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Iranian authorities denied reports that Saeed Toosi, a Qur’an reciter accused of sexually abusing underage boys, was shot in the city of Mashhad on Friday.
The prosecutor of Mashhad Hassan Hemmati Far said the story first appeared in a social media post by a truck driver in the city of Fasa and quickly spread. He said security, police and intelligence services investigated the report and found it to be baseless.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB had earlier reported that Toosi was shot by unidentified gunmen in Mashhad and was hospitalized in critical condition. It gave no further details.
IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News also dismissed the reports as unconfirmed rumors, but said a competent authority should clarify the matter.
This came after Khorasan Daily reported that Toosi had been wounded and hospitalized. Earlier, his brother told the outlet there had been a physical attack.
Toosi gained national recognition after winning two international Qur’an recitation competitions and performing at events attended by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
However, in 2016, at least ten men came forward accusing him of sexual abuse during their teenage years, often while traveling with him for religious training or competitions. The allegations were first aired on Voice of America Persian, after judicial proceedings in the country stalled.
Despite an initial indictment, the case was later dismissed, prompting outrage from activists and victims who accused the judiciary of protecting a figure close to the establishment. Toosi denied all allegations, calling them “bogus and total lies.”
The European trio’s move to trigger the UN snapback mechanism against Iran could ignite a major new war in the region, Iranian MP Fadahossein Maleki warned on Friday, calling it a dangerous escalation that threatens not just Iran but neighboring countries as well.
“If the snapback takes full effect, we could be on the verge of a severe war that would not only threaten Iran’s interests but also destabilize the entire region,” said Maleki, a member of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, in remarks to Didban Iran.
Maleki said the 30-day window before sanctions formally return is a test for the UN Security Council — and for regional diplomacy — to prevent further escalation. He warned that the consequences of conflict could exceed the recent 12-day war and ripple through the global economy.
Maleki pointed to the Russia-China draft resolution extending the implementation of Resolution 2231. If passed, it could block the automatic return of sanctions and prevent conflict, he said.
The lawmaker warned that if war erupts, its scope will not be limited to Iran. “Even regional governments that remain silent will be impacted — their silence could widen the war,” he said.
Russia has denounced the move by Britain, France, and Germany to activate the UN snapback mechanism against Iran, calling it a "serious destabilising factor" that could carry “grave consequences.”
“We strongly condemn these actions by European countries and call on the international community to reject them,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday, blaming the US and its European allies for the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal.
Moscow said renewed sanctions would undermine efforts for a diplomatic solution and reiterated that Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova added that the move risks triggering further escalation.
Iran would respond to snapback-triggered sanctions on its oil sales by preventing other countries from selling their oil, warned Yahya Al-e Eshaq, head of the Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce and a conservative political figure.
“If we’re unable to sell our oil, we won’t allow others to sell theirs,” he said in an interview published on Friday.
Al-e Eshaq said authorities had long anticipated the reimposition of UN sanctions and had planned accordingly. “This didn’t happen overnight. There’s a strategic and calculated response in place,” he said, adding that relevant bodies such as the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) would ultimately decide how to respond.
The main goal behind the European move to trigger the UN snapback mechanism is to create psychological and economic pressure on Iran, a senior Iranian lawmaker said on Friday, warning the action is part of a broader effort to destabilize the country.
“The real aim of the enemies is to spark fear and economic anxiety among the Iranian people,” said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee. “This is one link in a wider chain designed to bring about internal collapse.”
Boroujerdi dismissed the European step as legally baseless and politically motivated, describing it as an attempt by the E3 to escape diplomatic irrelevance. “This won’t change anything in practice—current US and EU sanctions are already harsher than what any revived UN resolution would impose.”
