UN Concern Over Increasing Executions in Iran

Asma Jahangir, the UN special rapporteur on the Iran rights situation. AFP
Asma Jahangir, the UN special rapporteur on the Iran rights situation. AFP
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UN Concern Over Increasing Executions in Iran

Asma Jahangir, the UN special rapporteur on the Iran rights situation. AFP
Asma Jahangir, the UN special rapporteur on the Iran rights situation. AFP

Asma Jahangir, the UN special rapporteur on the Iran rights situation, said on Thursday that no change has been made in Iran during the past year, expressing her frustration with the high number of executions, especially among teenagers as well as the harassment of minorities.

She added that achieving a progress on the level of women rights is quite slow, expressing concerns over curbing the freedom of speech.

A day after submitting her report to the world body, Jahangir told reporters that torture was widespread in Iran and that some people were imprisoned for seeking justice.

Jahangir said she had not attempted to assess the impact of sanctions on human rights in Iran in her report because she had not been allowed to visit the country, which does not recognize her mandate.

On the level of minorities, the UN rapporteur pointed out that there are reports on arbitrary arrests, torture and prosecutions of Kurds, Arabs, Azerbaijanis and Baluch people.

Jahangir pointed out that executions are rising, highlighting that Iranian authorities executed four convicted individuals who have not reached the legal age yet. She also noted, in her report, the fact that more than 86 teenagers await their execution.

Jahangir welcomed positions of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on women's rights but at the same time mentioned that social media campaigns against the imposed restrictions on women indicate that the Iranian government still needs to take more procedures to fulfill its promises.

In a statement, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Kingdom's delegation to the UN in Geneva Dr. Khalid Manzalawi stated that there are no indicators that the Iranian regime is willing to address opposition of Ahvaz Arab and confiscating their Arab identity and civil rights. He added that Iran wants to distract the world from the disastrous condition of human rights there.



Australia, Britain Sign 50-Year AUKUS Submarine Partnership Treaty

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) poses with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong (L), Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy (2nd-L), Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey (2nd-R) and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles (R) before the start of the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) meeting in Sydney on July 25, 2025. (AFP)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) poses with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong (L), Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy (2nd-L), Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey (2nd-R) and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles (R) before the start of the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) meeting in Sydney on July 25, 2025. (AFP)
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Australia, Britain Sign 50-Year AUKUS Submarine Partnership Treaty

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) poses with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong (L), Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy (2nd-L), Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey (2nd-R) and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles (R) before the start of the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) meeting in Sydney on July 25, 2025. (AFP)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (C) poses with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong (L), Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy (2nd-L), Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey (2nd-R) and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles (R) before the start of the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) meeting in Sydney on July 25, 2025. (AFP)

Australia’s government said on Saturday it signed a treaty with Britain to bolster cooperation over the next 50 years on the AUKUS nuclear submarine partnership.

The AUKUS pact, agreed upon by Australia, Britain and the US in 2021, aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the next decade to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. US President Donald Trump’s administration announced a formal review of the pact this year.

Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a statement that the bilateral treaty was signed with Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey on Saturday after a meeting in the city of Geelong, in Victoria state.

“The Geelong Treaty will enable comprehensive cooperation on the design, build, operation, sustainment, and disposal of our SSN-AUKUS submarines,” the statement said.

The treaty was a “commitment for the next 50 years of UK-Australian bilateral defense cooperation under AUKUS Pillar I,” it said, adding that it built on the “strong foundation” of trilateral AUKUS cooperation.

Britain’s ministry of defense said this week that the bilateral treaty would underpin the two allies’ submarine programs and was expected to be worth up to 20 billion pounds ($27.1 billion) for Britain in exports over the next 25 years.

AUKUS is Australia’s biggest-ever defense project, with Canberra committing to spend A$368 billion over three decades to the program, which includes billions of dollars of investment in the US production base.

Australia, which this month paid A$800 million to the US in the second instalment under AUKUS, has maintained it is confident the pact will proceed.

The defense and foreign ministers of Australia and Britain held talks on Friday in Sydney on boosting cooperation, coinciding with Australia’s largest war games.

As many as 40,000 troops from 19 countries are taking part in the Talisman Sabre exercises held from July 13 to August 4, which Australia’s military has said are a rehearsal for joint warfare to maintain Indo-Pacific stability.

Britain has significantly increased its participation in the exercise co-hosted by Australia and the United States, with aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales taking part this year.