Russia’s Foreign Minister on Monday criticized provisions in a 2015 nuclear deal which allowed Europe to trigger UN sanctions on Iran and said it was up to Iran whether to renew talks on its disputed nuclear program.
“When we realized in 2015 that such a solution had been found between the US and Iranian negotiators, we asked our Iranian friends: are you sure this is correct? We were told that Iran does not intend to violate anything, and we believed that as well,” Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Iran’s state-run TV aired on Monday.
The veteran diplomat directly tied the controversial clause to former Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s final talks with then US Secretary of State John Kerry, saying other parties were sidelined as Washington and Tehran closed the deal.
Lavrov’s earlier comments on the issue triggered an unusually public war of words with Zarif, who said the snapback idea was originally pushed by Russian and French negotiators and accused Lavrov of lying about the history of the mechanism.
Asked about criticism that Moscow did not support Iran enough, Lavrov balked.
“Seriously, it must be said that neither current politicians nor former ones have any grounds to complain that Russia failed to support the Islamic Republic at various stages of the negotiations,” he said.
Lavrov described current Western policy towards Iran as built on pressure and said other countries in the region were not fully satisfied with the approach.
“It is very important that, in our assessment, your Arab neighbors do not support efforts to increase pressure on the Islamic Republic,” he added.
‘Our Iranian friends’
Lavrov also signaled support for renewed nuclear diplomacy involving the US and European powers, presenting Russia as ready to help end the standoff.
“Our Iranian friends are aware of our assessments. The decision about whether to resume dialogue with the United States is up to them. We have heard that Iran is interested in resuming such talks, and as for the Agency, whether to restart dialogue with the Agency – we also know Iran wants to revive that, but the decision lies with the authorities in Tehran,” he said.
Asked if it is still beneficial for Iran to remain a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Lavrov advised Tehran to stay committed.
“You raised the final question of whether it is worth Iran remaining in the NPT or not. We believe it is worth staying and that one should not try to drag this issue into the public arena by criticizing everything that has happened,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov also raised concerns over Iran’s decision to curb cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under an understanding brokered by Egypt, saying Tehran should take that commitment seriously.
“The actions and positions of the Agency have, to put it mildly, generated very unpleasant feelings in Iran, and this is completely understandable to me,” he said.
“But this is a question that should be put more directly to (IAEA chief Rafael) Grossi and his colleagues, so that the principle of neutrality is fully respected and they do not, at certain moments, take political steps that help one side or the other.”
Tehran and the IAEA inked a deal in Cairo in September aimed at resuming full IAEA access but little progress appears to have been made.
Iran suspended cooperation with IAEA inspectors after a 12-day war in June against Israel and the United States in which they attacked Iranian nuclear sites, codified via a new law passed by parliament.
US President Donald Trump said last week Iran's nuclear program is "gonzo" after air attacks he ordered in June and that it faced "obliteration" if restarted, telling Tehran they could avoid more destruction with a nuclear deal.
Nazemi was detained during a memorial service in the northeastern city of Mashhad for Khosrow Alikordi, a former political prisoner and lawyer for dissidents whose sudden death left supporters suspicious of state involvement, which Tehran denies.
At the ceremony, security forces used force to dispersed mourners and arrested 39 people, including activists, lawyers and civil society figures.
Nazemi’s sister Mahshid told Iran International she was on a live video call with Pouran when security forces stormed the mosque where the commemoration was being held.
“The security officers opened the mosque’s doors and attacked the people with batons and knives,” Mahshid said. “They threw tear gas inside the mosque," Mahshid said.
Mahshid was able to record portions of the incident by capturing the live video call with her sister, though she was unable to document the alleged knife and baton attacks she described.
She did, however, provide photos showing what appear to be knife wounds and a bloodied scene.
Videos reviewed by Iran International show Pouran describing the crackdown in real time before the feed was abruptly cut. Screams and loud bangs were audible.
Mahshid said she watched plainclothes officers beat women inside the mosque and drag people away. “They attacked them very badly. We could only hear screaming and see the camera shaking,” she said.
Iran International was not immediately able to verify all aspects of her account of the raid.
Defiance, fear of death
“It was terrifying,” Mahshid said. “But I also felt proud because I saw a group of brave women, without the hijab, in a mosque, in a religious city, shouting ‘Death to the dictator’ and ‘Woman, Life, Freedom."
The Woman, Life, Freedom movement marked one of the most serious challenges the Islamic Republic has faced, with protests erupting nationwide in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody and calling for an end to clerical rule.
Nazemi's sister says they still do not know where she is being held or which security body is responsible for her detention, though they fear the case may be under the authority of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“We don’t know which prison she is in or which organization is holding her,” Mahshid said. “And when there is no official information, the risk of torture and fabricated charges increases,” she added.
The family is also concerned about Nazemi’s health. She has a history of stomach cancer, severe respiratory problems and life-threatening anaphylactic reactions caused by medical negligence during a previous detention, according to her sister.
During an earlier imprisonment, Nazemi suffered allergic shock after being given an antibiotic she was known to be sensitive to while undergoing surgery, Mahshid said.
“Since then, her condition has never been stable. Now I don’t know if she is receiving any medication at all,” she told Iran International.
There is also an open case against Nazemi in the southeastern city of Kerman, which her family fears could be used to impose harsher charges.
“They have already given her 14 years in prison in one case,” Mahshid said. “They don’t answer us, they don’t give court documents, and they argue with our lawyers,” she told Iran International.
From memorial to mass arrests
Iranian authorities say 39 people were arrested during the memorial ceremony. Those detained included Alikordi’s brother Javad Alikordi, Mohammadi and human rights activists Aliyeh Motallebzadeh, Sepideh Gholian, and Hasti Amiri.
Several detainees have since made brief phone calls to their families, but relatives say information about their condition and whereabouts remains limited.
In a message relayed by her family, Mohammadi said she was severely beaten during her arrest, suffering repeated blows to the head and neck with batons, and was later accused of “cooperation with the State of Israel.”
Human rights groups say the arrests followed a violent crackdown on mourners at the memorial, which had become a flashpoint amid growing controversy over Alikordi’s death.
Alikordi, a lawyer known for defending political prisoners and bereaved families, was found dead in his office in Mashhad on December 5. Authorities say he died of a heart attack, but his family and colleagues have questioned the official account, citing the removal of surveillance cameras and inconsistencies in the investigation.
Calling on the international community to act, Mahshid urged governments and rights groups to demand accountability.
“When names and locations are hidden, people are tortured and silenced,” she said. “Be a voice. Raise the cost for the Islamic Republic and demand transparency — for my sister and for the suspicious death of Khosrow Alikordi,” she told Iran International.
The message emerged at a joint meeting between media and tourism officials hosted by the strategic council of Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts and the media affairs department of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, according to ISNA.
Participants said tourism increasingly depends on professional narrative-building to counter negative perceptions and present Iran’s security and cultural capacity to foreign audiences.
Officials argued that media should move beyond a passive role and become an active partner in promoting tourism and related industries.
Mohammadreza Norouzpour, deputy media affairs minister, said tourism cannot gain visibility without media engagement and that effective communication requires sustained, credible storytelling.
He said developing a participatory model between media and tourism actors was essential to reposition the sector domestically and internationally.
Speaking at the meeting, Mohsen Haji Saeid, head of the tourism working group and chairman of the national association of tour guides, said restoring Iran’s image abroad – especially following the recent conflict – was now the core issue facing the tourism industry.
He criticized traditional promotional approaches and called for a comprehensive information bank to present data on safety and tourism potential.
Other speakers emphasized the role of private-sector participation, health tourism, visual content, and the use of tour guides as cultural ambassadors.
Officials also discussed leveraging major international events, such as the World Cup, to amplify Iran’s narrative.
The meeting concluded with agreement to continue the tourism working group’s activities on a permanent, issue-driven basis, aimed at strengthening media-tourism coordination and improving perceptions of Iran among domestic and international audiences.