New Tehran blast video emphasizes Israeli war's civilian toll

The group urged the Communications Ministry and the Infrastructure Company to “immediately end the deliberate disruptions to online access.

“Over 400,000 small and medium-sized enterprises, whose livelihoods millions of Iranians depend on, are facing complete collapse," the open letter dated July 2 said.

Internet access in Iran was disrupted on June 13, the first day of the 12-day war with Israel, and was completely cut on June 17. Partial service has since resumed, but connection speeds and access remain severely limited.

State media defends blackouts citing cyber war

On Saturday, the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency said the disruptions may reflect a large cyber war targeting national infrastructure, describing the attacks as organized and part of a “hidden battle growing more severe by the day.”

During the war, officials justified the shutdowns as a measure to block Israeli reconnaissance drones allegedly using Iranian SIM cards and to disrupt intelligence gathering via WhatsApp. But military and communications experts have dismissed those remarks.

“I categorically reject the Islamic Republic’s claims. No evidence has been presented to show that Israel uses SIM cards for drones," Mehdi Yahyanejad, an expert in internet technologies, told Iran International.

"Even if that were the case, a nationwide internet shutdown is not a logical solution," he said.

The daughter of top military commander Ali Shadmani—killed shortly after his appointment to lead Khatam-al-Anbia Central Headquarters—said her father carried no smart devices during the war, and that “Israel’s precision targeting went far beyond WhatsApp or traditional espionage.”

Her remarks followed accusations from Gholamreza Jalali, head of Iran’s Passive Defense Organization, who said WhatsApp was used to locate and kill Iranian commanders—a charge Meta has denied.

Layoffs, collapse feared in tech sector

The Internet Business Association, in its letter, cited ongoing disruptions—DNS tampering, throttling, protocol filtering, and loss of global access—as already triggering mass layoffs, stalled investment, and startup shutdowns.

“We are witnessing a broad wave of job cuts, halted investment in the startup ecosystem, and announcements of company closures—that is to say, bankruptcies,” the letter said.

The group warned that continued interference “threatens public trust, accelerates elite migration, and risks the death of Iran’s tech sector,” demanding an immediate end to all forms of service degradation.

Iran ranked near the bottom in global internet freedom last year. According to the Tehran Electronic Commerce Association, the country is placed among the lowest in speed and reliability out of 100 surveyed nations.

Surveys suggest 84% of Iranians rely on VPNs to access free internet.

The data, provided by a research group at Oregon State University, suggest that six Iranian missiles hit military targets across northern, central, and southern Israel, including what the report describes as a major air base, an intelligence facility, and a logistics center.

“The radar signatures we analyzed show definitive blast patterns at five separate military sites,” Corey Scher, a researcher with the Oregon State team, told The Telegraph. “These are consistent with missile strikes that likely occurred during the height of the conflict.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declined to confirm or deny the reported damage. “What we can say is that all relevant units maintained functional continuity throughout the operation,” a military spokesman told The Telegraph.

The Telegraph reported that the missile strikes described in the radar data appear to be separate from the 36 previously reported impacts on residential and industrial areas, which caused widespread damage.

Iranian missile penetration increased during conflict, report says

According to The Telegraph, the proportion of Iranian missiles that penetrated Israeli air defenses increased during the war, rising from about 2 percent early in the conflict to roughly 16 percent by day seven.

The report did not offer definitive reasons for the increase, but cited expert suggestions that the causes “may include the rationing of a limited stock of interceptor missiles on the Israeli side and improved firing tactics and the possible use of more sophisticated missiles by Iran.”

Iranian officials told The Telegraph that the use of simultaneous drone and missile attacks was intended to confuse Israeli defense systems. “Many [drones] don’t even get through—but they still cause confusion,” one unnamed Iranian official said.

The Israeli media on Friday quoted a military official as saying that Iran began the conflict with around 400 missile launchers and that “we destroyed more than 200 of them, which caused a bottleneck in their missile operations.”

The same official estimated that Iran started the war with 2,000 to 2,500 ballistic missiles and is pursuing mass production that could dramatically expand its arsenal.

A more comprehensive analysis of the damage to both Israeli and Iranian infrastructure is expected from the Oregon State research group within two weeks, according to the report.

The group uses radar-based methods that detect changes in the built environment, but it acknowledged that full confirmation of military site hits would require either on-the-ground access or high-resolution satellite imagery.

“Post-conflict situations must not be used as an opportunity to suppress dissent and increase repression,” the experts said in a statement, referring to the aftermath of Iran-Israel conflict which began on June 13 and ended with a ceasefire.

The experts which included UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mai Sato, said they were alarmed by reports that at least six individuals, including three Kurdish men, had been executed on charges of “espionage for Israel.”

They also cited the arrests of hundreds of people, including journalists, human rights defenders, social media users, foreign nationals — particularly Afghans — and members of ethnic and religious minorities such as Baha’is, Kurds, Balouchis and Ahwazi Arabs.

The experts expressed concern over the detention of human rights defender Hossein Ronaghi and his brother and Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali who they said faced imminent execution with his whereabouts unknown.

The experts warned that Iran’s parliament was advancing legislation that would categorize intelligence activities on behalf of “hostile governments” as “corruption on earth” — a charge punishable by death under Iranian law.

“Criminalizing the sharing of information in broad language violates the rights to freedom of expression and information,” the statement said. “This legislation also represents a worrying expansion of the death penalty that violates international human rights law.”

They also condemned the deteriorating conditions of prisoners transferred from Evin Prison following Israeli strikes on its facilities.

Many detainees were moved to the Great Tehran Penitentiary and Qarchak Prison and held in inhumane conditions. The whereabouts of some prisoners remain unknown, the experts said, describing the situation as amounting to enforced disappearances.

“Iranian authorities don't tell [us] where they are being held,” Cécile’s sister Noémie told Iran International on Friday.

The couple were arrested in May 2022 while on a tourist trip to Iran.

Noémie said that since the Israeli strike, they have had only one consular visit, on July 1, when the family was relieved to learn that they were "at least still alive.”

She said that the couple had been held in Ward 209 — which operates under the oversight of Iran's Intelligence Ministry — at the time of the strike, and that they had remained there for more than three years.

“They were held in 209 for more than three years,” she said. “They were in solitary confinement several months.”

Ward 209 lies outside the prison's regular judicial oversight and has been described by Human Rights Watch as a “prison within a prison,” where detainees are frequently subjected to prolonged solitary confinement, denied legal access, and subjected to harsh interrogation that may amount to torture.

The couple were moved shortly after the blasts. “We understood [Cécile] was transferred to Qarchak prison,” Noémie said. “She was transferred to Qarchak prison for 24 hours. Then she was transferred to an undisclosed place — she was blindfolded so she doesn’t know where she is being held right now.”

“Jacques was transferred to an undisclosed location right after the bombings,” she added.

The family has not had direct contact with either of them since May 28.

Noémie said Iranian authorities recently charged the couple with “spying for Israel,” “conspiracy to overthrow the regime,” and “corruption on Earth” — charges that carry the death penalty under Iranian law.

“We don’t have more specific information. We only know a judge told them the charges,” she said.

She said the couple is not allowed independent legal representation and that “nobody has access to their case file.”

Psychological torture

During their last direct contact on May 28, Cécile told her family that a judge had warned them a verdict would be issued soon — and that it would be “very severe.”

“The judge had been telling them that for six months,” Noémie said. “Another example of psychological torture.”

Asked why Iranian authorities may be targeting the couple so harshly, Noémie said, “To put pressure on France, I assume. We don’t know what they want and why they persecute Cécile and Jacques this badly.”

She accused Iranian authorities of ongoing abuse. “The Iranian authorities are continuing to torture Cécile and Jacques psychologically after more than three years of detention in inhuman conditions, after they narrowly survived the bombings, with charges that carry the death penalty,” she said.

“They must stop trampling on Cécile and Jacques's rights, disclose their place of detention, allow them to contact their families, and above all hand them over to the French authorities as a matter of urgency.”

France has condemned the charges as politically motivated and continues to demand the couple’s immediate release. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has called the accusations “unjustified and unfounded.”

Noémie said she believes the French government is making efforts to help, but called the lack of transparency “complicated and frustrating.”

“My message to Western leaders, especially European, is that they have to work together to put an end to hostage diplomacy,” she added.

Kohler, a teacher, and Paris, her partner, are the last known French citizens held in Iran. French President Emmanuel Macron has described them as “state hostages.”

France and other European Union members accuse Iran of practicing “hostage diplomacy” — detaining foreigners to pressure Western governments.

Iran denies the accusation. Its officials say the arrests followed legal procedures and reject claims of mistreatment.

In dozens of messages sent to Iran International's submissions line, Iranians lambasted Khamenei for what they called a false triumph narrative delivered from underground.

“This shameless coward sends messages from a rat hole while the Israeli prime minister walks among his people,” one person said. “Even a kid can tell what really happened.”

In a June 26 speech broadcast from an unknown location, the 86-year-old theocrat said Israel “was nearly brought to its knees" and that Iran had dealt the United States “a harsh slap”.

“If he’s telling the truth, let him come out and speak," another person told Iran International. "He’s still hiding in the sewers."

Mockery was sharp and specific in almost all messages. Another described the leader as “a baby-faced coward high on his own smoke, completely out of touch.”

A leader underground, a public exhausted

A Tehran resident added: “We’ve lived under this regime for nearly fifty years. We’ve learned to reverse everything they say. If he says we crushed them, it means we were crushed.”

Khamenei’s continued isolation was a recurring theme for contributors.

“He hasn’t seen sunlight for weeks. He’s delusional from being underground too long,” one message read. “Come up and see if even a dozen people still believe your story.”

Several messages questioned why, if victory had truly been achieved, key Iranian figures like Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly had to request safe passage from Israel just to leave Iranian airspace. Others said even funeral processions of senior commanders were clearer signs of defeat than any speech.

“You weren’t leading anything,” said another viewer. “You hid while others died. Then you reappeared to lecture us from a camera.”

“We’re tired. We’ve survived forty-six years of war, lies and plunder. Enough,” said another.

One contributor predicted there would be no refuge from an inevitable popular backlash: “One day, the people will raise a new flag with bare hands. That day, there will be no bunker and no lie left for you to hide behind.”

Ali Khamenei has not appeared at any public gathering or event since the start of the 12-day war with Israel. He skipped the funerals of slain military commanders and nuclear scientists, and did not even attend the annual mourning ceremonies held at the Hussainiyah in his Tehran compound.