Trump shares photo of detained shooter

Iran has intensified executions of political prisoners on national security charges, including several individuals detained during January protests, a US-based human rights organization said, warning that the true scale is likely far higher than documented.

The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center said it had recorded 612 executions in Iran since the start of 2026, including 15 cases since early April.

The group noted that ongoing restrictions on global internet access in Iran—the longest such shutdown in modern history—alongside a lack of transparency in the judiciary, have made it difficult to verify and document executions.

As a result, the actual number of executions is likely significantly higher than reported, it added.

Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, a 33-year-old Austrian national of Chechen origin, was freed last week after serving around 28 months of his sentence and returned to Austria, where authorities have indicated they will take no further action.

According to records cited by The Sunday Times, Dovtaev told a parole hearing he had been offered €50,000 to carry out reconnaissance on the broadcaster’s London office, describing the task as an opportunity “to make easy money.”

He admitted that the information he gathered could have been used to facilitate a potential terrorist attack, though the police were unable to prove who had tasked him with the operation despite strongly suspecting he was acting on the orders of Iran, according to The Times.

Dovtaev was arrested in February 2023 after filming security arrangements at Iran International’s headquarters at Chiswick Business Park. He was later charged with a single count of attempting to collect information "likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism."

During the course of the trial, the police released footage of Dovtaev gathering information around the office building that housed Iran International and recording videos of the area.

Prosecutors said Dovtaev covertly filmed material on his phone in order to "identify vulnerabilities" in the media company's security which could be exploited by others for terrorism.

During a hearing on March 19, 2026, "Dovtaev told the panel that he had been given an opportunity to make ‘easy money’, where he would be paid fifty-thousand euros [£43,347] to go to the [Iran International] building and undertake reconnaissance because two business partners were in dispute.”

“Mr Dovtaev has accepted that it was likely he was being used to gather intelligence on the security situation at the building, with a possible terrorist attack to follow," according to a summary of the hearing reviewed by The Times.

After the hearing, the parole panel concluded he no longer posed a risk to the public, noting his actions were driven by “greed” and “recklessness” rather than ideology.

Threats continue

On February 18, 2023, a week after Dovtaev's arrest, Iran International announced that it decided to temporarily move its studio operations to the United States upon the order of UK anti-terrorism officials.

After months of hiatus in broadcasting from the UK due to terrorist threats by Tehran, the network resumed operations from a new London building on September 25, 2023.

However, an incident earlier this month showed the network remains under threat.

On April 17, 2026, British police charged three people over an attempted arson attack near the London offices of Iran International.

Police said a burning container was thrown towards the broadcaster’s headquarters in north-west London. No one was injured, but the case has added to concerns about the safety of Persian-language media in Britain.

In a separate case on April 18, Iran International received reports that an Iranian man was violently assaulted in central London. The Metropolitan Police are understood to be investigating.

The cases have drawn renewed attention to concerns among British officials over the use of criminal proxies by foreign states, including Iran, to carry out surveillance and attacks while maintaining plausible deniability.

On Thursday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer voiced concern over Tehran’s activities in the United Kingdom, saying he was “very worried” about the increasing use of proxies by foreign states including the Islamic Republic.

He pledged to introduce legislation to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the next parliamentary session. “We go into a new session in a few weeks' time, and we'll bring that legislation forward."

Multiple air defense sounds were heard in the western Iranian city of Kermanshah and surrounding areas, according to Iran’s state-run Mehr News Agency.

Local sources cited by the outlet said the noises may have been linked to testing of air defense systems in the region.

However, as of the time of reporting, no official source or provincial authorities had confirmed or denied the claims.

Initial reports indicated that the sounds were heard in several parts of the city, according to Mehr News.

US forces intercepted a sanctioned “shadow fleet” vessel in the Arabian Sea on Saturday, one day after it was blacklisted by the US Treasury for transporting Iranian energy products, US Central Command said in a statement.

It said the merchant vessel M/V Sevan had been among 19 ships designated a day earlier for allegedly helping move billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil, gas and related products, including propane and butane, to foreign markets.

CENTCOM said the vessel was intercepted by a US Navy helicopter operating from the guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney and is now "complying with orders to turn back toward Iran under US military escort."

The interception comes as Washington continues a sweeping naval blockade on shipping to and from Iranian ports.

According to the statement, US forces have redirected 37 vessels since the start of the blockade on April 13.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to return to Islamabad after his visit to Oman and before traveling to Russia, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported.

IRNA said Araghchi arrived in Muscat on Saturday evening after meeting Pakistani officials and conveying Iran’s positions on the terms of any understanding to fully end the war and establish peace.

According to IRNA, part of the Iranian delegation that accompanied Araghchi to Islamabad returned to Tehran after the talks for consultations and to receive further instructions on issues related to the war.

The delegation members are expected to rejoin Araghchi in Islamabad on Sunday night.