US citizen in Jerusalem area to face Iran spying charges - Times of Israel
A 20-year-old US citizen living in the Jerusalem area is expected to be charged with security offenses for allegedly spying on behalf of Iran, the Times of Israel reported, citing police.
Police said the suspect was arrested June 9 on suspicion of contact with an Iran-linked agent and had allegedly photographed and filmed “sensitive sites” over several months in exchange for payments.
Prosecutors filed a declaration against the suspect on Tuesday, signaling a formal indictment is expected soon, according to the report.
A confidential directive by Iran’s top security body urged media outlets to avoid spotlighting political disputes during slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral and limit coverage of US talks and regional developments, according to a copy obtained by Iran International.
The directive by the Supreme National Security Council said that, with programs linked to what it called the “historic funeral procession of the martyred Leader of the Revolution” beginning Friday, media outlets should help preserve national cohesion and maintain a focused media narrative.
It recommended that issues related to follow-up on the Islamabad memorandum of understanding — including the “balanced implementation of commitments,” especially over Hormuz, developments inside Lebanon, what it called the destructive role of the Lebanese government, the need to end Israeli attacks and opposition to externally imposed solutions — be gradually removed from media priority over the next 48 hours.
Instead, the directive said media capacity should mainly be used to explain the “personal, intellectual, cultural, political, historical and national dimensions of Iran’s martyr,” reflect “the presence and solidarity of the people,” and provide the “most magnificent possible coverage” of the ceremonies.
It said that if any “transgression or aggression” by enemies occurred during the period, “the issue of continuing defense alongside the holding of extensive ceremonies related to the funeral procession will naturally receive attention.”
The directive also urged outlets to avoid amplifying “internal political disputes, factional disagreements, media controversies” and issues that could polarize public opinion or divert attention from what it called a “national and historic occasion.”
News and analysis related to “negotiations, the agreement and other political and regional developments” should be covered “only to the extent necessary,” it said, warning media outlets not to turn those issues into the main focus of coverage or reproduce and amplify “rival media narratives about Iran’s defeat or retreat.”
image shows IRGC members Khaled Khaledinia (left) and Borhan Krisani, who were killed in a shooting outside a home in Paveh county, Kermanshah province, on June 29, 2026.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said six armed men were killed in a clash near Iran's northwestern border on Tuesday. The announcement came hours after the Guards said two of its members were killed in a separate shooting in the region.
The IRGC Ground Forces said the six-member team was engaged in the mountains between Mahabad and Piranshahr after entering Iran's northwestern border region.
“The team entered the country's northwestern border region with the aim of carrying out sabotage and terrorist operations,” the IRGC's Hamzeh Seyed al-Shohada base said.
The Guards said four bodies, along with weapons and military equipment, were recovered after the clash, which it said involved fire support.
Two IRGC members killed in Paveh
Earlier on Tuesday, the IRGC's Kermanshah provincial public relations office said two local Guards members were killed and two others wounded after gunmen opened fire outside a home in Paveh county on Monday evening.
The dead were identified as Khaled Khaledinia and Borhan Krisani. Authorities said they were investigating the shooting and working to identify those responsible.
The Kurdish human rights group Hengaw identified the two wounded men as Kamel Shabrang, also known as Kamel Hajiji, and Kamal Abdi, adding that Hajiji was in a coma because of his injuries.
Hengaw also said a newly formed group calling itself Khori Hiva, meaning "Sun of Hope" in Kurdish, had claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Khaledinia participated in the crackdown on protesters in Javanrud during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests.
Conflicting accounts emerged over whether civilians were also killed. Hardline outlet Raja News reported that Khaledinia's sister and niece died in the attack, but Paveh governor Farzad Almasi rejected that account, telling ISNA that all four people targeted were men serving with the local IRGC unit, with two killed and two wounded.
Almasi said two gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire before fleeing the scene and that efforts to identify and arrest the attackers were continuing.
The separate attacks underscored continuing security challenges in Iran's Kurdish-populated western and northwestern regions, where clashes between Iranian security forces and armed Kurdish groups have continued intermittently.
File photo shows a shopper making a card payment at a supermarket checkout in Iran.
A banking disruption lasting more than two weeks has left many Iranians unable to access their accounts, make purchases or transfer money, adding to financial pressures after the recent war and ceasefire.
The problems began on June 13, when customers of several Iranian banks reported failures in mobile banking services and routine financial transactions.
Iran's Central Bank attributed the disruption to a cyberattack on banking infrastructure, saying customer information remained secure and no unauthorized access to banking data had occurred.
However, messages sent to Iran International show that many of the problems remain unresolved more than two weeks later.
Customers said mobile and internet banking services, card-to-card transfers, check processing, balance inquiries and other routine transactions continue to suffer from errors, delays or complete failures.
Several people reported that money had been deducted from their accounts but never reached the intended recipient.
One customer said fifty million rials transferred on June 28 from a bank to another was withdrawn from the sender's account but never credited to the recipient.
Photo shows people outside a branch of Iran's Mellat Bank during widespread banking service disruptions.
A retiree in Tehran said 500 million rials disappeared from a newly opened Bank Saderat account following the disruption without explanation.
Another customer said funds deposited into an account at Bank Tejarat on June 24 could not be located by bank staff despite the customer presenting a transaction reference number.
Payment failures disrupt daily life
Customers also described widespread failures of point-of-sale terminals, disrupting routine shopping.
In some cases, money was deducted from customers' accounts without reaching merchants, with several people saying banks, including Bank Melli, had not provided clear answers about the missing transactions.
Others said alternative payment methods such as card-to-card transfers through banking applications were also unavailable, making purchases impossible.
"Online shopping isn't possible, card-to-card transfers don't work, point-of-sale purchases fail and there is no normal access to bank accounts," one citizen wrote. "Alongside inflation and poverty, these problems have only increased pressure on people."
A business owner said delayed settlements had disrupted operations. "Payments are not reaching my account, and it has affected my business," the person said.
Frozen accounts and delayed salaries
People said the disruption extends beyond failed transactions to broader restrictions on account access.
Several reported that transaction notification messages had stopped arriving, account statements were unavailable and balance inquiries could not be completed.
Others said bank accounts at institutions including Bank Melli, Bank Sepah, Bank Saderat, Bank Refah and Bank Saman had been frozen.
The restrictions have complicated access to salaries and pensions for many customers.
"Employees still haven't been paid," one customer wrote. "My account has been blocked just when my monthly salary should be deposited."
The disruption has also affected checks and loan payments.
A resident of Isfahan said a check issued to purchase a television was bounced despite sufficient funds being available in the account.
Questions over cause of disruption
After services at Bank Melli, Bank Tejarat and Bank Saderat failed on June 23, Informatics Services Corporation attributed the outage to a cyberattack.
Some customers questioned that explanation, arguing the restrictions reflected deliberate measures rather than technical failures.
One customer suggested banks were trying to discourage deposit withdrawals by disrupting transactions. Another said authorities had frozen funds because of financial pressures following the recent conflict.
The Central Bank rejected the allegations on Monday that it had directed banks to use a particular information technology provider to restore services, saying each bank independently selects contractors within existing regulations.
Despite repeated assurances from Iranian officials that banking services would soon return to normal, customers continue to report widespread disruptions.
Photo shows bank cards issued by several Iranian banks amid widespread disruptions to banking and electronic payment services in Iran.
Technology news website CITNA reported on Monday that service outages and instability remain widespread, causing significant disruption to businesses and eroding public confidence.
Tehran Chamber of Commerce chairman Mahmoud Najafi Arab told CITNA the disruption had inflicted serious damage on the business environment at a time when the country needed faster financial services.
All parts of Iran’s ruling system were involved in decisions related to war, peace and negotiations, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Tuesday.
Baghaei said the foreign ministry implemented the system’s broad policies and the decisions of the Supreme National Security Council.
He also said Iran would honor its commitments only as long as the US also did the same, including on ending the war in Lebanon.
Baghaei said recent US attacks on targets inside Iran violated the first clause of the memorandum of understanding and warned that continued attacks would create problems for the negotiation process.
Iran saw no need for any country, including France, to intervene in issues related to the Strait of Hormuz, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Tuesday.
Baghaei said Iran was scheduled to hold a meeting with Qatari officials in Doha on Wednesday to discuss clauses of the memorandum of understanding and the release of blocked Iranian assets.
He also said Iran had no plan to meet US officials at any level in the coming days.
