US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the main US quarrel with Tehran is how it treats its people, on top of its opposition to Tehran's nuclear programs and regional ambitions.
In the case of some of these executions," Rubio told reporters at state department press conference, "some of them, by the way, were in the aftermath of the war with Israel, where they went through and have jailed people and accused people of being informants and spies."
"Our problem with the Iranian regime isn't simply – I mean, obviously, it's predominantly their desire to acquire nuclear weapons, their sponsorship of terrorism – but it's ultimately the treatment of their own people."
Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon and a standoff between Tehran and Washington over the future of its uranium enrichment has precluded any renewed talks since a 12-day war launched by Israel and the United States in June.
Tehran rejects US demands to stop enrichment, curb its missile arsenal and end support armed allies in the Middle East like Hezbollah and Hamas.
Under Rubio, the state department has ramped up its criticism of Iran's human rights records in frequent social media posts, most recently branding as suspicious the sudden death of a human rights lawyer whom Tehran said died of a heart attack.
Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammedi as arrested at a memorial service for the man, Khosrow AliKordi, along with dozens of other activist in one of the more prominent anti-government protests against authorities since a June war.
Economic and ecological problems have also beset the country as US and international sanctions ramped up after the war.
"You've got a clerical, radical regime that has driven and taken the wealth of that country and used it not to enrich their – secure their people and their future, not to make sure they have enough water and electricity," Rubio added.
"They've used their money to sponsor terrorist organizations all over the world."
Tehran says it oversees a regional axis of Resistance opposed to Israel and the United States, but its sway is diminished after two years of regional combat in which Iran itself and its allies took heavy blows.
The city’s average air quality index (AQI) reached 116 on Friday, placing it in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category, Tehran’s Air Quality Control Company said. The figure marked a sharp deterioration from the previous 24-hour average of 83, which had indicated acceptable conditions.
Since the start of the current Iranian year in March, Tehran has recorded only six days of clean air. Official figures show the capital has experienced 130 days of acceptable air quality, 113 days classified as unhealthy for sensitive groups, 20 unhealthy days for the general population, two very unhealthy days and two days deemed hazardous.
The renewed pollution prompted health warnings urging people with heart and lung disease, children, pregnant women and the elderly to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel, IRNA, the state-run news agency, reported on Friday.
Chronic crisis in major cities
Air quality is measured on a scale in which AQI levels between zero and 50 indicate clean air, 51 to 100 acceptable conditions, 101 to 150 unhealthy for sensitive groups, 151 to 200 unhealthy for all, 201 to 300 very unhealthy and 301 to 500 hazardous.
Air pollution has become one of Iran’s most serious public health and environmental challenges in recent years. Major cities including Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad and Ahvaz regularly experience prolonged periods of unhealthy air, particularly during colder months when temperature inversions trap pollutants close to the ground.
Public frustration has grown as pollution episodes intensify, with many citizens saying that simply breathing clean air has become a daily struggle. Environmental specialists have long warned that weak enforcement, aging vehicle fleets and reliance on highly polluting fuels have worsened the problem.
Critics say government policies, including the burning of heavy fuel oil at power plants during energy shortages, have played a direct role in exacerbating pollution, exposing millions of residents to serious health risks.
Khuzestan cities also affected
Air pollution also affected several cities in the southern province of Khuzestan on Friday. Data from the National Air Quality Monitoring Center showed AQI levels reaching 153 in Khorramshahr and 152 in Molasani, both classified as unhealthy for all population groups.
Other cities, including Abadan, Shushtar, Karun and Haftkel, recorded AQI levels between 108 and 136, placing them in the unhealthy-for-sensitive-groups range. Local media advised residents with underlying health conditions, as well as children and the elderly, to avoid strenuous outdoor activity.
The pollution wave comes as seasonal influenza cases rise across Iran, compounding respiratory health risks. In August, Abbas Shahsavani, deputy head of the Air Quality and Climate Change Research Center at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, said more than 35,000 deaths nationwide in the previous year were attributed to air pollution, underscoring the scale of a crisis that remains largely unresolved.
