An Iranian national has pleaded guilty to charges linked to a ransomware campaign that targeted multiple US cities, including a 2019 cyberattack that crippled services in Baltimore, Maryland, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Tuesday.
Sina Gholinejad, 37, admitted to one count of computer fraud and abuse and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for August.
According to court documents, Gholinejad and co-conspirators used the Robbinhood ransomware to breach and encrypt files on the networks of municipalities, health care providers, and nonprofit organizations across the United States between January 2019 and March 2024.
Victims included the cities of Greenville, Gresham, Yonkers, and Baltimore, which alone incurred more than $19 million in damages and lost services.
The attacks rendered city systems offline for months, disrupting essential functions such as water billing, property tax collection, and parking enforcement. Prosecutors said the group demanded Bitcoin payments in exchange for decryption keys and sometimes threatened to publish stolen data.
No state affiliation of the case has been made by the DOJ, but US authorities have previously warned of cyber threats from Iranian state-linked groups. Iran has denied targeting US entities with cyberattacks.
Gholinejad was arrested on January 10, 2025, at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
The FBI led the investigation, with assistance from Bulgarian authorities.
Iran executed a man convicted of espionage for Israel, judiciary-affiliated news agency Mizan reported on Wednesday, prompting fresh condemnation from several human rights advocates.
Pedram Madani was sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court on charges of “corruption on earth” over allegations he provided intelligence to Israel as well as "Moharebeh" (waging war against God).
Madani, a political prisoner in his 40s, was arrested in 2019 and had been held in Tehran’s Evin Prison before being transferred to Ghezelhesar Prison days before the execution.
Iran Human Rights (IHR), a Norway-based NGO, said Madani’s death sentence had been overturned by the Supreme Court on three occasions, but the case was reassigned to other branches that reinstated the verdict.
“These are death sentences without due process,” said IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam. “They amount to extrajudicial killings.”
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nargess Mohammadi had called the case “a blatant act of injustice,” saying Madani was denied access to an independent lawyer and coerced into confessing under pressure and prolonged solitary confinement.
Iran's judiciary has not responded to the allegations of procedural irregularities. Authorities have previously defended such cases as necessary for national security, especially amid rising tensions with Israel and reports of sabotage and assassinations inside Iran.
Activists and former detainees described a growing trend of accelerated capital punishment. Mehdi Mahmoudian, a civil activist detained in Evin, said Madani was misled with promises of clemency. “He is the third prisoner in a month to be removed from Ward 4 for execution,” he wrote on social media.
Last month, Iran executed Mohsen Langarneshin, a cyber expert also convicted of aiding Israel. His case, too, drew international criticism after a leaked recording raised questions about the legitimacy of his confession.
At least 113 executions have been recorded in the first 25 days of 2025, IHR reported.
Iran accounted for 64% of all known global executions in 2024, with at least 972 people executed, according to Amnesty International.
Iran has consistently rejected criticism of its judicial system, saying that its courts operate independently and in accordance with Islamic law. However, rights groups and the United Nations have repeatedly called on Tehran to halt executions and ensure fair trials.
Iran Human Rights' 2024 annual report on the death penalty in Iran said that forced confessions, especially those aired live on television, have become "a propaganda tool aimed at creating fear and justifying the heavy sentences handed down to its political opponents and activists".
Iran's security forces have escalated efforts to suppress the nationwide truck drivers' strike through arrests, summonses, and intimidation, particularly in the southern city of Sirjan, as the strike stretches into its sixth day.
Sources told Iran International that intelligence and security agencies have begun directly contacting and summoning truck drivers in Sirjan, Kerman province, with several reportedly detained in an attempt to break the strike.
On Tuesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Kerman province said in a statement that it had dismantled what it called an “organized anti-security network” operating across several provinces.
The statement did not specify the network’s alleged activities or any link to the truckers' strike.
Iran's Truckers and Heavy Vehicle Drivers Union released a statement marking the sixth day of the strike, confirming that 11 drivers and truck owners had been detained in Kermanshah, western Iran.
The union called for their immediate and unconditional release, saying, “Repression, arrest, and threats are not a response to legitimate demands — they are a sign of desperation in the face of our growing call for justice.”
In response to the arrests, hundreds of drivers in Kermanshah staged a protest in front of the provincial governor’s office, denouncing what they described as unjust treatment and expressing solidarity with their detained colleagues.
Launched on May 22 in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, the coordinated protest has since spread widely across the country, with truckers pledging to hold out for a full week or longer if their demands remain unmet.
Drivers are demanding better working conditions, higher freight rates, and relief from high insurance costs and fuel restrictions.
Iranians have expressed anguish and exhaustion and detailed their daily struggle to afford basic goods amid soaring inflation in messages submitted to Iran International.
A stream of voice messages and videos sent in from across the country to Iran International's submissions line points to a population grappling with collapsing purchasing power and authorities they see as out of touch with their plight.
The average monthly salary in Iran is around 150 to 200 million rials—equivalent to approximately $200-$250. But for residents in Tehran, especially those with families, this amount barely covers essentials.
One video showed a family’s lunch—just potatoes, yogurt and bread—accompanied by a bitter message voiced by the person filming: “May God curse you."
“Two packed small cakes and two juices cost 1,000,000 rials ($1.2),” said one person by audio message. “How long must we live like this?”
From grocery items to medical care, costs have surged dramatically. A 10 kg bag of Pakistani rice now sells for 9,800,000 rials ($11.80), while apples and pears fetch up to 7,000,000 rials/kg ($8.43)
Others described medical burdens. A pensioner, aged 70, said his income was just 38,000,000 rials (around $45.8) a month. “Half of that goes to medication,” he said. In another message, a military veteran said he had to pay out of pocket for cold medicine. “At my age, this is shameful,” he added.
Multiple complaints targeted the government's National Housing Plan. One registrant said she borrowed 1,500,000,000 rials (around $1,800) for a housing deposit but never received the promised loan. “Why aren’t you giving people their loans, President Pezeshkian?” she asked.
Others addressed Iran’s leadership more broadly. “You say you’ll destroy America,” one voice said, “but people are paying 16,500,000 rials ($20) just to buy soy and beans.”
Another pointed to baby formula: two subsidized cans plus a painkiller cost over 3,400,000 rials ($4.10), with unsubsidized prices higher. “So what’s the point of subsidies?”
Several messages referenced US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks during his Middle East tour, calling Iranian leaders “thieves.” One man said, “If you’re not thieves, why are people bent over in garbage bins?”
The sharp rise in prices for basic goods such as the cheapest type of bread called lavash—up from 65,00 rials to 13,250 in under a year (~$0.008 to $0.016)—has left many Iranians how their static incomes can ever catch up to soaring costs. “Who gets a raise that often?” one asked.
The voices together point to a society under strain with many seeing no financial future in the status quo.
Political prisoner Pedram Madani is facing imminent execution in Iran after being resentenced to death for alleged espionage for Israel, drawing sharp rebukes from rights groups and public figures.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nargess Mohammadi described the case as “a blatant act of injustice,” citing what she called coerced confessions, denial of legal representation and a biased judicial process.
“Pedram was denied a lawyer of his choosing. His confession was extracted under pressure and torture in solitary confinement,” Mohammadi wrote on Instagram.
“They hang innocent youths by the neck while knowing full well the confessions were false and the prisoner, even under their own laws, does not deserve the death penalty.”
Madani, who is around 40 years old, was arrested in 2019 on charge of spying for Israel and sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court on charges of “corruption on earth.”
According to Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), Iran’s Supreme Court overturned the death sentence three times, but each time the case was reassigned to other courts which reinstated the verdict.
Madani was moved Sunday from Tehran’s Evin Prison to Ghezelhesar Prison, and his family was summoned for a final visit—moves widely interpreted as indicators of imminent execution.
“Death sentences in Iran, especially on charges such as espionage, are issued and carried out without any due process. These executions are extrajudicial killings that the international community should not remain indifferent to,” said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of IHR.
Madani’s case has triggered renewed calls for action from civil society and former detainees.
The official support account for Olivier Grondeau, a French national recently freed from Iranian detention, posted, “Three times, his death sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court. Yet, he is scheduled to be executed tomorrow. We demand the immediate cancellation of his execution.”
From Evin Prison, civil activist Mehdi Mahmoudian said Madani was previously misled with false promises of clemency from intelligence agencies.
Mahmoudian described Madani as the third inmate in a month to be removed from Evin’s Ward 4 for execution, warning of a “terrifying pattern of accelerated capital sentences.”
Iran late last month executed Mohsen Langarneshin, a 32-year-old network security engineer accused of helping Israel carry out assassinations and bomb attacks. However, a prominent activist, human rights groups and a leaked call from the condemned prisoner indicated the charges were false.
At least 113 executions have been recorded in the first 25 days of 2025, IHR said, underscoring what it calls a deepening execution crisis.
“As long as executions go on,” the Grondeau support group wrote, “every day in Iran will be a day of mourning.”
Two major energy agreements signed between US companies and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have sparked swift backlash from Baghdad and could undercut Iran’s long-standing economic and political grip on Iraq.
During a high-profile visit to Washington in May, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani announced the deals with HKN Energy and WesternZagros, targeting development of the Miran and Topkhana-Kurdamir gas fields in the western part of the region near the Syrian border. Together, the projects are valued at $110 billion over their lifetime.
The US-KRG energy deals have sent a powerful message—both to Baghdad and to Tehran. If realized, they could shift Iraq’s energy independence and diminish Iran’s regional clout.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright praised the deals at the Al-Monitor Global Institute in Washington on May 22, calling them “very aligned with President Trump’s agenda.”
He added, “We need Iraq and others off Iranian dependence.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Prime Minister Barzani in Washington on May 23. According to the State Department, the Secretary praised the energy agreements and reaffirmed US support for a strong and resilient Kurdistan Region within a sovereign and prosperous federal Iraq.
But analysts believe without a breakthrough in Baghdad-Erbil relations and tangible infrastructure investment, the deals remain aspirational—more of a political statement than a pipeline to regional transformation.
Iran’s gas grip at risk
Iran currently supplies around 25% of Iraq’s electricity needs through natural gas exports. Should the Kurdish projects proceed, that influence could be seriously eroded.
According to Iman Nasseri, Managing Director for the Middle East at FGE, Iran has little to gain financially from its gas exports to Iraq, and growing domestic shortages are shifting Tehran’s calculus.
He told Iran International, “They’re (Iraq) receiving gas for free because they have the excuse of not being able to pay due to US sanctions....Iran would welcome any scenario that could get Iraqis off the contract that they have signed with the Iranians [...] because they are short in natural gas at the moment."
Nasseri said that while the gas fields targeted by the US-KRG deals—estimated to hold 13 trillion cubic feet collectively—are indeed substantial, the main obstacles to their development have always been political and economic, not technical.
Strategic implications for Iran
Meanwhile, Baghdad swiftly denounced the agreements. Iraq’s Oil Ministry declared them “null and void." A senior Iraqi official told Reuters the central government had not been informed in advance.
KRG’s Ministry of Natural Resources defended the move, citing existing legal frameworks and long-standing contracts validated by Iraqi courts.
Energy analyst Dalga Khatinoglu told Iran International that the gas reserves in Iraqi Kurdistan—estimated at over 211.9 trillion cubic feet —are large enough to position the region as a major exporter to Turkey and Europe.
While Iran holds five times more gas, he warned, Tehran risks losing its most critical energy customers if the Kurdish fields come online.
“Iran earns $5 billion a year from gas exports to Iraq and Turkey,” Khatinoglu said, underscoring the threat to both revenue and regional influence. If Kurdish gas starts reaching Turkey and Europe, Iran not only loses market share—it loses geopolitical leverage.
US policy or political signal?
Ambassador John Craig, a former senior US diplomat, told Iran International the announcement may signal more of a “test” than a decisive turning point.
“The KRG is testing the water—to see how the Iranians react to it and how the US reacts to it,” he said, emphasizing that Iran “no longer has the punch” it once did following Israeli strikes that “took out all their munitions factories” and weakened Tehran’s regional leverage.
Craig is a former US ambassador to Oman under President Clinton and later served as director for the Middle East at the National Security Council under President George W. Bush.
He said that while the Kurdish leadership may see an opening to act more independently, the projects are far from being realized. “This is not going to happen in the next 10 months, no. It’s long term,” he said. “Exploration, production, development—it could take three to five years.”
Nasseri also described the deals as more symbolic than real, likening them to ‘wishful thinking’ without the conditions needed for execution. He emphasized that Kurdistan currently lacks a viable off-taker, adding, "you can’t develop gas without finding a place and an off-taker that can consume that gas.”