White House says Iran talks ongoing, Trump open to Arab support for war costs

United Nations experts said on Monday that any effort to end the war between the United States, Israel and Iran must prioritize the human rights of people in Iran, warning that recent strikes have worsened an already severe situation.

“The people of Iran are under attack from outside and from within,” the experts said.

They said military strikes by the United States and Israel had increased civilian casualties, displacement and pressure on infrastructure, while longstanding human rights concerns persisted.

“The US-Israeli military strikes not only violate the UN Charter but have dramatically worsened these conditions and intensified internal repression,” they said.

The experts also pointed to executions, restrictions on civil liberties and limited access to information, including a prolonged internet shutdown.

“An end to the war is urgent and necessary but it will not on its own resolve Iran’s human rights crisis,” they said.

They called for any diplomatic process to include the release of detainees, restoration of internet access, accountability for violations and broader protections for civilians.

Iran's security forces killed thousands of protesters in Mashhad and Isfahan during the January 8–9 protests, among the deadliest days of the nationwide uprising.

The third episode of “A Massacre in Iran” examines the nights of killings in Mashhad, Najafabad, and Isfahan, including previously unseen footage.

Narrated by Iran International’s Farnoush Faraji, the documentary draws on eyewitness accounts and local sources.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said Tehran, in separate letters to the UN secretary-general and the Security Council, urged the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait to prevent the use of their territories for attacks against the country.

“Iran has expressed its strong and unequivocal protest against the aforementioned illegal actions and strongly calls on the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait to observe the principles of good neighborliness and to prevent the continued use of their territories against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” state media quoted Amir Saeid Iravani as saying.

He added that Iran reserves the right to take all necessary measures, including self-defense, to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

US President Donald Trump said the United States would soon determine whether Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is willing to work with Washington, the New York Post reported.

“We’re gonna find out,” he said when asked about Ghalibaf.

“I’ll let you know that in about a week,” he added.

Iran's foreign minister in a phone call with his French counterpart on Monday said Tehran would continue its attacks against what he called aggressors, including military bases and facilities located in regional countries.

“We emphasize the continuation of Iran’s defensive operations against aggressors, including their military bases and facilities that are stationed in the territory of countries in the region,” Abbas Araghchi said.

“The reason for Iran’s defensive operations in the region is the United States’ use of the territory, bases and facilities located in these countries to carry out an illegal war against Iran,” he added.

“Any provocative action by aggressors and their supporters, including in the United Nations Security Council regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, will only make the situation more complicated,” he said.