Two Iran protesters face imminent risk of execution

Military action ordered by President Donald Trump gave US negotiators unprecedented leverage in talks with Iran, former deputy special presidential envoy Morgan Ortagus said in an interview with Fox News.

"The president has done something that no other president has done," Ortagus said, arguing that military attacks ordered by Trump had significantly set back Iran's nuclear program.

She accused Iran of failing to negotiate in good faith and described Iran's government as a "theocratic revolutionary regime" that does not respond to financial incentives.

"You're dealing with somebody who cannot be bought off. I don't think that financial incentives are going to motivate this regime because at their core, they are a theocratic revolutionary regime," she said.

"They are a regime of terrorists. They're the world's leading state sponsor of terror," she added.

Iran will apply its own amendments to the draft memorandum of understanding in talks with the United States, IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News reported, citing an informed source.

"The exchange of texts is continuing, and Iran will naturally apply its own amendments to the text as well. Nothing has been finalized yet," the source was quoted as saying.

The source said amendments proposed by President Donald Trump did not mean they had been accepted by Iran, adding that Tehran was fully prepared if no agreement is reached.

Bahrain’s Public Prosecution has launched investigations into an organization allegedly linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the country's state news agency BNA reported.

The report said the organization was formed by members of the dissolved Islamic Scholars Council and sought to facilitate Iranian interference in Bahrain’s internal affairs.

Investigations found the organization sought to control mosques and religious seminaries and use their platforms to promote allegiance to Iran’s supreme leader over Bahrain’s constitutional order, the report said.

The Public Prosecution has interrogated 41 suspects and ordered their detention pending investigation, the report added.

The report said orders had been issued to lift the confidentiality of the suspects’ bank accounts and freeze their accounts and assets.

Investigations also found funds had been collected to finance the organization, with part of the money transferred to Iran, Iraq and Lebanon to support and finance terrorist organizations there, the report added.

Masoud Payahoo, who recorded a viral video of a lone protester sitting before security forces during Iran’s nationwide protests in January, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on accusations of alleged cooperation with Israel, Tehran-based Emtedad news website reported.

His lawyer, Hassan Aghakhani, said Payahoo had recorded the video spontaneously and had no intention of making it public, adding that he had shared it only with a limited number of friends in a private Instagram story.

The 10-year sentence was upheld by Branch 9 of the Supreme Court and referred for enforcement, Aghakhani said adding that Payahoo must now report to prison.

President Donald Trump’s edits to the US-Iran memorandum of understanding included somewhat significant changes related to the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of highly enriched uranium, CBS News reported, citing a source with knowledge of the negotiations.

The broad strokes of the memorandum include a 60-day cessation of violence, clauses calling for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a framework to reopen negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, the report said.

The arrangement also involves the potential for waivers or sanctions relief that could allow Iran to access billions in frozen assets depending on the progress of diplomacy, the report added citing multiple sources.