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Behold the Death Roller!
By Ahmad Barakizadeh
Since the start of the war, the Islamic Republic has executed at least 42 political prisoners and detained more than 6,500 people on charges such as “espionage” and “collaboration with the enemy.” It has rushed through death sentences plus long prison terms, set up street checkpoints, searched citizens in public, sent mass threats, seized the property of Iranians abroad, and reportedly used foreign operatives in Europe to spy on and attack Iranian citizens.
This is Tehran’s ceasefire in practice: negotiations with Washington abroad, and a full-scale war against the Iranian people at home.
Welcome to the Kayhan Life Week in Review
As the war with the Islamic Republic enters its fourth month, Tehran has reduced statecraft to a survival kit: a nuclear weapons program, a proxy network, and ruthless repression at home. While it talks “agreement” with Washington, the regime tightens the noose around the Iranian people, attacks its Arab neighbors in the Persian Gulf and beyond, and markets the Strait of Hormuz as its latest hostage — this time with the global economy.
►The Islamic Republic’s repression against Iranian society deepened unabated. Arrests and death sentences for participants in the 2026 protests and others accused of collaborating with enemies continue. Iran’s reconnection to the global internet is also thwarted by blocked access to platforms, even with VPNs.
Iran Sentences Two January Protesters to Death Amid Intensifying Crackdown
Iran’s Resumed Internet Connection is Heavily Restricted, Experts Say
►Tehran’s hostage diplomacy was again on show this week. Craig and Lindsay Foreman, a British couple detained in Iran, lost their appeal against 10-year prison sentences. Their family reported they were barred from attending the hearing and were asked to sign Farsi documents they could not read.
Britons Held in Iran Lose Appeal Against 10-Year Prison Term, Family Says
►The regime’s malign reach abroad came into sharper focus. In Britain, a Greek man was charged with surveilling an Iran International journalist. At the same time, prosecutors said a Norwegian teenager was recruited by a Swedish crime group used by the Iranian government to plan a murder in the UK.
Greek Man Appears in UK Court Charged With Spying on Iran International Journalist
Norwegian Teen Hired by Swedish Crime Group Used by Iran Planned UK Murder, Court Told
► “We are in a war situation,” explained a member of a Tehran-backed militia as he pleaded not guilty to charges linked to attacks on U.S. interests in Europe—Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, accused of supporting Kata’ib Hezbollah.
‘We Are in a War,’ Alleged Iran-Backed Militant Exclaims in US Court
►The Strait of Hormuz remained central to Tehran’s leverage. Despite a ceasefire on paper, threats continued, and missile strikes rained down. Quds Force commander Esmaeil Qaani warned of disruptions in Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. reported strikes on Iranian military sites, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps claimed to have targeted a U.S. base in response. U.S. Central Command reported that Iranian missile attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, and other regional targets were either unsuccessful or intercepted.
Islamic Regime’s Quds Force Chief Warns of Disruption in Bab El-Mandeb and Hormuz
US Says It Struck Iranian Military Sites, Tehran Responds With Air Base Attack
Hostilities Flare in Iran War, Oil Jumps With Talks at a Stalemate
►The Islamic Republic’s financial networks also came under new attack. The U.S. sanctioned Nobitex, Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, accusing it of helping state institutions and the IRGC evade Western sanctions. The exchange reportedly continued processing transactions during the internet shutdown.
US Sanctions Iran’s Largest Crypto Exchange Over IRGC Links
►Still, both sides insisted that diplomatic efforts continued, even as the U.S. reiterated its readiness to resume strikes if no agreement was reached.
Iran Eyes Limited US Deal to Relieve Economic Strain and Buy Time
Rubio: US Has Not Offered Iran Sanctions Relief to Reopen Strait
Pentagon Chief Says U.S. Ready to Restart Strikes on Iran if No Deal
Trump Says Talks With Iran Continue
►The Republican-led House of Representatives approved a measure to block President Trump from continuing the conflict, a largely symbolic move but a sign of growing unease over a war now in its fourth month and a rare bipartisan effort to curb presidential war powers.
US House Votes for Measure That Would End Iran War, in Blow to Trump
►Prince Reza Pahlavi laid out the context of the current international quagmire at the Black Sea Security Forum by linking Ukraine’s war, Iran’s democratic uprising, and the Hormuz crisis as fronts in a wider struggle against the Moscow-Tehran axis. He argued that a democratic Iran would unlock a peace dividend for Europe, the Middle East, and beyond.
Reza Pahlavi Draws Parallels Between Iran, Ukraine at Black Sea Forum
►The quagmire has affected the prospects for a top performance by Iran’s national soccer team in the World Cup. The aging squad has had little time to improve its fitness and sharpen its match-readiness. U.S. officials stated the team could enter the country but warned that IRGC-linked individuals should not join the delegation.
Soccer-Amid Disruption of War, Islamic Republic’s Aging Squad Eye World Cup Progress
US Watching Iran’s World Cup Delegation for IRGC Links, Rubio Says
►Iranian culture continued to offer another face of the country. London’s 6th Iranian Contemporary Art Biennale brought together more than 100 artists of Iranian descent from Iran and the diaspora, presenting work across painting, photography, sculpture, installation, digital art, and video.
London’s Iranian Art Biennale Showcases Work from Inside, Outside Iran
►The week brought the loss of two major Iranian figures. Jamshid Gharajedaghi, the pioneering systems thinker whose work shaped organizational design, died at 88 in New York. Marjane Satrapi, the Iranian-born author and filmmaker whose graphic novel “Persepolis” became an international bestseller, died at 56. French President Emmanuel Macron issued a statement hailing Satrapi as “a personality in French culture and a freedom-loving artist whose work carried a universal message and had brought her immense international notoriety.”
Jamshid Gharajedaghi, Social Systems Scientist and Educator, Dies at 88
Marjane Satrapi, Graphic Novelist and Oscar-Nominated Director, Dies at 56 |
