Iranian Nobel laureate calls for global will to confront Tehran rights abuses

While officials deny that war is imminent, they acknowledge that diplomacy is no longer on the table.

Ahmad Bakhshayesh, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, addressed the military budget increase which was announced in October when President Masoud Pezeshkian submitted the budget plan to the parliament for approval.

“It cannot be interpreted exactly in that way, but a significant increase in the military budget means that we are not negotiating and negotiations are not on our agenda,” Bakhshayesh told Ruydad 24 website.

Fatemeh Mohajerani, the government spokesperson, had announced a 200% increase in the military budget during a press conference in October saying that the purpose of the is move was to "strengthen the country's defense capabilities."

The budget for Iran’s armed forces was 7,220 trillion rials in last year’s budget bill. Given the exchange rate defined in that budget (330,000 rials per dollar), Iran’s military budget the last year could be estimated at $15.7 billion.

Based on this, the allocated budget for Iran’s armed forces in the coming year will likely be around 21,660 trillion rials. Given the exchange rate defined in the new year budget (570,000 rials per dollar) Iran’s military budget could be estimated at $46 billion.

The announcement follows increasingly aggressive rhetoric from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who have repeatedly signaled readiness for military confrontation.

On Tuesday, IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh said another attack on Israel, dubbed True Promise III, is in the cards.

“Iran’s third attack on Israel, True Promise 3, will definitely take place, but officials have planned for it and will use it strategically—we will not waste it,” Hajizadeh said.

He also warned that an assault on Iran’s nuclear facilities would trigger widespread conflict in the region.

Hajizadeh’s comments came after US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with an Israeli military strike if it refused to halt its nuclear program.

Meanwhile, officials the Pezeshkian administration, who previously advocated diplomacy, have shifted their stance, aligning with Khamenei’s hardline position against negotiations with the US—a stance he emphasized in a speech earlier this month.

“Today, in terms of hard defense and military threats from enemies, we have no concerns or problems,” Khamenei also said in one of his recent speeches.

The new year’s budget bill projects 1.75 million barrels of oil exports per day, with 420,000 barrels allocated to the military—equivalent to 24% of total exports. In monetary terms, the armed forces will receive €11 billion worth of oil, up from €4 billion in the previous year.

This nearly threefold increase means the military’s oil revenue will exceed the government’s by 520 trillion rials ($565 million).

Hajizadeh acknowledged that the military buildup is a response to growing tensions. “War conditions don’t always mean attacking—we must also prepare for being attacked,” he said, adding that heightened tensions have secured increased government funding.

Iran’s two previous attacks on Israel cost an estimated 1,380 trillion rials ($1.5 billion)—or 16 million rials ($17) per citizen. Meanwhile, over 60 million Iranians—70% of the population—rely on government food coupons for essential goods, yet the budget for these subsidies has been cut by 33%, dropping from €16 billion to €12 billion for the next year.

At the same time, the government lacks the funds to finance the food coupons and has resorted to withdrawing from the National Development Fund with the Supreme Leader’s approval.

With military spending surging, funds for vital imports—including medicines, infant formula, and livestock feed—have been slashed, driving up prices. Even before the next fiscal year begins, over 400 Social Security-covered medicines have already seen price hikes.

At least one third of Iranians are already living below the poverty line while workers strikes continue demanding unpaid wages.

According to the Central Bank of Iran’s public relations office, Mohammad-Reza Farzin's trip, made at the invitation of Elvira Nabiullina, Governor of the Central Bank of Russia, focuses on furthering the bilateral banking agreements between Iran and Russia.

In January, Iran and Russia implemented a bilateral currency agreement to settle trade using their national currencies, according to Iran's Central Bank.

According to Farzin,Tehran and Moscow are also working to integrate the Russian Mir and Iranian Shetab card payment networks.

It is unclear if the measure was related to an Iranian-Russian comprehensive strategic partnership agreement signed in January by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian.

Anti-obesity drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are not approved by Iran’s health regulators but that does not seem to bother those who seek and afford this newfound status symbol.

“Have a quick scroll through Instagram and you’ll see scores of Ozempic posts,” says Fatemeh, a psychotherapist in Tehran over a call on an encrypted messaging app. “You may see the medical pen flaunted alongside a Givenchy or a Louis Vuitton.”

For many, Ozempic is as much about status as it is about fitness, she says, adding that it’s not all too rare to happen upon someone live streaming their injection of Mounjaro to showcase their apparent weight-loss journeys.

The longing for a slimmer physique is nothing new. But the anti-obesity injections, often called a Fitness Wand, are also highly coveted in Iran not in spite of but because of their high cost.

On Instagram and Telegram, platforms with the most users in Iran, instructional videos are mushrooming on Ozempic and other weight-loss medications, with more physicians and clinics offering tips on how to use those, how to get the best results, and of course, how to tell apart the original and the fake ones.

“For many of our clients, these weight-loss pens are seen as tools to regain self-confidence,” says Maryam Majd, a 42-year-old fitness trainer at a high-end gym in Tehran’s affluent Zaferaniyeh district.

“Our gym staff is trained to assist with using these products, and we’ve even set up a dedicated room next to the solarium for this purpose,” she adds.

The urge to follow western trends may be explained, partly at least, by Iran’s official isolation from the world. But there’s little doubt that Iranians tend to be trigger happy when it comes to invasive methods of uplifting their appearance.

Take the wave of rhinoplasty (or nose jobs) that came to Iran’s shores a couple of decades ago and has left very few nostrils intact. Then it was liposuction, then Botox.

Every time it starts with the well-off and spreads to others, first as a luxury then a necessity, an obsession almost, which compels people with not enough disposable income to cut their expenses elsewhere, give up their basic needs even, to afford it.

Ozempic and other pens appear to be following a similar trajectory.

All this comes as many Iranians have to visit multiple pharmacies and queue up for hours to get life-saving medication for their loved ones.

Iran’s ongoing economic troubles—driven by sanctions, corruption and government mismanagement—has led to chronic shortages of essential drugs. Three in ten Iranians are now unable to afford their medication due to the soaring prices.

It does not help that some black market dealers, drawn by the substantial profit margins, have shifted their focus from rare disease medications to high-demand weight-loss drugs.

As the global trend of weight-loss medications continues to gain traction, Ozempic and similar drugs have become yet another example of Iran’s widening gap—between those constantly chasing the latest status symbol and those struggling to meet their basic needs.

"If Iran’s nuclear facilities are attacked, a fire will erupt in the region with dimensions beyond imagination," IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh said, days after US newspapers said Israel was mulling strikes this year.

The remarks were the clearest delineation in months by a senior Iranian military official of a potential response to an attack which US intelligence assessments see Israel as more willing to carry out after military setbacks for Tehran.

“If we engage in conflict with the US, we have enough targets in the region that we can strike with low-cost missiles,” Hajizadeh said. “If instead of 150 drones, we use 500 or even 1,000 drones, what can they possibly do?” he added.

The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post reported last week cited US intelligence findings from last month that Israel saw an opening for an attack on Iranian nuclear sites as early as the first of this year.

Israel is basing its assessment, the papers reported, on Iran's weakness after an Oct. 26 Israeli attack knocked out much of its air defenses and a greater perceived receptiveness to military action from US President Donald Trump.

Hajizadeh added Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had repeatedly personally followed up on Iran's anti-ballistic missile defenses, which he said would soon be ready.

“Some say that if we do not negotiate, they might attack. No one should worry; they can do absolutely nothing,” Hajizadeh said. Iran is working on extending its missile range to 2,000 km, he added, saying that US interests could be handily struck with less high-tech ordnance.

"The US has nearby targets around us that can be hit with low-cost missiles—there is no need to use intercontinental missiles from here."

'True Promise 3'

The senior commander also became the second high-ranking IRGC official in as many days to vow another direct attack on Israel, ratcheting up rhetoric against its Mideast adversary.

“Iran’s third attack on Israel, True Promise 3, will definitely take place, but officials have planned for it and will use it strategically—we will not waste it,” Hajizadeh added.

Vows of retaliation following Oct. 26 Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military targets in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces had largely subsided weeks after the attack.

Iran condemned the operation, which killed five people including four military officers and a civilian. Tehran said air defenses intercepted most of the incoming strikes.

Without detailing the losses the Islamic Republic has suffered in previous Israeli attacks, the IRGC Aerospace commander added, “Warfare is not just about striking; we must also be prepared to take hits."

"In fact, these attacks have not been entirely bad for us because they made officials pay more attention and allocate more funds and resources to us,” he added.

His remarks come after Khamenei has rejected US President Donald Trump's overtures for a nuclear deal, deepening a standoff with Washington.

Khamenei said on Monday that Iran could fend off an attack by its enemies and added the next day that Trump's plan to seize Gaza and displace Palestinians - now a key plank of US Mideast policy - was 'stupid' and doomed to failure.

“These individuals were cooperating with front organizations linked to intelligence services of hostile Western countries,” Mizan news agency quoted judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir as saying.

The United Kingdom is one of three European countries involved in ongoing talks with Tehran over its disputed nuclear program. Another, France, has protested Iran's continued detention of three of its nationals.

Iran said on Tuesday it seeks to more talks with Europe, according to foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, even as the prospect for negotiations with the United States dimmed.

"These individuals were arrested in January of this year on charges of espionage," Jahangir said. "The individuals arrested entered Iran under the guise of tourists and, under the guise of research and investigation work, have collected information in several provinces of the country."

British Ambassador Hugo Shorter met with the detainees at Kerman’s public and revolutionary prosecutor’s office, Mizan's report added, citing local judiciary head Ebrahim Hamidi.

“The meeting took place at the request of the British ambassador and with the approval of judicial and security officials,” Mizan quoted Hamidi as saying.

The detainees' family, in a statement on Saturday released by the British Foreign Office, named them as Craig and Lindsay Foreman.

“This unexpected turn of events has caused significant concern for our entire family, and we are deeply focused on ensuring their safety and wellbeing during this trying time,” they said.

The couple in their early 50s had been on a motorbike trip across the world and had only planned on being in Iran for five days. They were due to end their trip in Australia and had crossed into Iran from Armenia on December 30, according to their social media posts.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals in recent years, predominantly on espionage and security-related charges.

Human rights groups and several Western nations have accused Iran of using arrests to extract concessions from other countries, though Tehran has consistently denied that the detentions are politically motivated.

Iran is involved in ongoing negotiations with the so-called E3 European countries - Britain, France and Germany - who were signatories of a now largely defunct 2015 international deal over Iran's nuclear program.

Tehran denies seeking a bomb but Western powers remain skeptical of its intentions.

US President Donald Trump has vowed to deny Iran a nuclear weapon and his secretary of state Marco Rubio said Washington will urge its European allies to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran.