Tehran mayor says Hormuz should never be discussed with US

An Iranian political prisoner sentenced to death on charges of “espionage and collaboration with a hostile state (Israel)” is at imminent risk of execution after being transferred to solitary confinement, the Norway-based rights Hengaw said on Wednesday.

Gholamreza Khani Shakarab, 34, a former MMA champion, coach and international referee, was moved from a high-security ward in Tehran’s Evin Prison to solitary confinement in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Hengaw said.

Hengaw said Judge Abolqasem Salavati of Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death in what it described as a highly opaque judicial process.

The sentence was upheld by Branch 39 of Iran’s Supreme Court and referred for implementation despite a recent request for judicial review submitted by his relatives, the rights group said.

A source familiar with the case told Hengaw that Khani Shakarab was denied access to a lawyer of his choosing during interrogation and trial, and that the conviction was based solely on forced confessions extracted under pressure.

Hengaw said Khani Shakarab had been living in Turkey before his arrest and was detained last year by Iran’s security forces during a trip to Iraq for a religious pilgrimage at the request of a relative, before subsequently being transferred to Iran.

His brother, Esmail Khani, 43, was also arrested in the same case on political charges and is serving a prison sentence in Ardabil Central Prison, Hengaw added.

Britain said on Wednesday it had secured a trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) worth about $5 billion a year in the long run, deepening economic ties with allies in a region dealing with the fallout from the Iran war.

The GCC includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The British government said the deal would be worth £3.7 billion, or $4.96 billion, each year in the long term, more than double a previous estimate of £1.6 billion.

“At a time of increased instability, today's announcement sends a clear signal of confidence - giving UK exporters the certainty they need to plan ahead,” Britain’s trade minister Peter Kyle said.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Washington was dealing with “reasonable people” in negotiations with Iran but insisted there would be no sanctions relief until an agreement is reached.

“We’re dealing with reasonable people,” Trump told reporters, adding that the United States would wait “a few days” for Tehran’s response to the latest proposal exchanged through mediators.

Trump also stressed that “we’re not doing any relief until a deal is reached” and said Washington “has to get the right answer.”

IRGC-linked Tasnim News says Tehran has received the latest proposal from Washington through mediators and is currently reviewing it, but has not yet issued a response.

Citing an informed source, Tasnim said the proposal had been delivered to Tehran through intermediary channels.

Earlier, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Pakistan's interior minister Mohsin Naqvi was in Tehran to facilitate the exchange of messages between Tehran and Washington.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran had honored its commitments and kept all diplomatic paths open, warning that forcing Tehran to surrender through coercion was “an illusion.”

“Iran has consistently honored its commitments and explored every avenue to avert war; all paths remain open from our side,” Pezeshkian said on X.

“Forcing Iran to surrender through coercion is nothing but an illusion. Mutual respect in diplomacy is far wiser, safer, and more sustainable than war,” he added.