Children as young as 12 can join war support, IRGC says

A local police commander said six Starlink devices were seized and six people detained following searches carried out with judicial approval.

Authorities accused the suspects of trading access to the service, sharing information with foreign-based outlets and engaging in activities deemed hostile. The individuals were referred to prosecutors, police said.

The move comes amid a broader wave of arrests across Iran, with authorities detaining dozens in recent days on security-related charges, including alleged links to militant activity, contacts with foreign media and online activity. Officials have also reported seizing weapons, explosives and Starlink devices in multiple provinces.

Starlink is banned in Iran, where authorities have imposed a near-total internet blackout during the war. Monitoring group NetBlocks says connectivity has dropped to around 1% of normal levels, leaving satellite services among the few ways to access the global internet.

Accounts from multiple cities describe a pattern of increased checkpoints, armed deployments and organized nightly gatherings, with many residents saying the measures appear aimed at controlling the population rather than addressing external threats.

Witnesses said checkpoints have been set up across urban areas, often staffed by masked security personnel and Basij volunteers, some described as very young.

Vehicles carrying heavy weapons, including machine guns, have been stationed at major intersections, with officers pointing weapons toward passing cars.

“Many of them are very young, some as young as teenagers,” one resident said, adding that “the feeling for me and many others is fear.”

Residents said the checkpoints have disrupted daily life, causing heavy traffic and repeated stops. Some described being questioned without clear cause, while others said their phones were searched.

“It feels like they are looking for any small excuse to harass people or even arrest them,” a resident said.

Reports of such measures have come not only from major cities but also smaller towns, where residents described patrol vehicles moving through streets with mounted weapons.

In one account, security forces were said to require drivers to turn off their headlights when entering checkpoints.

Nightly pro-government rallies

Alongside the security presence, residents reported nightly pro-government gatherings in many cities, often involving convoys of vehicles, loudspeakers and armed escorts.

In several locations, groups of supporters were seen moving through streets broadcasting slogans such as “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” while others chanted religious slogans at high volume.

Residents said the gatherings often continued late into the night or early morning hours.

“These gatherings create more anger than fear,” one resident said, adding that even small groups were accompanied by armed personnel.

Others described loudspeakers mounted on vehicles or in neighborhoods broadcasting chants and songs through the night. “They disrupt the entire neighborhood,” a resident said, describing noise that continued into the early hours.

Some residents said the gatherings included participants wearing symbolic clothing and issuing verbal threats, while others reported that passing cars were stopped and checked if occupants were seen using mobile phones.

Across multiple accounts, residents described the measures as coordinated and sustained over recent weeks, coinciding with intensified military activity in the region.

“There is a clear pattern in how these actions are carried out at night,” one source said, adding that the focus appeared to be on “creating fear and preventing any form of protest.”

While state media has highlighted military activity and messaging around national defense, residents said their primary concerns remain daily living conditions and personal safety.

“We are struggling to get by,” one resident said. “People are worried about their lives, not these displays.”

Daily NK reported that residents in northern areas were closely following the war and asking whether it could eventually pull Pyongyang in.

One source said some were alarmed that the fighting had continued despite the killing of Iran’s top leader.

“Some parents with sons about to be conscripted are worried it could lead to overseas deployment,” the source said, while others urged caution, saying, “The war in Russia is not even over – would they really send troops to the Iran war as well?”

The same report said rumors tied to the conflict were spreading in Yanggang and other northern areas, adding to a broader sense of unease already fueled by worsening living conditions.

Residents were said to be more focused on rising prices and food shortages than on military achievements. According to sources cited by the outlet, repeated missile launches have drawn a cold response from the public as inflation and exchange-rate pressure deepen the burden on households.

“Which people would applaud this in such a situation?” one source said. Others complained that “it would be better if they reduced the number of launches and brought in more rice,” reflecting frustration that resources were being directed toward military activity rather than basic needs.

Another source said rhetoric about strengthening defense or expanding strike capabilities was failing to resonate with ordinary people.

“Words like ‘strengthening defense capabilities’ and ‘strike capacity’ do not even register with residents,” the source said, adding that for people struggling to survive day to day, the only welcome news would be lower prices for rice and other essentials.

The reports suggest a widening gap between official propaganda and public sentiment, with concerns about deployment, food costs and daily survival outweighing state messaging about military strength.

North Korean state media, however, has used the Iran war to reinforce its long-held argument for retaining and expanding nuclear weapons.

Leader Kim Jong Un this week accused the United States of carrying out “state terrorism and acts of aggression throughout the world” in comments widely interpreted as referring to the war.

According to KCNA, Kim said North Korea had made the decision to “permanently and irreversibly consolidate the possession of nuclear weapons,” adding that Pyongyang was “prepared to respond” whether its adversaries chose confrontation or peaceful coexistence.

The reported proposal, described by Pakistani and Egyptian officials speaking to the Associated Press, covers sanctions relief, civilian nuclear cooperation, curbs on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, stronger International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring and guarantees for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

One Egyptian official described it as a “comprehensive deal,” but said it was being treated only as a basis for further talks, adding that Iranian officials remained “very skeptical” of the Trump administration.

That skepticism has been reinforced by Iran’s public messaging. Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, quoted by state media, said no direct or indirect talks with the United States had taken place, even as he said “friendly countries” were trying to create conditions for dialogue.

An Iranian military spokesman was even more dismissive, mocking Washington’s diplomatic push and saying Iran would never “come to terms” with the United States.

“Do not call your defeat an agreement... Have your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves? You will see neither your investments in the region nor the former prices of energy and oil again until you understand this: stability in the region is guaranteed by the strong hand of our armed forces,” said the spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Ebrahim Zolfaghari.

The mixed signals come after President Donald Trump said the United States was “in negotiations right now” with Iran and suggested Tehran wanted a deal.

Pakistan has emerged as a possible channel, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying Islamabad was ready to host talks, while Saudi Arabia’s crown prince also discussed Pakistan’s mediation effort with Sharif, according to the AP report.

According to a senior Iranian talking to Reuters on Wednesday, Turkey had also "helped to end the war and either Turkey or Pakistan was under consideration as the venue for such talks."

Even as diplomacy stirred, the war showed little sign of pausing. The United States was moving about 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the region and deploying two Marine units, while Israel launched new wide-scale strikes and Iran continued attacks on Israel and across the Persian Gulf region.

Israeli officials were described as surprised by the submission of a ceasefire plan, having pushed Trump to keep up military pressure.

Still, major uncertainties remain over who in Iran has the authority to negotiate, what terms Tehran might ultimately accept, and whether any proposal can survive continued fighting.

Reflecting that uncertainty, the Kremlin said on Wednesday it had received no information from Iran about the reported US plan and could not assess the reliability of the reports.

Police said the suspects, aged 47 and 45, were arrested at addresses in northwest and central London and were being held in custody.

The ambulances were set on fire early on Monday in an attack Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as a “deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack.” No injuries were reported.

Police, who had earlier said they were examining a possible Iran link, said the investigation was continuing, with CCTV suggesting at least three people were involved.

An Iran-aligned militant network claimed responsibility for the arson attack early on Monday, the SITE Intelligence monitoring service reported, linking the incident to a string of similar fires across Europe.

A group calling itself the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand carried out the attack near the synagogue in Golders Green, the SITE said, adding that it had also been behind fires in Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands.

Israel’s embassy in Britain has called for decisive action in response to the attack.

“Enough is enough,” the embassy said on Monday. “There must be a thorough investigation and decisive action to put an end to this climate of intimidation before it spirals further.”