Four Iranian protestors sentenced to death, rights group says
Four Iranian protestors detained in connection with the nationwide uprising in January have been sentenced to death, the US-based rights group the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported.
According to the report, Mohammadreza Majidi-Asl, Bita Hemmati, Behrouz Zamani-Nejad, and Kourosh Zamani-Nejad were sentenced to death by Iman Afshari, head of Branch 26 of Tehran Revolutionary Court.
Amir Hemmati, the fifth defendant in the case, was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison, HRANA said.
They were sentenced to death on alleged charges of “operational collaboration with the hostile government of the United States and hostile groups,” HRANA said, adding that each also received five years in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion against national security.”
The verdict cited participation in protest gatherings on January 8 and 9, chanting protest slogans, throwing objects such as bottles, concrete blocks, and incendiary materials from rooftops, and damaging public property as evidence against the defendants.
The court also ordered the confiscation of all their assets.
HRANA said the accused were subjected to pressure during interrogations, raising concerns about forced confessions.
It was not immediately clear whether the defendants had access to lawyers of their choosing, the details of their court proceedings, or the conditions of their detention.
Prolonged Hormuz crisis could trigger global agrifood catastrophe, UN says
A prolonged crisis in the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a global agrifood catastrophe by disrupting fertiliser and energy exports, driving up food prices and squeezing crop yields, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said on Monday.
FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero said poorer countries were most exposed because planting calendars meant delays in access to key inputs could quickly translate into lower output, higher inflation and slower global growth.
BREAKING NEWSIran's defense ministry says Trump will fail in any military interference in Hormuz
Iran’s defense ministry spokesperson said US President Donald Trump would fail in any attempt to interfere militarily in the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman.
The spokesperson added that any military intervention by foreign powers in the Strait of Hormuz would escalate the crisis and destabilize global energy security.
Iran MP says proposed Hormuz bill could change transit rules
A member of the Iranian parliament's energy committee said on Monday that a proposed parliamentary bill on the security of the Strait of Hormuz could change transit regulations in the Persian Gulf.
Jalil Mokhtar said the draft legislation, titled the “Strategic Action for the Security of the Strait of Hormuz,” aims to redefine passage rules through the key waterway.
He added that collecting tolls in Iranian rials for piloting and ensuring the safety of vessels, or using currencies such as China’s yuan and even cryptocurrencies in energy transactions, would signal the “weakening of US financial dominance” and the “beginning of the path toward de-dollarization.”
