Iran has written to the UN nuclear watchdog to complain about Israel's threats against its nuclear sites in a possible retaliatory strike, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Monday.
The students in faculties of medicine, dentistry, pharmaceuticals and veterinary science, already grappling with inflation and rising costs of living, took to the streets in protest of the hike which is usually closer to 10-25% annually.
"Someone help us! The 300 million rial (about $500) tuition for medical science programs has suddenly tripled, and now we are stuck with no way forward or back," one medical student at a protest rally on Saturday said, summing up the frustration felt by many.
Over the past week, students have staged several protests in front of key government buildings including the Ministry of Health, the Secretariat of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, and the Presidential Office. Placards carried by demonstrators asked questions like, "Why wasn’t the threefold increase announced? Is Azad University for elites or the wealthy?"
The protests began after tuition fees for medical students surged from 300 million rials (about $470) to 900 million rials (about $1400) per semester without prior notice.
Nazanin Abbasi, the secretary of the student council at Islamic Azad University in Mashhad, voiced her concern, stating, “The tuition has suddenly tripled to 900 million rials per semester, amounting to roughly 20 billion rials (over $31,000) for the entire program. This is in stark contrast to the monthly salary of a medical resident, which is only 15 million rials ($235)."
In response to the outcry, Mohammad Ghorbani, the spokesperson for Islamic Azad University, tried to justify the tuition increase and denied it was tripled. "Tuition increases at Islamic Azad University typically range between 10 to 25 percent, but this time, the increase for medical sciences was nearly double. The reason for the increase is tied to annual inflation and the high costs of educational infrastructure and medical equipment." His comment contradicts the information provided by students.
He added that over 70% of students have already paid their fees, while only 5-6% are protesting. Despite this, the discontent is palpable among the student body, especially considering the deteriorating state of the Iranian economy.
Ali Shirazi, a journalist speaking to Iran International, explained that as families already struggle with inflation and daily necessities, the abrupt tuition hike places an additional burden on them. Over one third of Iranians have been pushed below the poverty line since in the latest recession which has seen the currency massively devalued.
"This increase comes without any additional benefits for the students," Shirazi said. "There’s no new technology, no international professors, and the infrastructure remains outdated due to ongoing sanctions."
The Progressive Students group condemned the tuition hike, criticizing the commercialization of education. "What is happening now is unprecedented. The corrupt officials at Islamic Azad University have rushed to exploit high-demand medical fields, suddenly tripling already high tuition fees," the group stated.
They calculated that medical students will have to pay around 20 billion rials over seven years to become doctors, a figure far out of reach for the majority of families in Iran.
Students and experts alike argue that this move prevents working-class families from accessing medical education, making it a field reserved for the elite.
Niyayesh Nowruzadeh, another medical student, pointed out that the tuition last year was 320 million rials, and they had been expecting a 25-30% increase. Instead, they were shocked when the university announced the new 900 million rials fee.
Adding to the students' frustration, the Iranian government recently issued a directive prohibiting the sale of 'service obligations' that would allow graduates to pay off their mandatory service years. The move is seen as a way to hold graduates' diplomas hostage and prevent them from leaving the country, as many young professionals are looking for better opportunities abroad due to Iran’s economic, social, and political instability.
At a protest on Saturday in front of the Ministry of Health, students voiced their discontent with the new directive. "The government is taking actions to take the university degrees of the graduates hostage to prevent their exodus from the country," said Mohsen Moheimani, an expert on Iranian affairs, in an interview with Iran International.
"The health ministry has announced that the service obligation of the students to serve in hospitals must not be sold to them anymore, using this trick to prevent them from leaving as the healthcare system faces a shortage of staff."
Meanwhile, the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office has vowed to take action against institutions facilitating student emigration.
Valiollah Mahboudi, the Deputy Prosecutor of Public Rights in Tehran, announced that “a list of unauthorized student emigration agencies had been compiled and sent to the police, promising strict action against any violations.”
The crackdown on these institutions comes as more Iranians seek to study abroad. Many are disillusioned with the economic situation, and the exodus of skilled professionals is becoming a growing concern. According to the head of the Iranian Medical Council, up to 3,000 doctors left Iran in 2022, driven by low salaries, poor working conditions, and economic instability.
With no relief in sight and the costs of education soaring, many young Iranians feel trapped, unable to advance their careers or leave the country in search of better opportunities.
“The authorities have not said where they have taken him from the prison… It’s not clear which hospital he is in …The family hasn’t been informed where he is and haven’t been able to see him,” a source close to the family told Iran International on condition of anonymity on Saturday.
An Instagram account associated with Salmanzadeh reported Friday night that he had fallen into a "coma" due to a hunger strike and that "an ambulance was on its way to Ghezel Hesar prison." However, it is not clear if he lost consciousness for a while or he is in complete coma. Some sources called it a state of "semi-coma."
Salmanzadeh began his hunger strike last Tuesday, protesting the lack of medical care for his worsening health conditions, including prostate issues, according to the source. The hunger strike allegedly caused his blood pressure to drop dangerously low, making him unconscious.
“He experienced severe bleeding, and they didn’t take him to the hospital, so he went on a hunger strike,” the source added.
Intelligence agents are said to be pressuring the family, adding to their distress having already lost a young family member during Iran’s 2019 protests and the father being imprisoned in the aftermath of his advocacy for justice, according to the source.
Arrest and charges
After his arrest in May by intelligence agents at his family home, Salmanzadeh was subsequently held in Tehran’s Evin Prison, Ward 209.
A court in Tehran had previously sentenced Reza Salmanzadeh to three years and eight months in August 2022 on charges of “propaganda against the regime” and “membership in an unlawful group to act against national security,” according to US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA). This case was closed in February 2023 following a clemency directive.
However, while in prison, authorities brought new charges against Salmanzadeh in a joint case involving Evin prison inmates for which he is now serving a sentence of seven years and 74 lashes related to the case.
In September 2023, Salmanzadeh was transferred to Ghezel Hesar prison alongside 12 other prisoners. Following their transfer the prisoners were kept “in a cramped 12 square meter room in the high-security Unit 3 of Ghezel Hesar prison, in difficult conditions and without access to basic amenities such as hot water and telephones,” Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported.
Systemic denial of medical care in prison
At the end of July this year, HRANA warned that Salmanzadeh was deprived of proper medical care in Ghezel Hesar prison despite his poor physical condition.
He had previously gone on hunger strike as part of the weekly ‘No to Execution’ campaign protesting the Islamic Republic’s execution spree across Iran’s prisons.
At least 34 political prisoners, including Salmanzadeh, have been "systematically denied access to proper medical services" as a form of state retaliation for being outspoken critics of the surge in executions in Iran, according to a report by the US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) in August.
CHRI noted that "vocal critics of Iran’s surging executions and unjust imprisonments have become particular targets for state abuse," reflecting a broader pattern of deliberate neglect and mistreatment.
Salmanzadeh’s son found hanged in family home after attending 2019 protests
Salmanzadeh’s 14-year-old son, Mehdi, was found dead in their family home in December 2019 after attending the protests marking the 40-day memorial for those killed in the November 2019 nationwide demonstrations, as documented by US-based rights group Abdorrahman Boroumand Center (ABC).
The November 2019 protests, often referred to as Bloody November, initially erupted due to a significant increase in fuel prices, quickly transforming into demands for government overthrow and opposition to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. At least 1,500 protestors were killed by security forces, according to figures reported by Reuters at the time.
Mehdi’s mother found his son's “naked body hanging from the wall closet”, according to the rights group United for Iran, citing a video interview with Reza Salmanzadeh in December 2019.
In the interview, he said that doctors and detectives suspected Mehdi was killed before being hanged, but Iran’s intelligence police dismissed the case as suicide, despite CCTV footage showing the suspected killer. The case was quickly closed without further investigation.
ABC’s Omid Memorial, which documents human rights abuses by the Islamic Republic, describes Mehdi's death as an "extrajudicial execution" and says his father's efforts to seek justice resulted in his arrest and conviction.
The case underscores a broader crisis within the Islamic Republic’s judicial and prison system and the authorities' systemic abuse of slain protestors' families as reported by Amnesty International in 2023 and the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Fact-Finding Mission on Iran's latest report this year.
“Any acts of aggression towards nuclear sites are condemned under international law,” Baghaei said during his weekly news conference.
He added that Tehran had officially communicated its position to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), saying, "we have sent a letter about it to… the UN nuclear watchdog."
Israel has vowed to attack Iran in retaliation for a volley of Iranian missiles launched on October 1, leading to widespread speculation that Iran's nuclear sites could be among Israel's targets.
On October 1, Iran fired more than 180 missiles at Israel, a move described as retaliation for the killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon. It was the second Iranian attack on Israel this year. Israel responded to the first missile volley in April with an air strike on an air defense site in central Iran.
After the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Tehran had made a “big mistake tonight” and vowed that “it will pay for it.” Later, the Biden administration revealed that it told Israel not to attack Iran's nuclear sites.
Last week, Netanyahu's office said Israel would listen to key ally the United States regarding a response to Iran's missile attack but would decide its actions according to its own national interest.
His statement was attached to a Washington Post article which said Netanyahu had told President Joe Biden's administration that Israel would strike Iranian military targets, not nuclear or oil sites.
Baghaei, responding to a question about the possibility of Iran changing its official nuclear doctrine, said "weapons of mass destruction have no place in our policy". Tehran would decide on how and when to respond to any Israeli attack.
Israel, which has long accused Tehran of plans to develop nuclear weapons, regards Iran's nuclear activities as a threat. Tehran denies these accusations, insisting that its program is entirely peaceful.
Additionally, Israel’s former premier Naftali Bennett called for the country’s leaders to launch an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities as the Jewish state weighs its response to the barrage of 181 ballistic missiles.
Bennet slammed Biden who had called for a “proportionate” response, saying, "President Biden has said that Israel can retaliate against Iran, but must keep the response 'proportionate'. The president also urged Israel not to attack Iran’s nuclear program."
Moreover, prominent Israeli opposition lawmaker and former defense minister Avigdor Liberman also called on the government to use “all the tools” at its disposal to confront the threat of Iran’s nuclear program, tacitly suggesting that Israel should use a nuclear weapon against the Islamic Republic.
“In order to stop the Iranian nuclear program, which is already at weaponization stages, we must use all the tools at our disposal... It must be clear that, at this stage, it is impossible to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons via conventional means.”
Separately, Baghaei said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi would travel to Bahrain and Kuwait on Monday as part of Iran's efforts to curb regional tensions.
Since early October, Araghchi visited Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, and Oman, with the primary goal of mitigating an Israeli strike.
Iran also remains defiant on the issue of three Persian Gulf islands disputed by UAE, with Baghaei reaffirming that Tehran “has no doubt about its territorial integrity and sovereignty over the three islands” in the face of claims from Persian Gulf states and the European Union, which accuse Iran of occupying the islands.
Tensions with Europe were also highlighted during Baghaei’s briefing, as he accused European governments of escalating hostilities by failing to engage constructively with Tehran.
European nations have recently imposed sanctions on Iran, citing its nuclear activities and human rights abuses.
When asked about reports of Israeli military preparations, Baghaei downplayed media speculation but stressed Iran’s readiness to defend itself.
“Our focus will be on responding to any kind of malicious act,” he stated, without specifying potential countermeasures.
Iran's rhetoric and diplomatic outreach suggest that the Islamic Republic is bracing for a critical confrontation in its longstanding conflict with Israel.
