Israel and the US could launch a new war if Iran attempts to resume uranium enrichment, a former Iranian official warned Friday, less than two months after a US-brokered truce ended a 12-day war between Iran and Israel.
The hacking group, known as “Handala,” is tied to the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence’s Domestic Security Directorate and operates as part of a broader cyber unit known as “Banished Kitten” — also referred to as Storm-0842 or Dune.
This unit falls under the supervision of Yahya Hosseini Panjaki, the ministry’s deputy for domestic security. Panjaki was sanctioned by the United States in 2024 over alleged plots to assassinate Iranian dissidents abroad, a few months after his identity was exposed by Iran International.
The broadcaster said the latest findings show that the July cyber operation was intended to intimidate journalists and disrupt their work, with the group publishing personal documents, private images, and screenshots from an editorial meeting.
According to information obtained by Iran International, one of the identified operatives is Ali Bermoudeh, a 27-year-old from Tabriz who runs an online store and has previously worked with Iran’s cyber police (FATA).
One source said that "Bermoudeh is an amateur hacker whose passwords for many of his main accounts are simply his date of birth. All his user credentials with that same password are stored with one service provider."
According to the source, he has been gathering user data for security agencies since his teenage years, and he is connected to the network through his father Mousa Bermoudeh, a provincial official with the state-affiliated Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs and a decorated IRGC Basij member.
The group also includes Morteza Aftabifar, said to be Bermoudeh’s handler within the Ministry of Intelligence.
Both men are from Tabriz, as is Panjaki, who heads the larger project within which the cyber unit operates.
Panjaki is described as part of a newer generation of intelligence managers trusted by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with a background in political science from Azad University of Tabriz. He also founded a “Qassem Soleimani Headquarters” within the ministry, coordinating with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on overseas operations, the channel has learned.
In July, Iran International confirmed that leaked materials published by Iranian state outlets came from earlier hacks in summer 2024 and January 2025, which it attributed to Banished Kitten.
The channel said the hackers may have installed malware via compromised Telegram accounts. “These cyberattacks are part of a broader campaign of threats targeting Iran International, including physical threats against our staff.”
Iran International, which reports on events in Iran and the wider region, said its staff had faced sustained harassment since the channel was founded in 2017, including threats of assassination and kidnapping, physical assaults, online abuse, and hacking.
British lawmakers have accused Iran of engaging in “transnational repression” on UK soil, citing assassination plots, intimidation of family members, asset freezes, smear campaigns, and cyberattacks.
Lawyers for the broadcaster’s staff say 45 journalists and 315 of their relatives have been threatened in recent weeks, with death threats issued if they did not resign by set deadlines.
The channel has also been the focus of physical threats: in 2023 a man was convicted under terrorism laws after filming outside its premises, and in 2024 a presenter was stabbed in London.
Iran International said earlier in August that it had filed an urgent appeal to United Nations experts over “serious risks to the lives and safety” of its journalists worldwide and their relatives inside Iran.
US-based advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) called on Washington and its European allies to confront Iran’s transnational repression, which it says has escalated since the start of a 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state media that Armenian leaders had engaged in direct consultations with Iranian officials in recent days to explain recent developments.
“Prime Minister [Nikol] Pashinyan spoke with our president, their foreign minister called me, and the deputy foreign minister of Armenia came to Tehran,” he said. “The Armenians insist on briefing us and have told us they will observe all of Iran’s red lines regarding Zangezur.”
Last week, US President Donald Trump brokered a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which gives Washington leasing rights to develop the Zangezur transit route connecting Azerbaijan with its exclave, Nakhchivan. It will be renamed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP).
Araghchi said the situation that has emerged is very different from earlier proposals. “It is natural that the full dimensions of the Zangezur issue are not yet completely clear,” he said. “But what the surface of the matter shows, and what the Armenians are telling us, is that what has happened is worlds apart from what was supposed to happen — a change in the geopolitical map of the region.”
He recalled that initial discussions had involved the seizure of Armenia’s Syunik province, followed by the creation of a corridor. “We expressed our serious concerns, and that project was shelved.”
According to Araghchi, the current plan involves “an American company registered in Armenia under Armenian law, operating under Armenian sovereignty, to build the road.”
He added, “I am not saying what is happening is without concern. Based on what Armenian officials have told us, this road will be established by an American company registered under Armenian law and under Armenian sovereignty. They tell us they have respected and paid attention to all of Iran’s red lines in this matter.”
Rejecting claims that the project would make Iran a neighbor of NATO, Araghchi said Tehran had conveyed its concerns about any foreign presence to both Azerbaijan and Armenia.
“A US engineering company is to carry out the work, but there will be no American forces stationed at the Iran-Armenia border,” he said.
"Security will be provided by Armenia itself, and even private American companies will not be allowed to provide security. These are the statements from Armenian officials — of course, we will maintain the necessary vigilance.”
Iran’s president will travel to Yerevan next week, Armenian media reported this week, citing the country’s economy ministry.
“Enrichment without an agreement means war—and even with an agreement, it is currently impractical,” Qassem Mohebali, former director general for the Middle East and North Africa at Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Rouydad 24 website.
"The only solution is to temporarily suspend this right until a deal is reached.”
Last month, Iran's foreign minister insisted Tehran would not give up enrichment and the United States has no way to end it militarily, after US President Donald Trump vowed to wipe out Iran's nuclear sites again if it revived its activities.
"All should know that we Iranians have NOT BOUGHT our PEACEFUL nuclear program; we have BUILT IT WITH BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS," Araghchi posted on X in late July.
This statement followed sharp criticism from US President Donald Trump, who called such a position “stupid” and vowed to prevent that from happening.
"They still talk about enrichment. I mean, who would do that? You just come out of something that's so bad, and they talk about, we want to continue enrichment. Who would say that? How stupid can you be to say that?" Trump said.
Is enrichment Iran's right?
While Iran insists that enrichment is its right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Mohebali says the right to enrichment and its actual implementation are different.
"The NPT doesn’t explicitly grant a ‘right to enrichment’, it only permits peaceful nuclear technology use, which doesn’t necessarily include enrichment."
“Iran could be granted this right but choose not to exercise it until an agreement is reached. At present, enrichment seems neither feasible nor open for discussion,” Mohebali added.
On June 22, Trump ordered airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites at Fordow, Esfahan, and Natanz, capping off a surprise Israeli military campaign that killed hundreds of people, including military personnel, nuclear scientists, and civilians.
Mohebali also warned that Iran's failure to reach a deal with world powers over its disputed nuclear program may lead to the return of UN sanctions which could itself escalate tensions.
“The return of UN Security Council sanctions—particularly Resolution 1929—would allow the United States, Israel, and Europe to impose official sanctions and carry out actions such as inspecting planes, ships, trains, or individuals. Such actions could themselves lead to war,” he said.
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence issued secret guidance warning this week to ministries and major companies to prepare for the likely return of punishing United Nations sanctions.
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have warned that they are prepared to trigger the so-called “snapback” mechanism by the end of August if Tehran fails to reach a diplomatic solution.
The snapback mechanism, part of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), allows any party to the accord to file a complaint accusing Iran of non-compliance.
If no resolution is reached within 30 days, all previous UN sanctions would automatically “snap back,” including arms embargoes, cargo inspections, and missile restrictions.
