Iran must move swiftly to demonstrate its ability to rebuild across all sectors following the 12-day war with Israel, First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said on Tuesday, according to state media.
“We must quickly show that we have the ability to reconstruct in all postwar sectors,” Aref said during a meeting with managers from the National Development Group Investment Company. He called postwar reconstruction and renewal the country’s top national priority.
Aref said the government had prepared a war economy plan early in its term, anticipating reduced oil revenues. He said the economic front had held strong during the conflict, adding, “There was not a single flaw in the performance of our economic front during the 12-day war.”
Aref warned against trusting Israel or the United States in the aftermath of the ceasefire. “There is no guarantee of their promises,” he said.
Iran is conducting a “shadow war” inside the United Kingdom that extends beyond sanctions violations and includes propaganda, financial networks, and digital disinformation campaigns aimed at dividing society, The Telegraph reported on Monday.
The article said that while the UK Treasury is investigating nine suspected violations of sanctions in 2024, “these sanctions violations are of course concerning, but only constitute a small part of Iran’s clandestine political influence and illicit finance operations in Britain.” The campaign, it said, reflects a longer-standing effort by Tehran to undermine the United Kingdom in response to decades of hostility between the two governments.
Historical context and anti-UK messaging
Tensions between the two countries go back decades, and The Telegraph noted that Iran has consistently framed the United Kingdom as a hostile power.
According to the report, this messaging forms part of a larger strategy aimed at undermining states perceived as adversaries, particularly those aligned with the United States.
Iran-linked media and advocacy in Britain
Press TV, Iran’s state-backed English-language broadcaster, previously held a broadcast license to operate in the UK. The Telegraph said that although the license was revoked in 2012, the channel continues to publish content online that promotes Iranian state positions.
The report also referenced UK-based organizations, including the Islamic Human Rights Commission, which has faced scrutiny for its messaging and continues to organize Quds Day demonstrations in central London. The Telegraph said some of these events included visible support for Hezbollah before the group was designated a terrorist organization in the UK.
Concerns over Iranian banks in London
Iranian financial institutions with past sanctions histories, including Melli Bank and Bank Saderat, still maintain offices in London, The Telegraph said. It noted that these banks operate near the Bank of England and have been raised as a concern by Members of Parliament.
According to the report, both institutions have previously been linked by international authorities to financial activities involving armed groups in the Middle East.
Online disinformation tied to Iran
Iranian influence efforts have also extended to social media, according to The Times. The paper reported that OpenAI identified a network called Storm-2035, which it said was likely linked to Tehran. The network used Persian-language prompts to generate English and Spanish posts on wedge issues, such as austerity, independence movements, and foreign policy.
OpenAI said the content was posted on X by accounts posing as local users. These accounts often used stock images and followed far more users than they had followers.
Scottish independence messaging monitored
The Telegraph also referenced Iranian involvement in online messaging around Scottish independence, citing researchers who linked the activity to broader attempts to exploit domestic divisions in the UK.
According to The Times and Scottish Daily Express, several pro-independence X accounts with apparent Iranian ties went silent after Israeli strikes on Iranian infrastructure on June 12. The Scottish Daily Express cited research from Clemson University suggesting the network may have been tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Government response limited, Telegraph says
While UK authorities have taken some action, The Telegraph said responses have so far not matched the scale of the challenge. The paper described Iran’s operations as “enabled by years of dereliction from policymakers” and said more sustained coordination would be needed to counter foreign influence campaigns effectively.
The safety and security of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors cannot be guaranteed while Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization continues to assess damage to nuclear facilities following recent attacks, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday.
Esmail Baghaei said it is “entirely unrealistic” to expect Iran to have normal cooperation with the IAEA, and that IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi’s insistence on continuing cooperation at this time is “not understandable.”
Speaking in a weekly press conference, the spokesman also condemned US President Donald Trump’s remarks against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, saying, “It is completely clear that such vulgar, insulting, and provocative remarks are wholly rejected and condemned."
"These words have hurt the sentiments of millions of Iranians and Muslims inside and outside Iran and will only increase hatred and resentment toward US policies in the region and against Muslims.”
Talks with Europe
Baghaei said Tehran maintains diplomatic relations and regular communication with Britain, France, and Germany, and Iran’s president recently spoke with his French counterpart.
However, he said no date has been set for the next round of negotiations, which will be announced once finalized.
French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart called for Tehran's return to the negotiating table to address ballistic and nuclear issues, and for the resumption of the IAEA's work in Iran, his X account said on Sunday.
The French president also called on Tehran to respect the ceasefire with Israel and to help restore peace in the region, the post on his X said.
Iran warns neighbors
Baghaei also warned neighboring countries against allowing their territories or airspace to be used for hostile actions by Israel, saying that's prohibited by the international law.
“Without exception, all neighboring countries have assured us that they will under no circumstances permit Israel to misuse their airspace or territory for aggressive actions against Iran.”
Criticism of international responses
Iran is compiling evidence of Israeli attacks on its nuclear sites to present to international bodies, Baghaei said, accusing Israel of “war crimes” and describing it as “an apartheid regime” subject to prosecution by the International Criminal Court.
He said the recent IAEA report provides a pretext for Israeli and US strikes. “The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has clear technical duties and its director general must avoid political influence.”
The Iranian diplomat also slammed Germany and France’s positions on Israel’s attacks as unacceptable and warned that recent German officials’ remarks will leave a “historic and eternal shame” on Berlin.
Baghaei urged the German public and international community to hold their leaders accountable, saying, “I never imagined that the German chancellor would use the same language that was used to justify the racist actions of Hitler. This is something that the people of Germany and the world must demand from their officials.”
Iran’s parliament has passed a law imposing the death penalty for cooperation with Israel, the US, or hostile groups, while also criminalizing unauthorized use of tools like Starlink to bypass internet restrictions.
The legislation classifies any collaboration with Israel and the United States as “corruption on earth”, which is punishable by death.
“Any intelligence, espionage, or operational activity for Israel, the US, or other hostile regimes and groups or their agents against the country’s security or national interests is considered corruption on earth and punishable by death,” the law says.
It further criminalizes “any security, military, economic, financial, technological action or any direct or indirect assistance knowingly done to approve, strengthen, consolidate, or legitimize Israel,” also punishable by death.
The third article specifies that manufacturing, transferring, or importing drones with military or sabotage uses against critical infrastructure qualifies for the death penalty. It also includes cyberattacks, disruption of communication networks, and sabotage of public or private facilities.
The law penalizes receiving funds from intelligence agents knowingly, regardless of active involvement.
Political, cultural, media, or propaganda activities causing public fear, division, or damage to national security carry 10 to 15 years imprisonment.
Sharing content with "hostile foreign networks" that weakens morale or creates division results in two to five years in prison.
Illegal wartime protests carry five to ten years imprisonment.
The use or import of unauthorized internet communication tools like Starlink is punishable by six months to two years in prison, according to the law.
Importing more than ten Starlink devices “with intent to oppose the Islamic Republic” results in five to ten years’ imprisonment.
The law applies retroactively to offenses committed before its enactment, violating Iran’s constitution and penal code provisions prohibiting retroactive laws, according to experts.
Iran’s banking sector continues to face severe service disruptions, with Sepah and Pasargad banks still struggling to fully resume operations after cyberattacks blamed on Israeli-linked groups.
Despite some limited card reactivations, Pasargad’s most banking services remain offline, leaving customers unable to perform routine transactions.
In Tehran, customers report that banks are refusing to process checks, urging clients to wait days for resolution.
During the recent Israeli and US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, a cyber battle erupted targeting critical Iranian infrastructure.
Sepah Bank, Pasargad Bank, and Nobitex, Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, confirmed cyberattacks against their systems.
Internet banking, mobile banking, and ATMs of these banks remain largely nonfunctional.
A physical malware intrusion in Sepah Bank’s systems prevents successful data backup restoration, prolonging the outage, Rouydad 24 website reported Sunday.
The pro-Israel hacker group Predatory Sparrow, known for prior cyberattacks on Iran’s fuel infrastructure, claimed responsibility for disabling Sepah Bank, writing on X that they paralyzed the state bank.
The bank is responsible for processing the payments of military personnel.
Predatory Sparrow also hacked Nobitex. According to the cryptocurrency exchange's CEO Amir Rad, hackers extracted approximately $100 million from the platform.
While no hacker group has claimed responsibility for the cyberattack against Pasargad Bank, Iranian media are portraying it as part of Israel’s campaign against the Islamic Republic.
Tehran’s stock market reopened after a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel with a sharp collapse, as investor anxiety triggered a sweeping sell-off.
Over 99 percent of listed companies dropped in value, triggering an unprecedented 350 trillion-rial (approximately $416.7 million) sell-off queue.
By the close on Saturday, total sell orders reached 350 trillion rials. The main index fell 62,503 points, or 2.1 percent, to 2,922,101. The equal-weight index lost 15,522 points, ending at 908,163.
The market’s sensitivity to political and security developments deepened investor distrust and anxiety this time. Tehran’s stock market had previously declined amid Tehran’s risky foreign ventures.
In prior crises such as earlier missile strike operations on Israel and after the death of former president Ebrahim Raisi, the Securities and Exchange Organization curtailed daily trading limits to contain losses. Normally, Iran’s daily price fluctuation limit is five percent.
“It was expected the market would start negatively after nine days of closure. Officials tried to control the fallout from Israel’s attack but failed,” economic journalist Arash Hassannia told Iran International.
The market reopened amid crisis signals. Within 90 minutes, over 99 percent of stocks traded in the red. The main index dropped about one percent to 2,957,000 points. The equal-weight index slid nearly 3,800 points, nearing 920,000.
Trade volume in the first 90 minutes exceeded 20 trillion rials ($23.8 million), with nearly 12 trillion rials ($14.3 million) withdrawn by individual investors. Banks and investment firms led trading values with 6.6 trillion rials ($7.85 million) and 2.8 trillion rials ($3.33 million), respectively.
Economy news outlets described the market situation as “a full-scale crisis.” One warned that the military conflict’s end failed to calm the market; instead, uncertainty deepened, with investors fearing new fighting. Analysts see this drop as potentially signaling a longer-term crisis.
Massive sell queues, scarce buyers, broad liquidity outflows, and widespread losses are signs of what analysts call “the start of a psychological and structural crisis.”