Friday, August 14, 2026

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“Let’s Go to Najaf”: From Government-Backed Chant to Social Media Trend Against the Arbaeen Pilgrimage As the Arbaeen march was underway, videos posted by pro-government bloggers using the chant “Let’s go to Najaf, so we’re going to Najaf” became a topic of discussion among social media users. Using the same audio, users made all kinds of different videos—from traveling and having fun instead of going to Najaf to helping people in need and feeding stray animals. But apparently, these videos didn’t all come without a cost: A woman who had posted a video of herself feeding animals to the same chant [second video above] was summoned by the Cyber Police. [All her previous posts were deleted, and a post from the government was put up on her page.] @VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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On his son’s birthday, Abbas Ghanbari’s father dances in mourning at his grave in Gouim, Shiraz, honoring his memory. Abbas Ghanbari, an engineer and athlete from Gouim, Shiraz, died on 18 Dey 1404 after being struck by a live bullet during protests outside the Gouim police station. He is survived by a young daughter. @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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Maryam Tahmasbi, daughter-in-law of Masoumeh Ebtekar, one of the hostage-takers at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, was arrested along with her husband and child. They are currently being held at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Texas and are awaiting deportation from the United States. In a letter to the American people published in The Nation, accompanied by a photo of herself without a hijab, she spoke of her deep affection for America. In the letter, she said that she and her husband, Issa Hashemi, are “teachers and university professors from the working class,” and that their son speaks only English and has been educated in California’s school system since preschool. Masoumeh Ebtekar’s son and daughter-in-law entered the United States in 2014 on visas issued during the Obama administration and received permanent residency a few years later. On 22 Farvardin 1404, the U.S. State Department spokesperson’s office announced that Maryam Tahmasbi and Issa Hashemi’s green cards had been revoked and that they and their son were being held in an ICE-supervised facility. The statement referred to Masoumeh Ebtekar’s central role in the hostage-taking of U.S. Embassy staff in Tehran, which took place shortly after the 57 Revolution. In her letter, Maryam Tahmasbi claimed that her mother-in-law “only interpreted for the hostage-takers” and that “it happened 50 years ago.” Yet when a foreign journalist asked Masoumeh Ebtekar, “Would you be willing to take up a gun and kill the American hostages?”, she replied, “Yes.” In the decades that followed, Masoumeh Ebtekar also said she did not regret taking part in the hostage-taking of U.S. Embassy staff in Tehran. Former hostages, including Barry Rosen, have described Masoumeh Ebtekar as an angry and brutal interrogator. The campaign to deport the children and relatives of Islamic Republic officials residing in the United States intensified after the massacre of protesters in Dey 1404. Around the same time, reports emerged that some of them had been deported, including Fatemeh Larijani, daughter of Ali Larijani, the slain secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. @VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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At least two people were injured in a clash among mourners in the courtyard of the shrine of the Eighth Imam of the Shia in Mashhad. According to Tasnim, the clash took place on Thursday, 22 Mordad, at around 10:30 p.m. Iranian media say that various mourning groups were performing ceremonies with special mourning sticks when a fight suddenly broke out between two groups, and mourners threw their sticks at one another. Tasnim quoted Amir-Allah Shamqadari, secretary of the Khorasan Razavi Security Council, as saying that two injured people had been taken to hospital and were in stable condition. @VahidHeadline The Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, referred to a stick fight among some attendees in the courtyard of the “Eighth Imam of the Shia” and religious groups in Mashhad on Thursday evening. It wrote that disagreements over how to enter or leave, or fatigue caused by the heat, are natural and manageable, and should not lead to a fight. @VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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U.S. President Donald Trump, by reposting an interview with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Newsmax on Truth Social, underscored his administration’s plan to intensify economic pressure on the Islamic Republic and bring “Iran’s economic isolation to an unprecedented level.” In the interview, Bessent announced new measures against the Islamic Republic next week. He added that Washington intends to pursue a policy of severe economic isolation of the Islamic Republic and continue the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. According to Scott Bessent, the blockade will prevent any goods from entering or leaving Iranian ports. @ VahidOOnLine The U.S. Treasury secretary also warned Tehran on Thursday, 23 Mordad, that further economic penalties could be imposed, threatening to subject Iran to economic isolation “of a kind the world has never seen.” Scott Bessent told the conservative television network Newsmax: “The continuation of the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz... will prevent anything from entering or leaving Iranian ports.” He added: “Look for more news and announcements on this next week.” Bessent described a dual approach involving financial pressure and a physical blockade of ports. Trump recently said he would refrain from attacking Iran again only if an agreement were reached to quickly reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has set out a list of conditions for reopening the waterway that the Trump administration is unlikely to accept: an end to the war on all fronts, the lifting of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, an end to sanctions, the release of frozen assets, and compensation for wartime damages. @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, criticizing Britain’s recent stance toward Israel on an Israel Defense Forces Radio podcast, said sarcastically that the first nuclear-armed “Islamic Republic” would be the “Islamic Republic of Britain.” On Thursday, 22 Mordad, Netanyahu said in the interview, referring to the British government’s shift in approach toward Israel: “You can see something like an Islamic Republic in Britain today. That’s what I call the Islamic Republic of Britain.” The Israeli prime minister also criticized Britain’s position on the Gaza war and its policy toward Israel, saying Israel is in a position where it must defend itself against regional threats. Netanyahu’s remarks come as relations between Israel and Britain have grown more strained in recent months over the Gaza war, the humanitarian situation there, and the British government’s policy toward Israel. In recent months, the British government has increased pressure on Israel and voiced concern about the situation of Palestinian civilians and Israel’s continued military operations in Gaza. Netanyahu called Britain an “Islamic Republic” even though the country is a longtime ally of Israel and one of the leading Western powers. The Israeli prime minister’s use of this term is seen as a response to London’s changing position toward the Israeli government and the Gaza war. The remarks also come as the Israeli government continues to regard the Islamic Republic of Iran as one of the main security threats facing Israel. In the interview, Netanyahu again emphasized Israel’s efforts to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons. The Israeli prime minister’s remarks have drawn reactions in Britain, where some critics have described them as insulting and unprecedented. They have once again highlighted the divide between the Israeli and British governments over how to deal with the Gaza war and the future of relations between the two countries. @ VahidHeadline A spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister has defended Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks about Britain and his description of the country as an “Islamic Republic.” Relations between Britain and Israel, longtime allies, have become markedly more strained since the Gaza war began. The British government has not yet responded to the remarks. @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates strongly condemned an attack on two oil tankers affiliated with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz, in a statement issued early Friday, 23 Mordad. The statement said the attack targeted two ADNOC-affiliated oil tankers, with no casualties or injuries. The UAE Foreign Ministry described the attack as a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2817 and stressed that targeting commercial vessels or disrupting international maritime routes runs counter to the principle of freedom of navigation. The statement also said that targeting commercial vessels and using the Strait of Hormuz as a means of exerting pressure or economic extortion is considered by the UAE an act of “piracy” by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and poses a direct threat to regional stability, maritime security and global energy security. The UAE Foreign Ministry called on Iran to stop the attacks, end all hostile actions and allow the full and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in order to preserve regional security and the stability of global trade and the economy. @ VahidOOnLine Saudi Arabia also issued a statement condemning the targeting of the two oil tankers in the UAE energy fleet “in the strongest terms.” According to Al Arabiya, Riyadh said in the statement that it opposed Iran’s attacks on “commercial ships and oil tankers” in the Persian Gulf and held Tehran responsible for the consequences of continuing these attacks. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also expressed solidarity with the measures the UAE takes “to safeguard its sovereignty, security and resources.” @ VahidOOnLine Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the targeting of two Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as “economic blackmail” by the Islamic Republic of Iran against countries in the region. In the statement, Bahrain expressed support for the UAE and said security in the Strait of Hormuz was essential to “safeguarding energy security, ensuring stable supplies of food and medicine, and guaranteeing the flow of global trade.” It called on Iran not to use the strait to “exert pressure or engage in economic blackmail.” @ VahidOOnLine Egypt’s Foreign Ministry also called in a statement for an end to all actions that threaten the security of international maritime navigation. @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, citing Al Arabiya, reported that U.S. forces’ positions near Erbil Airport, in the center of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, were targeted in a drone attack. According to the report, several drones were launched toward the U.S. positions, and local sources said one of them directly struck one of the sites. Al Arabiya also reported that U.S. air defense systems were not activated during the attack, and only U.S. fighter jets were deployed to intercept the drones. Following the attack, Erbil Airport was temporarily closed. @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced that an oil tanker was attacked by a drone as it was leaving the Strait of Hormuz, sustaining minor damage. According to a statement issued by the center on Friday, 23 Mordad, all crew members are safe, and no reports of pollution or environmental damage have been issued following the incident. @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that Takhtam Ramazani, a 37-year-old prisoner arrested on drug-related charges who was serving her sentence in Ward 2 of Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, died on Tuesday, 20 Mordad, after her gallbladder ruptured and medical care and transfer to hospital were delayed. According to the report, Ramazani suffered severe pain in her gallbladder area for the four days before her death. Despite repeated requests for medical care, she was not taken to hospital and was denied adequate medical attention. She worked as a garbage collector in the prison. @VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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The Washington Post wrote in an editorial that reaching an agreement with the Islamic Republic and injecting more financial resources into Tehran would reward the government’s “destructive” behavior and pave the way for a new round of instability. The newspaper urged Donald Trump to halt negotiations and continue the policy of containing the Islamic Republic. The Washington Post editorial board described the U.S. war against the Islamic Republic as a strategic failure, writing that the conflict neither brought about regime change nor stopped Tehran’s missile capabilities and proxy activities. According to the newspaper, although the attacks set Iran’s nuclear program back, they also increased Tehran’s incentive to acquire nuclear weapons. The Washington Post also wrote that the previous understanding between Washington and Tehran failed to resolve their dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz, and that renewed attacks did not change realities on the ground. Emphasizing the effects of sanctions and the naval blockade on Iran’s economy, the newspaper proposed that instead of an agreement, the United States continue economic pressure, restrictions on oil exports, efforts to counter proxy forces, and its policy of containing the Islamic Republic. @ VahidOOnLine In an article, the Washington Post editorial board pointed to the effectiveness of containing Iran’s government and applying economic pressure and a naval blockade, while noting that Iran’s “Strait of Hormuz card” had become less effective. It likened Tehran’s use of this leverage to holding a hostage who had already been shot. The article said: “Iran’s seizure of the Strait of Hormuz can be seen as a form of hostage-taking, but the hostage has already been shot. Markets have effectively priced in the closure of the strait. Oil prices are high, but not catastrophic. In addition, oil suppliers are finding ways around the problem. The Trump administration says that 5 to 7 million barrels of oil are now leaving the region each day through upgraded pipelines and new export terminals. Saudi Arabia is also forming a multinational coalition to protect shipping in the Red Sea from Iranian proxy forces—a step Washington should support by providing intelligence and command assistance.” @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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Saudi Arabia’s official news agency (SPA) reported that Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman met with Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), in Jeddah on Friday, 23 Mordad. According to SPA, Mohammed bin Salman and Brad Cooper discussed defense cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States and reviewed the latest regional developments. They also discussed efforts to reduce regional tensions and strengthen security and stability. @VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News, commenting on the ongoing tensions between his country and Iran: “I can say with confidence that I believe the United States will ultimately have the stronger hand in this situation, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will be such that gas and oil prices will stabilize for the American people.” He also said: “The problem is that the Iranians sometimes make commitments but don’t honor them. They reach agreements but don’t abide by them.” The U.S. vice president added: “I understand the point about how volatile and unstable this issue is, but I think we have many ways and tools at our disposal to achieve our goals. But sometimes we focus on energy because we want Americans to be able to afford oil and gas prices.” Vance told Fox: “Of course, sometimes we also focus on the military side of the issue. And sometimes we devote our efforts to Iran’s nuclear program.” @VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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Messages are reporting an earthquake near Andimeshk and Dezful in northern Khuzestan Province. Update: Image and message received: Earthquake magnitude: 4.5 Hosseiniyeh, Khuzestan Depth: 8 kilometers Time of earthquake: 1405/05/23 00:53:47.9 📡 @VahidOnline