Roger Macmillan

An official from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the minimum age for participation in war-related support roles has been lowered to 12, according to remarks aired on state media. Rahim Nadali, a cultural official with the Guards in Tehran, said an initiative called “For Iran” was recruiting participants to assist with activities such as patrols, checkpoints and logistics. “Given that the age of those coming forward has dropped and they are asking to take part, we lowered the minimum age to 12,” he said, adding that 12- and 13-year-olds could now take part if they wished. The comments were broadcast as part of state coverage of the war effort. The move comes despite Iran’s commitments under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits the use of children in military activities. iranintl.com/en/202603261604

BREAKING: The Iranian dissident & pro-Pahlavi Mohamed Shafiei has been shot in the Netherlands in what seems to be another IRGC assassination attempt on European soil. Mohamed, who works as a civilian ICT employee of the police in Schoonhoven, was shot near his home. If people like @geertwilderspvv would have gotten their way, these IRGC agents would have long been deported or behind bars.   🇳🇱

A new ICCT analysis examines claims by the previously unknown group #HAYI, finding signals of links to #pro-#Iranian networks and patterns consistent with hybrid operations using locally recruited “disposable agents”. Read more: buff.ly/xC23qD0

President Trump says Iran reached out for talks and that the United States has been speaking to “a top person” in Tehran. Iran denies it. But the importance of this is not only about whether the talks are real. It is also about what Trump’s words are already doing. By saying there has been contact, but not naming who is involved, Trump is creating doubt inside a leadership that is already under heavy pressure. Iran’s senior figures are in hiding. Command centres are damaged. Communication is limited. Trust is weak. In that kind of situation, a statement like this will make people ask: who is talking to Washington, and why? That doubt will not stay only at the top. It will spread down through the system, making lower ranks more nervous, more suspicious, and more unsure about what is happening. At the same time, Trump is sending a message to the markets. By talking about a possible deal and delaying strikes on major Iranian power plants, he showed that the war may not move into a more dangerous stage right away. Oil prices fell immediately. So whether the talks are real or not, Trump’s statement is already having an effect: more mistrust inside Tehran and less panic in global energy markets. Read more: open.substack.com/pub/parpanchi/…

AMPLIFY THIS MESSAGE, PLEASE! I spoke with my relative again this morning, and they shared me with extremely concerning text message threats they have been receiving from the Islamic Republic. They are being threatened with the “highest level of punishment” simply for following Shahzadeh Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) and Iran International (@IranIntl) on Instagram, and for subscribing to Iran International on Telegram. They asked me to amplify their voice which the Islamic Republic is trying so desperately to silence in order to expose how brutal they truly are to Iranian citizens even digitally. I did my best to translate the screenshots of the texts they received here. I will break down the translations in English below: Image 1: “Based on the Iranian national security, section 4, the resistance and punishment against the cooperation with the Zionist regime, membership in any social media connected to the Iran International and sending photos, films, documents or sensitive locations inside the country is considered a crime punishable of the highest degree. We are warning you based on such membership, that you need to unsubscribe your affiliation or else you will be prosecuted according to the previously described law. If you have any concern regarding this matter, please contact us via our phone number or email.” Image 2, Paragraph 1: “Now that our vicious enemy is hopelessly unable to achieve their goals on the battle field, they are pursuing creation of fear and uproar on our streets. Of course, a stronger crack down than 8th and 9th of January is awaiting this new Daaesh group. Your continued presence on the scene and cooperation with social media channels 110, 113, and 114 from your side, and our relentless day and night fight with these traitors from our side. # TheLastBattle - Sepah Information Agency." Image 2, Paragraph 2: “Warning, your membership on Telegram and Instagram will be continuously monitored, and in case of continued activity, you will be prosecuted according to the Law of Islamic Prosecution 500. - Sepah Information Agency.” Image 2 paragraph 1 seems to be a call to action for Iranians citizens to report dissident behavior to the regime, and may have been mass sent to a lot of people. However, that was immediately followed up by another text message sent to my relative (image 2 paragraph 2), which is a direct threat to them based on their social media activity. Image 1 paragraph 1 is an outright direct threat against my relative’s safety. PLEASE AMPLIFY THIS MESSAGE AND REVEAL TO THE WORLD THE BRUTALITY OF THIS HORRIFIC REGIME AGAINST THE IRANIAN PEOPLE! When I updated my relative on this today, it truly made their day to see that their voice was amplified so much and that even @gghamari , who we are both big fans of, reposted it! We genuinely thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. Please stand in solidarity with us and the Iranian people again now. I truly appreciate your support. #FreeIran #IranRevolution2026‌ #RezaPahlavi‌ForIran #DigitalBlackOutIran‌