More Stories
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday Iran understands the language of force as he raised the possibility that President Donald Trump could order another attack against the country.
“What the Iranians understand is brute force, whether it's in the financial markets, whether it's on the military field and at Treasury, we have exercised maximum pressure,” he said in an interview on Fox News.
His remarks came after Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House earlier Wednesday.
Bessent described their discussions as “very detailed talks,” without elaborating further.
The United States and Iran appear willing to compromise to reach a nuclear deal, the Turkish foreign minister told the Financial Times and warned that expanding the talks to include Tehran’s ballistic missile program would risk “nothing but another war.”
“It is positive that the Americans appear willing to tolerate Iranian enrichment within clearly set boundaries,” Hakan Fidan said, adding that Tehran now recognizes it needs an agreement and Washington understands Iran has “certain limits.”
“It’s pointless to try to force them,” he added.
Fidan also dismissed the prospect of regime change in Iran even in a conflict, saying government institutions and other targets could be badly damaged, but “the regime as a political entity would be a functioning entity.”
High-resolution satellite imagery shows Iran is reinforcing tunnel entrances at a major underground facility at Kolang-Gaz La Mountain, also known as “Pickaxe Mountain,” the Institute for Science and International Security reported.
The imagery, dated February 10, indicates ongoing efforts to harden two main tunnel portals, with heavy equipment — including dump trucks, cement mixers, backhoes and cranes — operating across the site.
Concrete was seen being poured atop an extension of the western entrance, while rock and soil were pushed back and leveled above an eastern portal, the report said.
A concrete-reinforced headworks structure has also been added in recent weeks to allow additional layers of rock, soil or concrete for protection.
The group said the fortification work appears aimed at strengthening the tunnel complex against potential airstrikes.
The United Nations said a congratulatory letter sent by Secretary-General António Guterres to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Revolution was a routine diplomatic gesture and should not be interpreted as an endorsement of Tehran’s policies.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told Iran International that the message, sent on Iran’s national day, followed a decades-long protocol applied uniformly to all UN member states.
According to the spokesperson’s office, each country receives an identically worded letter on its national day. The messages are prepared in advance and do not signal any shift in the United Nations’ position toward a particular government.
“The letter should not be interpreted by anyone who receives it as an endorsement of whatever policies that government may be putting in place,” Dujarric said during the UN’s daily noon briefing.
The clarification came as Iran faces renewed scrutiny over crackdowns, arrests and reports of repression.
In recent weeks, families across the country have mourned losses, while human rights groups have documented detentions and what they describe as heavy-handed security measures.
News of the letter triggered backlash from activists and members of the Iranian diaspora, who argued that even if the message followed established administrative practice, its timing appeared insensitive given the political tension and public grief inside Iran.
They said the congratulatory tone risked being seen as disconnected from the reality faced by many Iranians demanding accountability and political change.
State-affiliated media in Iran widely amplified the letter, portraying it as a sign of international legitimacy. The coverage further fueled criticism from those who say such messaging can be instrumentalized for domestic political purposes.
The United Nations has repeatedly raised concerns about Iran’s human rights record, including through reports by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and discussions at the Human Rights Council and General Assembly.
UN officials maintain that diplomatic protocol operates separately from the organization’s human rights monitoring mechanisms.
Still, the episode underscores the tension between institutional diplomatic practice and the sensitivities surrounding governments facing sustained domestic unrest and international criticism.
This keeps it firmly in straight news territory, sharpens the opening, clarifies the backlash, and tightens the language without shifting tone.
Iran’s foreign minister dismissed an Israel Hayom report alleging Tehran secretly executed thousands, accusing the outlet of pushing politically motivated claims.
"No executions have taken place, no court process has been concluded, and more than 2,000 prisoners have been pardoned," Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X.
On Wedesday, Israel Hayom reported that Western intelligence agencies believe Iran secretly carried out thousands of executions despite assurances to the United States, alleging detainees were killed in custody and their deaths concealed.
The report said that instead of hanging protesters detained in city squares, authorities shot or strangled them in custody and told their families they had died during the protests, despite evidence they had been arrested alive.
Earlier on Sunday Iran’s judiciary chief said detained protesters would be excluded from annual pardons issued to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution, when authorities traditionally grant sentence reductions or releases to selected prisoners.
