Iran International
An Iranian official at United Nations on Friday denied that the country detains journalists or civil society figures, even as a rights group reported nearly 400 cases of judicial and security actions targeting journalists and media outlets last year.
The appointment of Michael Dimino as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East is seen by some observers in Tehran as an indication of a possible recalibration in US policy toward Tehran.
Esmaeil Khatib, Iran’s Intelligence Minister, dismissed the notion of productive negotiations with the US, citing previous instances where, according to him, Washington failed to uphold its commitments.
“The Islamic Revolution has extensive experience with these negotiations, a prominent example being the JCPOA. Negotiations held in Oman, as well as those concerning our assets in Qatar and South Korea, all reveal that the Americans have not fulfilled their promises in any of them,” Khatib told ILNA, referencing the 2015 nuclear deal.
He repeated his staunch opposition to what he called imposed negotiations, adding, “Anyone who is truthful will earn the respect of Iran, Islam, and the Revolution for their honesty, and wherever there is deceit, arrogance, hostility, and oppression, Iran will resist.”
Clerics Echo Anti-US Sentiment
Tehran’s Friday prayers featured strong rebukes of US policies. Ahmad Khatami, a senior ultra-conservative cleric, invoked Iran’s ideological opposition to Washington, saying, “The late leader Khomeini called the US the Great Satan. The Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has reiterated this stance numerous times.”
Khatami argued that the US’s primary aim in seeking talks was to undermine the Islamic Republic, adding, “The US seeks negotiations as a means to confront the Revolution.”
Ahmad Alamolhoda, Mashhad’s hardliner Friday Prayer Leader, also criticized domestic advocates for dialogue with the West, asking, “With whom do you wish to negotiate? With defeated elements who have sunk to such humiliation?”
Dovish Dimino?
While Iranian hardliners reject overtures from Washington, moderate voices within the country have pointed to potential openings under Trump’s renewed tenure.
Fararu, a relatively moderate Iranian news outlet, highlighted comments by VP for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif, who expressed hope for a more rational approach from Trump.
The outlet noted that recent changes in Trump’s foreign policy team, including Dimino’s appointment, could signal an interest in diplomacy.
Dimino’s stance on the Middle East contrasts with more forceful policies. He has opposed preemptive military strikes on Iran, called for reducing the US military footprint in the region, and emphasized diplomacy as a solution to conflicts.
This Department of Defense official has said that the US should significantly reduce its troop presence in the region and shut down its military bases in Iraq and Syria.
Dimino had described US strikes on the Houthis as lacking deterrent value. He also called for a reassessment of the US presence in the Persian Gulf.
"Iranian power remains both exaggerated and misunderstood. Its economy continues to underperform, and its conventional military is antiquated and untested. Tehran simply doesn’t have the financial capital or hard power capabilities to dominate the Middle East or directly threaten core US interests," he wrote in a 2023 article.
He has repeatedly warned that Israeli attacks on Iran and the Islamic Republic’s proxy forces increase the risks to US forces in the region.
Critics, however, argue that his affiliation with the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft —a think tank known for promoting restraint in US foreign policy—raises concerns about the administration’s commitment to Israel.
Pro-Israel figures, such as commentator Mark Levin, have criticized Dimino’s views, citing his opposition to US defensive support for Israel against Hezbollah. Others view his appointment as a potential indicator that Trump is exploring non-military options in dealing with Tehran.
US-Iran relations have been fraught since Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the JCPOA, a decision that intensified sanctions and strained Tehran’s economy.
Tensions peaked in January 2020, when a US drone strike killed IRGC Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, an event that both nations view as a turning point in their confrontation.
As Trump’s administration implements a renewed maximum pressure campaign, debates persist about the feasibility of US-Iran diplomacy.
"In Iran, nobody would be detained due to his professional activities, like the media, like the civil society," Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy minister for international and legal affairs at the ministry of foreign affairs told the 48th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on Friday.
He also dismissed UN Special Rapporteur’s reports on Iran, arguing that they fail to reflect the realities of human rights in the country and rely on incorrect information and unreliable sources with a biased approach and political motivations.
Gharibabadi did not clarify which sources or organizations Iran considers credible, adding only that Iran views the appointment of a UN Special Rapporteur on the country as "an act based on continuous political mobilization against Iran", orchestrated by certain member states of the Human Rights Council.
Over the past year, many independent non-governmental organizations have expressed concern over its rights abuses including its ongoing crackdown on journalists.
Iran’s press freedom ranking remains among the worst globally, with Reporters Without Borders placing the country 176th out of 180 in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index.
Earlier this month, Defending Free Flow of Information (DeFFI), a non-profit which monitors and documents press freedom in Iran said in its annual report it documented 385 judicial and security actions targeting at least 256 journalists and media outlets in 2024.
Among these, 36 journalists and media activists were arrested, and 11 served prison sentences totaling 69 years and 10 months. Penalties included flogging with 110 lashes and fines.
The report outlined a deliberate pattern of repression, correlating significant waves of arrests and prosecutions with major political events, including the death of former president Ebrahim Raisi, the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria and tensions between Iran and Israel.
DeFFI said Iran’s judicial and security bodies systematically used charges such as “dissemination of falsehoods aimed at disturbing public opinion” to stifle dissent and enforce self-censorship among journalists.
The repression disproportionately impacted female journalists, with 40 women facing judicial and security actions, including arrests, prison sentences, and professional bans. Three female journalists received five-year prison terms, among the harshest sentences issued in 2024.
While Gharibabadi denied the existence of ethnic minorities in Iran on Friday, DeFFI’s report said the Islamic Republic also intensified media suppression outside Tehran, particularly in provinces with significant ethnic minority populations, such as Khuzestan, Sistan and Baluchestan, and Kurdistan.
DeFFI reported that judicial action against journalists in these areas contributed to a growing “news desert” depriving citizens of reliable, independent information.
