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Iran is facing growing shortages of vital medicines and could see a sharp deterioration in supplies within months if current conditions persist, an industry official said on Saturday.

Efforts to ease Tehran’s water shortage through transfers from a nearby dam will only partially address the crisis and could fail entirely if dry conditions persist, a senior water researcher said, warning that years of overuse and policy missteps have depleted reserves.

Iranian authorities have detained 18 crew members of a foreign tanker seized in the Gulf of Oman, state media reported on Saturday, saying the vessel was carrying 6 million liters of smuggled fuel.

UN Special Rapporteur for Iran Mai Sato on Friday welcomed the release of an Iranian child bride who was on death row for killing her abusive husband, warning that the case exposes deep-rooted institutional injustices in Iran’s judicial system.

Iran on Saturday started implementing a higher gasoline price under a new three-tier system, raising costs for non-card refueling or quota overuse in a cautious move to rein in subsidies while avoiding unrest.

A US special operations unit last month boarded a vessel in the Indian Ocean and seized military-related items bound for Iran from China in a rare at-sea interdiction, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday citing US officials.

The Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl hailing from Iran's Baluch ethnic minority announced it would change its strategy toward civil disobedience under a new umbrella group gathering like-minded factions, even as it continued deadly attacks on government forces.

Israel will not allow Iran to restore its air defense systems, missile infrastructure or nuclear facilities after a 12-day war in June and is prepared to strike again if Tehran moves to rebuild, a former senior Israeli general told Iran International.

People attending a memorial service for a prominent human rights lawyer in Iran's holy city of Mashhad on Friday chanted slogans against the ruling theocracy and in favor of the pre-1979 monarchy, according to videos posted online.

Security forces detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi and several other activists during a memorial ceremony in the northeastern city of Mashhad, the local governor told state media.

Lebanon’s foreign minister said Arab and international parties have warned Beirut that Israel is preparing a wide military operation, while accusing Iran of playing a destabilizing role in Lebanon and the wider region.

A campaign supported by more than 800 Iranians at home and abroad is calling for the release of detained teenager Bita Shafiee and her mother.

Ukraine said on Friday it struck two Russian vessels in the Caspian Sea that had previously been sanctioned by the United States for transporting military cargoes between Iran and Russia.

Leaders from Russia, Iran, Turkey other regional states gathered on Friday in Turkmenistan for a rare international summit marking the country’s 30 years of official neutrality, as diplomatic engagement across the region intensifies amid wider global strains.

A relative of Rouzbeh Vadi said the Iranian nuclear scientist executed in August confessed only after severe torture and threats against his mother, describing a prosecution built on a single coerced statement.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Iran's nuclear program is "gonzo" after air attacks he ordered in June and that it faced "obliteration" if restarted, telling Tehran they could avoid more destruction with a nuclear deal.

Iranian Olympic skier Atefeh Ahmadi, who applied for asylum in Germany in 2023 after leaving Iran during a training trip to Europe, has returned to the country and publicly expressed gratitude to the Supreme Leader for facilitating her homecoming.

Lebanon is one of Iran's key launchpads for regional influence via its longtime armed ally Hezbollah, but Beirut dealt a deep cut this week when its foreign minister curtly declined an invitation to visit Tehran.

The FBI on Thursday warned that Iran's campaign to avenge the US killing of Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani remains active and persistent.

Lebanon’s refusal to send its foreign minister to Tehran drew a pointed public response from Iran’s top diplomat, who on Thursday said he was “bemused” by Beirut’s decision.

Winter rain fell on Tehran on Wednesday after the driest autumn in over 50 years, providing temporary relief from a severe water shortage that the country's ruling clerics have led prayers to end but looks set to persist.