G7 charges of repression abroad ‘politically motivated,’ Iran says

“The movement is alive and ongoing, and its vitality is visible in society’s very fabric,” Mohammadi said in an interview marking the third anniversary of Iran’s 2022 protests that started with the death in morality police custody of Mahsa “Jina” Amini.

“When I walk in the streets, the presence of women with voluntary dress (hijab) reflects part of the transformation.”

The change has come from “the power and resistance of the people,” not from decisions of the Islamic Republic, she added.

Mohammadi said Iranian women have gained new power to shape their own lives, driving deep changes in society—some visible in daily life, others yet to be recognized or fully understood.

Grassroots change, diminished state control

The prominent activist said the movement has persisted through creative tactics and subtle acts of defiance.

“People do not need to constantly be in the streets and protests,” she said. “Society uses creative and very effective actions and reactions that demonstrate the movement’s vitality.”

“The Islamic Republic no longer has the same power even to hold official events,” she said. “The visible presence of women without hijab has often wrested the scene away from the organizers.”

Mahsa Amini’s death on 16 September 2022 sparked the protests that grew into a nationwide call for rights under the slogan Woman, Life, Freedom.

Mohammadi, repeatedly jailed for her activism, has spent more than a decade behind bars and faced sentences totaling over 36 years and 154 lashes.

Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023, she remains under medical leave from prison and continues to advocate for women’s rights and democracy.

"It is not just that the E3 has no legal, political, or moral entitlement to invoke "snapback", and that even if they did, "use or lose it" doesn't work," Araghchi said in a post on X.

"It's that the correct expression for the E3's dilemma is "use it *and* lose it". Or better yet, "use it and lose it *all*"," he said, without providing further details.

The three European powers triggered the snapback process on August 28 under Resolution 2231, demanding Iran return to talks, grant wider access to inspectors, and account for its missing uranium stockpiles.

Sanctions will be automatically reimposed within 30 days unless the Security Council votes otherwise.

Tehran has rejected the move. Speaking on state TV Thursday, Araghchi said Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium remained intact despite Israeli and US airstrikes in June.

“Our enriched uranium is buried under the rubble of bombed nuclear facilities,” he said, marking the first official acknowledgment the material survived.

The Supreme National Security Council would decide on Iran’s response if sanctions return, he added without giving details.

The UN nuclear watchdog (IAEA) reported earlier this month that Iran’s 60% enriched uranium stockpile rose nearly eight percent before the June strikes, reaching 440.9 kilograms.

Reuters reported in June that most of the enriched uranium at Iran’s Fordow facility appeared to have been moved days before the attacks.

The United States on Wednesday urged Iran to take “immediate and concrete action” to meet its nuclear safeguards obligations, warning the IAEA board may need to act if Tehran fails to cooperate.

Kirk was one of the only people close to Trump who raised the risks of escalation, Carlson said at the Megyn Kelly Show on Friday.

“He went to the Oval Office and said, ‘Sir, I totally understand and think Iran’s really bad. But a war with Iran is something that could really hurt our country,’” Carlson said.

He added that Kirk showed him “intense” donor messages criticizing his position but argued he stuck to it because “he was for doing the right and wise and difficult thing.”

Kirk, founder of the conservative youth group Turning Point USA, was killed by an unknown assassin on Wednesday. He had expressed mixed views on Iran over the years.

In 2020, after the US killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on Trump’s order, he warned against deeper involvement, saying: “Iran is an evil regime … Critical we remain restrained and disciplined against another endless, reckless war in the region. NO WAR with Iran!”

In the midst of Israel's 12-day war against Iran in June, and before the US airstrikes, Kirk cautioned that Iran’s size, history, and resilience made open war a dangerous prospect.

“They were a great power for a thousand years. Not even the Romans could defeat Persia,” he told Newsmax on June 20.

Yet his stance shifted when Trump ordered strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, known as Operation Midnight Hammer. While other conservative allies questioned the wisdom of the move, Kirk applauded it.

"America stands with President Trump," he wrote on X. "President Trump has been navigating this quite well in fact, he could potentially declare victory," he added in a video testimonial posted online.

"The lawmakers had questions and concerns that are legitimate and stem from their supervisory role, which they must exercise, and we also have a duty to provide answers," Araghchi told reporters after the meeting.

Lawmakers were supposed to seek explanations on how the accord, signed in Cairo on Tuesday, complies with legislation suspending cooperation with the agency after June's conflict with Israel.

"In today’s session, some of these concerns were raised, and there was consultation on how to move forward more effectively, neutralize the enemies’ tricks in political and international arenas against the people, and safeguard the country’s interests," Araghchi said.

He described the meeting with lawmakers as "very good, constructive, and scientific."

More than 60 MPs earlier backed a request for a special session with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Larijani to provide clarification. The move came after parliament went into recess until September 27, prompting criticism that oversight was being avoided.

Conservative MP Hamed Yazdian, who initiated the request, said the session was needed to assess “the extent of conformity of the Cairo agreement with the law passed by parliament.”

Strong criticism of Grossi

The deal has sparked sharp reactions from hardline lawmakers. Javad Hosseini-Kia called IAEA chief Rafael Grossi “a Mossad agent” and urged that he be arrested if he enters Iran.

Another MP, Mohammadreza Mohseni-Sani, said inspectors “have no right” to enter Iran until damaged nuclear facilities are restored, warning that if UN sanctions are reimposed under the “snapback” mechanism, parliament would pursue leaving the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Some lawmakers, such as Ahmad Bakhshayesh, have argued Iran should no longer limit itself to peaceful nuclear activities, while others, including Mahmoud Nabavian, have branded the Cairo accord a “cursed agreement.”

By contrast, former nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi has described it as “positive” but cautioned that time is running out for diplomacy.

Araghchi insists the Cairo accord safeguards Iran’s interests and is consistent with the law suspending cooperation. He said it recognizes Tehran’s security concerns, guarantees Iran’s rights, and “creates no access” for inspectors at this stage.

Any monitoring, he added, would only be discussed later with approval from the Supreme National Security Council.

The debate in Tehran comes as France, Germany, and Britain have triggered the UN “snapback” mechanism, which could restore sanctions at the end of September. One of their conditions for pausing the process is renewed IAEA access, a demand the United States and European Union have also emphasized.

“Australia stands with women and girls in Iran and supports their struggle for equality and empowerment,” a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said on Thursday. “We remain gravely concerned by Iran’s persecution of women and girls and the use of violence to enforce mandatory hijab compliance.”

Canberra would continue pressing Tehran to uphold its human rights obligations, including accountability for “perpetrators of past and ongoing human rights violations,” the spokesperson added.

Since September 2022, Australia has sanctioned 65 individuals and entities tied to the suppression of protests that erupted after Amini’s death in police custody.

New Zealand voices concern

New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a parallel message to Iran International, expressing extreme concern over the situation inside Iran.

“New Zealand remains extremely concerned by the human rights situation in Iran, including restrictions on freedom of expression, violence and discrimination affecting women and girls, and ongoing repression of religious and ethnic minorities by Iranian authorities,” said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson.

Wellington said it would maintain a policy of restricted engagement with Tehran and continue raising its concerns in all relevant international fora and in direct bilateral engagement.

The 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the morality police in September 2022. Her death sparked nationwide demonstrations under the banner Woman, Life, Freedom, met with arrests, executions, and a crackdown denounced by Western governments.