Three days ago Anisa Fanaeian, an Iranian Baha'i woman in Semnan, was arrested by Islamic Republic security forces and taken to prison
Three days ago Anisa Fanaeian, an Iranian Baha'i woman in Semnan, was arrested by Islamic Republic security forces and taken to prison
Three days ago Anisa Fanaeian, an Iranian Baha'i woman in Semnan, was arrested by Islamic Republic security forces and taken to prison. Fanaeian had been sentenced in March 2024 to seven years in prison, on charges “forming groups to act against national security,” “educational activities and propagating against Sharia Islam,” and “propaganda against the regime,” which are the usual propaganda terms the Iranian government uses to try to distract from the facts.
What was Anisa's true crime? Being a Baha'i – Iran's largest non-Muslim religious minority, and a persecuted group – who cares for others.
Now in a letter to her two children, Anisa describes the hardships she, her family and all Iranian Baha'is face as a result of state-sanctioned persecution. "I can’t be your mommy anymore," she says to her teenage daughter and son. "It will be hard, but life is hard … this will still be an important chance for you to grow, be strong, and learn."
The letter was shared with IranWire by the director and producer of the documentary “Nasrin,” about the human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who spent time in prison with Anisa’s mother Sahba Rezvani.
Before her initial arrest, trial and sentencing last year, Anisa and a friend had visited Afghan refugees, including children, who lived and worked in "modern slavery" conditions producing bricks in underground workshops. For her efforts, Iranian security forces accused her of trying to brainwash or convert the Afghans – to turn them into Baha'is. The accusation is absurd, Anisa says, since the Afghan families she and others did not even know about her religious beliefs.
More remarkable than Anisa's volunteering, or even her resilience, is her faith in Iran's future. "Iran is a very beautiful country," she says in her letter. "Iranians have a lot of abilities, the nature is wonderful, and we share a great history. I am sure we will have a bright future, if we can respect each other."
But between now and that future stand Anisa's seven years in prison – unless somehow they become less.
Anisa Fanaeian's letter in full:
My Dear Setare and Shakib,
I am very proud to be your mother, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of being with you. Now that I am about to leave you and go to prison, I want us to absorb every last moment we have together. These days we talk with each other a lot, laugh with each other, and share so much. I need to hold onto this and keep you in my mind and in my heart when I am alone in jail.
Seven years is a terribly long time. Seven years when you are not in my life, and when I am not in yours. You will be adults when I am finally free. Shakib – you will be twenty-two! Setare – you will be twenty-six! Soon, I can’t be your mommy anymore.
It will hard, but life is hard. I think this will still be an important chance for you to grow, be strong, and learn. Remember to be kind and help other people. Injustice may be all around us, but we have a dream of the world without hate, without revenge.
You’ve already been through many difficult times. Your father (Siyamak, my dear husband) and I were both in prison when you were little. Shakib, you were three years old and so, so sweet. Setare, you were seven and you talked just like a lady. Your grandmother Sahba had come out of prison six months earlier. It was a troubled time, but despite our pain all of us still had a happiness in our heart.
You may ask why we – and so many others – have been punished like this? It is because we are Baha’i, and we believe that God created all people equal regardless of their race or sex or background. For this, the Iranian government seeks to deny our right to exist.
Let me share with you what led to my arrest.
For a couple of months, a friend and I visited Afghan children, refugees, in a village not all that far from our home. They live and work in very bad conditions, almost modern slavery, as do their family members, children and adults. They have to go into these very, very hot structures built partly underground where they make bricks. It’s an unhealthy and unsafe situation. Most of them don’t have enough food or clothes or shoes. It can be dangerous for a child to walk a long way in the desert, so my friend and I picked them up at their homes in our car and drove them to school. We would also bring them books and help them with their studies.
And then all of a sudden, government intelligence officers came to our houses and arrested me and my friend.
Because I cared for these children in need – and clearly because I am a Baha’i – I was convicted by the Semnan Revolutionary Court of “forming groups to act against national security” “educational activities and propagating against Sharia Islam,” and “propaganda against the regime.”
When we were arrested, government officials would say, “You went there not to help the children, but to convert them and their families to become Baha’is.” But we never talked about religion. They even don’t know we are Baha’is!
The interrogators would also ask, “Why do you have Muslim friends? Why do they come to your house? Why do you go to theirs?” I would say, “I live in a Muslim country, so I have Muslim friends. What is wrong with that?”
One of my Muslim friends said to them, “I believe in Mohammad, I believe in Islam, and I know good people who are Baha’i. Why you are not confident about my faith? Why are you worried?”
The jailers think that prison will make me change my religion. Of course not. It makes my faith stronger. I have a very precious thing in my heart, so why would I give that up? I hope that you, Setare and Shakib, will feel the same regardless of the challenges you face.
Iran is a very beautiful country. Iranians have a lot of abilities, the nature is wonderful, and we share a great history. I am sure we will have a bright future, if we can respect each other.
I learned from your grandmother how to be brave, how to be patient, how to be steadfast, and how to think about the needs of others.
Sometimes my tears come, but I know that’s not good. I don’t want to show them to anyone except your father. I want to laugh and smile and give energy to you, my family, and my friends. I do have a sureness about what I’m doing, but of course I’m sad because I will miss you all so much.
You are and will be in my mind and in my heart all the time. You should know that I love you and I am so proud of you! Never forget! Promise me that when I come home, you will still be my daughter and my son.
All my love from your mother,
Anisa
Anisa Fanaeian
Semnan, Iran
Brigadier General Mohsen Rafighdoost, the first IRGC minister before its merger with Iran’s Defense Ministry, said he ordered the assassinations of prominent Iranians in Europe
Brigadier General Mohsen Rafighdoost, the first IRGC minister before its merger with Iran’s Defense Ministry, said he ordered the assassinations of prominent Iranians in Europe
Brigadier General Mohsen Rafighdoost, the first IRGC minister before its merger with Iran’s Defense Ministry, said he ordered the assassinations of prominent Iranians in Europe.
They include artist Fereydoun Farrokhzad, navy officer Shahriar Shafiq, and former Prime Minister Shapour Bakhtiar.
This marks the first time a former high-ranking official of the Islamic Republic has openly admitted to orchestrating assassinations abroad.
Farrokhzad was killed in Germany, while Bakhtiar and Shafiq were assassinated in France.
Rafighdoost explained that armed operatives from the Basque separatist movement, whom he described as “Spanish Marxist separatists,” committed the murders.
They received payment through an Egyptian cleric in Germany after completing each assassination.
Following these revelations, another previously unreleased interview with Rafighdoost, conducted by journalist Abdullah Abdi, has surfaced.
In the interview, Rafighdoost claims that some of the foreign currency needed for these assassinations came from commissions received from European military equipment purchases.
He details how, after buying ammunition and explosives from Germany, the German military equipment company would pay a $10,000 commission to an Iranian agent, who would then turn it over to Rafighdoost upon returning to Tehran.
Rafighdoost admitted to opening an account at Bank Saderat’s Frankfurt branch in Germany to store these funds until they were needed to pay for assassinations targeting individuals the Islamic Republic had marked in Europe.
He explained that these funds were used for foreign assassinations that, in his words, “couldn’t be done with ordinary money.”
In other words, some European military companies that supplied Iran’s military needs during the Iran-Iraq war indirectly played a role in financing assassinations carried out by the Islamic Republic in Europe.
In the newly released video from seven years ago, Rafighdoost also described his command role in the assassination of General Gholam Ali Oveissi, the former Imperial Iranian Ground Forces commander, who was killed in Paris in February 1984.
According to Rafighdoost, this assassination was also funded through the Bank Saderat account in Frankfurt.
Regarding Lebanese national Anis Naccache, who was involved in an unsuccessful attempt on Bakhtiar’s life, Rafighdoost provided historical details that document various assassination and sabotage operations previously attributed to the Islamic Republic but never before officially acknowledged by Iranian officials.
Describing what happened after Naccache’s arrest by French police following the failed Bakhtiar assassination, Rafighdoost explained that Naccache had mentioned the IRGC minister’s name in court, after which French officials sought to negotiate with him.
According to his own account, Rafighdoost traveled to Paris and, during a meeting with the French foreign minister, threatened that if Naccache’s detention continued, French interests and citizens would be endangered.
He describes telling Ali Ahani, then Iran’s ambassador to Paris, to act as his interpreter during the meeting with the French foreign minister.
When the French minister promised to release Naccache after two weeks, Rafighdoost threatened that, after two weeks, French embassies or institutions might suddenly become targets.
Following delays in Naccache’s release from France during François Mitterrand’s presidency, there were numerous reports of attacks on French interests, including strikes on French oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, scattered explosions at official and government centers in Paris, and targeting of French officials and citizens in various countries, including Lebanon.
Naccache was eventually pardoned by the French president and came to Iran, where he engaged in construction and business activities until his death from COVID-19.
He regularly participated in official government events, including conferences at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Rafighdoost’s statements emerge amid mounting international pressure on the Islamic Republic, including discussions within the European Union about the necessity of designating the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization.
These discussions intensified following the September 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran, during which the IRGC violently suppressed demonstrators.
Footage published by citizens showed uniformed IRGC personnel and plainclothes agents directly firing at protesters.
At one point during the protests, officers were targeting protesters’ eyes and sensitive organs, causing many to lose their eyesight.
Rafighdoost’s confessions could have serious legal and international consequences for the Islamic Republic of Iran.
If confirmed, countries where these assassinations took place could open new legal cases against Iranian officials, potentially leading to the IRGC being listed as a terrorist organization by more countries.
The families of the victims now have the opportunity to seek justice based on the principle of “universal jurisdiction” and the evidence provided by Mohsen Rafighdoost, particularly in France and Germany.
These statements could lead to the reopening of old cases and their reconsideration in courts outside Iran.
Following the public outcry, Mohsen Rafighdoost’s office issued a statement claiming he had undergone brain surgery and that his statements are not legally valid.
Nevertheless, the video published by Abdi Media, in which Rafighdoost makes similar claims about commanding the assassination of General Oveissi, predates his surgery.
Mehrjui, a prominent filmmaker, and Mohammadifar, a screenwriter, were killed in their villa in Karaj in October 2023
Mehrjui, a prominent filmmaker, and Mohammadifar, a screenwriter, were killed in their villa in Karaj in October 2023
Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld the death sentences and additional punishments for those convicted in the murders of filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadifar.
The primary defendant, identified as Karim, received two death sentences for the double murder.
Other defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to twenty years for charges including attempted murder, breaking and entering, and armed robbery, in addition to 74 lashes each.
Mehrjui’s children and Mohammadifar’s parents had requested the death penalty through the Alborz Province Criminal Court.
The defendants initially confessed to the killings but later recanted in court.
In October 2024, lawyer Manoush Manouchehri suggested that a mastermind might be behind the murders, claiming the defendants lacked sufficient motive.
The judiciary later rejected this theory, stating that a personal dispute with Mehrjui motivated the crime.
Mehrjui, a prominent filmmaker, and Mohammadifar, a screenwriter, were killed in their villa in Karaj in October 2023.
Khamenei Rejects US Talks as UAE Official Delivers Trump Letter
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, once again rejected negotiations with the United States in a speech to university students on Wednesday
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, once again rejected negotiations with the United States in a speech to university students on Wednesday.
Khamenei said, “When the US President says they are ready to negotiate with Iran and invites us to talks, it is deceiving world public opinion.”
His comments came as a UAE official visited Tehran to deliver a letter from US President Donald Trump.
Khamenei added, “This means they want to negotiate and make peace, but Iran is unwilling. Why is Iran unwilling to negotiate? Look at yourselves.”
Referring to the previous nuclear deal, Khamenei said, *“We sat down and negotiated for years. This same person took the completed, finalized, and signed agreement off the table and tore it up.
“When we know they won’t honor it, what is there to negotiate? So, the invitation to negotiate is only deceiving public opinion.”
He said that “negotiations with the current US administration will not lift sanctions but will only tighten the sanctions knot.”
Khamenei claimed, “I have not received the letter that the US President claims to have sent.”
Regarding Iran’s nuclear program, he insisted that it remains peaceful.
“If the Islamic Republic intended to build nuclear weapons, America could not stop it. The Islamic Republic does not have nuclear weapons because of its own choice.”
The statements come as Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced that the letter Trump claimed to have written to Iran’s Supreme Leader was delivered to Tehran by Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Advisor to the UAE President.
Ismail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said Gargash would meet with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday evening and was carrying Donald Trump’s letter to Iran.
Iranian Artists Condemn Flogging of Singer Mehdi Yarrahi
Hundreds of Iranian artists have signed a statement condemning the flogging sentence carried out against singer Mehdi Yarrahi, describing the punishment as “cruel and medieval”
Hundreds of Iranian artists have signed a statement condemning the flogging sentence carried out against singer Mehdi Yarrahi, describing the punishment as “cruel and medieval.”
The statement, obtained by IranWire, includes signatures from prominent artists Toomaj Salehi, Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof, and Hana Kamkar.
“Mehdi Yarrahi, an honorable artist of Iranian music who has always embraced people’s pain, deserves the highest honors, not a cruel punishment like flogging,” the statement reads.
The artists added that “authorities’ disrespect toward popular artists, women in music, and independent artists in Iran is increasing”and warned of the social and cultural consequences of such actions.
“Authoritarians cannot tolerate even the gentle language of art and attempt to silence protest through summons, threats, work bans, imprisonment, and ankle monitors,” the artists said.
Yarrahi’s lawyer confirmed on March 6 that his client received 74 lashes at the Tehran Moral Security Prosecutor’s Office.
The singer, who supported the Woman, Life, Freedom protests through his music, later wrote, “Those who are not willing to pay a price for freedom do not deserve freedom.”
15 Blind Date Participants Face Legal Action in Iran
The Islamic Republic’s judiciary spokesman, Asghar Jahangir, announced on Wednesday that 15 people connected to blind date programs now face legal cases
The Islamic Republic’s judiciary spokesman, Asghar Jahangir, announced on Wednesday that 15 people connected to blind date programs now face legal cases.
Five remain in detention, while the others have been released on bail.
The main suspect is charged with “encouraging corruption and inciting immoral actions related to sexual deviations.”
Four others remain detained due to their inability to post bail.
Jahangir called the blind date activities “against values and contrary to moral principles.”
The programs, which show strangers meeting on YouTube and Instagram, have gained popularity among young Iranians.
In February, authorities blocked the Instagram account of “Vinnie Vids,” a blind date host with 1.2 million followers, citing “criminal content contrary to public decency.”
Iran’s security police previously summoned program organizers and halted broadcasts of the shows.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Confirms Ongoing Indirect Nuclear Negotiations
عراقچی میگوید مذاکرات هستهای با آمریکا به شکل غیرمستقیم جریان دارد
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said the Islamic Republic is prepared for potential nuclear negotiations.
Araghchi said the United States and Iran are engaged in indirect talks through three European countries.
Addressing Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy, Araghchi said Iran has adopted a “strategy of patience with initiative” rather than “passive patience.”
“Entering negotiations while under maximum pressure would put us at a disadvantage with no gains,” Araghchi said.
“This isn’t about stubbornness but professional strategy. The opposing side must see that pressure is ineffective before we can negotiate as equals.
“We aren’t sitting passively, waiting for decisions to be made for us. We’ve designed plans for potential nuclear talks.
“Indirect negotiations are ongoing. The channel with three European countries is established - we’re cooperating with Grossi and the nuclear agency [IAEA] and reviewing a new proposal for resolving issues.”
Araghchi noted that European countries played an effective mediating role in previous negotiations.
Recently, European nations have expressed concerns about Iran’s growing nuclear capabilities.
At the UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday, Britain warned that it could restore all international sanctions if necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.