Russia will keep trading with Iran despite US tariff threats, Lavrov says

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said on Tuesday that a message posted by US President Donald Trump on social media and attributed to Macron was authentic.

In a statement issued after Trump shared the message, the Elysee Palace said the text reflected Macron’s public and private positions on major international issues, including Iran.

“The message is entirely real,” the Elysee said.

On Iran, Macron’s office said France calls on Iranian authorities to respect fundamental freedoms and stands alongside “the women and men who defend these freedoms.”

Trump had earlier posted the message on his Truth Social platform, saying it was a private note from Macron, in which the French leader wrote that the two were aligned on Syria and could “do great things on Iran.”

The UN Human Rights Council will hold an emergency session on Iran on Friday to discuss "alarming violence" against protesters, according to a document seen by Reuters.

“A special session is needed because of the importance and urgency of the situation, in particular due to credible reports of alarming violence, crackdowns on protesters and violations of international human rights law across the country,” the document said.

The letter was written by Iceland’s ambassador, Einar Gunnarsson, on behalf of a group of countries including Germany and Britain.

The UN confirmed the special session would take place on Friday, adding that 21 countries have so far backed the proposal.

German MEP Hannah Neumann called for clear demands to show solidarity with protesters in Iran and punish those responsible for the violent crackdown ahead of the European Parliament debate on Iran on Tuesday and a vote on a resolution on Thursday.

Neumann said she was pushing for the parliament to urge the European Union to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, freeze assets of Iranian banks and strictly enforce sanctions.

She also called for emergency visas for individuals at risk and for measures against what she described as transnational repression, including expelling Iranian diplomats.

Neumann said the resolution should condemn the authorities’ response to protests and set out additional steps the EU should take.

Iran’s judiciary said it has begun collecting information and documenting what it described as “crimes committed by Israel and the US” with the aim of pursuing legal cases in international forums.

The prosecutor general’s office formed teams and issued instructions nationwide to gather information and begin documentation, the judiciary spokesman said, adding that the measure had begun from the start of the 12-day war.

Asghar Jahangir vowed to pursue the matter until what he called the “aggressors” are convicted and punished.

Witnesses in the northern Iranian city of Lahijan, in Gilan province near the Caspian Sea, have told Iran International that security forces have intensified street patrols and vehicle checks, detaining people over protest-related material found on their phones and impounding some vehicles.

According to the accounts, inspections involved thorough searches. Cars were seized if officers found items they considered suspicious, such as wooden sticks or farming tools.

People were also detained if images or videos linked to the protests were found on their mobile phones, the witnesses said.

They added that large numbers of Basij militia members were deployed at major squares and intersections, including Hashmat, Golestan, Abrisham, Bagh-e Melli and Enghelab squares.

Some of the forces remained stationed overnight in unmarked vehicles with tinted windows, according to the reports.

Witnesses also said a number of doctors and nurses who had treated people wounded by pellet shots or live ammunition had been summoned by security agencies.

Videos sent to Iran International showed protesters in Lahijan chanting “This is the final battle, Pahlavi will return” on Sunday night, Jan 4.