Iran's top university expels seven students for dissent

In a statement, the experts said the MoU focuses mainly on military withdrawal, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear commitments, sanctions relief and a $300 billion reconstruction fund, while the Iranian people are “barely visible” in the framework.

“A deal that serves geopolitical interests while leaving the Iranian people behind is not a peace agreement worthy of the name,” they said.

The groups of experts which includes the UN Special Rapporteur for Iran's human rights situation Mai Sato, accused Iranian authorities of using the war to intensify repression, saying thousands had been detained since late February, with many reportedly tortured, forcibly disappeared, subjected to mock executions or forced to confess on camera.

They said at least 156 people had been executed since the start of the war, including at least 42 on espionage and national security-related charges, many after proceedings in which confessions were reportedly obtained under torture or defendants were denied access to lawyers.

They also cited the seizure of assets belonging to at least 1,500 citizens, including hundreds of Iranians abroad, calling it a tool of punishment and transnational repression.

In recent days, many Iranians opposed to the Islamic Republic have voiced frustration over the signing of the US-Iran memorandum, fearing that Washington and Tehran are moving toward an agreement that would preserve the ruling system after months of war, repression, blackouts and sanctions.

After the January crackdown, in which security forces killed thousands of protesters and detained many more, both Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu promised to support Iranians seeking to bring down the regime.

But the agreement has deepened concern among many anti-government Iranians that ordinary people paid the heaviest price while Tehran’s more hardline leadership survived and may now gain breathing space through diplomacy.

In their Friday statement, the UN experts urged all states involved in or mediating the next 60 days of negotiations to press for accountability, reparations, a moratorium on executions, the release of arbitrarily detained people, disclosure of the fate of the forcibly disappeared, restoration of open internet access and protection of civic space.

“The end of hostilities must not be mistaken for the restoration of rights,” they warned. “For the Iranian people, that work is yet to begin.”

The incidents were reported in Faryab county in Kerman province and in Taftan county in Sistan and Baluchestan, where residents had gathered to protest mining projects they say have damaged local livelihoods or excluded native communities from the benefits of natural resources.

The Baluch rights group Haalvsh said at least eight Baluch women were injured and six people, including three women, were arrested on Wednesday after forces attacked a protest over a chromite mine in Pashmoki, a village in Faryab county.

According to Haalvsh, residents were protesting what they described as the transfer of mining benefits to people with influence while local communities remain deprived of the economic gains. Videos published by the group show uniformed forces confronting women and other residents, with several women seen being pushed, struck or beaten.

Haalvsh said the detainees had been taken to an unknown location and their families had not received clear information about their condition or whereabouts.

The Pashmoki incident came less than 48 hours after Haalvsh reported another assault on Baluch women protesting activity linked to the Taftan gold mine in Sistan and Baluchestan province.

In that case, women in Sarsiah village said forces insulted, threatened and beat them after they objected to the mine’s impact on local water, farmland and daily life. Haalvsh said one woman was injured in the head after being struck with the butt of a weapon.

The immediate disputes are local, but the anger around them is rooted in a much wider sense of exclusion. Residents say mining projects are damaging water resources, disrupting villages and enriching others while Baluch communities remain poor.

Sistan and Baluchestan has long been one of Iran’s most deprived provinces. Its mostly Sunni Baluch population has faced discrimination, underdevelopment and heavy security pressure under the Islamic Republic. The region has repeatedly seen deadly crackdowns, including the 2022 “Bloody Friday” killings in Zahedan.

Human rights groups have also documented the disproportionate use of executions against Baluch prisoners, especially on drug-related charges. Amnesty International said Baluch people accounted for 29% of Iran’s drug-related executions in 2023 despite making up about 5% of the population. Iran Human Rights said Baluch prisoners represented 17% of drug-related executions in 2024, while forming an estimated 2% to 6% of Iran’s population.

Molavi Abdolhamid, the influential Sunni cleric in Zahedan, has repeatedly criticized the execution of Baluch prisoners. He said in 2023 that many people executed on drug-related charges had been accused of sales worth as little as $15 to $20, and that poverty, unemployment and lack of infrastructure had pushed some people in the region into smuggling fuel, goods or drugs as a lifeline.

That background is why the beatings at the mine protests have resonated beyond the two villages. The images show Baluch women, among the most marginalized voices in Iran, confronting security forces over the basic question of who benefits from the wealth beneath their land.

The Islamic Republic often frames unrest in Baluch areas through the language of security, smuggling or separatism. But the protests in Pashmoki and Sarsiah point to another reality: communities demanding water, livelihood, dignity and a say over local resources, and being met with batons, threats and arrests.

“We’re going to do everything in our power to ultimately topple this horrible regime,” Bennett told Iran International correspondent Babak Eshaghi. “And I want to tell the Iranian people, the wonderful Iranian nation: Don’t lose your hope.”

“This terrible, disconnected, corrupt and evil regime will fall. You will be free,” he said.

Bennett, who is positioning himself as one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main challengers, said outside powers must be ready to help Iranians the next time they rise up against the Islamic Republic.

“What we’re going to do is ensure that next time the people of Iran rise up, we provide them the tools to win, communication and other tools,” he said. “This rotten regime will fall at some point.”

“Our job is to accelerate that,” Bennett added.

His comments come as many Iranians opposed to the Islamic Republic have voiced frustration over the expected signing of a US-Iran memorandum on Friday, fearing that Washington and Tehran are moving toward an agreement that would preserve the ruling system after months of war, repression, blackouts and sanctions.

After the January crackdown, in which security forces killed thousands of protesters and detained tens of thousands, both Donald Trump and Netanyahu promised to support Iranians seeking to bring down the regime.

But the emerging deal has deepened concern among many anti-government Iranians that ordinary people paid the heaviest price while Tehran’s more hardline leadership survived and may now gain breathing space through diplomacy.

Bennett sought to answer that concern by saying he had prepared “an elaborate and detailed plan” aimed at bringing down the Islamic Republic.

“I’ve put together an elaborate and detailed plan whose goal is to ultimately topple this Ayatollah regime,” he said.

He said the plan would rely on “many tools, not only war,” including “economic tools, diplomatic tools, covert, overt operations,” as well as efforts to empower the Iranian people.

Bennett also warned that the expected US-Iran memorandum should not lead to an easing of pressure on Tehran unless any final agreement fully dismantles Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and regional proxies.

“It’s a temporary agreement. It’s far from over,” he said.

“We have to ensure that the final agreement is a good one,” Bennett added. “That totally dismantles the Iranian nuclear program, the ballistic missile program, the regional terror program.”

“That’ll be the ultimate test,” he said. “We can’t let up on the sanctions and on all the pressure on this horrible regime until that’s achieved.”

His remarks come amid unease in Israel over the emerging agreement. Channel 12 reported that Israeli officials asked Washington to see the draft memorandum, but the United States refused to share the text before the signing ceremony.

The reported refusal has fueled concern in Israel that the deal could fall short of Netanyahu’s stated demands, including the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear capabilities, curbs on its missile program and limits on Tehran’s regional network.

Message to Iranian people and leaders

Bennett compared the Islamic Republic to the Soviet Union in its final years, saying authoritarian systems can collapse faster than expected.

“This regime will fall,” he said. “It’s a corrupt, disconnected and incompetent regime, very similar to the Soviet Union regime of the 1980s.”

“If you had asked me in 1985, will the regime fall? Who knows? But just four years later, it fell,” Bennett added.

“My message to the Iranian people is: Raise your heads. Be proud. Be strong. We are looking after you.”

He also issued a direct warning to Iran’s rulers.

“I would tell those leaders, those ayatollahs: Your time is running out. We are after you. We know exactly who you are. And you will not remain in power for long,” Bennett said.

“It might take a bit of time,” he added. “But your time is over.”

Mizan described the two men as “enemy foot soldiers” and “armed leaders of the January coup” in Shahrud, saying protesters had created what it called the pretext and conditions for hostile action by Iran’s enemies.

Mohammad-Sadegh Akbari, the head of the judiciary in Semnan province, accused Zamani and Saedi of taking part in unrest, damaging bank branches, creating disorder outside the governor’s office, overturning and burning a police vehicle, and attacking homes and cars.

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  Iran executes another political prisoner, bringing tally to 37 since March

Mizan said the charges against them also included inciting people to attend protests, assembly and collusion against domestic and foreign security, moharebeh, or “waging war against God,” and “corruption on earth.”

Officials and state media in Iran have repeatedly sought to discredit anti-government protests by labeling them “riots,” “unrest” or a “coup” and linking them to foreign actors, including the United States and Israel.

Mizan also published a 50-second video it described as the men’s confessions, with their faces blurred.

Rights groups and former detainees have repeatedly reported the use of forced confessions under pressure, torture and harsh detention conditions in the Islamic Republic’s prisons.

Iran has sharply increased executions in recent months, including political prisoners accused of taking part in the January protests or facing espionage-related charges.

In early June, the Islamic Republic executed Mehrdad Mohammadinia and Ashkan Maleki, two January protesters, over allegations that they set fire to a mosque in Tehran.

By January 4, the town in Fars province had entered a second wave of demonstrations, with gatherings reported on Haft-e Tir Boulevard, Imam Boulevard, Shariati Street, the main square and near public buildings as armed forces deployed and internet access was disrupted.

Nourabad, the main city of Mamasani County in southern Iran, had joined the protests earlier than many other parts of the country. Images, witness accounts and information sent to Iran International indicate that government forces began attacking protesters there from January 4 with tear gas, pellet rounds and live fire.

The violence escalated over the following days. By January 10, the area around the Nourabad courthouse had become the scene of a large-scale killing whose full toll remains unclear.

Residents described a heavy security presence from the early hours of the protests. Forces first tried to disperse crowds with tear gas, then opened fire as demonstrations continued. Some residents took shelter inside shops to escape the shooting.

Several protesters, including a 14-year-old girl, were wounded by bullets and pellet rounds during the January 4 crackdown. One witness said a relative was hit by pellets in the eye, nose and abdomen.

Reports also emerged of one protester killed by direct fire and another resident dying from respiratory complications linked to tear gas exposure.

Arya Zarei was among those killed during the Nourabad protests, according to information sent to Iran International. After his death, his family came under pressure to sign an official statement and avoid publicly discussing how he had been killed.

Behnam Izadi, a 35-year-old resident of Nourabad, was also among the early participants in the protests. On January 4, he used his car to help wounded protesters and others in the streets when the vehicle was hit by gunfire and tear gas and badly damaged.

Izadi was wounded in the attack but later returned to the protests. On January 8, according to accounts sent to Iran International, he was killed by a sniper positioned on the roof of a Basij base. The Basij is a paramilitary force under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The shot hit Izadi in the head and eye.

Crackdown intensifies

As protests spread on January 8 and 9, strikes across Nourabad became more widespread and security and military forces deployed through the city with military-grade weapons.

Residents burned tires and blocked roads, standing against government forces and pushing them back in some areas.

On the evening of January 8, residents heard explosions and sustained gunfire in parts of the city. Electricity was cut for about 20 minutes. Videos and accounts from that night showed thick smoke and shooting in protest areas.

Demonstrators gathered on streets leading to Bank Melli, the Education Department square and the courthouse area, chanting slogans against the Islamic Republic. Government forces responded with live ammunition.

One account sent to Iran International said government forces killed at least 12 protesters on January 9. Iran International has not been able to independently confirm the precise death toll because of internet disruptions, the transfer of bodies and wounded people to facilities linked to the Revolutionary Guards, and pressure on families.

Kamiab Ahmadi was among those killed during those days. A large crowd attended his funeral, and after the ceremony mourners moved toward the city center and the courthouse area.

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Courthouse siege

On Saturday, January 10, protests in Nourabad took an even bloodier turn after funeral ceremonies for several of those killed.

Crowds moved from the funerals toward central Nourabad and gathered near the courthouse by late afternoon.

Multiple accounts said government forces had already positioned themselves inside the courthouse, on its roof and on surrounding buildings before protesters arrived.

As demonstrators approached the courthouse compound, members of the Revolutionary Guards and other armed units opened fire from several directions. Protesters later set fire to the courthouse building after coming under attack.

Witnesses said gunmen fired from the courthouse roof, the building behind Bank Melli, Pezeshkan Street and Koocheh Taxiha, or Taxi Alley, using Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns and heavier weapons.

According to those accounts, protesters were trapped around the courthouse and the shooting began without warning.

One witness said blood loss among the wounded and dead was so severe that blood flowed down the stairs from the building’s second floor to the lower level.

Mehrshad Gha’edi, Armin Shahrivar, Parisa Lashkari, Kamiab Ahmadi, Armin Gorjian and Ali Babakarami are among the names linked by residents to the Nourabad killings.

Residents said government forces removed bodies and wounded people from the area after dispersing the crowd, transferring some to facilities affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards.

Other accounts described wounded people being shot at close range in the streets after the initial assault.

Days later, bloodstains were still reportedly visible outside the courthouse. According to one account, government forces washed the street and sidewalk to remove traces of blood.

After rainfall later blocked a covered drainage canal, residents said two bodies were found there. According to those accounts, some wounded protesters had tried to hide inside the canal while fleeing gunfire and died there.

Bodies, pressure and restricted burials

Reports sent to Iran International show that authorities returned the bodies of those killed gradually, sometimes releasing only a few each day.

Families were required to sign written commitments, hold funerals before 6 or 7 a.m. and prevent large public gatherings, according to those accounts.

Some relatives said they were asked to pay sums ranging from 3 billion to 10 billion rials, or about $1,700 to $5,600, under the label of “bullet costs” before receiving the bodies of their loved ones.

In other cases, families said the release of a body was made conditional on accepting the official claim that the person killed had been a Basij member.

The pressure on families and restrictions on funeral ceremonies did not end public anger. According to another account, clashes broke out again during later funeral processions and government forces attacked mourners.

Amirreza Ahmadi, a 17-year-old who had taken part in protests between January 8 and 11, was arrested about a month later.

He was later released, but died one day after returning home from a cardiac complication, according to the account sent to Iran International. Relatives believe torture and injections of unidentified substances during detention contributed to his death.

The accounts from Nourabad Mamasani suggest the city was not only among the first to join the January protests before the main nationwide calls, but also one of the first places where government forces used live ammunition, snipers and heavy weapons against protesters in an organized way.

The full scale of what happened in Nourabad remains unclear.

Iran International’s public campaign seeks to document the names of those killed, the evidence around their deaths and the accounts of families and witnesses, building a public record of a crackdown authorities have sought to obscure.