The twelve-member team of women firefighters in Shiraz, Iran, who work 24/7 in three shifts, rush to the aid of citizens from their station located at the beginning of Kholdbarin Street.
More in the following pictures:
UN Secretariat’s notice on resurrected sanctions against Iran goes beyond its power: Envoy
In a formal letter dated September 28, Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, addressed UN Secretary General António Guterres and the president of the UN Security Council, expressing Iran’s strong objection to the Secretariat’s action.
He said Security Council Resolution 2231 does not provide any mandate whatsoever to the Secretary General or the Secretariat to “determine, declare, or notify” member states about the so-called reapplication of terminated resolutions.
“The resolution sets out a specific mechanism under operative paragraphs 11 and 12, placing the matter exclusively within the purview of the Security Council,” he added.
He emphasized that the Secretariat’s unilateral move exceeds its authority and trespasses into the domain of the Security Council.
He recalled October 2020, when the US similarly tried to trigger the “snapback” mechanism, but deep divisions within the Security Council over the validity of such action prevented the Secretariat from taking any unilateral or administrative steps to give effect to it.
“The restraint shown at that time reaffirmed the absence of any mandate under resolution 2231 for the Secretariat to act independently in this highly contested matter,” Iravani explained.
The Iranian envoy said the Secretariat has taken sides with the three European countries – Germany, Britain and France — and the United States by deliberately issuing this notification despite evident and fundamental disagreement among member states, and in the face of the lack of consensus at the Council’s meeting on September 19, 2025.
“This action constitutes a serious breach of Article 100 of the Charter, which obliges the Secretary General and the staff of the Secretariat to refrain from seeking or receiving instructions from any member or external authority, and to maintain the highest standard of independence and impartiality,” Iravani pointed out.
On September 19, the 15-member Security Council failed to adopt a resolution that would have prevented the re-imposition of UN sanctions on Iran after the E3 triggered the “snapback” mechanism and accused Tehran of failing to comply with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
A subsequent resolution, which sought to grant a six-month extension to both the JCPOA and Resolution 2231, also failed to pass at the UNSC on Friday.
The Council restored the bans on Sunday at 0000 GMT. They will again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with the Islamic Republic and target the country’s defensive missile program.
Iravani warned that the Secretariat’s partiality undermines its credibility as an international civil service.
He also cautioned that such conduct severely damages the members’ confidence in the Office of Secretariat and sets a dangerous precedent of politicization of the Secretariat’s role.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran firmly rejects the action taken by the Secretariat today as null and void, lacking any legal basis, and in direct contravention of the Charter,” the ambassador reiterated.
He stressed the importance of swift rectification of such grave breach, urging the Secretariat to give assurances that it will fully respect its obligations under Article 100 of the UN Charter, refraining from any further action or interference in matters.
Iravani’s letter came a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote to his counterparts around the world, saying recent assertions by the United States and the European troika that terminated Security Council resolutions had been “restored” were “entirely unfounded, unlawful, and invalid.”
Last month, the E3 invoked the so-called snapback mechanism, a 30-day process to restore all anti-Iran sanctions.
Iran rejected the move as illegitimate, citing the US’ unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA and the European trio’s decision to align with unlawful sanctions rather than fulfilling their JCPOA obligations.
Russia using ‘shadow fleet’ tankers to launch drones towards European cities: Ukraine
The comments come amid increased tension between Russia and NATO countries over airspace violation. Over the past month, Russian drones have violated Polish, Romanian, and possibly Dutch, Finnish, and Danish airspace.
On Sept. 19, Estonia accused Russia of violating its airspace with three MiG-31 fighter jets, which remained in Estonian airspace for 12 minutes, triggering NATP’s Article 4. While on Sept. 26, Hungarian fighter jets intercepted five Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea.
Zelensky made the comments during his evening address, calling for additional sanctions to be implemented on Russia’s shadow fleet, amid the drone threats.
“It is especially important that the sanctions hit Russia’s energy trade and the entire infrastructure of the Russian tanker fleet painfully,” Zelensky said.
“This is further evidence that the Baltic Sea and other seas should be closed to Russian tankers, at least for the shadow fleet,” he added.
Russia’s shadow fleet has been increasingly targeted by Western sanctions as Ukraine’s international partners seek to limit Russian oil revenues, which help fund Moscow’s war machine.
The shadow fleet includes hundreds of older, often uninsured or poorly maintained tankers. These typically operate under the flags of other countries and have little transparency, making it difficult for regulators to enforce sanctions.
Amid the European Union’s anticipated 19th sanctions package, U.S. officials have also considered new sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet should Russian President Vladimir Putin fail to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Despite an initial deadline for the sanctions being set for Aug. 8, U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to implement additional sanctions on Russia.
Following Zelensky’s meeting with Trump in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly earlier this week, the Ukrainian president said in his evening address that Kyiv “count(s) on strong steps from the United States of America.”
Russia says Tomahawk missile supplies from US won’t be game changer for Ukraine
“Even if it happens that the United States sends its Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, currently there is no cure-all that could be a game changer on the front lines for the Kiev regime. No magical weapons exist, and Tomahawk or other missiles simply won’t be a game changer,” Peskov said when asked to comment on Washington’s statements about the possible supply of Tomahawk missiles to Kiev.
Moscow has heard Washington’s statements about possible Tomahawk cruise missile deliveries to Kiev and is thoroughly analyzing them, Peskov stated.
“We have heard these statements. We are thoroughly analyzing them. Our military specialists are closely monitoring it,” he added, responding to a question about the Kremlin’s assessment of statements regarding the US supplying Tomahawk missiles to Kiev, as well as the possibility that strikes against Russia with these missiles could be conducted with the consent of US President Donald Trump.
Earlier, US Vice President JD Vance stated that Washington is weighing selling Tomahawk missiles to its NATO allies for them to send those to Kiev, with the “final determination” being up to US leader Donald Trump.
UK may already be at war with Russia: Ex-head of MI5
Eliza Manningham-Buller, who led the domestic spy agency two decades ago, said she agreed with comments made by the Russia expert Fiona Hill, who argued in a Guardian interview earlier this year that Moscow was at war with the west.
Lady Manningham-Buller argued that the situation had changed “since the invasion of Ukraine and the various things I read about that the Russians have been doing here – sabotage, intelligence collection, attacking people and so on”.
Speaking on a podcast in which she was interviewed by the lord speaker, John McFall, she then referenced Hill, who advised Donald Trump during his first term as US president and co-authored the UK’s strategic defence review.
“I think she may be right in saying we’re already at war with Russia. It’s a different sort of war, but the hostility, the cyber-attacks, the physical attacks, the intelligence work is extensive,” she said.
Six Bulgarians living in the UK were jailed this year for their role in a spy ring conducting hostile surveillance around Europe, and five men were convicted for their involvement in an arson attack ordered by Moscow on a warehouse containing supplies destined for Ukraine.
Pat McFadden, then the Cabinet Office minister, said last year that Russia had stepped up its cyber-attacks against the UK. Hackers have targeted a string of British businesses. While the source of the attacks can take time to detect, many are suspected to have originated in Russia.
Several of the UK’s NATO allies in eastern Europe have been affected by recent drone incidents, most notably Poland where 19 unarmed Russian drones crossed into its airspace this month.
During the early part of Manningham-Buller’s period as MI5 chief between 2002 and 2007, there were hopes that Russia under Vladimir Putin would not revert to its Soviet ways and instead become a potential partner for the west.
Manningham-Buller met Putin in 2005 when he came to London after a G8 summit in Scotland, a time when Lord McFall suggested the Russian president was trying to put on a “pleasant face” to impress the leading western nations.
“I wouldn’t quite describe him as that,” Manningham-Buller replied.
“I didn’t anticipate that within a year he’d be ordering the murder on London streets of [Alexander] Litvinenko, but I thought he was quite an unpleasant man.”
Litvinenko, a former Russian FSB spy who lived in London, fell ill and died slowly in 2006 after he was poisoned with radioactive polonium. A public inquiry held a decade later concluded that two Russian agents killed him and that they were probably acting on Putin’s orders.
Manningham-Buller criticised the decisions by the US and UK governments to dramatically cut aid spending, arguing it would create a diplomatic opportunity for China to exploit poorer countries.
She added she had been struck by the quality of the HIV treatment work funded by the US in Africa, which she witnessed during her time a director and then chair of the Wellcome Trust, the medical research charity, after leaving MI5.
“You’d go to a pretty primitive hospital with people on pallets on the ground, but the George W Bush-funded Aids wing was a different scale. For Americans to stop all of that, and for our cutting back on aid, means that we leave space for your friendly Chinese diplomat,” she continued.
“If we withdraw from the world, they can move in because they have a strong economic base, so I think soft power … whether it’s the BBC World Service, whether it’s aid, whether it’s demining, all contribute importantly to our influence in the world, as well as being of humanitarian importance.”
Iran to showcase its first radar satellite this year
Hassan Salarieh told Fars News Agency that two main families of satellites are currently under development in Iran: remote sensing satellites and telecommunication satellites. In the communications sector, the Nahid satellite is under development, while in the remote sensing field, the Pars and Rad series are being pursued.
Salarieh noted that Pars-1 has already been launched, while the second version, Pars-2, was unveiled last year and is now being prepared for launch. The design of Pars-3, aimed at achieving imaging resolution of one meter or better, is also underway.
The project is being carried out under the leadership of the Iranian Space Research Center, in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications and a network of Iranian knowledge-based companies, he said
He added that the Rad satellite, a radar imaging satellite, is also under development. “Currently, two classes of radar satellites — Rad-1 and Rad-2 — are being designed,” Salarieh said. “Our goal is to unveil at least one of them before the end of this year.”
Iran remained at negotiating table until last moment: Pezeshkian
Speaking during a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Pezeshkian denounced the United States’ irrational behavior toward Iran’s sincere diplomatic efforts on the nuclear issue.
On Friday, the US and its allies, the so-called European troika, vetoed a draft resolution from Russia and China that sought to delay the imposition of the snapback mechanism that would reinstate the allies’ and the UN Security Council’s nuclear-related sanctions against Iran.
Pezeshkian stated that “any restrictions and sanctions are definitely reprehensible and unacceptable from our point of view,” adding “we have been present at the negotiating table until the last moment to clarify and reach a fair and logical solution.”
He criticized the other side for wanting “to take all our assets in exchange for a few months’ opportunity” before raising “new demands”—an approach he said “will never be accepted.”
He pointed to the US’s bullying tactics, saying in accordance with the Holy Quran, “the bullies will never be satisfied with us unless we submit to their will; however, this will never happen.”
Pezeshkian pointed to the failed attempts of the Americans to disrupt and sabotage Iran’s exports at the height of sanctions and war.
He contrasted Iran’s natural resource wealth with other nations, stating, “Many countries in the world not only do not have oil and gas resources, but are forced to import them to meet their domestic needs; however, they have taken the path of development and progress with seriousness.”
Iran, he noted, by relying on “the power of experts, elites, and the empathy of the people, will be able to reduce its dependence on oil resources and continue its development programs with strength.”
Pezeshkian reiterated that Iran has “never sought to acquire nuclear weapons and we do not,” a stance rooted not only in official policy but in a religious fatwa and principles.
He expressed Iran’s readiness for a “logical, fair” dialogue but rejected any negotiation that would entangle the nation in “new issues and problems.”
Iran introduces public reporting hotline as part of new phase in unauthorized Afghan migrant regulation
The initiative was outlined Monday by Seyed Kamal Sadat, acting deputy for security and law enforcement at Tehran Governorate, during a meeting with provincial officials and media representatives.
According to Sadat, the second phase of the government’s plan to organize undocumented Afghans began in early September after the completion of the first phase earlier this year.
He stressed that the approach is not one of “absolute expulsion” but rather “organization and regulation,” with deportation limited to those residing illegally.
Official figures show that about half of all Afghan nationals in Iran live in Tehran Province.
Sadat said that by September 18, one-third of those identified as unauthorized had already left the country.
The backdrop to these measures is the mounting strain on Iran’s economy, housing market, and public services, which officials often link to the presence of millions of Afghan migrants.
Authorities say that since the beginning of the year, over a million illegal Afghan migrants have left the country as part of the broader campaign.
Iranian journalist urges parliament to bar IAEA inspectors after UN sanctions vote
In a commentary in Kayhan newspaper, Shariatmadari referenced the Security Council’s Friday session, during which a China-Russia draft resolution to delay the UN “snapback” mechanism failed to secure approval and the Council reiterated the mechanism’s activation.
Shariatmadari argued that, although Article 10 of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) grants states the right to withdraw, Iranian officials have ruled out leaving the treaty.
He proposed an alternative, suggesting lawmakers should retract Iran’s parliamentary ratification of the NPT while keeping its original signature. Under his formula, Iran would accept the treaty’s non-pursuit of nuclear weapons spirit, but would no longer be bound by safeguards and inspector access arising from its ratification.
He cited international precedents, saying other states have similarly limited obligations under arms-control accords.
Shariatmadari also criticized the government for not fully implementing a parliamentary law passed earlier this year that called for suspension of cooperation with the IAEA until certain national-security conditions were met.
He urged lawmakers to act immediately and with urgency.
Taliban frees US citizen after Qatari mediation
The release of Amir Amiri, who was on his way back to the United States on Sunday, is the fifth US citizen to be freed by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, who returned to power in August 2021 after the withdrawal of US-led forces from the country after 20 years of occupation and war.
Negotiations lasted several months after Qatari officials secured an initial meeting between Amiri and the US special envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, sources with knowledge of the matter told Al Jazeera. The breakthrough that secured his release was reached this weekend, they said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed Amiri’s release, saying it marked the US government’s determination to protect American nationals from wrongful detention abroad.
“While this marks an important step forward, additional Americans remain unjustly detained in Afghanistan,” he stated, adding, “President [Donald] Trump will not rest until all our captive citizens are back home.”
Rubio did not provide details as to why or where Amiri was detained.
The other four American citizens released this year are Ryan Corbett, William McKenty, George Glezmann and Faye Hall.
Qatar, a member of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, also helped in the release of a British couple on September 19. They were imprisoned for months.
Qatar has been assisting the Trump administration in mediating the release of captives since Taliban forces seized Kabul on August 15, 2021, after the US-backed government collapsed and its leaders fled into exile.
While no country in the world formally recognises the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, Doha has maintained diplomatic channels with the Taliban to facilitate dialogue and provide an avenue for sensitive negotiations.
Qatar’s foreign minister said Amiri was on his way to Doha and would then continue his journey to the US.
Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi, said in a statement on X that his release “serves as a significant step toward encouraging direct dialogue and enhancing communication channels between parties.”
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi added that the step taken by his government was positive and thanked Qatar for its effective role in facilitating the release.
