International

Iran temporarily releases Nobel Mohammadi for medical reasons

The Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was released for a period of three weeks for medical reasons after the removal of a leg tumor last month, a measure that the family considered insufficient.

“The Tehran Prosecutor’s Office suspended the execution of Mrs. Narges Mohammadi’s sentence for three weeks and she was released from prison,” Mostafa Nili, the activist’s lawyer, reported on social networks on Wednesday.

The lawyer indicated that the temporary release is due to the removal of a benign tumor in a leg and a bone graft performed 21 days ago, after the activist’s family denounced that she was being denied medical care.

The family asks for more time

After the operation, Nili said that the doctors indicated that Mohammadi “needs about three months of care in favorable conditions” and that is why he had requested the suspension of the sentence.

“Therefore, the activist’s family considered that the three-week release is insufficient and demanded her unconditional release or at least for ninety days, as recommended by the doctors.

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“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Narges Mohammadi or, at least, an extension of his exit permit to three months,” the family said in a statement.

“As the doctors have emphasized, a minimum of three months of recovery is crucial for his cure,” they added.

Condemnations and struggles of Narges

Mohammadi, 52, imprisoned in Evin de Tehran prison since 2021, has been sentenced on six occasions to a total sentence of 13 years and nine months in prison and 154 lashes, among other punishments.

The last sentence of six months in prison against him was handed down in mid-October, a month after protesting in prison against the execution of prisoner Reza Rasai for his alleged involvement in the murder of an intelligence agent during the revolt unleashed by the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022.

Despite convictions and imprisonment, the human rights and women’s activist has continued to denounce violations in Iran, including the application of the death penalty or violence against women who do not wear the Islamic veil.

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The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the prestigious award to Mohammadi in 2023 “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and to promote human rights and freedom for all.”

The award was collected by her children in a ceremony in Oslo in which the activist asked through them for international support to end an Iranian Government “at its lowest level of legitimacy and popular support.”

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”