Germany says Iran’s nuclear breaches will be on IAEA meeting agenda

Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, said it appeared the network helped identify Iranian targets on the ground rather than relying on intelligence gathered from Israel.

“It seems that the Mossad network formed inside Iran leaked information showing our officials were targeted, not that there was a center in Israel obtaining it,” Bakhshayesh said, according to Iranian media.

He said Iran’s counterintelligence services had already detained and executed several people accused of cooperating with Israeli intelligence.

Bakhshayesh added that Israel, the United States, and NATO acted together during the June conflict, but said the attacks failed to weaken Iran.

Saeed Khatibzadeh, deputy foreign minister and head of the ministry’s political studies center, told CNN that Iran’s nuclear program “cannot be shut down,” adding that infrastructure had been damaged in recent conflicts but the program rests on “domestically developed knowledge spread across the country.”

He added US officials must abandon the idea of leveraging diplomacy to achieve goals they failed to secure through military pressure.

“We cannot enter a negotiation that is doomed to fail and ultimately becomes a pretext for another war. If the other side accepts the logic of negotiation – meaning give-and-take – sets aside certain illusions, and stops trying to use political and diplomatic tools to obtain what it could not achieve through a military campaign, then we can move forward within the framework outlined by the Supreme Leader.” 

Khatibzadeh said Iran remains prepared to avoid further escalation in the region but warned that the country “is not an easy target,” citing the 12-day conflict with Israel earlier this year. “Iran is the oldest continuous living civilization on Earth,” he said. “The only language we respond to is the language of respect and equal-footing dialogue.”

Asked about US demands over Iran’s nuclear activities, he said international law makes clear that Tehran is entitled to the full range of peaceful nuclear rights as a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and under IAEA oversight. 

“Iran will not accept being treated as an exception,” he said. “Ideas such as halting enrichment entirely or restricting Iran’s basic rights are unacceptable.”

Prospect of another war 

Khatibzadeh said Iran had already begun rebuilding its defensive posture after the ceasefire.

“The other side is preparing for another war,” he said. “Every legitimate defensive capability must be strengthened. No country compromises on its national security and Iran is no exception.”

He added that Iran’s goal remains to prevent another conflict. “We are trying to change the strategic calculations in Tel Aviv and Washington,” he said. “We are ready for any adventure they may attempt, but we are doing everything to avoid war.”

He rejected suggestions that Iran’s missile strikes during the conflict were ineffective. 

“They claimed Iran could not respond,” he said. “They censored the reality and said our missile penetration rate was 10%, then later 30–40%. The truth is much higher. With our advanced missiles we were able to penetrate multiple defense layers and strike wherever and whenever we chose.”

Khatibzadeh said Iran maintains multi-layered relations with Russia and a strategic partnership with China, and would continue cooperation with both countries. 

He also dismissed speculation that Iran might reassess its position on nuclear weapons. “We are members of the NPT and the IAEA. Even after hostile actions by the Trump administration and the bombing of peaceful nuclear facilities, we did not leave the NPT,” he said. “Our nuclear program is peaceful and supported by the Leader’s fatwa.”

In a travel advisory, the embassy said Indian nationals had been “tricked into journeying to Iran by taking advantage of the visa waiver facility,” with many abducted upon arrival by criminal groups posing as recruitment or travel agents.

The advisory said Iran had decided to halt the visa-waiver scheme “to prevent further misuse of the facility by criminal elements.”

“Indian nationals with ordinary passports would be required to obtain a visa to enter or transit through Iran,” the advisory added.

The embassy urged Indians planning to travel to Iran to remain “vigilant” and avoid agents offering visa-free travel or onward transit to third countries via Iran.

In May, India’s embassy in Tehran said three Indian nationals who had traveled to Iran that month had gone missing.

The missing men — Hushanpreet Singh, Jaspal Singh, and Amritpal Singh — are all from the northern Indian state of Punjab and reportedly lost contact with their families shortly after landing in Tehran on May 1.

According to Indian media, they had planned to travel to Australia via Dubai and Iran, reportedly with the help of an agent based in Hoshiarpur who was also missing.

Relatives said the men were kidnapped and that a ransom was demanded.

In early June, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported that the three men were rescued in a police operation against the hostage-takers in Varamin, south of Tehran.

The Indian Embassy later said the three kidnapped men had been “safely rescued” and were now under its care, adding that it was arranging their repatriation.

"Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Implementing stronger sanctions on countries that support and facilitate Iran’s oil trade will disrupt the regime’s oil supply chain and hinder the dangerous activities that fund its terrorist proxies," the Republican Representative said in a statement.

The bipartisan measure, introduced in February by Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), focuses on China's role in buying Iranian crude, cracking down on shadow fleet facilitators like banks, insurers and shipping firms.

Lawler, who represents a district with a significant Persian community, said in May many of his Iranian-American constituents support a tougher US stance.

Officially introduced as HR 1422, the bill builds on recent US sanctions against Tehran's oil evasion tactics, amid renewed Trump administration pressure.

It adds secondary sanctions on entities involved in Iranian oil processing, exports, or sales, and mandates a State Department interagency group on sanctions plus a multilateral contact group with allies to enforce measures.

Simpson on Monday praised the Trump administration's economic pressure on Iran, calling the legislation critical for national security and Middle East allies.

The bill follows previous Iran oil sanctions legislation sponsored by Lawler, which became law last year.

Mojtahedi, host of the weekly podcast ‘Eye for Iran’ for Iran International English and a frequent author of investigative reports and in-depth interviews, reflected on her Iranian roots and the plight of Iran's people in her acceptance speech.

“I’ve often asked myself one simple question: What is best for the people of Iran? Not for its rulers, but for the men, women, and children whose voices are too often ignored,” Mojtahedi added. “Because when politics and power fall away, they are what truly matter.”

“At its heart, journalism is about truth. It’s about shining a light where others want darkness. It’s about giving voice to those who are silenced and holding the powerful, whoever they may be, to account,” Mojtahedi said.

Democratic values

The Transatlantic Leadership Network also honored Iran International TV for excellence in international reporting.

Executive Editor Mehdi Parpanchi, accepting on behalf of the 24-hour Persian-language channel broadcasting from London and Washington, thanked TLN for strengthening international dialogue and democratic values.

“For us, this recognition is not only about the team that works tirelessly to make our work possible: the journalists, producers, editors, presenters, engineers, and technicians who deliver the truth,” Parpanchi said.

"Above all we dedicate this award to the viewers inside Iran who often take real risks just to access independent news, he added.

Parpanchi cited a recent independent survey on how Iranians accessed news during the 12-day war with Israel in June, saying the network surpassed competitors and even state-run television.

“The survey found that Iran International was cited by 43 percent of respondents as their main source of television news,” Parpanchi said. “The state broadcaster IRIB stood at about 27%, and BBC Persian under 9%.”

More than half of respondents said they relied primarily on social media for news during the war.

Transatlantic Leadership Network is a DC based nonprofit think tank. It builds nonpartisan networks of leaders to strengthen transatlantic ties on security, economy, climate, and media freedom amid global shifts.

The Freedom of the Media Award, launched in 2021, recognizes bold journalism exposing repression and corruption.

On 2024, it was rewarded to Iranian dissident Masih Alinejad, Hanna Liubkova for investigative work in Balarus and Yann Philippin for specializing in financial scandals, corruption, and tax fraud in France.