Iran says it expanded missile and drone production during war

Iranian leaders congratulated Spain on winning the World Cup on Monday, using the victory to praise Madrid's opposition to US and Israeli military action against Iran.

President Masoud Pezeshkian congratulated Spain's government and people, saying, "The joy of the Spanish people is the joy of the Iranian people."

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also congratulated his Spanish counterparts, praising Spain's national team for what he described as its support for Palestinians and Spain's stance during the 2026 war involving Iran, Israel and the United States.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the tournament had become "perhaps the most political sporting event in the world" and argued Iran's national team had faced discrimination throughout the competition.

"For us Iranians,… the conduct of Spain's national team and, more broadly, Spain's positions over the past year and especially in recent months against aggression, genocide and injustice were valuable," Baghaei said.

The remarks showed how Iranian officials have increasingly tied international sporting events to broader political narratives. Spain's football federation had previously withdrawn from a planned friendly against Iran following the Iranian authorities' deadly crackdown on nationwide protests.

Spain has opposed the 2026 war against Iran since it began. Madrid also denied cooperating with US military operations after the White House said Spain had agreed to assist.

Unidentified gunmen killed Sunni Friday prayer leader Molavi Mohammad Anvar Rigi, state media reported, citing local authorities, on Monday.

Rigi led Friday prayers in Mirjaveh, a border town in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province.

The province, one of Iran’s poorest and home to a large Sunni Baluch population, has seen repeated clashes involving security forces, Islamist groups and ethnic Baluch militants.

Local officials said an investigation was underway and urged residents to remain calm. They described the attack as an attempt to undermine security and deepen sectarian divisions, state media reported.

Any expansion of the conflict would be solely the responsibility of the United States, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, accusing Washington of using the territory of regional countries to carry out attacks against Iran.

"We have repeatedly stressed, and we stress again, that we have no hostility or enmity toward any country in the region," Baghaei said.

Baghaei said Iran expected neighboring countries to prevent the United States from using their territory or facilities to launch attacks against Iran, in line with their obligations under international law and the principle of good neighborliness.

An Iranian-American reported to have been released from jail had neither been imprisoned nor faced espionage charges, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.

US citizen Dena Karari, who had been detained in Iran since December 2024, was released and returned to the United States, her lawyer Jared Genser wrote on X on Wednesday.

Genser described the accusations against Karari as “bogus charges” and credited US President Donald Trump’s efforts with securing her release.

An Iranian Mahan Air flight to Sanaa carried a Yemeni delegation and wounded Yemenis returning home after treatment in Iran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said.

Videos posted on social media last week showed an Iranian Mahan Air passenger plane, en route from Tehran to Sana'a, landing at Al Hudaydah Airport in western Yemen after airstrikes hit the runway at Sana'a Airport.

“We do not believe there is an air embargo against Yemen, and we do not consider that interpretation of UN Security Council resolutions to be correct,” Baghaei said.

Baghaei said the delegation had travelled to Iran to attend a memorial ceremony for an Iranian leader and that the flight also carried Yemenis who had received medical treatment in Iran.