Woman on death row took part in protest movement, IRGC outlet says

"We discussed ideas involving certain details in the sanctions-lifting and nuclear fields that are needed for a deal," Kazem Gharibabadi said in a post on X.

He described the talks as "serious, frank, and constructive", adding that the two sides agreed to continue their dialogue.

"Sides concurred that negotiations should be resumed and to reach a deal, all parties should create and maintain the appropriate atmosphere," he said.

Echoing Gharibabadi's characterization, Christian Turner, Political Director at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), described the session in similar terms, without explicitly mentioning Tehran's nuclear program or sanctions relief.

"UK French & German Political Directors met again with our Iranian counterparts in Geneva today. Talks were serious, frank & constructive. Against a challenging context, we discussed concerns & reiterated our commitment to a diplomatic solution. We agreed to continue our dialogue," Turner's post on X read.

The German Foreign Office and France’s Director General of Political and Security Affairs at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Frédéric Mondoloni, also shared the same statement on their X accounts.

The talks follow meetings in November as tensions mounted following the UN nuclear watchdog's Board of Governors' resolution censuring of Iran and demanding Tehran resolve outstanding issues with the IAEA over its advancing nuclear program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi last month expressed Tehran's readiness for renewed talks with world powers aimed at breaking the long-standing deadlock over its disputed nuclear program.

The remarks were the among the clearest yet signaling that Iran, faced with a bevy of economic and military setbacks, sought to ease isolation due to intensify under a second presidency of Donald Trump through talks.

“The formula we have is the same as the previous JCPOA formula, which is building trust about Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the removal of sanctions. We are ready to negotiate on this basis," he said.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is the agreement signed in July 2015 between Iran, the European Union and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, commonly known as the P5+1.

Trump withdrew the US from the deal in 2018 during his first term in office and reinstated sanctions on Tehran.

Iran, in turn, has accelerated uranium enrichment to levels exceeding those required for peaceful purposes, approaching the purity needed to develop a nuclear weapon.

In the conversation recorded in prison and aired by radio network France Inter, Olivier Grondeau, who had previously only been identified only by his first name, described his detention as arbitrary and unbearable.

The 34-year-old tourist who was arrested in Shiraz on October 12, 2022 during a world tour added that he is a victim of what he called political blackmail as France and Iran grapple over his case.

Grondeau was sentenced last February to five years in prison for "espionage and conspiracy against the Islamic Republic" and is currently held in Tehran’s Evin Prison in a wing designated for foreign and dual-national detainees.

He called on French authorities to secure his release and expressed hope that his request for parole would be granted.

The French foreign ministry, which summoned Iran’s ambassador on January 10, has demanded the immediate release of Grondeau and two other French detainees, teachers Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been held since May 2022.

"Their situation is intolerable, with inhumane detention conditions that, in some cases, constitute torture under international law," the ministry said in a statement.

Grondeau shares a cell with 18 other detainees and has limited access to a library and books sent by the French embassy. He also highlighted the harsher conditions faced by Kohler and Paris in the same message.

"You, who have the power to influence this matter, hear this truth," Grondeau said, apparently addressing French authorities.

"Cecile's strength, Jacques' strength, Olivier's strength, it is all running out," he added.

"Your responsibility is called upon to ensure the survival of three human beings."

Grondeau is one of an unknown number of foreign or dual-nationals held by Iran in what rights groups and some foreign governments decry as hostage diplomacy.

Most recently, an Italian journalist was released in an arrest which is understood to have been leverage to force Italy to release an Iranian imprisoned on terrorism charges.

The increases are likely to gain pace as the government reduces foreign currency allocations for essential goods.

Newly released data from Zahravi Pharmaceutical Company illustrates the extent of the price surge.

The price of 20 milligrams of basic antibiotic Gentamicin rose from 460,000 rials to 2,366,700 rials—a 415% increase. Vitamin B12 prices climbiedby 156% from 526,000 rials to 1,355,980 rials.

Health Minister Mohammadreza Zafarghandi recently linked rising medication prices to currency fluctuations.

“Medication prices are influenced by exchange rate fluctuations and will undergo changes,” Zafarghandi said, while emphasizing the government’s commitment to supporting consumers.

“The government intends to pay the difference caused by exchange rate changes to insurance companies. This amount will be provided to them so that the price changes for medications are not paid out of people's pockets,” he added.

Despite these assurances, the impact on the healthcare system remains a growing concern. The rial has nearly a third of its value since September, making it increasingly expensive for pharmaceutical companies to import raw materials.

The 2025 budget outlined by President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration includes a 20% reduction in foreign currency allocations for essential goods and a 35% increase in the subsidized exchange rate, further straining the sector.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers are already facing higher production costs, and the latest price increases are expected to ripple across the industry.

Economic observers caution that government policies may place additional burdens on patients. The head of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce previously warned that securing foreign currency and local rials for production remains a challenge, particularly in sectors reliant on imports like pharmaceuticals.

Zahravi Pharmaceutical Company’s price hikes may be the first in a wave of similar adjustments across the industry, as other manufacturers are expected to follow suit. While government intervention aims to cushion the blow, the overall trajectory suggests an increasingly precarious healthcare system.

With further cuts in subsidies and rising exchange rates on the horizon, patients and providers alike face a difficult year ahead.

"The ambassador was given a caution regarding hosting terrorism and supporting terrorist groups," spokesman Esmail Baghaei said during a regular briefing, referring to an event held by the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK).

The event, held in Paris on Saturday, was attended by Keith Kellogg, who is set to serve as President-elect Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine.

It follows a meeting in Paris last Thursday when the group, known as the National Council of Resistance of Iran, the political arm of the Mojahedin-e Khalq group, hosted former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Pompeo had been part of the Trump administration which had levied crippling sanctions on Tehran for its nuclear program.

The MEK has long been a source of contention between Tehran and Western governments.

Iran views the group as a terrorist organization responsible for attacks within the country in the 1980s, while the MEK describes itself as an opposition movement seeking regime change in Iran. The group was a leftist-Islamist underground network during the monarchy, opposed to Western influence in Iran. After the revolution, which it supported, a rift developed between the newly established clerics and the MEK.

"Regarding the United States, we will make decisions at the appropriate time based on actions and approaches," Esmail Baghaei said at a press conference in Tehran. "Naturally, negotiation is not something we would beg for."

The remarks come amid continued tensions between Tehran and Washington over issues including Iran’s nuclear program and ongoing military action across the region.

Last week, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rebuked proponents of renewed nuclear talks with the United States under President Donald Trump, warning of intractable American hostility.

Trump has said Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. The country is already under significant sanctions imposed during his first administration.