One woman killed in Iran every other day in 2024, rights groups say

The Nagel Committee, which makes recommendations for defense spending, presented its findings to Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for further review.

“We have known for years that Iran is the greatest threat to us, both directly and through its proxies,” he said. “Of course, we took care to strike this axis very hard,” he added, referring to last year’s blitz on Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

However, in spite of the weakening of Hamas in Gaza following the war sparked by the group’s October 7 attacks in 2023, and a bombardment of Hezbollah infrastructure and leadership, the long-time premier said the threat from Iran’s military allies persists.

Warning against complacency, he said: “We have been witness to the fact that: A, it [the threat] still exists and B, additional forces have entered the field, and we always need to be prepared for what may come.”

While Israel and Hezbollah maintain a 60-day ceasefire, the country has extended housing support until the end of February for the tens of thousands displaced from Israel's north since the outbreak of the conflict as questions over the future of the ceasefire remain.

Both sides report dozens of breaches since the US-brokered agreement began, with Defense Minister Katz warning on Sunday: “If Hezbollah does not withdraw beyond the Litani River, there will be no agreement.”

After the fall of Syria’s long-time President and ally of Iran Bashar al-Assad and with the second term looming of US President Donald Trump, who has promised a maximum pressure policy on Iran, Netanyahu said: “We are in the midst of a change in the basic situation in the Middle East.

The Israeli government has until the end of March to pass the new defense budget in the country’s parliament, expected to be in the region of $27-$40 billion as the country continues to battle Iran’s allies including the Houthis in Yemen.

Fatemeh Mohajerani, the spokeswoman for the administration of President Masoud Pezeshkian, said at a press conference: "Some clauses of the law could have had social consequences, and with these considerations and with wisdom, it was postponed."

She said that the law has been postponed twice.

The announcement comes despite repeated calls from hardliners for the law’s swift enforcement in a bid to combat the country's mass hijab rebellion in the wake of the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising.

In mid-December, Iran's vice-president for parliamentary affairs, Shahram Dabiri, announced that the administration is drafting a bill to amend the hijab law, which the Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had promised would take effect on December 13.

Fearing social unrest, Mohajerani said no alternative legislation regarding hijab is currently under consideration.

Expert work has begun within the Presidential Legal Department, but she indicated that formulating new legislation on the issue would be a lengthy process.

The government's delay in implementation suggests a recognition of the potential for further social unrest, particularly given the widespread protests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 in the custody of Iran’s so-called morality police.

However, the pause is not reflective of any shift in the government's stance on the issue. "Iranian women have been chaste since ancient Iran," Mohajerani said.

The final text of the so-called "Support for Family through Promoting the Culture of Chastity and Hijab" law, published by Iranian media in December, has faced widespread criticism and protests.

In December, UN experts expressed their concerns about the law's implications in a statement in December.

Human Rights group Amnesty International also condemned the law, saying it would intensify the repression of women and girls and warning that Iranian authorities are attempting to solidify the existing system of oppression against women.

According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), over 30,000 women in Iran faced legal action in 2024 for defying mandatory hijab.

"The blow dealt to the Syrian army was more psychological than military," state-run media quoted him as saying in an event on Tuesday.

"The Syrian army was defeated before even engaging in battle and could not stand its ground. This must serve as a significant warning to us," he added.

He said Iran's adversaries are leveraging new technologies, media and cyberspace to weaken its allied groups in the region.

"We must not allow our enemies to use media platforms to sow despair, instability, hopelessness, frustration or depression in people's spirits," he said.

Last month, `Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei criminalized public discussions about Iran’s weakening position after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria.

Iran's Attorney General's Office later warned media outlets and online activists to avoid discussions on the topic, saying it could undermine domestic security.

Most executions were for drug-related offenses, but political dissidents and individuals linked to the 2022 protests—sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in morality police custody—were also among those executed, the UN said.

"It is deeply disturbing that yet again we see an increase in the number of people subjected to the death penalty in Iran year-on-year," said United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. "It is high time Iran stemmed this ever-swelling tide of executions."

The 901 executions in 2024, compared with 853 in 2023, represent the highest annual number since 2015, when 972 people were executed, according to the UN.

Of the 31 women executed last year, many faced charges of murder, often stemming from circumstances of domestic violence, child marriage, or forced marriage, said UN rights office spokesperson Liz Throssell during a Geneva briefing Tuesday. She added that this was the highest number of female executions in at least 15 years.

Since the start of 2025, Iran has executed at least 15 prisoners in various prisons, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported on January 2.

At least 54 political prisoners are currently facing execution across various prisons in Iran, according to HRANA.

The gathering, set to take place at Villa Madama, will include US secretary of state Antony Blinken and representatives of the four European counterparts in the informal coalition known as 'Quint'; France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Tajani will discuss urgent issues such as the recent arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala who travelled to Iran on December 13 with a journalist visa and was detained in Iran on December 19.

Iranian authorities cited “violating the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran” as the reason for her arrest, but have not released details of the charges.

However, a source familiar with discussions between Sala's family and the Italian government told Iran International that Tehran made clear to Rome that Sala's freedom depends on Italy's release of Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, an Iranian arrested at Washington's behest.

Iran has denied any link between Sala’s arrest and Abedini’s detention, with government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani saying on Tuesday that it "is in no way a retaliation."

Italian media reported Monday that following a meeting between Meloni and Trump, the incoming US premier has agreed to temporarily suspend Abedini's extradition.

Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini praised the diplomatic efforts. In a post on X he said: “Well done Giorgia Meloni for visiting US President-elect Donald Trump to talk about peace, industrial and commercial cooperation, security, and the freeing of Cecilia Sala.”

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In a bid to pressure the government, the Italian foreign ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador in Rome, Mohammadreza Sabouri, on January 2 to demand her immediate release.

Italy now has a brief window to negotiate the journalist's release. Italian newspaper Il Giornale noted January 15 could be pivotal, as Milan's Court of Appeal rules on house arrest for Abedini, potentially enabling Italy to push for the same for Sala.

Rights groups have condemned Sala’s arrest, with the Lazio Journalists' Guild and the Rome Press Association organizing a protest on Tuesday to demand her immediate release.