Iran hardliners seek to stir unrest in parliament after US MOU, conservative activist says
A conservative Iranian activist accused hardline lawmakers of pushing to reopen parliament to inflame tensions and use its platform for factional purposes following the MOU between Tehran and Washington.
Mohammad Mohajeri said members of the hardline Paydari Front wanted to use parliament’s podium for their own political interests, citing recent remarks by lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian, who has criticized Iran’s negotiating team.
Mohajeri likened the hardliners to Colonel Vladimir Liakhov, a Tsarist Russian military officer who bombarded and shut down Iran’s parliament in 1908, saying they also “want to bombard parliament.”
He also criticized the current parliament, calling it “one of the most ineffective parliaments in terms of a positive record.”
“It has done nothing useful and has only pursued noise and controversy,” he said.
He made the comments after MP Kamran Ghazanfari announced plans for a protest outside parliament, saying a group of lawmakers will stage a sit-in if the legislature remained closed.
The head of parliament’s Health and Treatment Committee previously criticized the continued closure of parliament, saying lawmakers had been sidelined amid the Islamic Republic’s talks with the US.
“They closed parliament so they could sign whatever they wanted,” Hosseinali Shahriari said.
Ships are seen near the Strait of Hormuz in a handout image released by Iranian state media on June 21, 2026.
Shipowners are facing confusion over the safest route out of the Persian Gulf as Iran, the United States and western insurers issue conflicting guidance on travel through the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
Shipping traffic through the strait has increased, but Iran has warned that vessels could face penalties or be forced to turn back if they do not seek advance permission from Tehran and sail close to the Iranian coast, the report said.
At the same time, the United States and some western insurers are advising ships to use a route protected by US air cover on the Omani side of the strait, the report said, citing three shipping executives.
The conflicting guidance has left shipowners unsure whether to risk possible Iranian interference or ignore advice from insurers and US authorities, it added.
“Shipowners and operators find themselves caught in a difficult position. If they follow the guidance of underwriters and US authorities by navigating closer to Oman, they risk interference, detention or potential hostile action from Iranian authorities,” said Dr SV Anchan, chair of the US shipping company Safesea Shipping.
A paddleboarder moves through the waters of the Strait of Hormuz as a tanker sails in the distance, June 21, 2026
While much of Iran's political press focused on the diplomatic drama surrounding the latest round of US-Iran talks in Switzerland, several economic newspapers used Monday's coverage to highlight the country's deeper economic challenges and post-war uncertainties.
The talks ended with a joint statement from mediators Qatar and Pakistan announcing a roadmap toward a final agreement within 60 days, alongside plans for further technical negotiations.
Iranian officials have also highlighted progress on the release of frozen assets and the possibility of expanded trade.
On Monday, Iran's central bank chief Abdolnasser Hemmati said funds released under the emerging agreement would not necessarily be limited to essential goods and could be used to purchase other non-sanctioned products.
Iranian newspapers largely divided along familiar lines, with hardline outlets portraying the talks as a test of national resolve and moderate publications emphasizing the potential economic benefits of diplomacy.
Economic outlets, by contrast, focused on questions of market stability, sanctions relief and the country's long-term structural problems.
The prominent economic daily Donyaye Eghtesad argued that "a 60-day diplomatic stopgap cannot solve deep-seated, post-war structural challenges."
Its editorial noted that "the diplomacy of the mattress in Switzerland cannot mask the reality that a 60-day roadmap is a temporary truce, not a permanent architecture."
It warned that markets had reacted with immediate volatility to the diplomatic developments, underscoring the risks of managing the economy through short-term political decisions.
Oil-export waivers may provide temporary liquidity, the paper argued, but cannot by themselves resolve deeper structural problems or restore long-term confidence.
Resistance versus relief
The dominant hardline narrative remained one of resistance rather than compromise.
Kayhan argued that Iran's temporary reinstatement of restrictions on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend had forced the United States "back to reality."
The newspaper wrote that the brief disruption "proved once again that the only language the Western front understands is the language of definitive leverage," adding that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf's reported walkout from negotiations demonstrated that Iran "does not negotiate under the shadow of social media threats."
Javan urged negotiators to remain cautious, describing the 60-day roadmap as "a tactical pause forced upon the Americans by the operational readiness of our armed forces."
But moderate voices offered a markedly different assessment.
Shargh described the outcome of the talks as "a fragile but essential window of relief," noting that concrete oil and petrochemical waivers had, for the first time, been linked to a diplomatic timetable.
At the same time, it cautioned that "the shadow of Donald Trump's erratic, transactional approach to international relations looms large," urging negotiators to secure technical and economic guarantees before the current opportunity closes.
Etemad focused on the domestic economy, arguing that Iran "desperately requires the structural stability these sanctions waivers promise" and portraying the developments in Switzerland as evidence that a pragmatic diplomatic framework remains viable.
A cyber campaign using fake accounts impersonating Iran International journalists and staff continues to target media figures and analysts, according to the broadcaster, which warned earlier this month that the operation was aimed at stealing information and compromising devices.
The broadcaster said in a statement published on Sunday that the operation involved accounts created on messaging platforms including WhatsApp and Telegram that falsely presented themselves as managers, reporters and producers working for the network.
“The main objective of these deceptive contacts is to make fraudulent interview requests or distribute malicious links designed to hack devices, steal sensitive information and conduct phishing attacks,” the statement said.
Iran International attributed the operation to hackers linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, describing the activity as a coordinated effort aimed at individuals who regularly interact with the network.
According to the statement, the fake accounts have contacted a range of public figures and invited them to participate in interviews or engage through links sent via messaging applications.
The broadcaster urged journalists, experts, activists and guests appearing on its programs to verify the identity of anyone claiming to represent the network before responding to messages.
It advised recipients to confirm the authenticity of contacts through official communication channels, including email addresses using the Volantmedia.net domain.
The network also warned users not to click on links sent through suspicious messages, particularly those related to unfamiliar online interview platforms, identity verification requests or file attachments.
Iran International called on anyone receiving such messages to block and report the accounts involved and to notify local security authorities of suspected phishing attempts.
The broadcaster said it condemned what it described as unlawful actions targeting the security of activists and freedom of expression.
“Security and privacy for our experts and guests remain a priority,” the statement said.
Iran International added that it would pursue technical and legal action regarding the cyber campaign through international channels.
A dead Caspian seal lies on a beach along the Caspian Sea coast.
The repeated deaths of Caspian seals along the shores of the Caspian Sea have become a persistent environmental concern, with experts still unable to identify a definitive cause despite years of investigations, according to a report by Iran's Shargh newspaper.
What was once an occasional discovery has turned into a recurring pattern. Seal carcasses continue to wash ashore across the Caspian coastline, prompting authorities and environmental organizations to record the losses while searching for answers.
Researchers increasingly view the deaths as the result of multiple pressures rather than a single cause. Climate change, declining water levels, industrial pollution, overfishing, accidental entanglement in fishing nets and the possible spread of disease have all been cited as contributing factors.
The Caspian seal (Pusa caspica) is the only marine mammal native to the Caspian Sea and one of the region's most distinctive species. Found nowhere else in the world, it plays a key role in maintaining ecological balance by feeding on small fish and other aquatic organisms.
Environmental experts regard the species as an indicator of the sea's overall health. A decline in seal numbers can point to broader problems, including pollution, shrinking fish stocks and disruption of the marine food chain.
The species is also part of the shared natural heritage of the five countries bordering the Caspian Sea — Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Its survival is closely linked to the environmental future of a region where millions depend on fishing, tourism and coastal industries.
Deaths across the Caspian
The crisis attracted international attention in 2022 when around 2,500 dead Caspian seals were found along Russia's Dagestan coast in one of the largest recorded die-offs involving the species.
Scientists examined a range of possible causes, including disease outbreaks, oxygen depletion, environmental contamination and natural gas emissions from the seabed. No definitive explanation emerged.
File photo shows a Caspian seal resting on a sandy shoreline.
The event was not isolated. Hundreds of dead seals had previously been recorded along the Dagestan coastline, suggesting that large-scale mortality events are becoming a recurring feature of the Caspian ecosystem.
Researchers also point to climate change as a growing threat. Caspian seals rely on ice in the northern part of the sea to breed and raise their pups. Rising temperatures and shrinking winter ice cover have reduced the availability of suitable breeding habitat, placing additional pressure on an already vulnerable population.
Population in decline
Conservation estimates indicate the Caspian seal population has fallen by more than 90 percent over the past century. Once numbering above one million animals, the population is now believed to have dropped below 100,000.
The species is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, reflecting concerns about its long-term survival.
Amir Sayad Shirazi, director of Iran's Caspian Seal Conservation Center, told Shargh that pollution remains one of the most significant threats facing the species.
Because the Caspian Sea is shared by five countries and functions as a closed body of water, environmental damage in one area can affect the wider ecosystem, he said.
Russia halted commercial hunting of Caspian seals in 2020, eliminating one source of mortality that had previously resulted in thousands of deaths annually. Yet unexplained die-offs continue to undermine conservation efforts.
For conservationists, the fate of the seal increasingly mirrors the condition of the sea itself, making its survival a test of whether the region can protect one of its most distinctive ecosystems.
Sellers of Iranian crude to China have cut prices after Iran began shipping millions of barrels out of Hormuz following an interim peace deal with the United States, Bloomberg reported on Monday.
Spot cargoes of Iranian Light crude for July arrival were being offered at discounts of $2.50 to $5 a barrel to Brent benchmark prices, the report said, citing people directly involved in the trade.
That compared with a discount of about $1 a barrel before the deal.
Iran has increased the amount of crude it openly sends through the Strait of Hormuz to the highest level since the war began, as regional shipping activity picked up while Tehran and Washington worked toward a lasting peace deal, Bloomberg said in a separate report.
Around six million barrels of Iranian crude were aboard three US-sanctioned supertankers - Elva, Virgo and Vigor - that entered the chokepoint early Monday, it said, citing ship-tracking data.
The vessels were signaling destinations in waters off Singapore, where Iranian crude is known to be transferred to ships that often deliver the oil to refineries in China, it added.
