Iranian political analyst Mostafa Najafi stated on Tuesday that the United States has shifted from a perceived failed regime-change approach to a phase of “crisis management,” employing gradual and comprehensive pressure on Iran. He noted that “Washington, after the ceasefire, adjusted its strategy toward Iran, combining military pressure, maritime containment, and diplomacy in a fluid strategy rather than large-scale bombing or full war.” Najafi added that the U.S. is unlikely to make significant concessions or lift sanctions substantially in any negotiations with a country it seeks to change.
Meanwhile, US Senator Lindsey Graham on Tuesday criticized remarks by Pakistan’s defense minister rejecting any agreement involving Israel. Graham described Pakistan’s role as a mediator in Iran-related diplomacy as “problematic,” raising concerns about its stance on Israel and the Abraham Accords. He posted on X, “It has been apparent to me for quite a while that Pakistan as a mediator is more than problematic. Their animosity towards Israel is long standing. It is undeniable that Iranian military aircraft are being housed on Pakistani air bases and past rhetoric from the highest Pakistani officials against Israel is disturbing.” Regarding the defense minister’s comments on the Abraham Accords, Graham added, “The clip may be a year old, but I fear the sentiment is fresh. In that regard, it is imperative that Pakistan give an answer now to President Trump’s call to join the Abraham Accords.”
Exiled prince Reza Pahlavi on Tuesday condemned the death sentences issued for four Iranian individuals, calling it further evidence of the Islamic Republic’s use of executions as a tool of repression. His media office identified the individuals as Milad Armoon, Mohammad Mehdi Hosseini, Mehdi Imani, and Navid Najaran, stating they were among protesters from Iran’s 2022 demonstrations targeted by a judicial system allegedly turned into an instrument of intimidation and control. The statement emphasized that “The silence from the international community in the face of executions of Iranian protesters amounted to a moral and political failure and continued inaction allows the authorities to intensify repression.”
Bahrain’s foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, speaking at the UN Security Council on Tuesday, highlighted that Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted global energy markets and trade, causing significant economic losses and prompting emergency measures in several countries. He urged Iran to comply with its international obligations and principles of good neighborliness, stressing the need to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and other international waterways, and to end support for proxy groups and destabilizing activities.
After nearly three months of disruption, internet access returned across Iran. Viewers told Iran International that the restoration felt less like relief and more like the overdue return of a basic right, following weeks of damage to livelihoods and daily life. Many expressed that joy was impossible given the country’s suffering. One viewer wrote, “I am not happy that the internet has been restored, because 40,000 other people will never come online again,” referencing victims of Iran’s January crackdown on protesters. Another viewer stated, “We were finally able to connect to the internet after some time, thank God. In memory of the fallen, whose names live on.” A third message echoed, “Now that the internet is back, let’s remember our fallen even more. Hoping for freedom.”
For many, the return of access was seen as a right that should never have been taken away. One person commented, “Hello, we’re finally connected, but it was not fair to be cut off for 88 days.” Another from Mahallat wrote, “After 90 days, from Mahallat, we are supposed to get excited about the restoration of something that is every human being’s right.” A viewer added, “Today, after three months, I connected. My dear people, please don’t lose hope. This is not the final battle.”
Others welcomed the reconnection but rejected any notion of it being a government favor. “People of Iran, the internet is our natural right,” one viewer wrote. “Be happy, but don’t think this is a privilege they have given us. We will not surrender.” Another message stated, “I am pleased that international internet has been restored for the public. This is every citizen’s natural and basic right. Very good and bright things await the Persians and this land. Wait a little. Javid Shah, Payandeh Iran.”
Some viewers felt the authorities had failed to use internet access as leverage. “After several days, they opened the internet again,” one person wrote. “They thought they could fool us with the internet.” Another message noted the connection was only partially restored: “The internet has finally been restored, of course with a thousand hardships and low speed.” A young viewer expressed exhaustion: “I am a girl from the 2010s generation. Even I am tired now. Every day the situation is getting worse and worse. I just hope that in the end all of us will see our Iran free. Long Live the Shah.”
Messages also focused on the “Internet Pro” plan, a tiered access system introduced during the blackout, praising those who refused to use it. “From Bojnourd: I wanted to send my greetings to everyone who had the option of using Internet Pro but honorably chose not to,” one viewer wrote. “Freedom is your right more than anyone’s.” Another user stated, “The Internet Pro plan failed. Thanks to those who did not submit to this humiliation and shame, and I feel sorry for those who did.”
One viewer linked the restoration to broader economic pain, sarcastically addressing officials: “Bless your hand for ordering the international internet to be restored. Now, if it is not too much trouble, order those whose online businesses were destroyed to return to work, those whose lives fell apart to return to their homes and families, and those who were thrown onto the streets because of rent to go back to their homes.” Others were skeptical of the motives, with one person writing, “They restored the internet so they can activate their mining farms, and that means seven or eight hours of power cuts a day.” For some, the strongest feeling was not relief but a sense of permanent rupture: “After more than 80 days, we connected with difficulty. Once again, as always, we realized that no one is thinking about us, and in the end it is just us and ourselves. Even if everything goes back to the way it was, we will not go back.”
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