Iran warns Romania against allowing US to use bases for operations

In a report to the UN Human Rights Council, Mai Sato, the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, concluded that restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly and association leave many Iranians effectively unable to protest lawfully.

The report also called on Tehran to amend laws governing protests and national security offences, release individuals detained for exercising basic rights and investigate alleged violations linked to demonstrations.

“The protection of protesters lies at the intersection of several fundamental rights,” the report said, warning that people must be able to express grievances peacefully “without fear of reprisal… intimidation, harassment, injury, torture or killing.”

Sato said laws regulating the use of force also give security forces wide discretion to disperse gatherings. The report added that lethal force should be used only as a last resort under international standards but said in practice it has repeatedly been used during protests.

“In practice, lethal force has been a consistent feature of the state’s response to protests over decades,” the report said, referring to past demonstrations in which security forces used assault rifles or shotguns firing metal pellets.

Beyond the immediate response on the streets, the report said pressure often continues against protesters, their families and those expressing solidarity with them.

According to the report, detainees have reported forced confessions broadcast on state television, while lawyers defending protesters face harassment, arrest or professional sanctions.

“Artists, writers and journalists who use creative expression as a form of resistance… face criminal punishments,” the report added, saying that some people have been ordered to attend “behavioral management classes.”

Digital crackdown

The report also describes extensive restrictions on online activity, with major social media and messaging platforms blocked or filtered and new governance policies expanding the authority of security bodies over internet infrastructure.

These measures have “significantly narrowed the space for online expression, civic mobilization and independent journalism,” the report said.

It also called on the international community to support efforts to document violations and pursue accountability.

Drawing on testimony submitted to her mandate, Sato said demonstrations in Iran reflected grievances shared across many parts of society.

“The protests were, in this sense, genuinely nationwide,” the report said, describing participants as representing “a cross-section of Iranian society, united by a desire for a different future.”

Sato further urged Iran to cooperate with international human rights mechanisms and allow UN investigators access to the country.

The rapporteur said Iran’s legal framework makes it extremely difficult to organize demonstrations legally. Public gatherings require prior authorization, and applications can only be made by officially recognized political groups, while broadly defined national security offences can criminalize participation in unsanctioned protests.

As a result, the report said, “almost all forms of unsanctioned protest” risk being treated as criminal activity.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday the United Kingdom would not be drawn into a wider war with Iran but would work with allies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Starmer said efforts to secure the key shipping route would not be a NATO mission.

He told a press conference that reopening the strait was vital to stabilize oil and liquefied natural gas markets, although he warned it would not be easy.

"We're working with all of our allies, including our European partners, to bring together a viable collective plan that can restore freedom of navigation in the region as quickly as possible," he said.

Iran's attacks and threats against civilian targets have not stopped, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

The spokesperson said communications were ongoing with different parties to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open so goods can reach Persian Gulf states and energy exports can continue.

Iran needs to stop the attacks so a diplomatic resolution can be found, the spokesperson added.

Iran has not asked for a ceasefire and will continue its resistance in the current conflict, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday.

Araghchi told reporters that Iran had endured "difficult but proud days" and would keep resisting without hesitation.

"We have not sent any message and we have not requested a ceasefire," Araghchi said, adding that the war should end in a way that prevents it from happening again.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Monday the Strait of Hormuz has not been closed but ship traffic is moving under special conditions as Iranian armed forces control passage through the waterway.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said insecurity created by the US and Israel had led Iran to tighten oversight of vessels passing through the strait.

"No coastal state in such a situation can allow enemy ships and vessels to move normally to strengthen themselves or carry out aggressive actions," Baghaei told a weekly news conference.

He added that countries not involved in military attacks against Iran had been able to pass through the strait in coordination with and with permission from Iran's armed forces.

Iran alleges risk of false flag operations

Baghaei also suggested that statements by US officials that Iranian drones could reach the US West Coast might be laying the groundwork for what he described as possible false flag operations.

He said Iranian drones could not travel the roughly 6,500 miles from the Persian Gulf region to California.

Baghaei added that Iran's armed forces publicly announce the targets they strike and say when they have hit US military bases in the region or when they have not carried out certain attacks.