Iran

Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, proposed himself as interim leader to guide the country through regime change, calling on the international community for support, after the US had bombed Iran, that in turn hit US bases in Qatar

Inno Bank was inaugurated; it is iran's first specialized technology neo-bank, designed to create smart financial infrastructure for the innovation ecosystem, specifically supporting technology startups and knowledge-based companies

Dozens of Iranian targets, that include nuclear sites, have been hit by a massive 200-aircraft Israeli attack yesterday, with casualties among top military officials and scientists; Iran hadn't been attacked to that extent since the Iraq war in 1989

Iran's National Virtual Space Center will take legal action against Google and other international platforms over the distortion of the historical name of the Persian Gulf, considering the use of other names a violation of national identity and of ICCPR

A powerful explosion at Iran’s biggest port of Bandar Abbas caused at least 40 casualties and over 1.000 people injured, state media reported; local firefighters have been joined by Russian specialists, dispatched by plane upon President Putin's order

A 100-million-dollar fund for the development of the artificial intelligence sector in Iran has been launched; the NDF will also grant specific loans to those companies that financially support AI-based projects in universities and scientific centers

Iran increasingly relies on electronic surveillance to inform on women refusing to wear the mandatory headscarf in public; according to latest UN report, state-sponsored vigilantism aims at enlisting businesses and private individuals in hijab compliance

Journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, who had been convicted for reporting on Mahsa Amini's case, were pardoned; freed on bail after 17 months' imprisonment last January, their sentences were reduced on appeal in August

A new ballistic missile, capable of travelling 1.700 kilometres, was unveiled at a ceremony in Tehran attended by President Masoud Pezeshkian

Over 900 people have been executed in Iran in 2024, of whom at least 31 women; most of the executions were linked to drug-related offences, but also to the mass protests of 2022 and included political dissidents, the UN human rights office reported