Friday, August 21, 2026

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According to messages received from around Yusefabad, Amirabad, Fatemi, and elsewhere, the sound of air-defense fire was heard. 23:08 🔄 Messages are still coming in. Some people believe it was gunfire, but many others have also messaged that the fireworks and firecrackers going off at this time of night in a war-torn country are related to some newly invented occasion and a new “holiday”! Two days ago: “Celebration marking the ‘Pledge of Allegiance to the Imam of Our Time (may God hasten his reappearance)’ to be held” According to ISNA, the event will be held from 20:30 to 23:00 at Vali Asr Square in Tehran, with the aim of renewing the pledge to the Imam of Our Time (may God hasten his reappearance) and also pledging allegiance anew to the Supreme Leader, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei. Ali-Akbar Raefipour and Sheikh Esmaeil Ramezani will deliver speeches at the gathering. “ISNA” 📡 @VahidOnline

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If my photo was part of the ad here, then it’s an even more dangerous scam. These ads are placed directly with Telegram, and channels can’t prevent them from appearing. Every day, hundreds of people see these ads for the first time and rightly feel responsible for warning others about this dangerous thing. Every day, many people are also kind enough to suggest different solutions, like asking people to report the ads, boosting the channel, and even placing ads for me, and so on. One big problem right now is the volume of messages I’m getting about this. 📡 @VahidOnline

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“HRA” reported on Friday, 30 Mordad 1405, that the Supreme Court had upheld the death sentence of Arghavan Fallahi, a 24-year-old political prisoner held in Evin Prison. The death sentence against the young woman was issued in Tir of this year by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Abolghasem Salavati. Fallahi, who was arrested by security forces in early Bahman 1403 and transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison, is accused of “rebellion.” Citing a knowledgeable source, HRA wrote that Fallahi was held for a time in Wards 209 and 241 of Evin Prison and was pressured to make a forced confession about the killing of Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini, two judges of the Islamic Republic. Fallahi had previously been arrested in Aban 1401 and sentenced to two years in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion” and “propaganda against the system.” @VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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Araghchi’s post, machine translation: 14 years ago: “the most crippling sanctions in history.” Failed. 8 years ago: “maximum pressure.” Failed. 5 months ago: “unconditional surrender.” Failed. Today: “the most devastating economic operation in history.” Doomed to fail. We’ve seen this movie before. Same old bullshit. The bullies have changed. araghchi 📡 @VahidOnline

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Hamid-Reza Haji-Babaei, the Parliament’s second deputy speaker, said in an interview with Fars News Agency on Thursday, 29 Mordad, commenting on developments related to the Strait of Hormuz and efforts by some countries to establish alternative oil transport routes: “Anyone building a pipeline today to weaken the Strait of Hormuz is effectively firing a missile at us. We must not allow new pipelines to be built.” Emphasizing that constructing these routes serves U.S. interests, he added: “Any country that helps the United States with technology or intelligence has, in effect, entered a war with us. Building pipelines such as Fujairah and Yanbu to diminish the Strait of Hormuz’s strategic importance is a clear instance of war and a missile attack against the country, and our response must be to prevent such pipelines from being built.” His remarks come as Yemen’s Houthi militants, who are affiliated with the Islamic Republic, have in recent weeks sought to disrupt energy exports through the Bab al-Mandab Strait by attacking ships there. Meanwhile, the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) also reported on Thursday that the southern passage through the Strait of Hormuz had been widened, saying the change would allow inbound and outbound ships to pass simultaneously. The CEO of Aramco said on 13 Mordad that the oil giant would continue exporting oil by relying on Saudi Arabia’s East–West pipeline, the Suez Canal, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. @VahidOOnLine In an interview, Mostafa Khoshcheshm, a state-broadcaster analyst, proposed that the “forces of the Axis of Resistance” lay “smart naval mines” in the Gulf of Florida. Last Tir, Khoshcheshm sharply criticized Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on television and compared his analyses to those of “taxi drivers.” @VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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Abbas Pazouki, deputy for communications and public information at the office of Mohammad Reza Aref, First Vice President under Masoud Pezeshkian, denied reports attributed to Aref about the government setting a rate of 87,000 tomans. Iranian media had previously published remarks by Aref about setting this rate. According to Iranian media, Aref told reporters on Monday, 26 Mordad that after the fourth gasoline rate was set following expert review and consultations with security agencies and other branches of government, the plan was supposed to be implemented on a trial basis in Kerman, but was halted without coordination with the government. The fourth rate in question is 87,200 tomans. However, Pazouki called reports about Aref’s remarks “fabricated claims by some unofficial channels” on X, and said: “The First Vice President has made no statement or numerical speculation about new gasoline rates.” He added: “Fuel consumption management is still under expert review, and no figure or decision has yet been finalized.” @ VahidOOnLine Fatemeh Mohajerani, the government spokesperson, said on Friday, 30 Mordad that reports attributed to Mohammad Reza Aref, Pezeshkian’s deputy, about setting the price of gasoline at 80,000 tomans were untrue. Mohajerani said this figure had neither been proposed by the First Vice President nor used as a basis for government decision-making. She stressed that if the approach to “fuel consumption management” is finalized, the details will be announced to the public through official, direct channels. @ VahidOOnLine Masoud Pezeshkian said at the general assembly of the “Islamic Association of the Iranian Medical Society”: “Aside from financial constraints and the enemy’s naval blockade, which have disrupted our exports and imports, who said the government should buy gasoline for 130,000 tomans and then sell it for 1,500 tomans?” @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of government in Iran, says it is now time to end the war with the United States, because Tehran is in a position of “strength” vis-à-vis Washington. “It is better to end the war today, when we are in a position of strength and dignity, the whole world acknowledges our victory, and people around the world recognize that the United States has attacked our schools, hospitals, and infrastructure in violation of all regulations, and is hated around the world,” Mr. Pezeshkian said. The head of government in Iran also described the outcome of negotiations between Iran and the United States, which led to the signing of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, as a “major achievement.” He said it “was approved through unity and solidarity in the Supreme National Security Council, and everyone on the council who had a hand in the matter defended it firmly.” Mr. Pezeshkian went on to criticize those who “sit on the sidelines” and “don’t know what conditions the government, parliament, and commanders are facing, yet comment and analyze recklessly. They haven’t endured any hardship themselves, and then they complain about rising prices.” At the same time, Masoud Pezeshkian stressed that his remarks did not mean surrendering in the face of any possible aggression: “We will never bow to bullying—there is no doubt about that. We will stand against them until our last breath and deliver a crushing response.” @VahidOnLive 📡 @VahidOnline

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Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, said the Islamic Republic has been chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” for more than 47 years, stressing that these threats should not be dismissed as mere words or empty slogans. Speaking to Israel’s National News (Arutz Sheva) on Thursday, 29 Mordad, Huckabee said: “For 47 and a half years, they’ve been saying they’re going to kill us, they’re going to kill Israel.” He added: “These are not just empty threats or waving a sword in the air. These are people who really want to kill us.” The U.S. ambassador to Israel said Americans should take these threats seriously. To support his point, he cited the Islamic Republic’s financial and military support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. Huckabee added that the Islamic Republic has not only spent resources on its own weapons, but has also funded and armed Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. He continued: “When terrorist activities are taking place anywhere in the world, you can usually trace them back to Tehran.” @VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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The speaker of Iran’s parliament issued a veiled warning about the country’s economic conditions, saying: “No matter how much military power we have, if people are hungry and we have no financial circulation, economic growth, or domestic production, we will not endure.” On Friday, 30 Mordad, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf made remarks in Iraq to people described as “Iranian and Iraqi economic activists.” Calling the U.S. government’s new decisions to impose severe economic sanctions on Iran “oppressive,” he said: “We must plan to overcome them so that we can prevail over them.” Ghalibaf, who headed Iran’s negotiating team with the United States after the recent war, called for using the Iranian and Iraqi national currencies in trade between the two countries. “We can tell the American currency to get lost,” he said. @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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Lebanon’s foreign minister says that normal relations with Iran’s mission in Lebanon can resume only if Tehran complies with the Lebanese government’s decision in accordance with established diplomatic procedures. In an interview with the newspaper Al-Nahar, Youssef Raggi stood by his earlier decision to declare the Islamic Republic’s ambassador to Lebanon “persona non grata” and expel him, saying: “The continued presence of the Iranian ambassador violates a sovereign decision. This decision must be respected and allows for no interpretation, exception, or compromise.” On 4 Farvardin this year, the Lebanese government rejected the credentials of Mohammad Reza Raouf Sheibani, Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, declared him “persona non grata,” and gave him a few days to leave the country. Iran’s Foreign Ministry, however, rejected the decision, and its spokesperson said the ambassador would continue his work in Beirut. At the time, Esmail Baghaei said: “In light of the issues raised by the relevant Lebanese authorities and the conclusions reached, Iran’s ambassador will continue his work as ambassador in Beirut and remains there.” @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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Hamid Mahdavi, born in 1366, was a firefighter living in Mashhad. He was killed on the evening of 18 Dey 1404 during the protests. A short video of him carrying an injured protester was widely shared on social media in Iran and around the world. He was buried in the cemetery of the village of Tuyeh Darvar, in Damghan County, his mother’s birthplace. @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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The Karun Human Rights Organization has reported an increase in the number of political and ideological prisoners at Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz, saying that more than 600 people are being held in different units of the prison. Many of these prisoners were arrested in the wave of arrests following the 40-day war between Iran, the United States, and Israel. A significant number of the newly arrested are young people, most of them between 18 and 25 years old, and the majority are from Ahvaz, Fallahiyeh (Shadegan), Izeh, Behbahan, and Masjed Soleiman. More than 310 people are being held in quarantine at the prison. @VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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After US President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, US Vice President JD Vance announced the start of a “new phase” in the US-Iran war, saying: “The most effective tool we have for putting pressure on the Iranian government is economic pressure.” Speaking on the “Clay Travis and Buck Sexton” podcast, Vance referred to the “delicate interaction” between the two countries and said: “We put economic pressure on them, and they also try to put economic pressure on us. But what has been true over the past few weeks is that they have borne far more pressure than we have.” According to Trump’s vice president, the US will continue this course because it believes “this is the best way to ultimately achieve our ultimate goal.” @VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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The release of an image of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, during his visit to Iraq, with the words “Persian Gulf” visible in the background, prompted a response from his Iraqi counterpart. A few hours later, Haibat al-Halbousi posted a similar image of himself, with different wording visible in the background. @ VahidOnLive 📡 @VahidOnline