Market shutdown in northwestern Iran city

Protesters gathered in the streets of the city of Gonabad in northeast Iran on Wednesday, according to videos received by Iran International.

Shopkeepers at the Diesel Abad market in the city of Kermanshah in western Iran closed their shops and took part in a protest on Wednesday, according to a video received by Iran International.

Iran’s army chief warned the United States and Israel on Wednesday against interfering in domestic protests, saying demonstrations were a normal feature in any country but that efforts to rapidly turn them into unrest reflected outside involvement, Iranian state media reported.

Major General Amir Hatami said foreign rhetoric and intervention would be treated as hostile behavior and warned that Iran’s armed forces were now more prepared than before the recent 12-day conflict, adding that any mistake by an adversary would draw a stronger response.

“They interfere in our internal affairs by tweeting and speaking. They have been our enemies throughout history,” Hatami added.

British lawmaker Tom Tugendhat said there were reports of Russian cargo aircraft landing in Tehran and large amounts of gold leaving Iran, asking whether this suggested the Iranian leadership was preparing for life after a possible fall.

“We’re also seeing Russian cargo aircraft coming and landing in Tehran, presumably carrying weapons and ammunition, and we’re hearing reports of large amounts of gold leaving Iran,” Tugendhat told parliament. He asked whether the government could update lawmakers on reports that “suggest that the regime itself is preparing for life after the fall.”

Responding, UK Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Hamish Falconer said he was “not in a position to give a detailed update” on the reports, but said Britain believed freedom of assembly and the right to protest were “inalienable rights of the Iranian people” and should be respected by the Iranian government.

The judiciary’s Mizan news agency said Ali Ardestani was hanged after Iran’s Supreme Court upheld his death sentence.

According to the court ruling, Ardestani was recruited online by Mossad officers and carried out assigned tasks in exchange for payments and promises, including financial rewards and the prospect of a visa to Britain.

According to the report, Ardestani was accused of collecting images and information about specific locations and individuals and transferring them to Mossad handlers.

The judiciary said that Ardestani had both virtual and in-person contacts with alleged intermediaries inside Iran.

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  Iran executes student on charges of spying for Israel

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  Iran executes man accused of spying for Israel

Mizan said Ardestani was arrested while carrying out what it described as an intelligence mission and later admitted during interrogations and court proceedings that he was aware he was working with Mossad.

Iran has executed more than a dozen people in recent months on charges of spying for Israel, cases that human rights groups say often involve opaque legal proceedings. Israel rarely comments on such allegations.

Iranian authorities have said more than 700 people were detained on suspicion of espionage or collaboration with Israel following the conflict in June.