Khamenei sidestepped in Iran-Israel ceasefire decision

The United States has agreed to a proposal from Oman to host a new round of talks with Iran early next week, but Tehran has yet to give a final response, regional sources told Iran International.

"You can't establish democracy top down. It doesn't work," Yechiel Leiter said in a Washington DC town hall hosted by Iran International, when asked if Israel expected a regime change after its recent air strikes on Iran.

"We have created the backdrop. We've created the props on the stage, and hopefully they're enough for there to be capitalized upon and for change to be brought about," the Israeli ambassador told the town hall moderator Fardad Farahzad.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier told Iran International that the Israeli military campaign against Iran was giving its people a chance to topple the Islamic Republic, adding that the ruling system's days were numbered.

"A light has been lit—carry it to freedom,” Netanyahu said on June 16. “This is the time. Your hour of freedom is near—it’s happening now.”

Leiter said on Tuesday that Netanyahu spoke "with a tremendous passion and hope that the world will change and that the Iranian regime will change."

"That's a wish, but that can't be a military goal," he said. "Democracy is, in of itself, an expression of the people's will. So how can you ignore the people's will by forcing it?"

'World must join Israel'

The Israeli ambassador criticized other countries especially the Europeans for leaving the Jewish State alone in countering the Islamic Republic, saying it would be much easier for Iranian people to topple the Islamic Republic should other countries help Israel.

"Why is it that the Chancellor of Germany says 'Israel is doing the dirty work for all of us'? We're a tiny little country. Where's Germany? Where's England? England has a huge stake, huge history in your neck of the woods," Leiter said.

"They can feel an affinity for somebody who threatens an ally, like Israel. And it's not just Israel. Who created the sleeper cells in Europe? Why is there fear now in the United States, of sleeper cells? They have interfered with international waterways, with globalization, with maritime trade," he added.

Iran sent a communiqué to Trump in the days before the US air strikes on its nuclear facilities threatening to activate sleeper-cell terror inside America if it were attacked, NBC News reported on Sunday citing sources.

Eleven Iranian nationals, including a suspected former army sniper and an individual with admitted ties to Hezbollah, were arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over the weekend in what officials say is a broader crackdown on individuals with ties to Iran and potential national security risks.

The Israeli ambassador addressed the German chancellor and said, "You're absolutely right. We're doing the dirty work for the world, but it's about time that you helped us. And if they did, it would be a lot easier for the people of Iran."

"You have a minority government with its boot on the necks of, of good people, of innocent people, of tens of millions of people."

Surprises every day with Trump in office

The Israeli envoy said he was not surprised by Trump’s ceasefire proposal, as Israel’s military objectives in the war with Iran had been largely achieved by Tuesday morning when the ceasefire took effect.

He said working as a diplomat in Washington DC under President Trump feels like riding a roller coaster—with no idea when the next sharp turn is coming.

"You're on a roller coaster, and the only difference between Washington during the Trump administration and a roller coaster is that with the roller coaster, you know where the twists and turns are coming," he said.

"Here in Washington at the present time, you just don't know when the roller coaster is going to go sideways and you've got to hold on."

Trump on Monday night announced the unexpected ceasefire in the 12-day war between Iran and Israel via a post on his Truth Social platform, further fueling a sense of unpredictability surrounding US policy decisions.

Among the dead were Vahid Heidarpour and Rouhollah Tavassoli, who oversaw wards 4, 7 and 8 at various times and were known for managing inmates accused in financial and political cases, sources said.

“They had a reputation for exploiting detainees linked to powerful networks,” a source familiar with the prison told Iran International.

The pair died in the prison’s administrative block, where they were present during the strike alongside the deputy health chief and several guards.

Some inmates were also injured by shattered glass and blast waves, though authorities have not confirmed any prisoner fatalities.

“I saw 16 prison employees in body bags being loaded into ambulances,” a witness inside the facility said. “They plan to move political detainees to Fashafuyeh or to Saheli prison in Qom. The death toll is high. No debris has been cleared yet. Many soldiers were also killed, and female staff are among the dead.”

Twenty buses transported Evin Prison inmates to Fashafuyeh prison on Monday, eyewitnesses told Iran International.

Detainees from Ward 209, who include recent protest arrestees, were moved out after the strike.

Prisoners from Ward 4 were relocated by bus to Fashafuyeh without their belongings, according to a second source who confirmed reports of gunfire inside the prison following the Israeli strike.

The families were being held back from the scene, which was taken over by Basij and plainclothes agents, the source added.

Damage was concentrated in the visitors’ hall, the infirmary, and the intelligence wing of the prison, where electricity is now limited to emergency supply and water has been cut off.

Call for prisoners' release

Families of political prisoners have repeatedly called for their release following the onset of Israeli airstrikes.

Reza Valizadeh, an American-Iranian journalist held at Evin, said in a message on June 16 that political prisoners had petitioned for conditional release, which is permitted under wartime laws passed in 1986.

The rules exclude so-called dangerous criminals but allow temporary release for others whose lives may be at risk during emergencies.

The Monday strikes, carried out under the direct orders of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, focused on “regime targets and government repression bodies,” according to the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

Command centers of the Tharallah base, the Seyyed al-Shohada Corps, and the intelligence directorate of Iran’s police force were also struck in what Israeli officials called the most extensive operation of its kind.

“The regime is collapsing. This is the weakest it has ever been since coming to power,” Reza Pahlavi told Iran International. “Even their own insiders, from the military and intelligence sectors, are telling us it’s falling apart.”

Pahlavi emphasized that this moment could become “a historic opportunity” for Iranians. “The people who have suffered under the bombs and the regime’s neglect still hope this pain will lead to the birth of a free and desirable government that they deserve.”

The exiled crown prince made the remarks in an interview with Iran International’s Morad Vaisi, amid an Israeli military campaign against the Islamic Republic and a day after US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

No need for foreign boots or money

Pahlavi rejected any suggestion that foreign powers should shape Iran’s future. “We don’t want your boots or your money. What we need is recognition that the solution is the Iranian people—not negotiations with the regime.”

"The world will see that it’s in their own interest to get behind this cause—so that Iran becomes the country that brings stability, order, peace, and security to the region."

The exiled prince expressed sorrow over damage caused to national infrastructure, including air bases and the American F-14s and F-5s bought during his father's rule before 1979, but laid the blame squarely on the Islamic Republic.

“This war is not the people’s war. It’s Khamenei’s war. And the price is being paid by the Iranian people,” he said.

He called on military and security personnel to defect. “The sooner they break away from this regime, the faster we can stop this destruction,” he said.

“These bases and infrastructures can be rebuilt—for the people, not for a regime that used them to fund its nuclear and proxy wars.”

Internet blackout

It has been four days that the Iranian people have lost their access to the internet, and the country has remained largely offline, according to the internet observatory NetBlocks.

Pahlavi said that the Islamic Republic has shut down the people's access to the internet because it fears its own citizens more than foreign attack.

"After 72 hours, diminished telecoms continue to impact the public's ability to stay informed and in touch with loved ones," Netblocks said.

The exiled prince said the internet blackout "is a sign of panic—not strength.”

“When the Supreme Leader hides like a rat in a hole and his family prepares to flee the country, it’s clear they know the end is near."

No civil war, no summary executions

Responding to concerns about post-collapse chaos, Pahlavi said, “We are not Iraq or Afghanistan. We are a nation with millennia of unity. If there’s rule of law and justice, there will be no anarchy.”

On the day after the Islamic Republic falls, he promised a lawful transition. “Unlike 1979, there will be no summary executions. Transitional justice experts are working to ensure fair trials. Everyone will have the right to defend themselves.”

He made clear that soldiers who join the people now will be part of rebuilding the country. “We will not repeat 1979. This time, we’re building a democratic system, one that guarantees equal rights for all Iranians—regardless of religion, ethnicity, or belief.”

Israel hopes the United States will knock out Iran's underground nuclear site Fordow with its superior firepower but may try alone within days while military gains and global opinion allow, two Israeli security sources told Iran International.

The two sources still viewed joint action alongside the United States as the most likely scenario, within 48-72 hours at most.

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