US demands slowing diplomacy, Iran's Araghchi tells Putin in St Petersburg

The statement expressed confidence in the negotiating delegation. However, several prominent hardline figures—including Mahmoud Nabavian, Mohammad Taghi Naqadali, Morteza Aghatehrani, Amirhossein Sabeti, Hamid Rasaei, Ruhollah Izadkhah and Meysam Zohourian—did not sign the statement.

Nabavian was one of the members of the Iranian delegation led by Ghalibaf who attended the first round of Islamabad talks with the United States.

The statement warned that “the enemy” is seeking to create divisions between the state, society and diplomatic institutions during what it described as a new phase of conflict.

It also urged political and social actors to avoid speculation based on “rumors and incomplete information,” cautioning against contributing to what it called the enemy’s “cognitive warfare.”

Lawmakers who signed the statement expressed full support for the negotiating team, particularly Ghalibaf, saying they trust the delegation as it enters what they described as a “new battlefield” against adversaries.

Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld a death sentence for a detained protester and a 25-year prison term for his daughter, sources familiar with the case told Iran International.

Mohammad Abbasi, who was arrested during January protests in Malard, has been sentenced to death, while his daughter Fatemeh Abbasi has received a 25-year prison term. The two are currently held in Qezel Hesar prison in Karaj and Evin prison in Tehran, respectively.

The father has been accused of “collaborating with Israel and killing a law enforcement officer” during the protests in Malard, while the charge against his 34-year-old daughter—who is the mother of a 13-year-old girl—has been described as “complicity” in the case.

Sources told Iran International that both detainees were subjected to severe pressure and torture during interrogations. They have also been denied access to legal representation at all stages of the judicial process, including interrogation, prosecution, trial, and review by the Supreme Court.

Their initial sentences were issued by Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, headed by notorious Judge Abolghasem Salavati.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg on Monday.

Before their meeting, Araghchi told reporters, "Iran and Russia are strategic partners. Russia has always supported us, and we have always supported Russia. Our cooperation will continue."

At least seven ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, in line with muted activity in recent days, Reuters reported on Monday, citing shipping data.

The vessels were mainly dry bulk ships and included ships leaving Iraqi ports and one dry bulk vessel from an Iranian port, according to Kpler ship tracking data and satellite analysis from SynMax.

The traffic represents a fraction of the average 140 daily passages before the Iran war began on February 28.

An entire nation is being humiliated by the leadership in Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday.

“An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards,” he said, speaking to students in Marsberg, in North Rhine-Westphalia.

He added that Iranian officials were negotiating with the US “very skillfully” and appeared stronger than previously thought.

Merz also said the Strait of Hormuz had been partially mined and added that he did not see what exit strategy the United States was pursuing in the war.