Third day of shopkeepers’ strike in Abadeh

The UK Defence Journal reports a recent increase in US Air Force C‑17 transport flights into RAF Fairford and the arrival of two AC‑130 gunships at RAF Mildenhall, which the outlet assesses as indicating a redeployment of American special operations forces into Europe following the operation that captured Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.

According to the report, open‑source flight data and imagery suggest involvement of assets associated with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and potentially units such as the 75th Ranger Regiment and 101st Airborne Division, with RAF Fairford again serving as a key US air bridge as it did ahead of US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, though there is no indication the current movements are directly related to Iran.

Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna on Monday called for daily debates and votes on War Powers Resolutions after what he called “illegal strikes” in Venezuela, saying Congress must act to stop President Donald Trump from invading countries including Iran.

“As a response to the illegal strikes in Venezuela, Congress must force votes and debate every day this month on War Power Resolutions to prevent Trump from invading: Cuba, Columbia, Greenland, Nigeria, Panama and Iran,” Khanna posted on X.“It is time for Congress to wake up & do our job.”

The US State Department’s Persian‑language account on X on Monday condemned what it called a “barbaric attack” by the Islamic Republic on a hospital in Ilam, sharing a video of security forces storming the facility and calling the assault a crime against humanity and a gross violation of international law.

“The brutal attack by the Islamic Republic regime on a hospital in Ilam is a crime. The raid on wards, the beating of medical staff, and the assault on the injured with tear gas and live ammunition is a blatant crime against humanity. Hospitals are not battlefields. These actions by the Islamic Republic regime constitute a flagrant violation of international laws and demonstrate a regime that treats human lives with complete disregard," the post said.

The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday that US officials are weighing “some intervention” to help Iran’s protest movement after the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, while Israel is also examining whether that operation makes action against the Iranian government possible.

The article says officials in both countries, who until recently opposed regime‑change scenarios, are now exploring options short of a major invasion to prevent Tehran from crushing the protests, with Israeli figures such as Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel and former defense minister Benny Gantz urging “concrete actions” and even intervention on behalf of demonstrators.

At least 29 protesters have been killed and more than 1,200 people arrested during nine days of nationwide protests in Iran, US-based human rights group HRANA reported on Monday.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency said it had confirmed the deaths of seven protesters over the past 24 hours, including people killed in Azna, Marvdasht and Qorveh.

Of the 29 confirmed fatalities, two were members of Iran’s security forces. At least 64 protesters were also reported wounded, mainly by pellet and plastic bullets.

Iran International has independently identified 21 victims so far through interviews with relatives and friends.

Protests and strikes continued nationwide for a ninth day despite an intensified security presence and the use of live ammunition in some areas.

Read more