Israeli airlines make cancellations easier as region stays on edge

The European Parliament said in a post on X on Monday that it condemned Iran’s brutal repression and stood with people demanding freedom, dignity and democracy.

It called for an end to the crackdown, the release of political prisoners, sanctions on Iranian authorities and for Iran to allow UN investigations.

An independent research group said on Saturday it had identified a large, coordinated social media influence operation it linked to the Islamic Republic, aimed at shaping global narratives and suppressing dissent during the country’s uprising.

Golden Owl, an open-source intelligence research initiative, said its investigation found thousands of coordinated accounts on X and Instagram working in support of the Iranian state, amplifying regime narratives while targeting opposition voices.

The group said it analyzed nearly 8,000 account records on X, identifying more than 7,500 unique accounts operating in what it described as a state-aligned network.

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Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday denied reports that it had sent a message to US envoy Steve Witkoff seeking to delay possible US military action.

“Reports about a message from Araghchi to Witkoff are not true and are part of falsehoods spread by the Zionist regime,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said. He said some media outlets had republished reports attributed to Israeli sources without sufficient scrutiny.

Baghaei added that “the American side also acknowledges that information produced by the Israeli regime should be treated with caution.”

Israel Hayom reported earlier that Witkoff had delivered a WhatsApp message from Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and a written assurance from President Masoud Pezeshkian to President Donald Trump in an effort to persuade him to postpone a military strike, citing a senior Israeli official.

Israel’s foreign minister said a “massacre of unimaginable proportions” was taking place in Iran, speaking on Monday during talks with Azerbaijani officials in the capital Baku.

“Now, the ayatollah regime is brutally murdering and oppressing its own people as they struggle for their freedom,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said at a joint press appearance with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, according to i24 news.

“We hear the chilling stories,” Sa’ar said, adding that reports were emerging despite an internet shutdown in Iran. He said a government that acts violently toward its own people could not be expected to behave differently toward others.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group threatened new attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, as a US aircraft carrier moved toward the region amid rising tensions over Iran, AP reported on Monday.

The Houthis released a short video showing images of a burning ship with the caption “Soon,” without giving details. The group has attacked more than 100 vessels in the Red Sea in the past, saying the campaign was meant to pressure Israel over the war in Gaza. The attacks paused after a ceasefire, though the group has repeatedly warned it could resume them.

The threat comes as the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying destroyers head toward the Middle East.