Latest Iran government News

Award-winning director Mohammad Rasoulof sentenced to prison in Iran ahead of Cannes

May. 09, 2024 08:29 AM EDT

The award-winning Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has been sentenced to eight years in prison and lashings just ahead of his planned trip to the Cannes film festival, his lawyer told The Associated Press Thursday. Rasoulof, 51, known for his film “There Is No Evil," has become...

Yemen's Houthi rebels claim 2 attacks in Gulf of Aden as Iran official renews nuclear bomb threats

May. 09, 2024 04:38 AM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels on Thursday claimed responsibility for two missile attacks in the Gulf of Aden on two Panama-flagged container ships that caused no damage. Meanwhile, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader again threatened that Tehran could build a nuclear weapon if it chose...

Iran and the UN nuclear agency are still discussing how to implement a 2023 deal on inspections

May. 07, 2024 13:48 PM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Iran and the United Nations' nuclear watchdog are still negotiating over how to implement a deal struck last year to expand inspections of the Islamic Republic's rapidly advancing atomic program, officials said Tuesday. The acknowledgment by the International...

The UN nuclear watchdog chief travels to Iran as its monitoring remains hampered

May. 06, 2024 10:19 AM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The head of the United Nations' atomic watchdog traveled Monday to Iran, where his agency faces increasing difficulty in monitoring the Islamic Republic's rapidly advancing nuclear program as tensions remain high in the wider Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war. ...

Sanctions and a hobbled economy pull the rug out from under Iran's traditional carpet weavers

May. 03, 2024 04:52 AM EDT

KASHAN, Iran (AP) — The historic Kashan bazaar in central Iran once sat on a major caravan route, its silk carpets known the world over. But for the weavers trying to sell their rugs under its ancient arches, their world has only unraveled since the collapse of Iran's nuclear deal with world...

Iran files charges over BBC report on teen girl allegedly killed by security forces in 2022 protests

May. 01, 2024 09:36 AM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Iranian prosecutors filed criminal charges on Wednesday targeting activists and journalists following a BBC report that alleged security forces had “sexually assaulted and killed” a 16-year-old girl during protests over the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022. Nika...

The UN's nuclear watchdog chief will visit Iran next week as concerns rise about uranium enrichment

May. 01, 2024 07:41 AM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog will travel to Iran next week as Tehran's nuclear program enriches uranium a step away from weapons-grade levels and international oversight remains limited, officials said Wednesday. Rafael Mariano Grossi's visit...

Iran commutes a tycoon's death sentence to 20 years in prison

Apr. 30, 2024 12:11 PM EDT

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s judiciary said Tuesday that it commuted a death sentence for a tycoon to 20 years in prison after he returned around $2.1 billion in assets from illegally selling oil abroad, the official IRNA news agency reported. Babak Zanjani, 48, was sentenced to...

Judge orders preventative detention for Iranian and 2 Peruvians in thwarted plot to kill Israelis

Apr. 24, 2024 20:54 PM EDT

LIMA, Peru (AP) — A Peruvian judge has ordered 18 months of preventative detention for an Iranian and two Peruvian men while they are investigated for allegedly attempting to kill two Israelis living in the South American country. The ruling by Magistrate Miguel Quevedo was handed...

Iran's Raisi says Israel must be brought to justice for 'usurpation' of Palestinian territories

Apr. 24, 2024 15:28 PM EDT

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Israel must be brought to justice for “usurpation and oppression” of the Palestinian territories, if not there won't be a guarantee that others would not do the same in other lands. Raisi was delivering a statement...