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Photos: Aftermath of deadly Israeli attack on Tehran's Evin Prison

Photos: Aftermath of deadly Israeli attack on Tehran's Evin Prison

Al Jazeera4 days ago
Published On 29 Jun 2025 29 Jun 2025
An Israeli air attack on Tehran's Evin Prison during this month's 12-day war has killed at least 71 people, Iran's judiciary says, days after a ceasefire ended hostilities between the two arch foes.
The strike on Monday, the day before the ceasefire between Israel and Iran took hold, destroyed part of the administrative building at Evin, a large, heavily fortified complex in northern Tehran that rights groups said holds political prisoners and foreign nationals.
'According to official figures, 71 people were killed in the attack on Evin Prison,' judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said on Sunday of an attack that was part of the bombardment campaign Israel launched on June 13.
According to Jahangir, the victims at Evin included administrative staff, guards, prisoners and visiting relatives as well as people living nearby.
The judiciary said Evin's medical centre and visiting rooms were targeted.
A day after the strike, the judiciary said Iran's prison authority had transferred inmates out of Evin Prison without specifying their number or identifying them.
The inmates at Evin have included Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi and several French nationals and other foreigners.
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After backing Israel, Iran's self-styled crown prince loses support
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Al Jazeera

time2 hours ago

  • Al Jazeera

After backing Israel, Iran's self-styled crown prince loses support

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Opposition outreach Pahlavi's attempt to broaden his appeal came as he also reached out to other opponents of the Iranian government. Some have outright refused to work with him, citing his royal background. And others who have worked with him have quickly distanced themselves. One of the most important examples of this was the Alliance for Democracy and Freedom in Iran, formed in 2023, in the wake of antigovernment protests that began the previous year. As well as Pahlavi, the coalition included Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, women's rights activist Masih Alinejad, human rights activist and actress Nazanin Boniadi, former footballer Ali Karimi, and the author Hamed Esmaeilion. But problems emerged from the very meeting organised to form the coalition in February 2023. According to Parsi and Sina Toossi, an expert on Iran with the Center for International Policy (CIP), Pahlavi rejected any proposal to collaborate with the other attendees at the meeting in Washington, DC's Georgetown University, either by agreeing to make decisions based on a shared consensus or through some kind of majority vote. He instead wanted all attendees to defer and rally behind him as a leader of the opposition. Another issue that followed the Georgetown meeting was the behaviour of Pahlavi's supporters, many of whom were against anyone associated with left-wing politics, and defenders of the actions of the shah's regime. 'The monarchists [his supporters] were upset that Reza was put on par with these other people [at the meeting],' said Toossi. The coalition soon collapsed, with Esmaeilion referring to 'undemocratic methods' in what many perceived to be criticism of Pahlavi. Two months after the Georgetown meeting, and as the newly formed alliance quickly collapsed, Pahlavi made a choreographed visit to Israel with his wife Yasmine. As Al Jazeera previously reported, the visit was arranged by Pahlavi's official adviser Amir Temadi, and Saeed Ghasseminejad, who works at the US right-wing think tank the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), which frequently publishes analyses that call on the US to use military force to deter Iran's regional influence and nuclear programme. During the visit, Pahlavi and his wife took a photo with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara. Yasmine and I were very pleased to meet with @IsraeliPM and Sara @netanyahu. We expressed appreciation for Israel's continued support for the Iranian people's democratic aspirations and emphasized that, as the children of Cyrus the Great, Iranians aspire to have a government that… — Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) April 19, 2023 The trip highlighted Pahlavi's close ties to Israel, a relationship that had been cultivated for years, even if it was less publicly acknowledged initially. During George W Bush's first term as US president in the early 2000s, Pahlavi approached the powerful American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) – a powerful lobby – to speak at their annual conference, according to Parsi. The offer was rejected, with AIPAC members explaining that he would hurt his own brand as an Iranian nationalist if he were to speak at their annual conference, Parsi explained. 'AIPAC had told him that perhaps it wasn't a good idea because it could delegitimise him, which tells you something about how disconnected [Pahlavi] was from the realities of the Iranian diaspora,' he told Al Jazeera. But, about 10 years ago, during US President Donald Trump's first term, Pahlavi also began to surround himself with advisers who have long called for closer ties between Iran and Israel and for the US to continue its 'maximum pressure' sanctions campaign against Iran's government, according to Toossi. Trump's maximum pressure campaign hurt common people more than the Iranian government. It resulted in sharp inflation and major depreciation of its currency, making it difficult for many Iranians to afford basic commodities and life-saving medications, according to Human Rights Watch. According to Toossi, Pahlavi appeared somewhat aware of the economic hardships brought on by sanctions, which may explain why he supported US President Barack Obama's Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015. The JCPOA ensured global monitoring of Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for much-needed sanctions relief. However, Pahlavi quickly began to align with Trump when he came to power the following year, Toossi said. Trump scorned the JCPOA and finally pulled out in 2018 before beginning his maximum pressure policy. The disconnect between Pahlavi and regular Iranians over this issue could also be seen in his actions during the 2023 trip to Israel. Pahlavi made a well-publicised trip to the Western Wall, in occupied East Jerusalem, which holds considerable religious significance for Jewish people across the world. The vast majority of Iranians are still Shia Muslims – even if many are secular– and Pahlavi did not visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam. The Western Wall is part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound's exterior wall. Out of touch In hindsight, the 2023 trip to Israel and Pahlavi's apparent friendly relations with Israeli officials have damaged his reputation, said Toossi. 'In short … what's been going on with the Iran monarchy movement is a very clear, evident and above-the-table alliance with Israel,' he told Al Jazeera. 'He was really the only opposition figure that was supportive of [Israel's war],' he added. According to Barbara Slavin, an expert on Iran and a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Centre in Washington, DC, Pahlavi's rhetoric was 'counterproductive' during the 12-day war. Slavin said Pahlavi has largely been disconnected from the feelings and perspectives inside Iran because he simply has not been there since he was a teenager, and his failure to condemn Israel's bombardment of civilians has turned a lot of people off. 'After all the civilians Israel killed, [his relationship with Israel] really has a bad smell,' she told Al Jazeera. Parsi agrees and adds that he doesn't think Israel truly believes that Pahlavi can one day rule the country due to his lack of popular support both in and outside of Iran. Parsi believes Israel is simply exploiting his brand to legitimise its own hostility towards Iran. 'He is … useful for the Israelis to parade around because it gives them a veneer of legitimacy for their own war of aggression against Iran' during the fighting, he said. '[Israel] can point to [Pahlavi] and say, 'Look. Iranians want to be bombed.'' Parsi said. But that is a turn-off for many Iranians, including those against the government. Yasmine, the British-Iranian, is one of them. Pahlavi, in her view, was not charismatic and had cemented his unpopularity among Iranians, both inside Iran and outside, with his call for Iranians to take to the streets as Israel attacked Iran. 'He was asking Iranians to rise up against the government so that he will come [to take over],' Yasmine said. 'He was basically asking Iranians to do his dirty work.' *Some names have been changed to protect the safety of interviewees

The victims of Israel's attack on a Gaza beach cafe
The victims of Israel's attack on a Gaza beach cafe

Al Jazeera

time2 hours ago

  • Al Jazeera

The victims of Israel's attack on a Gaza beach cafe

The victims of Israel's attack on a Gaza beach cafe NewsFeed A one-year-old girl and an aspiring female boxer were among at least 39 people who were killed in an Israeli attack on a beach cafe in Gaza, which had been a haven from Israel's genocide. Video Duration 03 minutes 08 seconds 03:08 Video Duration 00 minutes 24 seconds 00:24 Video Duration 01 minutes 10 seconds 01:10 Video Duration 01 minutes 28 seconds 01:28 Video Duration 02 minutes 41 seconds 02:41 Video Duration 00 minutes 59 seconds 00:59 Video Duration 01 minutes 44 seconds 01:44

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