UN investigators warn of 'serious deterioration' of human rights in Iran

"Having rebranded its “Department of Defense” as the “Department of War”, a nuclear-armed bully is resuming testing of atomic weapons," Abbas Araghchi said on X on Friday, citing a social media post by Trump earlier yesterday.

Trump cited the arsenals of Russia and China as well as nuclear tests by unspecified other countries for ordering instructing the "Department of War" he recently rebranded to "start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis."

Arch-foes since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and Tehran hostage crisis, Iran and the United States have been locked in a tense standoff in the energy-rich Mideast for decades but relations exploded into open conflict in June.

Two months after the start of US-Iran talks aimed at resolving an impasse over Tehran's disputed nuclear program, Israel launched a surprise military campaign on Iran capped by US strikes on three key Iranian nuclear sites.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and relations have soured in recent weeks as a diplomatic solution appears elusive.

"The same bully has been demonizing Iran's peaceful nuclear program and threatening further strikes on our safeguarded nuclear facilities, all in blatant violation of international law," Araghchi added.

"Make no mistake: The U.S. is the World’s Most Dangerous Proliferation Risk The announcement of a resumption of nuclear tests is a regressive and irresponsible move and a serious threat to international peace and security."

Iran's economic woes and isolation have deepened since European-triggered UN sanctions resumed last month despite Chinese and Russian efforts to ban the maneuver codified by a mostly defunct 2015 nuclear deal Trump quit.

"The world must unite to hold the U.S. accountable for normalizing the proliferation of such heinous weapons," Araghchi said.

The report by Mai Sato, dated August 26 and presented to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, covered developments from January to July 2025.

It described a “deeply troubling deterioration” in human rights, citing arbitrary detention, torture, discrimination and other forms of state violence.

Israeli attacks 'violated key principles' of international law

The report said Israeli and US attacks between June 13 and 24 on Iran’s military, nuclear and civilian infrastructure—including Evin Prison in Tehran—killed about 1,100 people, including 102 women and 45 children, and injured more than 5,600.

The report added that non-state sources estimated between 40% and 60% of those killed were civilians.

"Israel attacked over 210 commercial centers, 16 educational centers, 17 energy installations, nearly 10,000 residential units and 23 medical facilities, including hospitals in Kermanshah and Tehran," the report asserted.

"Core tenets of international humanitarian law appear to have been violated, namely, the need to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants, ensure the proportionality of military actions and minimize foreseeable harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure," Sato wrote.

Israeli assassinations of 14 nuclear scientists she described as "unlawful killing."

Attacks by Israel and the United States which both powers lauded as key setbacks for their Mideast adversary and a boon to international security she condemned.

"The Special Rapporteur underscores that armed attacks on nuclear facilities must never occur, as they could release radioactive material with catastrophic humanitarian and ecological impacts."

The attacks prompted Iran’s parliament to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and introduce laws expanding espionage offences and limiting the work of journalists and civil groups.

'Alarming' rise in Iran executions

Sato said Iran’s use of the death penalty reached “alarming” levels, averaging three to four executions a day.

More than 700 people were executed during the reporting period, including at least 98 Baloch, 42 Kurds, and 8 Arabs, along with a rise in executions of Afghan nationals.

Half of the executions were for drug-related offences, followed by homicide and “security-related” charges, including espionage for Israel.

Sato said executions were carried out amid “procedural violations” and that the authorities had made public only 8% of the total cases, leaving most unacknowledged.

Torture, amputations and prison abuse

The report detailed accounts of torture, sexual violence and the denial of medical care in detention. It cited the amputation of four fingers each from three men convicted on theft charges — Hadi Rostami, Mehdi Sharafian and Mehdi Shahivand — at Urmia Central Prison in July as “state-sanctioned mutilation.”

Following Israeli strikes on Evin prison on June 23, which killed about 80 people, prisoners were transferred to overcrowded and unsanitary facilities, the report said, adding that the whereabouts of several detainees remained unknown.

Crackdown on media and activists

Sato said authorities had detained over 21,000 people during the June escalation, amid what she described as a “massive clampdown on civic space.”

The judiciary also sent text warnings threatening prosecution for citizens who engaged with what it called “Zionist regime pages” on social media.

The report said journalists working for Iran International and BBC Persian continued to face death threats and harassment of their families inside Iran.

Kurdish rights group Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the report added, was repeatedly targeted with "smear campaigns, threats, false legal accusations, attempted abduction and death threats".

Minorities and deportations

The report highlighted systemic discrimination against the Baha’i, Kurdish, Baluch, and Arab ethnic minorities as well as Afghan refugees, including arbitrary arrests and the mass deportation of over 1.5 million Afghans during the first half of the year.

It said the revival of the mandatory hijab enforcement law and new surveillance powers further restricted freedoms, while lawyers, activists and women’s rights defenders faced imprisonment and unfair trials.

Lethal violence beyond war

Sato said Iran’s human rights violations go far beyond the June conflict, forming what she described as a years-old “broader pattern of lethal violence”.

She cited as evidence extrajudicial killings along Iran’s borders, deaths in custody, a culture of impunity for state violence and laws that permit gender-based abuse.

“Violations of the right to life are manifested in multiple forms,” the report said, adding that between 11 and 17 Kurdish border couriers, known as Kulbars, were killed and up to 22 injured during the reporting period.

At least 71 fuel porters or sukhtbars were also killed and 54 wounded in Sistan and Baluchestan Province in Iran's Southeast. Landmine explosions killed continued to take lives among both vulnerable border communities, it added.

'No relief'

Sato urged Iran to repeal laws criminalizing peaceful expression, end the use of torture and forced confessions, and investigate deaths in custody and border killings.

Foreign governments, she said, must protect Iranian exiles, human rights defenders and journalists from cross-border harassment and support civil society groups documenting abuses.

“Post-conflict periods present critical opportunities for national unity and healing,” Sato said. “Yet in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the end of fighting has not brought relief for the people.”

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday said a new official website can allow Iranians abroad to return home risk-free by checking in advance whether they face any outstanding legal or security issues.

Concerns of official retribution give many Iranians outside the country pause about returning home.

Faced with deepening sanctions, Tehran is seeking to revitalize its isolated economy with investment and talent from its sizable diaspora.

Iranians can enter their details on a Foreign Ministry’s portal called Porseman to check whether they are “problem-free” to travel to Iran, Araghchi said. Those with a clean legal bill of health are given pre-approval in the form of a green tick.

Washington begged to differ, and in a response to an Iran International query on the new initiative by Tehran said its stern warning that Iran be avoided stands.

"The Department of State has long warned Americans not to travel to Iran and that is particularly true now. Anyone with a US connection, including dual US-Iranian nationals, is at significant risk of questioning, arrest, and detention in Iran."

Bitter foes since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and US embassy hostage crisis in Tehran, Iran and the United States have eyed each other with deep suspicion.

Ties hit a new low amid a 12-day US-Israeli military campaign against Iran in June.

In August, the state department said US citizens should steer clear of Iran to avoid being swept up in a post-war espionage dragnet there.

"The Iranian regime, following the 12-day war with Israel, is in the midst of unprecedented paranoia and a crackdown on spies and regime opponents," the State Department said in a post on its Persian X account USA Beh Farsi.

"Anyone considering travel to Iran should reconsider their decision. We repeat: US citizens should not travel to Iran!" it added.

While Iran says it welcomes the return of refugees, the country’s laws criminalize a wide range of behavior — including political dissent, activism, homosexuality and refusal to comply with compulsory hijab rules — issues which caused many Iranians to flee.

The Iranian security chief Ali Larijani “cites my 12-Day War report but skips the part where Iran lost: Iran’s missile and drone attacks were overwhelmingly defeated by US and Israeli defenses and Israel’s crushing strikes against Iran,” Ari Cicurel, Associate Director of Foreign Policy at JINSA and author of the report “Shielded by Fire,” wrote on X.

The Iranian official had written that “Iran's armed forces demonstrated power in the war against the Zionists,” invoking the JINSA study to back his argument. But the report, released in August 2025, found that Iran’s missile and drone attacks were mostly neutralized through integrated US-Israel air and missile defenses.

US defenses decisive

The 29-page study said Iran launched 574 ballistic missiles and more than 1,000 drones between June 13 and 24, yet only 49 missiles impacted populated areas or infrastructure. It attributed Israel’s limited damage to the combined interception network, which it said achieved an 85 percent success rate.

“The vast majority of the over 500 ballistic missiles fired by Iran did no damage to Israel, that success due in large part to ad hoc US-led air defense cooperation,” the report said.

The analysis credited Washington’s role as decisive, noting that the United States deployed two THAAD missile defense batteries and several Aegis-equipped destroyers to support Israel and provided over 230 interceptors -- around a quarter of its total stockpile.

Contrasting narratives

Israel’s counterstrikes destroyed hundreds of Iranian launchers and reduced its missile stockpile from 2,500 to roughly 1,000 - 1,500, forcing Tehran to scale back its offensives, according to the report.

While Iran’s security chief portrayed the conflict as a demonstration of military strength, the JINSA study described it as a costly confrontation that exposed Iran’s vulnerabilities.

The report concluded that Israel and the United States must expand interceptor production and formalize their missile defense coordination to prevent Iran from regaining its offensive capacity.

The suspect, identified as Mohammad Adil Hussaini, had travelled to several countries, including Pakistan, and was allegedly involved in sharing sensitive material abroad, India Today reported, citing police sources.

During questioning, Hussaini allegedly said he obtained nuclear-related designs from a Russian scientist and passed them to a contact in Iran, the report said.

Police said Hussaini earned large sums from the exchange, investing part of the money in property in Dubai. Officials are investigating whether any classified information was shared, saying the matter involves foreign contacts and remains under inquiry.

Delhi Police said Hussaini, also known by several aliases, was found with one original and two forged Indian passports. He is suspected of using fake documents to obtain multiple identity cards linked to sensitive installations.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said the racket had been operating for years and was run from the eastern city of Jamshedpur, where forged passports were produced. “Several others are under the scanner,” Kushwah said on Tuesday.

Police said Hussaini’s brother, Akhtar Hussaini, had been arrested in Mumbai for helping secure fake IDs and travelling to Persian Gulf countries to expand the network. A cafe owner linked to the operation has also been detained.

Hussaini has been remanded in seven days of police custody for questioning, Delhi Police said.