A small bomb detonated outside the municipality building of Robat Karim in Tehran province on Tuesday evening, causing a loud blast but no injuries or significant damage, according to the county governor.
Authorities are investigating the explosion that occurred outside the municipality headquarters, Reza Aghaalikhani told Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Tasnim News, adding that the incident caused no casualties or serious material losses.
He said the device was “probably a sound bomb,” a type of low-impact explosive used mainly to create noise rather than destruction.
The official added that the blast triggered a loud shockwave that prompted the immediate deployment of security and emergency teams to the scene.
Technical and forensic examinations were underway to determine the type of device used and whether any group or individual was behind the explosion, according to the local governor.
No arrests or claims of responsibility have been reported so far. However, similar incidents have happened before mainly as acts of protest against the Islamic Republic.
Last week, Iran's Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of Manouchehr Fallah, a 42-year-old laborer from northern Iran for allegedly detonating a small sound bomb outside a local courthouse in Gilan province.
The explosion caused minor damage estimated at 150 million Iranian rials or about $138 to a metal door and the building's stone facade. No injuries were reported, and public services were not disrupted.
Authorities have charged him with "moharebeh" or war against God, a charge that carries the death penalty.
Videos received by Iran International show large crowds attending Sarlak’s burial in Lorestan province, chanting “Death to Khamenei” and “Death to the dictator.”
Others cried, “We will kill whoever killed my brother,” and “This flower that has withered is a gift to the homeland.”
Several mourners recited verses from the Shahnameh -- the Persian national epic written by the 10th-century poet Ferdowsi, which celebrates heroism and resistance to tyranny -- comparing Sarlak’s courage to that of ancient Persian heroes.
Sarlak’s father appeared in a widely shared video at the site where his son’s body was found, saying, “They killed my champion here.” Another man in the clip can be heard saying Sarlak was “surrounded and shot.”
The funeral followed comments from Ali Asadollahi, the police commander of Aligoudarz, who said on Sunday that the body of a young man had been discovered inside a car near Arsalan Goodarzi Stadium, adding that he “took his own life with a handgun.”
Authorities did not identify the victim, but social media users soon named him as Sarlak and accused officials of pressuring the family to endorse the suicide narrative.
A final act of defiance
Before his death, Sarlak had posted videos on Instagram showing a burning photo of Khamenei with an archival recording of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi’s voice playing over it.
In another story tagged “Death to Khamenei,” he wrote: “How long should we endure humiliation, poverty, and being ridden over? This is the moment to show yourself, young people. These clerics are nothing but a stream for Iran’s youth to cross.”
Activists described Sarlak as a patriotic youth and said he was “killed under torture by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry” hours after sharing the video.
Another user wrote he had been “arrested by the IRGC Intelligence Organization and his bruised, tortured body was later returned to his family.”
Iran International cannot independently verify those remarks. Judicial and security authorities have not provided clarification on the circumstances of his death, and the lack of transparency has intensified public skepticism.
In recent years, officials have repeatedly attributed suspicious deaths to suicide -- a statement widely doubted by the public, who often use the phrase “he was suicided” to express disbelief.
One such case was that of former political prisoner Sara Tabrizi, found dead at her parents’ home last year after pressure from security forces.
Iran’s Supreme Court annulled the death sentences of Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri, Pejman Soltani, Ali (Soran) Ghasemi, Kaveh Salehi, and Tayfur Salimi Babamiri, five Kurdish citizens from Boukan detained during the 2022 anti-government protests.
The Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported Saturday that Branch 39 of the Supreme Court reviewed the appeal filed by the defendants’ lawyers and referred the case back to the Mahabad Revolutionary Court for retrial.
In July, the Urmia Revolutionary Court had sentenced Babamiri and Ghasemi to three death sentences each, Soltani and Salehi to two each, and Salimi to one. They were charged with baghi (armed rebellion), moharebeh (enmity against God), and forming a rebel group.
Attorney Atman Mazin, representing Babamiri, said his client and 13 others were arrested after protests in Boukan and held in “very harsh conditions.” Nine others in the same case received prison and fine sentences.
Salimi was released in September 2023 after 18 months of pretrial detention and has since left Iran, while the other four remain imprisoned in Urmia.
Mazin noted that the trial violated due process — defendants were denied access to family, lawyers, and medical care, and some hearings were held without all accused present. He added that the alleged crimes were not legally proven.
Babamiri, who was arrested for providing medicine and treatment to wounded protesters, wrote from prison that he endured 130 days of torture, including simulated executions, electric shocks, and suffocation.
According to his lawyer, the Supreme Court cited procedural flaws and the lack of local jurisdiction as grounds for overturning the sentences, sending the case to a new competent court.
Mazin expressed hope that “the new prosecutor and court will uphold the law and ensure fair proceedings.”
He added that last week a criminal court in West Azerbaijan acquitted the same defendants of “terrorism financing” through medical aid distribution, though appeals on other sentences are still pending.
Amnesty International warned on October 16 that more than 1,000 people have been executed in Iran so far in 2025, many following unfair trials aimed at silencing dissent.
The rights group urged UN member states to take immediate action, calling the executions “a shocking spree” averaging four per day.
Speaking during a visit to West Azarbaijan province, Pezeshkian acknowledged that raising fuel prices is unavoidable to address Iran’s worsening energy shortages but cautioned that any decision would require “careful planning” to avoid deepening economic hardship.
“There is no question that gasoline must become more expensive,” he said, according to state media. “But it is not a simple decision. We cannot act overnight or create more difficulties for people.”
His comments came amid intensifying debate over Tehran’s plans to introduce a new pricing system aimed at curbing soaring fuel consumption and smuggling.
Over the past two weeks, Iranian media have reported that the government is reviewing several reform scenarios, including multiple pricing tiers and possible changes to fuel quotas.
Last week, Khaneh Eghtesad published what it said was a leaked cabinet decree outlining a roadmap for “gradual correction” of gasoline prices. The government initially denied the report but later confirmed that the issue was under study by cabinet working groups.
Cabinet secretary Kamal Taghavi-Nejad said this week that fuel reform had been discussed but “no final decision” had been taken. A lawmaker, Amirhossein Sabeti, said the debate over introducing three fuel price tiers had become serious in parliament.
Energy officials say domestic gasoline consumption has surged well beyond refining capacity, forcing costly imports and draining subsidies that analysts estimate at more than $30 billion annually.
Pezeshkian has pledged to overhaul Iran’s energy subsidy system, arguing that maintaining the current artificially low prices is unsustainable. “Even water costs more than gasoline in Iran,” he said earlier this week.
The last major fuel price hike in November 2019 sparked nationwide protests that were met with a violent crackdown. Rights groups and Reuters reported that at least 1,500 people were killed.
Officials have since stressed that any future reform would be gradual and paired with compensation measures for low-income households. The administration insists it will not repeat the sudden price shock of 2019.
Economists warn that aligning prices with real production costs could sharply raise inflation but may also help reduce smuggling and waste. The government is expected to unveil its energy reform framework before submitting next year’s budget in December.
