Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had a phone conversation with his British counterpart Yvette Cooper on Friday, discussing the latest regional developments, according to Iran's Foreign Ministry.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf appears to be trying to solidify his position inside Iran’s fractured post-war leadership after recent weeks exposed the limits of assumptions that he had effectively emerged as the country’s de facto ruler.
In an audio message published on May 6, Ghalibaf laid out five requests directed at Iranians at home and abroad, framing austerity, solidarity and public mobilization as essential to surviving what he described as one of the most critical periods in Iran’s contemporary history.
The intervention marked Ghalibaf’s clearest political re-emergence after a period in which hardline factions appeared to sideline him despite his elevated wartime profile.
Ghalibaf rose to prominence during the 12-day war with Israel and the United States in 2025, when he was widely seen as one of slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s most trusted political figures.
After Khamenei’s death, he headed Iran’s delegation in the Islamabad talks with the United States — perhaps the clearest sign yet of his standing within the new order.
Repeated remarks by President Donald Trump hinting at regime change in Iran and suggesting that a figure from inside the system could ultimately emerge reinforced speculation abroad that Ghalibaf might become the face of a post-Khamenei transition.
But his position soon appeared less secure. Hardline critics accused him of weakness in negotiations and insufficient resistance to Western pressure, and for a period he largely retreated from public view before gradually re-emerging.
In the May 6 message, Ghalibaf urged Iranians to recognize that the country was engaged in “one of the biggest wars in Iran’s contemporary history,” arguing that enduring hardship was necessary to secure a strategic victory.
His central appeal focused on austerity, with Ghalibaf calling saving and reduced consumption “the missile the people can fire at the heart of the enemy.”
He also called for reviving mutual-aid networks similar to those formed during the COVID-19 pandemic and urged the Basij militia to return to what he described as its historic role as a neighborhood-based problem-solving force helping citizens navigate daily hardships.
The appeal contrasted sharply with the Basij’s prominent role in suppressing protests during the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom movement and the unrest of January 2026.
Ghalibaf’s final request targeted Iranians professionals and experts abroad, whom he urged to contribute ideas and resources to help manage wartime economic pressures. He encouraged expatriates not to wait for official outreach but to “force officials” to use their capabilities.
The appeal quickly drew criticism from some Iranians overseas, with users on social media arguing authorities could not simultaneously seek help from expatriates while hardliners continued threatening confiscation of assets and punitive measures against critics abroad.
Ghalibaf’s remarks came amid broader calls from establishment figures for the government to repair its relationship with the public after months of unrest, war and economic pressure.
Former government spokesman Ali Rabiei and centrist politician Mohammad Atrianfar, both former intelligence officials, have argued in recent days that the state must first reconcile with its own citizens before it can stabilize the country externally.
In an interview with Khabar Online, Atrianfar warned that failing to respond seriously to public demands risked further erosion of public trust and legitimacy, pointing specifically to internet restrictions and communication controls as symbols of the widening gap between the state and society.
The comments reflect growing concern within parts of Iran’s political establishment that war, economic hardship and repeated crackdowns have deepened public alienation, forcing even longtime insiders to speak increasingly openly about the system’s legitimacy crisis.
Iranian activists are warning that a top aerospace graduate student sentenced to death on espionage charges may face imminent execution after being transferred from Tehran’s Evin prison to Ghezel Hesar prison, a facility associated with executions.
Erfan Shakourzadeh, born in 1997, was arrested by the Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence organization in February 2025 on charges of “espionage and cooperation with hostile countries.”
His death sentence was recently upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court after he reportedly spent nine months in solitary confinement before being transferred to Evin prison.
Shakourzadeh was a graduate student at Iran University of Science and Technology specializing in satellite technology.
He had previously studied electrical engineering at the University of Tabriz and was described by supporters as a researcher focused on satellite testing software and satellite control and positioning systems.
His case has drawn comparisons to the prosecution of other elite Iranian students on national security charges, including Sharif University student and international astronomy medalist Ali Younesi, whose 2020 arrest became emblematic of a widening crackdown on academically gifted young Iranians accused of links to hostile states or opposition groups.
Younesi is currently serving a 16-year sentence alongside fellow Sharif University student Amir Hossein Moradi after both were convicted on national security charges.
Aerospace, satellite and advanced engineering fields have become especially sensitive areas for Iranian security agencies amid years of cyber conflict, sanctions pressure and fears of foreign infiltration of strategic sectors.
Rights advocates have also raised alarm in recent months over the transfer of political and security prisoners to Ghezel Hesar prison, which has increasingly been used to hold inmates facing execution.
Iran has seen a sharp rise in executions this year as authorities tightened security controls after the January uprising and the subsequent conflict with the United States and Israel.
US Central Command said on Friday its forces disabled two Iranian-flagged empty oil tankers before they could enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman in violation of the US blockade.
"US forces disabled M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda, May 8, prior to both vessels entering an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman in violation of the ongoing US blockade," CENTCOM said in a statement.
"A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) disabled both tankers after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks, preventing the non-compliant ships from entering Iran," it added.
The statement said American forces also disabled Iranian-flagged M/T Hasna on May 6 "as it attempted to sail to an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman."
"All three vessels are no longer transiting to Iran."
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Friday that Tehran was still reviewing the US proposal aimed at ending the conflict and would announce its position once a final decision was made.
“Regarding the negotiations, the proposal is under review and once we reach a final conclusion, we will certainly announce it,” Baghaei told Tasnim news agency.
Referring to overnight exchanges of fire, Baghaei said Iran remained “nominally in a ceasefire situation,” adding that the country’s armed forces were closely monitoring developments and would respond “with full force to any aggression or adventurism.”
Iranian cleric Ahmad Alamolhoda said rising prices in Iran were helping achieve the same objectives the country’s enemies sought through bombing attacks during the recent war.
“What the enemy wanted to create through bombardment, some people now want to create through profiteering,” Alamolhoda said, adding that rising prices were making people dissatisfied and that those responsible were “US foot soldiers inside the country.”
He accused unnamed actors of raising prices for dairy products, cars, petrochemicals and steel.
