IRGC outlet hails ‘red flags of revenge’ at Khamenei funeral

Iran’s Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has described the memorandum of understanding with the United States as an achievement for Tehran’s “axis of resistance” during a meeting with a senior Houthi official.

“The United States and Israel were forced to practically recognise Iran’s allies in the axis of resistance, and this is one of the achievements of this memorandum,” Ghalibaf said during talks with Mohammed Al-Nuaimi, vice chairman of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council.

He added that successful diplomacy requires military strength, warning that the US and Israel would “resort to war” if they sensed weakness from Iran.

The latest Statistical Review of World Energy published by the Energy Institute paints a troubling picture of Iran’s energy sector: a country with some of the world’s largest oil and gas reserves is increasingly struggling to meet its own energy needs.

The report shows a sharp slowdown in the growth of electricity generation and natural gas production at a time when Iran faces widening shortages of both.

Iran’s energy demand has continued to rise, driven by population growth, industrial consumption and heavily subsidized domestic prices. Analysts estimate the country needs annual increases of around 7% in electricity generation and 5% in natural gas production simply to keep pace with demand.

Years of underinvestment, delayed infrastructure projects and international sanctions, however, have left supply lagging behind consumption, creating electricity and gas shortages exceeding 20% during peak periods.

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Iranian-Australian referee Alireza Faghani is taking charge of England’s World Cup knockout match against Mexico, months after becoming the target of attacks by Iranian state media over his appearance alongside Donald Trump.

Faghani, one of world football’s most prominent referees, moved to Australia in 2019 and has represented Australia internationally since 2023.

He made headlines in Iran last year after officiating the Club World Cup final and shaking hands with Trump during the medal ceremony.

IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency criticized him afterward, while Faghani posted photos from the tournament and said he was “grateful for the opportunity to once again be part of football history.”

Iranian/Judiciary-linked media later reported that his assets in Iran had been seized.

Israel’s Channel 14 reports that new intelligence suggests the IRGC Quds Force has established a new unit called “Mukhtar” to plan attacks against US officials, including President Donald Trump.

The Israeli outlet claimed the unit is cooperating with Mexican cartels and some Iranians living abroad as part of efforts to carry out assassination operations.

Channel 14 did not provide details about the source of the intelligence.

Hardline Iranian newspapers called for avenging Ali Khamenei’s killing on Monday, with some demanding that those responsible for his death be targeted.

The calls come as funeral ceremonies for the former Supreme Leader continue across Iran.

The ultraconservative Asr-e Iranian (Age of Iranians), a newspaper close to the Paydari Party, devoted its front page to the demand, using the headline: “Blood for blood.”

The newspaper added that revenge was both “the right of the people and the duty of officials.”

Another hardline publication, Nobonyad (Nascent) carried a similar message, asking: “Why shouldn’t we kill the one who killed our leader?”