Latest news with #NargesMohammadi
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
What is next in the Israel-Iran war?
When Israel launched its war against Iran on June 13, it went for an assassination spree in Tehran. Israeli strikes killed Iran's armed forces chief, the commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards, other top generals and at least half a dozen nuclear scientists. Even though Israel's declared objective was to dismantle Iran's nuclear programme, the strikes were aimed at decapitating the Iranian state. In the subsequent days, Israel continued to carry out targeted killings. But if Israel thought such killings would blunt Iran's capability to hit back, it was mistaken. Iran recovered swiftly from the June 13 shock and replaced the assassinated commanders with new ones. Tehran launched its counterattacks on the same day, firing hundreds of ballistic missiles into Israel and hitting multiple locations, including an oil refinery in Haifa, the premier Weizmann Institute of Sciences near Tel Aviv and the Soroka hospital in Beersheba. On day three of the war, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that they have complete aerial superiority over Tehran's skies. The IDF also said they had destroyed at least 'one-third' of Iran's missile launchers, while defence officials told local media that relentless air strikes degraded Tehran's counterattack capability. But Iran kept firing dozens of ballistic missiles every day, overwhelming Israel's defence systems. On June 18, an unnamed American official told the Wall Street Journal that Israel was running low on its advanced Arrow missile interceptors. The official said the U.S. was also 'burning through' its interceptors to defend Israel. And on June 19 morning, Iran launched another massive strike, hitting multiple locations, including the Soroka hospital. Air war of attrition? As both sides continue to trade fire, there are questions on where the conflict is headed. Iran has suffered huge losses. But the government seems to be demonstrating resilience despite the setbacks. Several voices within Iran that were critical of the government and the clergy, including Nobel Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, came out against Israel's war. Israel has operational freedom in Iran's skies, but Iran, which is 75 times bigger than Israel in terms of landmass, possesses thousands of ballistic missiles. Israel wants to destroy Iran's nuclear programme, but it lacks the kind of bunker buster bombs it needs to even attempt to destroy Iran's most fortified nuclear facilities. If an air war of attrition continues, Israel's missile defence systems could come under greater pressure. Israeli officials are pressing the U.S. to join the war, according to American media. U.S. President Donald Trump has already demanded an 'unconditional surrender' from Iran. White House officials say Mr. Trump has not taken a final call, while there are dissenting voices against the U.S. joining Israel's war, even from Mr. Trump's rightwing MAGA base. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has ruled out 'surrender', and warned of 'consequences' if the U.S. joined the war. This means, Mr. Trump's next decision would decide the course of the war. One option before Mr. Trump is to rein in Mr. Netanyahu, who launched the war, and bring it to an end. Iran has said it will stop firing missiles if Israel stops the strikes. But if Mr. Netanyahu stops strikes now, with the Iranian government and its nuclear programme still standing, it will be considered a defeat. But if he continues to strike Iran and Iran keeps hitting back, he will be under greater pressure at home. Hence, the focus shifts to the U.S. If the U.S. joins the war, it would be a major setback for Iran, which until now carefully avoided targeting American bases in the region. Even the Shia militias in Iraq were restrained. But if the U.S. starts striking Iran along with Israel, Tehran is likely to dramatically escalate its responses. Iran's options Iran has warned that it would target American bases in the region. The U.S. has some 40,000 soldiers deployed in West Asia. Iran's first target could be American bases in Iraq — a country where Iran has also built a strong network of Shia militias (Hashd al Shaabi). If the U.S. uses its bases in the Gulf to attack Iran, Tehran could target those bases, located across the Persian Gulf, triggering an all-out cross-Gulf conflict. Another option, according to Behnam Saeedi, a member of the Iranian Parliament National Security Committee presidium, is to shut the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow strait that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman which opens into the Arabian Sea. Roughly 20% all oil trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz. If Iran's Navy closes or mines the Strait, it would significantly impact global oil trade leading to a jump in prices. Houhis, the rebels in Yemen who control much of the country including Sana'a, the capital, could resume targeting oil tankers in the Red Sea and Bab an Mandeb, another narrow strait that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, which opens into the Arabian Sea. A third option for Iran is to abandon the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and cut off cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA assesses that Iran enriches uranium to up to 60%, a technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. But the agency has not provided any evidence to suggest that Iran is building a bomb. U.S. intelligence agencies assessed in March 2025 that Iran did not have an active nuclear weapons programme. But if Iran leaves the NPT and its obligations, it is, in theory, free to pursue a weaponisation programme. For example, North Korea left the NPT in 2003 and tested a nuclear bomb in 2006. But one dilemma Iran faces is that all the options available – hitting American bases, shutting down Strait of Hormuz or withdrawing from the NPT — will only escalate the war further. Iran will likely face a heavier military response from the U.S. As of now, there are no off-ramps.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Exclusive: Iranian Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi Calls for Ceasefire
A portrait of Narges Mohammadi in Tehran on Feb. 5, 2025. Credit - Elham Abbasloo—Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has long fought for freedom and human rights, even at the expense of her own. With her country now at war with Israel, Mohammadi called on her fellow activists to band together and call for a ceasefire. In an exclusive message to TIME from Iran, Mohammadi said that the outbreak of war, which began in the early morning of June 13, has forced millions of Iranians to leave their homes and caused damages to 'critical national infrastructure,' compounding an economic crisis its citizens already bore the brunt of. Mohammadi herself has left Tehran. 'The scale of destruction already resembles that of a months-long conflict,' Mohammadi writes. Read More: A New Middle East Is Unfolding Before Our Eyes Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her women's rights advocacy in Iran. She is known for helping imprisoned activists, leading a campaign against the death penalty, and openly criticizing the Iranian regime's use of torture and sexualized violence. She has been arrested several times for her work, and sentenced to more than 36 years. Mohammadi was in prison when she became the Nobel Prize recipient in 2023, but she was furloughed in December 2024 for medical reasons. Mohammadi called on other Nobel laureates 'to use all your individual, collective, and institutional capacities to amplify the call of 'No to War' and support our urgent plea for a ceasefire and an end to this war.' Earlier, Mohammadi told the BBC that she could possibly return to prison for speaking publicly against the war, but she said she's 'not worried.' Mohammadi, alongside fellow Nobel laureate Shirin Ehbadi and other prominent Iranian voices, wrote an op-ed earlier this week demanding a halt to Iran's uranium enrichment program and an end to the attacks. Israel launched an attack on Iran saying it intends to stop the country from achieving the capability of producing a nuclear weapon. Hundreds are believed to have been killed in the strikes on Iran, which has retaliated by firing missiles into Israel, killing at least 24. Read Mohammadi's full statement below. To the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Human Rights Orgs, people of the world peace lovers, I urge you to take action to stop the war between Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Six days have passed since the beginning of this horrific war. The violence is accelerating at a devastating pace, and the scale of destruction already resembles that of a months-long conflict. The growing fear that Israel may attack the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities adds terrifying uncertainty to the war. Millions of Iranian citizens have fled their homes. Amid crushing economic hardship and soaring inflation, they are unable to afford basic daily expenses and have sought refuge in other cities. The targeting of critical national infrastructure, the rising number of casualties, and the threat to evacuate the capital, Tehran, are deeply alarming. I call on you—Nobel Peace Prize laureates—to use all your individual, collective, and institutional capacities to amplify the call of 'No to War' and support our urgent plea for a ceasefire and an end to this war. Let us rise together to form a united, global front for the right to peace. The scope of war expands by the day. Its fire will not remain confined to the lands directly involved—it will cross borders and engulf the entire world. War casts a dark shadow over humanity's future—a darkness that cannot easily be erased from the eyes of humankind. Let us stand together—loudly, clearly—for peace and for an end to war. I demand an immediate halt to the war and the declaration of a ceasefire. — Narges Mohammadi 18th June 2025 Contact us at letters@
Time Magazine
a day ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Exclusive: Iranian Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi Calls for Israel-Iran Ceasefire
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has long fought for freedom and human rights, even at the expense of her own. With her country now at war with Israel, Mohammadi called on her fellow activists to band together and call for a ceasefire. In an exclusive message to TIME from Iran, Mohammadi said that the outbreak of war, which began in the early morning of June 13, has forced millions of Iranians to leave their homes and caused damages to 'critical national infrastructure,' compounding an economic crisis its citizens already bore the brunt of. Mohammadi herself has left Tehran. 'The scale of destruction already resembles that of a months-long conflict,' Mohammadi writes. Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her women's rights advocacy in Iran. She is known for helping imprisoned activists, leading a campaign against the death penalty, and openly criticizing the Iranian regime's use of torture and sexualized violence. She has been arrested several times for her work, and sentenced to more than 36 years. Mohammadi was in prison when she became the Nobel Prize recipient in 2023, but she was furloughed in December 2024 for medical reasons. Mohammadi called on other Nobel laureates 'to use all your individual, collective, and institutional capacities to amplify the call of 'No to War' and support our urgent plea for a ceasefire and an end to this war.' Earlier, Mohammadi told the BBC that she could possibly return to prison for speaking publicly against the war, but she said she's ' not worried.' Mohammadi, alongside fellow Nobel laureate Shirin Ehbadi and other prominent Iranian voices, wrote an op-ed earlier this week demanding a halt to Iran's uranium enrichment program and an end to the attacks. Israel launched an attack on Iran saying it intends to stop the country from achieving the capability of producing a nuclear weapon. Hundreds are believed to have been killed in the strikes on Iran, which has retaliated by firing missiles into Israel, killing at least 24. Read Mohammadi's full statement below. To the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Human Rights Orgs, people of the world peace lovers, I urge you to take action to stop the war between Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Six days have passed since the beginning of this horrific war. The violence is accelerating at a devastating pace, and the scale of destruction already resembles that of a months-long conflict. The growing fear that Israel may attack the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities adds terrifying uncertainty to the war. Millions of Iranian citizens have fled their homes. Amid crushing economic hardship and soaring inflation, they are unable to afford basic daily expenses and have sought refuge in other cities. The targeting of critical national infrastructure, the rising number of casualties, and the threat to evacuate the capital, Tehran, are deeply alarming. I call on you—Nobel Peace Prize laureates—to use all your individual, collective, and institutional capacities to amplify the call of 'No to War' and support our urgent plea for a ceasefire and an end to this war. Let us rise together to form a united, global front for the right to peace. The scope of war expands by the day. Its fire will not remain confined to the lands directly involved—it will cross borders and engulf the entire world. War casts a dark shadow over humanity's future—a darkness that cannot easily be erased from the eyes of humankind. Let us stand together—loudly, clearly—for peace and for an end to war.
The Wire
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Iranian Activists, Nobel Laureates Call For Ceasefire With Israel, Islamic Republic to Step Down
New Delhi: Days after Israel began its devastating air strikes across Iran, in which 224 people have reportedly been killed – and after Iran began its retaliatory strikes that have killed 14 in Israel – prominent Iranian activists, filmmakers and Nobel Laureates have urged for a ceasefire and the cessation of Iran's uranium enrichment programme, and demanded Iran's 'authoritarian regime' to step statement, shared on the X handle of the jailed Iranian human rights activis t and Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi, has been signed by Cannes-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi, Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, Iranian lawyers Sadiqeh Vasmaghi and Abdolfattah Soltani, and Mohammadi an op-ed in the French daily Le Monde and in Persian on X, the statement calls for an 'end to the devastating war between the Islamic Republic and the ruling regime in Israel – a war that not only destroys infrastructure and the lives of civilians in both territories but also poses a clear threat to the foundations of human civilisation.'فعالان مدنی ایرانی خواهان توقف غنیسازی اورانیوم توسط جمهوری اسلامی و توقف جنگ و حملات نظامی به زیرساختهای حیاتی هر دو کشور و کشتار غیرنظامیان شدند.ما، امضاکنندگان این بیانیه، با تأکید قاطع بر حفظ تمامیت ارضی ایران و حق حاکمیت واقعی مردم، خواهان توقف غنی سازی اورانیوم توسط…— Narges Mohammadi | نرگس محمدی (@nargesfnd) June 16, 2025The statement asserts that uranium enrichment is against the interests of the Iranian population and serves nobody except the 'ambitions of the Islamic Republic'.'Iran and its people should not be sacrificed for uranium enrichment and the ambitions of the Islamic Republic,' it activists called upon the UN and the international community to compel Tehran to give up its uranium enrichment programme and force both sides to stop military attacks 'on each other's vital infrastructure, as well as to end the killing of civilians in both territories.'Furthermore, the activists demanded an end to the Islamic Republic and suggested that it cannot resolve Iran's internal and external conflicts. The 'best path to save the people of Iran,' they said, 'is the resignation of the Islamic Republic's ruling establishment and the facilitation of a transition from the Islamic Republic to democracy.'Some Iranians and commentators on politics in West Asia have questioned the statement's timing and Mahsa Amrabadi, who was sentenced to two years in prison in Iran in 2009, noted that the statement makes no mention of who started the aggression and pins the blame on Iran.'The logical conclusion of such a statement is to accept the legitimacy of the attack, especially when civilian infrastructure and lives of ordinary Iranians are being targeted,' she wrote, calling such statements agents of Israel's hegemonic plans.'I am ashamed to have once known signatories on this list, who essentially call for Iran to subjugate itself to the demands of the most violent and powerful empire in world history. They have chosen a side, and it is the side of death and annihilation,' wrote law professor and legal historian Nina Farnia.'I have tremendous respect for Mohammadi and her co-signatories, but Iranian civil society leaders cannot in good conscience instrumentalise Israel's attacks to accelerate the end of the Islamic Republic,' wrote Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Time Magazine
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
The Future of Iran Belongs Only to its People
'Do you think I'll get to see Iran again?' The question hangs in the air—quiet, fragile, heavy, with longing. My father asks it in the twilight of his life, as he battles the cancer that seeks to weaken him. It is not his voice alone I hear, but the echo of millions: those who fled the land they loved, and those who remain behind, still waiting for the day Iran might be Iran again. He fled to London in the aftermath of the 1979 revolution, narrowly escaping the noose of a theocracy that replaced a fallen monarch. My father served this monarchy with loyalty, believing that for all its faults as an autocracy, it was modernizing, socially liberal, and politically reformable: the very antithesis of the Islamic Republic. Once my father left Iran, he never returned. In exile, he bore witness to a regime that mercilessly imprisoned, tortured, and murdered. A regime that severed him from his soil, but could not break his hope. And what of the others? Those who stayed. Our families and loved ones. Those who endured the lash of repression and five decades of near constant insecurity. They too ask: When will we reclaim our country from this long dark night? I grew up between the nostalgia of a homeland lost, and the reality of exile. The chants outside the Islamic Republic embassy, the clatter of Persian tea glasses at gatherings of dissidents in our cramped government housing, the news of bombings and assassinations that stole friends and fellow dreamers. That haunting blend of sorrow and defiance shaped us. And now, as war darkens our skies, we feel it again: sorrow for the innocent, hope for the fall of the tormentors. When speaking with civil society leaders inside Iran, it seems few Iranians squarely blame foreign hands for this war. Although there is a diversity of voices in any country, many Iranians ultimately believe that the Islamic Republic was never a guardian of the nation, but a keeper of its own revolution. Even its Revolutionary Guards bear no name of Iran—only of a violent ideology that devours its children and invites war upon them. In a joint statement, Iran's Nobel laureates Narges Mohammadi and Shirin Ebadi, filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, and civil society voices urged world leaders to halt uranium enrichment and end the bloodshed of innocents in Iran and Israel. Inside the country, optimism and dread wrestle for the soul of a people. For decades, many of us pleaded with world leaders: reject both appeasement and war with the Islamic Republic. There was another path—to strangle the regime and empower the people. Few chose it. Too many asked the question, ' Do the people of Iran really want change?' as if they did not hear waves of Iranian protestors chant, 'Death to the dictator' and 'Death to Khamenei' on the streets. Perhaps now—as these cries echo from the rooftops of Tehran, even under the specter of war—they will finally listen. Since the fighting began, several of the regime's architects of terror have been killed in their bunkers and beds. But with them have perished a poet, an athlete, and children —the bright promise of tomorrow extinguished alongside the darkness of the old guard. Many of us watch in anguish as our compatriots abandon their homes, desperate for a safe haven beyond the reach of oppression and destruction. As dissident rap artist Toomaj Salehi asks: 'How are over 9 million people—without fuel, often without enough savings to relocate, and with no second home in another city—supposed to evacuate Tehran?' Iranians see through the hollow outrage of regime officials who weep for civilians today, yet spilled the blood of 1,500 protesters in 2019, over 500 more during the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising of 2022, and countless others over four decades of tyranny. And yet, the regime clings to its authoritarian script: shutting down the internet, censoring its news. Instead of offering citizens protection or safe harbor in the midst of war, it forces university students to take their exams as if nothing has changed, and intensifies its crackdown on free speech. The Islamic Republic's illegitimacy is laid bare not only in its horrific human rights record but in its strategic failures. In the words of Kylie Moore-Gilbert, 'Repressing dissent, putting innocent people in prison, flubbing operations abroad—Iran just can't seem to get out of its own way.' And recently, Israeli spies and pilots have managed to cripple Iranian counterstrike capabilities. True advocates of peace reject both wars of aggression and terror in all its forms. Indifference to the latter undermines any genuine commitment to the former. No external power will rescue Iran. The age of foreign saviors is over. We do not live in a world of singular empires or simple alliances. Every nation must tend its own garden. But no soil stands apart. For nearly half a century, the regime in Iran has poisoned more than its own land—its blight has spread to Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Gaza, Lebanon. Iran's fate will, and should, be written by Iranians—not in foreign capitals or closed rooms, but on their own streets, with their own voices, and through their own struggle. And as long as those who dream of liberal democracy remain divided, as long as personal ambitions, old wounds, and ideological divides stand in the way of common purpose—I fear the answer to my father's question. For the sake of a free Iran, a stable region and a world at peace—as we urge restraint and adherence to international law—we must also ensure the sovereignty of the Iranian people, not their oppressors.
