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Iranian authorities have arrested three reformist political activists, IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency reported on Sunday.
Those detained were identified as Azar Mansouri, secretary-general of the reformist Union of Islamic Iran People Party; Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, a reformist political activist and former diplomat; and Mohsen Aminzadeh, a former deputy foreign minister under President Mohammad Khatami.
Fars said the charges against them include “targeting national cohesion,” “taking positions against the constitution” and “coordinating with enemy propaganda.”
Iranians rallied in several European and US cities over the weekend in support of nationwide protests inside Iran last month, calling for international support for protesters.
In London, crowds gathered on Sunday for a solidarity demonstration supporting demonstrators inside the country.
In the United States, Iranians living in Bellevue, Seattle, held a rally urging global support for the protest movement.
Members of the Iranian diaspora in Georgia assembled in the capital, Tbilisi, where participants chanted slogans including “We will take Iran back.”
While last month’s protests in Iran were suppressed with deadly force, rallies by the Iranian diaspora abroad have continued.
Russia and Oman share the view that further talks between Iran and the United States should be encouraged to reach broadly acceptable agreements that ensure regional security, Russia’s foreign ministry said after a phone call between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Omani counterpart, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi.
“The sides exchanged views on the situation around Iran in the context of the recent Omani-mediated round of indirect talks between the Iranian and American representatives in Muscat,” the ministry said.
“The sides expressed a shared opinion on the necessity of promoting the continuation of the negotiating process … to remove the risks of an armed confrontation and ensure stability in the region.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei did not attend the annual February 8 meeting with army air force commanders, breaking a 37-year precedent since assuming leadership.
Instead, chief of staff of the armed forces Abdolrahim Mousavi met with the army air force commanders on Sunday.
The annual meeting marks the anniversary of February 8, 1979, when a group of air force officers pledged allegiance to Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic and Khamenei’s predecessor as Supreme Leader. The encounter became a symbolic event, and air force personnel and commanders have met Iran’s leader on the same date each year since.
Khamenei has observed the tradition annually since becoming Supreme Leader in 1989. He had previously maintained the annual meeting even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
His absence comes as tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated, with the US expanding its military presence in the region.
A large mural displaying a map of potential targets in Israel’s Tel Aviv metropolitan area has been unveiled in Tehran’s Palestine Square.
Hebrew-language text appears on the mural reading: “Facing a rain of missiles, this is a small area!” alongside an English slogan that says: “YOU START … WE FINISH IT!”
