must never come into possession of a nuclear weapon,” he told Funke media group, urging a “negotiated solution to resolve this issue permanently.”

The European Union also reinstated sweeping restrictions this week on Iran’s oil, banking, transport and trade sectors. Tehran has rejected the sanctions as illegal and said all restrictions under Resolution 2231 must expire on October 18.

Saman Mohammadi Khiyareh, a Kurdish political prisoner from Sanandaj in western Iran, was executed after more than 15 years in detention, the Mizan news agency reported. Hours earlier, the Hengaw human rights group said he had been transferred from Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, near Tehran, to solitary confinement for execution.

Mohammadi Khiyareh was first arrested in February 2010 and sentenced to death by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on charges of moharebeh—“enmity against God.” The Supreme Court initially overturned the ruling, replacing it with a 15-year prison term for alleged membership in opposition groups. However, following pressure from security agencies, the court reinstated the death sentence after a retrial.

Six ethnic Arab prisoners executed in southern Iran

Mizan also reported the execution of six people in Khuzestan Province on security-related charges but withheld their names, a move that rights groups said makes the cases “secret executions.” The men had been convicted of “killing police officers, communicating with Israel, separatism, bombings, and armed attacks,” the judiciary said.

Without presenting evidence, the judiciary accused them of involvement in attacks on a gas station in Khorramshahr, bank assaults, grenade attacks on a military center, and shootings at mosques.

The Karun Human Rights Organization later identified the executed prisoners as Ali Majdam, Moein Khanfari, Salem Mousavi, Mohammadreza Moghaddam, Adnan Alboshokeh (Ghobeishavi), and Habib Dris.

According to Karun, the men were arrested between late 2018 and early 2019 and later sentenced to death by the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court for alleged membership in opposition groups.

The defendants’ confessions appeared to have been obtained under unclear circumstances, Hengaw and the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) both reported.
These six Arab political prisoners were accused of killing two Basij members in Abadan, a police officer, and a conscript soldier in Bandar Imam Khomeini.

Amnesty International had earlier warned of imminent executions, noting that the defendants were denied legal representation during the hearings.

Surge in executions

Rights groups reported a sharp rise in executions across Iran in September 2025. Hengaw said it documented at least 187 executions during the month, while Iran Human Rights put the figure at 171, the highest monthly count in two decades.

Only 10 of those executions—less than six percent—were officially announced, Iran Human Rights said. Most were related to drug or murder charges, while three were for moharebeh or espionage.

The group warned that the surge marks an unprecedented pace of executions in the past 30 years, recording more than 1,040 executions in the first nine months of 2025—double the number during the same period last year.

Masoud Peyma, who has represented Qaneifard since 2017, said his client was arrested on March 28 after reporting to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Dallas to register a new address. Qaneifard had recently moved from California after accepting a teaching offer at a Dallas college, he said.

Instead of processing the address change, ICE detained him and sent him to a facility for undocumented migrants, according to Peyma.

Qaneifard is being held at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, which houses more than 700 people and has faced complaints of overcrowding and harsh conditions, US media have reported.

Between 2003 and 2012, he spent long periods in the United States on a student visa or making visits to the country, his lawyer added.

Previous arrest and failed deportation attempt

Peyma said Qaneifard first sought asylum in 2013 but left the United States before the case was resolved. He re-entered in 2017 via the Mexico border, applied for asylum, and was detained at an ICE facility in El Paso until July 2020.

During that detention, the US attempted to deport him through Azerbaijan in 2019, but Qaneifard refused to board a Tehran-bound plane, according to Peyma.

After his release, he lived in Washington and later in California under an “Order of Supervision,” which allowed him to remain in the country but required regular check-ins with ICE.

Peyma said Qaneifard has never married, has no record with the FBI, and has never been employed by US government agencies. He has supported himself in recent years through teaching, writing and giving interviews.

Risk of forced return

Peyma said ICE contacted Iran’s Interests Section in Washington six months ago, asking for travel papers to deport Qaneifard, but Tehran has yet to respond.

“The risk is real. If he is sent back, his life will be in danger,” Peyma said. “There is no reason for him to remain in detention after six months.”

The lawyer said Qaneifard’s case is being pursued on two tracks. “I have filed a petition in federal court in Texas for his release, given that more than six months have passed since his detention,” he said. “At the same time, a second lawyer has filed an appeal in the immigration court in Virginia with new documents to support his asylum claim.”

Peyma said Qaneifard’s earlier asylum request was rejected in 2018 for lack of evidence. “We hope the new materials on his recent political activities convince the appeals court that deportation would put his life at serious risk,” he said.

Other Iranians deported

The case comes after the United States deported a group of Iranians to Tehran in a chartered operation coordinated with Iranian authorities, the New York Times reported.

The paper said a US-chartered flight took off from a military airport in Louisiana, stopped in Puerto Rico to pick up more deportees, and then continued to Doha, Qatar, before passengers were transferred to another chartered plane to Tehran.

Iranian officials told the Times that ICE had initially said 120 people would be on the flight, but later notified them only 55 were on board, with the rest to follow. Many of those deported had spent months in US detention facilities with asylum claims rejected and accepted return because the alternative was deportation to third countries such as Sudan or Somalia, the Times said.

Immigration attorney Ali Herischi told Iran International that some deportees were political dissidents or Christian converts. He said they were shackled on flights, separated from their families, and their belongings and documents were handed to Iranian authorities. “That is very dangerous,” he said.

The New York Times reported the deportations followed months of talks between Washington and Tehran. US officials have not publicly confirmed the details.