Mother of slain protester attempts suicide in prison, her daughter says

According to sources familiar with the case who spoke to Iran International on condition of anonymity, the Ministry of Intelligence has accused the father of conspiring with his son in the assassinations.

The assailant, whose identity remains undisclosed, had 10 years of experience working within the Supreme Court before allegedly taking his own life while being pursued by security forces.

Supreme Court judges Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh were gunned down in their offices in a secure government building.

In the aftermath, Iranian security forces launched a widespread crackdown, arresting several former political prisoners. One such detainee is Bijan Kazemi, a former political prisoner whose home was raided on January 21.

All electronic devices belonging to Kazemi and his family were confiscated, and he was transferred to Ward 209 of Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. A source close to the matter revealed to Iran International that Kazemi is being tortured in an attempt to force a confession that he provided the weapon used in the assassinations.

Kazemi, who had previously served two years in prison after a 2020 arrest due to alleged ties with the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), has been subjected to beatings by Intelligence Ministry agents. The MEK has been repeatedly blamed by Iranian authorities for orchestrating attacks against Tehran authorities, including this high-profile assassination.

Both Razini and Moghiseh were infamous for their harsh rulings against political dissidents, particularly during the 1988 mass executions of political prisoners. Critics had long referred to them as the "hanging judges" due to their roles in issuing death sentences during the regime's brutal crackdowns.

The assassination of the two judges has sent shockwaves across the country, particularly among former political prisoners who have recounted their encounters with the judges' severe punishments.

Despite multiple arrests, including that of Kazemi, the Islamic Republic has provided conflicting narratives about the motive and details of the attack. Authorities such as Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson for the National Security Commission, and Jafar Ghadiani, the Disciplinary Prosecutor for Judges, have pointed fingers at the MEK. However, the lack of transparency and the use of torture to extract confessions have cast doubt on these claims.

In a phone call on Saturday, the two countries’ foreign ministers discussed “how to resolve the problem of civil flights” and “confirmed their readiness to hold constructive talks in good faith”, after a decision to bar two flights from landing triggered violent protests in Beirut.

Iran reciprocated by barring two Middle East Airlines flights from landing in Tehran to evacuate Lebanese citizens, Lebanon's An-Nahar reported.

Iran's ambassador to Beirut Mojtaba Amani told state media that the Islamic Republic will allow Lebanese flights to land in Tehran only if Iranian flights are permitted to land in Beirut.

Tensions between the two countries started when Lebanon halted flights by Iranian carriers, including Mahan Air and Iran Air.

Saeed Chalondari, CEO of Imam Khomeini Airport City, said Lebanon had announced a suspension of Iranian flights until February 18, directing passengers to use Lebanese carriers instead.

The dispute follows accusations from Israel that Iran’s IRGC Quds Force has been using civilian flights to smuggle funds to Hezbollah via Beirut International Airport. Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X that Iran and Hezbollah were exploiting commercial flights to transfer money for attacks on Israel.

The flight ban has sparked tensions in Lebanon. Images circulating on social media showed Hezbollah supporters blocking roads to Beirut Airport in protest against the refusal to allow Mahan Air to land.

"The Trump administration is trying to reach an agreement with Iran before October. However, if this agreement is not achieved, the region will face a serious crisis," the diplomat said.

The senior diplomat cited by Al-Hadath said the United States is seeking direct and confidential negotiations with Iran.

On February 4, Trump signed a directive reviving his so-called maximum pressure policy on Iran from his first term aimed at driving the Islamic Republic's oil exports to zero. After signing the memorandum, he said he would prefer a deal with Tehran to an Israeli attack on their nuclear sites.

"I would love to make a deal with them without bombing them," he said on Fox News.

The European diplomat cited by Al-Hadath said the Islamic Republic is weaker than ever and is desperate to negotiate.

"Iran will accept any agreement that includes the lifting of sanctions," the diplomat said, adding that Tehran is waiting for the Trump administration to appoint a negotiator.

In his Fox News interview, Trump said that Iran is terrified after losing almost all its air defenses and now would love to make a deal with the United States.

"Iran is very concerned. Iran is very frightened, to be honest with you, because their defense is pretty much gone," Trump said.

He was apparently referring to Israel's October attacks on Iran which, according to US officials, knocked out the country's last three Russian-provided S-300 air defense missile systems.

Iranian authorities detained two British nationals in the southern city of Kerman on unspecified security charges, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported Wednesday.

The family of the two, in a Saturday statement released by the British Foreign Office, named them as Craig and Lindsay Foreman.

The couple, in their early 50s, had been on a motorbike trip across the world and had only planned on being in Iran for five days.

British media reports indicate that the couple were heading for Australia, having crossed into Iran from Armenia on December 30, according to social media posts.

Lindsay Foreman was carrying out a research project as part of the journey, asking people what constitutes a good life.

The Foreman family acknowledged their detentions and emphasized the distress caused by the incident.

"This unexpected turn of events has caused significant concern for our entire family, and we are deeply focused on ensuring their safety and well-being during this trying time," the family said.

They also highlighted their active engagement with the British government and other relevant authorities, saying they are "united in our determination to secure their safe return."

British Ambassador Hugo Shorter met with the two detainees at the local prosecutor’s office in Kerman, IRNA reported Wednesday.

The timeline of the detentions remains unclear.

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The incident occurs amidst a broader context where Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals in recent years, predominantly on espionage and security-related charges.

Human rights groups and several Western nations have accused Iran of using such arrests to extract concessions from other countries, though Tehran has consistently denied that these detentions are politically motivated.

“Even if we had no oil and gas, we should not have reached this situation this winter,” Jahangiri said at the Energy Imbalance and Solutions Congress, criticizing officials for failing to secure adequate fuel supplies for power plants.

He criticized the lack of emergency measures, asking, “Could we not have imported two shiploads of diesel to keep power plants running and avoid becoming a laughingstock?”

The former official warned that continued mismanagement could lead to even more severe disruptions in the future.

Power shortages in the cold season have led to public anger and sporadic protests as overall economic crisis deepened and prices soared.

Days of protests in the small town of Dehdasht and at the University of Tehran have underscored growing public anger toward the government. Despite a heavy security presence, residents have also voiced their frustration over power outages and rising living costs by shouting anti-government slogans from their apartment windows each night.

Sporadic demonstrations also occurred in other cities earlier this week, including Shiraz, Yazd, Tehran, Parand, Shazand, Bukan, Hashtgerd, and Kamyaran.

Protesters have directed much of their ire at Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, chanting slogans calling for his removal and condemning the government’s failure to manage the ongoing crisis.

Widespread blackouts have forced school and government office closures across multiple provinces on some days, with authorities blaming the outages on high gas consumption and limited supplies. Iran has the world's second largest natural gas reserves but production is declining due to lack of technology and investment.

The Iranian rial recently hit an all-time low, with the US dollar briefly reaching 940,000 rials before experiencing a slight recovery. Essential goods such as rice, dairy, and cooking oil have seen price hikes up to 110% over the past year, deepening financial hardships for Iranian households.

Despite mounting crises, top officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, have continued to praise Supreme Leader Khamenei’s rejection of negotiations with the United States. Meanwhile, calls are growing from those who see diplomacy as a possible way to ease the economic strain caused by sanctions.