Pezeshkian thanks Pakistan for role in ceasefire talks

The rights group said Branch 1 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court sentenced Alikordi to five years in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion to act against national security” and 13 years for “propaganda against national security” under Iran’s newly hardened espionage-related legislation.

Under Iran’s sentencing rules for multiple convictions, if the ruling is upheld, Alikordi would serve the longest prison term handed down in the case, which is 13 years.

Alikordi, who is being held in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, was also sentenced to two years of exile in Saravan, in the underprivileged Sistan and Baluchestan province, and a two-year ban on leaving the country.

HRANA said he was arrested by security forces at his workplace in Mashhad in December 2025, days after the death of his brother Khosrow who was a prominent lawyer who represented jailed protesters, political prisoners and bereaved families seeking justice for relatives killed during Iran’s 2022 protests.

Khosrow Alikordi was found dead in his office in Mashhad under unclear circumstances in December. Iranian authorities cited cardiac arrest, but fellow lawyers, activists and some relatives of victims he represented questioned the official account and called for an independent investigation.

Javad Alikordi, a lawyer, university lecturer and former member of the Sabzevar City Council, had also represented political prisoners and families of slain protesters.

He was arrested after protesting the detention of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi and other activists during Khosrow's memorial.

Rights groups say he has faced repeated judicial pressure over his legal and human rights work.

The Strait of Hormuz should not be reopened until several conditions under the Iran-US MoU are met, among them the release of at least $12 billion in Iranian assets, the implementation of oil sanctions waivers, and Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News said on Saturday.

It said reopening the Strait only in return for the lifting of the US naval blockade would be a “strategic mistake” and a violation of the Iran-US memorandum of understanding.

The outlet said the strait should remain closed until all commitments under the MoU are fully implemented, including Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon.

The directive, addressed to media managers and editors, said the renewed closure of Hormuz came in response to what it called continued ceasefire violations and Israeli actions in southern Lebanon, while Iran’s negotiating team was heading to Switzerland.

It said the Islamic Republic was pursuing a “single strategy” that combines deterrence and military leverage with diplomacy to force the other side to implement its commitments and protect Iran’s national interests.

The directive urged media outlets to frame military actions not as a replacement for diplomacy but as its support, and to avoid presenting negotiations as a sign of retreat.

It also called on outlets to emphasize the “synergy” between military power and diplomacy in securing national interests.

Iran's negotiating team led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has left Tehran for Switzerland ahead of technical talks with the United States, which Pakistan says will start on Sunday. US Vice-President JD Vance is also expected to join them in Switzerland, CNN reported citing a US official.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is also part of the Iranian delegation, according to the reports by Tehran outlets.

The team also includes Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati and Ali Bagheri Kani, the deputy for international affairs at the secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

Kazem Gharibabadi, a deputy foreign minister, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei and Deputy Oil Minister Hamid Boord are also accompanying the delegation.

The heads of Iran's three branches of power - the government, the parliament and the judiciary - discussed upcoming negotiations and post-war recovery efforts in a meeting hosted by President Masoud Pezeshkian, his office said.

The meeting was attended by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also Iran's chief negotiator in US talks, and Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei.

According to the statement, the three officials reviewed the country’s latest political, economic, social and international developments, including conditions following the recent war.

They also discussed measures to strengthen national resilience, improve coordination among state institutions, speed up compensation for war-related damage and rebuild capacities affected during the conflict.

The statement did not name the United States, but said the “process of upcoming negotiations,” the need for coordination among responsible bodies and strategies to protect national interests within the framework of the country’s broader policies were among the key issues discussed.

100%