An Iranian economics journalist whose work scrutinizing the country's free trade zones resulted in multiple judicial summonses has suffered a stroke, sources familiar with her health told Iran International.
Marziya Hosseini lost part of her short-term memory after the stroke and remains hospitalized, they added.
Despite her condition, judicial authorities issued a new summons dated October 26, giving her five days to report to the Qeshm Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office on a Persian Gulf island that was the subject of her investigations.
Charges include "slander, spreading falsehoods, satire and insult to officials and agents."
Hosseini, who has faced prior restrictions from Iran’s security officials, was summoned in June after criticizing President Masoud Pezeshkian's support for Qeshm Free Trade Zone CEO Adel Pighami.
In an X post then, she wrote: "Mr. President, see the result of your support for the corrupt CEO of the Qeshm Free Trade Zone."
She accused Pighami of embezzling public funds and holding back progress at the Qeshm free zone, adding that exposing corruption prompted complaints and threats against her rather than accountability for the issues she rasied.
The Qeshm Free Trade Zone, a key economic hub in southern Iran, has long been plagued by corruption allegations including Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) linked monopolies and tax evasion through shell companies.
In 2015, the Iranian government confiscated Qeshm Airlines from its owner Babak Zanjani over bribery charges and unpaid oil debts.
Hosseini's ordeal highlights an intensifying crackdown on press freedom under President Pezeshkian.
A November 2024 report by the watchdog group Defending Free Flow of Information Organization documented 78 judicial and security actions against media outlets and journalists in his first 100 days, marking an uptick in efforts to squelch free media.
The sharp rise, officials say, reverses ten years of gradual decline in traffic deaths and reflects the country’s worsening vehicle safety, outdated road networks, and weak enforcement of driving standards.
The figure broke a ten-year record, with fatalities exceeding 20,000 for the first time since 2011, Abbas Masjedi, head of the Legal Medicine Organization, told Dideban Iran.
“Unfortunately, last year, for the first time in ten years, we recorded more than 20,000 deaths caused by traffic accidents,” Masjedi said. “During the previous decade, the figure always stayed below that mark. After the pandemic, travel increased again, and the number of deaths rose as a result,” he said.
Nearly half a million people, Masjedi added, were injured in crashes last year, with 7 to 10 percent suffering permanent disabilities. He described the losses as “a heavy burden on the national healthcare system and public funds,” estimating that the lifetime cost per serious injury could reach 90 billion rials (nearly $90,000).
Road safety analysts attribute the surge not only to driver error but also to systemic failures – notably the poor quality of domestically produced vehicles and long-neglected accident-prone roads. Studies have shown that Iranian-made cars routinely fail crash safety standards, turning even minor collisions into deadly incidents.
Large sections of Iran’s intercity network, particularly the northern and southern corridors, lack basic safety features such as guardrails, lighting, and warning signs, according to the Legal Medicine Organization. Urban centers like Tehran, where traffic density is among the highest in the region, also account for a growing share of fatal accidents.
Preventive spending urged
Masjedi urged authorities to redirect more funding from emergency response to prevention, including upgrading road infrastructure and improving vehicle safety.
“Investment in prevention is worth every rial,” Masjedi said. “If we fix these dangerous points and improve vehicle quality, we can save thousands of lives each year.”
The latest figures highlight the human and economic toll of road accidents in Iran, where transport safety has long lagged behind international standards despite repeated government pledges to reduce fatalities by 10 percent annually.
The intelligence shows Hezbollah is restocking rockets, antitank missiles and artillery through seaports and smuggling routes that still operate in parts of Syria, the people said. Some of the new weapons are made in Lebanon by Hezbollah itself, one of the people said.
The rearmament defies the terms of the cease-fire agreement that required Lebanon to begin disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani River. Instead, Hezbollah has resisted, saying its weapons are essential to defend Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Israel, which has provided intelligence to help Lebanese forces disarm Hezbollah and carried out more than 1,000 strikes against the group since last November, is growing impatient, the people said. One person familiar with the matter said the Israeli government was angered to learn the issue had shifted from disarmament to rearmament only months after the truce began.
US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said in October that Israel could act unilaterally if Beirut delays further, warning of grave consequences. Lebanese leaders have appealed for patience through American and Arab intermediaries and signaled willingness to expand coordination with Israel despite the two states remaining technically at war.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said in a recent television interview that attempts to disarm the group should be resisted but that it seeks to avoid another war. He said Hezbollah has not retaliated to Israeli strikes since the truce began.
The cease-fire followed a two-month Israeli campaign last year, triggered when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel after Hamas’s 2023 attack. Thousands of airstrikes crippled the group’s infrastructure and killed many of its commanders.
Hezbollah deepens ties in Latin America as Iran faces strain
While Hezbollah rebuilds its military power at home, the group is also reinforcing its global funding base.
US experts told senators last week that Hezbollah is expanding its financial and criminal networks in Latin America, particularly in Venezuela, as Iran struggles under economic pressure. Matthew Levitt, a terrorism analyst, said Hezbollah has long relied on diaspora and illicit trade networks to raise money when funding from Tehran slows.
Lawmakers warned that Venezuela has become a hub for Hezbollah’s drug and finance operations. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said the group is “one of Iran’s tools to destabilize and terrorize,” urging stronger action to cut its financial lifelines. Others called on Latin American governments to follow Argentina, Colombia, and Paraguay in designating Hezbollah as a terrorist group.