Domestic developments

■ At least five people were killed while authorities demolished a building in Tehran. Several buildings next to the one being demolished fell inadvertently, burying people under the rubble. It is not the first building collapse of this kind - in May 2022 the collapse of a ten-story building killed 43 people and sparked protests across the country at the incompetence. A regime official said authorities had demolished more than 46,000 buildings over the past two years due to safety concerns.

■ As the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s killing by the morality police approached, the regime was reportedly contacting those arrested in protests last year to threaten them against rising up again, telling people to stay home for that week and forcing them to take time off work. Despite the intimidation and threats of harsh penalties and arrests, there are expected to be protests across Iran. Worldwide rallies are also being planned to commemorate the anniversary on September 16, including in centres across New Zealand.

■ Former prisoners in the regime’s jails spoke out on the long-lasting psychological effects of the torture and intimidation they faced there, saying they felt suffocated by the memories. One woman said anytime she was alone she felt triggered after her time in solitary confinement. Another woman said a guard woke her up in the night and threatened her and since then she dreads going to sleep. Another said she struggled with nightmares and sleep disturbances. A psychologist said because of a lack of specialists in Iran to deal with the sensitive treatment needed, overcoming the trauma of the regime’s jails was a rarity. Tens of thousands of people were imprisoned after recent protests and many have reported trauma after torture, violence and harassment in prison.

Foreign affairs

■ The SIS announced that the Islamic Republic was interfering in democracy in New Zealand by monitoring Iranians living here and reporting back on their activities to the regime. The SIS said globally, this was a way that the Islamic Republic had sought to silence opposition voices and that it would be assessing the threat in light of the regime’s growing aggression internationally.

■ The British home secretary announced that the IRGC was now among the biggest threats to the UK’s national security. From plots to silence opposition, kidnap or assassinate targets or commit acts of violence, the IRGC’s threat and appetite was said to be growing and there would be more actions taken to counter those in the near future.

■ Five dual US-Iranian citizens were moved out of prison and into house arrest in a move which could indicate a prisoner swap deal was imminent. This would be the first step as part of a deal under which $6 billion in Iranian funds in South Korea would be unfrozen. Dual citizens of US and Iran are often captured as hostages in order to broker these types of deals and critics said rewarding the regime with funds would simply embolden them to continue.