Iran weighs NPT withdrawal after IAEA censure

Jahanshahi previously served as deputy coordinator of the Army Ground Forces, commander of the 77th Thamen al-Aemeh Division, and deputy for assessment at the central Khatam al-Anbia Headquarters.

The reshuffle, while not officially highlighted by the military, continues a pattern of quiet personnel adjustments across Iran’s armed forces after the war in June.

In early October, the Revolutionary Guards appointed Brigadier General Hojatollah Ghoreishi as its coordinating deputy commander, replacing Mohammadreza Naghdi, who had held the role since 2020. Ghoreishi, a former deputy defense minister, was first referred to by his new title during a visit to Aligoudarz, signaling the formal transition.

“Officials in Iran said Farzad Khoshboresh’s health deteriorated in detention and that he died after being transferred to a hospital,” the department wrote Saturday on its Persian-language page on X.

“But the bruises and signs of torture on his body tell a different story, one that Iranians know all too well: the story of someone who dared to speak out and paid a heavy price,” it added.

Judiciary outlet confirms death

Mizan, the news agency of Iran’s judiciary, confirmed Khoshboresh’s death on Wednesday and said he had been taken to a hospital with signs of illness, released on bail the same day, and died two days later from illness.

His death, the State Department said, fits into what it called a “violent pattern” by the Islamic Republic to silence dissent and spread fear. “Even in the face of such repression, the brave people of Iran continue to demand justice, dignity, and freedom,” the department wrote.

The Hengaw rights group reported Tuesday that witnesses saw bruising on Khoshboresh’s body. Mizan did not mention any injuries.

Local sources said Khoshboresh was detained for a second time by the intelligence ministry on November 12. They said he suddenly suffered acute pain and vomiting in custody after consuming cake and water at the Behshahr detention center, lost consciousness, and was taken to hospital.

He was kept shackled to a bed and died 24 hours after receiving antibiotics, following a rejected request for transfer to another medical facility, according to the sources. Medical equipment, they added, was removed without informing his family and that his body was taken to a morgue.

Khoshborash was buried Thursday under heavy security in a village near Neka in northern Mazandaran province.

A recurring pattern

His death follows a long list of political detainees who have died in Iranian custody over the years.

Many detainees held on non-political charges have also died after beatings in police detention centers.

Iran’s constitution prohibits torture under Article 38, although the country has not joined the UN Convention Against Torture.

Reza Aflatouni, head of Iran’s Forests Organization, said initial findings “strongly suggest a human cause.” “Expert teams are in the area, and evidence points to deliberate or negligent action,” he told state media. “We are also examining possible connections between the fire and efforts to rezone forest and farmland for private construction.”

Mazandaran Governor Mehdi Younesi-Rostami also said security assessments confirm that the fire in the Elit area was caused by human activity.

The investigation follows mounting controversy in Mazandaran Province, where environmental experts have accused local officials and developers of converting protected farmland and forest edges into villa plots.

The blaze, centered in the Elit region near the town of Chalous, has spread through steep, densely wooded terrain and is being driven by high winds and dry conditions. Firefighting officials said eight helicopters from the Defense Ministry, police and Red Crescent are operating in the area, along with two Ilyushin aircraft from the Revolutionary Guards, each capable of carrying 40,000 liters of water per flight.

Turkey to send aircraft as Iran weighs Russian help

Two Turkish firefighting planes, a helicopter and eight personnel are expected to arrive on Saturday to support local crews, and officials said Iran may request additional assistance from Russia if needed. “If necessary, we will request cooperation from the Russian government to help contain the Elit forest fires,” Environment chief Shina Ansari said.

Authorities said the difficult terrain has slowed efforts to create firebreaks and reach isolated hot spots. Ansari warned that “the risk of fire spread remains high” and that teams have been working around the clock to prevent the blaze from reaching nearby villages.

The Hyrcanian forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site along Iran’s Caspian coast, is one of the world’s oldest temperate rainforests and home to thousands of plant and animal species, including endangered Persian leopards and brown bears.

Kaveh Madani, director of the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, called the Elit blaze “heartbreaking,” saying Iranians are “losing a natural heritage older than Persian civilization.”

Officials said the full extent of the damage and the cause of the fire will be announced after investigations conclude.

“We express our deep concern over the Iranian government’s ongoing violations of academic freedom, particularly in light of the recent politically motivated arrests and detentions of independent scholars,” the group wrote.

The open letter was addressed to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei.

The AIS was referring to a recent crackdown on leftist academics Parviz Sedaghat, sociologist Mahsa Asadollahnejad, writer Shirin Karimi, economist Mohammad Maljoo, and scholar Heyman Rahimi.

“All face national security charges over their intellectual work. Sedaghat, Asadollahnejad, and Karimi were released on bail November 12, but charges persist; Maljoo and Rahimi face ongoing interrogations,” the group said.

"We are profoundly concerned by this latest violation of basic rights of citizenship and scholarly independence," the letter said. "We... consider it a clear violation of their fundamental right to academic freedom."

The group called on Iran to drop all charges, allow academic freedom and respect the UN human rights charter.

'Crackdown campaign'

AIS, founded in 1967, represents global experts on Iran and advocates for free scholarly exchange.

The arrests have drawn wider condemnation. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for the immediate release of Sedaghat and other detained scholars, while PEN America denounced Iran’s “escalating campaign against freedom of expression.”

Human rights groups have described the arrests and summonses as part of a broader campaign of arrests meant to stifle public debate following Iran’s 12-day June war with Israel.

In an article published three weeks after the June war, Sedeghat had written that despite the ceasefire with Israel, “we continue to live within the same rhetoric, the same confrontational tone.”

He warned that Iran’s economy “has been caught in structural blockage” and that without political reform, the country is headed "toward systemic collapse.”

“There are warnings that the fire spread risk is high and we need to act accordingly,” official media cited Ansari as saying.

The blaze in the Elit area ongoing since last week, fueled by wind and dry conditions. Iranian helicopters and ground teams deployed round-the-clock, but rugged terrain has hampered efforts.

Iran seeks international aid as the massive wildfire rages in UNESCO-listed Hyrcanian forest near the town of Chalous.

“Heartbreaking scenes from Elit, Iran, where wildfire is damaging parts of the ancient Hyrcanian forests — a UNESCO World Heritage treasure and one of Earth’s last temperate rainforests,” Kaveh Madani, director of the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health posted on X.

“Iranians are losing a natural heritage older than Persian civilization,” he added.

Authorities said protection units remained on high alert along the forest front in western Mazandaran, where several smaller fires have been reported in recent days.

Iran's Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref ordered on Friday urgent provision of firefighting equipment and resources for the ongoing Elit forest wildfire.

The Hyrcanian Forests stretch along the southern Caspian Sea coast in Iran and Azerbaijan. This ancient temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion dates back 25-50 million years, surviving past ice ages as a refugium.

They host over 3,200 vascular plant species, 150 endemic and 180 bird species, plus mammals like the Persian leopard, brown bear, lynx and Caspian red deer.

Wildfires have been burning for over two weeks as officials warned that heat, wind and dry vegetation were fueling the blaze.