INTERNACIONAL
Could Narges Mohammadi unite Iran’s opposition? Husband says imprisoned Nobel laureate still fighting
Where’s the Opposition in Iran to Oust Regime?
David Asman and Jonathan Schanzer analyze the ongoing US military campaign in Iran, Operation Epic Fury, where CENTCOM reports over 10,000 targets struck. They discuss the decimation of Iranian regime leadership and the surprising reluctance of European allies to fully support President Trump’s aggressive strategy, citing past diplomatic disputes and potential economic pressure. The segment also explores the challenges of an internal opposition movement amid severe human rights abuses.
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EXCLUSIVE: As Iran’s opposition struggles to find a unifying figure amid war, repression and near-total internet blackouts, the husband of jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi says his wife remains physically battered but politically unbroken, even as she sits in prison after what he describes as a brutal arrest and beating.
«Narges is a human rights activist and an advocate for civil society,» her husband, Taghi Rahmani, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview from Europe in exile. «In mobilizing society, and in organizing and shaping civil institutions, she is an active and courageous woman.»
At a moment when Iran’s ruling establishment is reeling from the aftermath of U.S. and Israeli strikes, a fragile ceasefire, economic collapse and intensified crackdowns, Mohammadi’s name is emerging in a new light: Not only as a global symbol of resistance, but potentially as one of the few opposition figures whose legitimacy comes from suffering inside the system rather than exile, dynasty or factional politics.
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Mohammadi, awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize while imprisoned, has spent decades as one of Iran’s most prominent women’s rights and human rights activists.
Trained as an engineer and later a journalist, she served as vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, founded by fellow Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi and became internationally known for campaigning against compulsory hijab laws, solitary confinement, prisoner abuse and the death penalty.
Narges Mohammadi, Iranian human rights activist and vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, poses for a portrait in an undated photo. (Reuters)
Now, according to her husband, her condition has worsened dramatically.
«Narges is currently detained in Zanjan prison,» he said. «She was arrested in Mashhad during the month of Dey (around January) and was severely beaten. During her arrest, she received numerous blows, resulting in severe injuries to her chest, head, body and lungs.»
Rahmani said prison medical authorities determined she should be transferred for treatment under her own physician’s supervision in Iran, but that Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence is refusing the transfer and insisting she remain in Zanjan.
«Spiritually and mentally, Narges remains steadfast,» he said. «She believes the Islamic Republic is not desirable for the Iranian people, and advocates for a system based on freedom, human rights and open relations with the world. Physically, however, she has sustained severe trauma and urgently requires medical attention.»
Rahmani said the last time he spoke with his wife was the night before she left for Mashhad, Iran, where she was later arrested.
The Nobel banquet at the Grand Hotel in Oslo on Sunday, in connection with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize 2023. Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi is imprisoned in Iran and is therefore represented by her children Ali and Kiana Rahmani and her spouse Taghi Rahmani, in Oslo, Norway Dec. 10, 2023. (NTB/Rodrigo Freitas via Reuters)
His account offers a rare inside look into the life of one of Iran’s most internationally recognized dissidents at a moment when questions over who could realistically lead opposition to the regime are intensifying.
«We hear a great deal about the Iranian opposition, yet media in the free world often lack a precise definition and a full understanding of what the Iranian opposition actually is,» Iranian anti-regime activist Maryam Shariatmadari told Fox News Digital.
Shariatmadari, one of the most recognizable faces of Iran’s «Girls of Revolution Street» movement, a wave of anti-regime protests that began in 2017 when Iranian women publicly removed their hijabs and stood in defiance of the country’s mandatory veiling laws, was sentenced to prison in 2018 after publicly removing her hijab in protest.
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Ali Rahmani, son of imprisoned Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, speaks after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize 2023 on her behalf at Oslo City Hall in Norway. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB)
According to Shariatmadari, one camp consists of Iranians who view the 1979 Islamic Revolution itself as the foundational national disaster, believing Iran’s trajectory was derailed when the Shah fell. The second includes former revolutionaries, reformists, communist factions and groups such as the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), many of whom emerged from or once supported the revolutionary system before later opposing it.
«The first group considers the 1979 revolution a disaster and seeks a return to Iran’s previous path,» she said, while the second includes «those who participated in the revolution but later became opposition figures after being excluded from power.»
That distinction, she argues, helps explain why Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, remains uniquely recognizable among many anti-regime Iranians despite spending decades outside the country.
Lisa Daftari, foreign policy analyst and editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk news platform, told Fox News Digital, «Inside Iran, Pahlavi remains one of the only opposition figures with broad name recognition, and his message clearly resonated during the January protests, which is why his name still carries weight for many Iranians both inside the country and in the diaspora.»
Pahlavi himself sharpened that message Friday after a series of European appearances, accusing both European politicians and journalists of ignoring the scale of Iranian suffering.
«I spent the past several weeks traveling across Europe, speaking to members of parliaments, governments, and the press,» Pahlavi said in a video statement on his official X account. «My visit had one objective: to give a voice to the millions of Iranians held hostage by the Islamic Republic … But I can now say with confidence that silencing, that censorship is not just happening at the hands of the regime in Iran, but by the international and particularly the European media.»
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Iran’s Reza Pahlavi, exiled son of Shah Reza Pahlavi, is protected by security after he was attacked with a red fluid, following a news conference in Berlin, Germany, April 23, 2026. (Markus Schreiber/The Associated Press )
He went on to condemn what he described as European indifference to the mass killing of protesters and political executions, saying that across two press conferences in Stockholm and Berlin attended by more than 150 journalists, «not a single one» asked about the tens of thousands he says were killed during January’s crackdown or the political prisoners facing execution.
«Whether or not Europe stands with us … I will fight for my people and my country,» Pahlavi said. «We will fight until Iran is free.»
Still, even some supporters acknowledge why the administration has hesitated to openly embrace him as a transitional figure.
Daftari warned that overt Western backing could backfire by making him appear externally imposed rather than domestically legitimized.
«The Trump administration’s decision not to more openly embrace him as a transitional figure likely reflects several factors: a deep wariness of making regime change the explicit end goal or appearing to engineer it after Iraq and Afghanistan, concern that overt U.S. backing could put an even bigger target on his back and a strategy that is currently focused less on anointing a successor and more on degrading the regime’s capacity to threaten its own people, the region and the United States,» she said.
If Pahlavi represents dynastic memory and explicit regime-change politics, Mohammadi represents something profoundly different.
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Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s former Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, speaks during a press conference in Paris June 23, 2025. (Thomas Padilla/AP)
Mohammadi’s place within that landscape is distinct due to her unique kind of legitimacy at a time when many Iranians are searching not only for opposition to the regime, but for a figure who embodies endurance under it.
For now, however, Rahmani warns that Iran’s domestic conditions may make any mass uprising extraordinarily difficult.
«As you know, war serves as an excuse to suppress domestic forces within a country,» he said. «This war has now increased the intensity of the regime’s actions against the opposition.»
He argued that despite internal divisions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has effectively consolidated power, militarized the streets and severely weakened civil society.
«The Islamic Republic has practically taken control of the streets during wartime and has severely weakened Iran’s civil society, which is the guarantor of democracy. In our opinion, this war, under these conditions, is not to the benefit of Iran, nor to the benefit of the Iranian people.»
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A picture of Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi on the wall of the Grand Hotel in central Oslo before the Nobel banquet, in connection with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize 2023, in Oslo, Norway, Dec. 10, 2023. (NTB/Javad Parsa via Reuters)
That may be the defining challenge for Iran’s opposition today: not simply finding a leader, but surviving long enough under extraordinary repression for one to emerge.
Whether Mohammadi can become that figure remains uncertain. But from prison, her husband says, she has not stopped believing Iran’s future can be different.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
war with iran, ali khamenei, persecutions, human rights, iran
INTERNACIONAL
FBI brings alleged China-linked hacker to US in rare extradition as Patel defends Italy trip
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FBI Director Kash Patel says a trip to Italy that raised questions earlier in 2026 helped set the stage for the arrest of a Chinese national accused of hacking U.S. COVID-19 research.
Xu Zewei is now in U.S. custody after what Patel described as a coordinated operation with Italian authorities, marking a rare case in which an alleged state-linked hacker has been extradited to face charges in the United States.
Xu was extradited from Italy in recent days and faces federal charges tied to a 2020–2021 cyber campaign that prosecutors say targeted sensitive research, including work related to COVID-19 treatments and vaccines.
Patel told Fox News Digital in an interview the bureau was able to «directly tie» Xu to China’s Ministry of State Security and its Shanghai bureau, though additional details remain classified pending declassification.
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Patel said the arrest was the result of a carefully coordinated effort with Italian authorities led by Prefect Vittorio Pisani of the Italian National Police, carried out within a narrow window before additional legal challenges could delay the suspect’s extradition.
Xu Zewei is now in U.S. custody after what FBI Director Kash Patel described as a coordinated operation with Italian authorities. (FBI )
Officials from both countries worked to ensure Xu would be in Italy, and «we created an opportunity with our partners in Italy to have him apprehended there,» Patel said.
Patel told Fox News Digital the trip, which the FBI said included meetings with Italian law enforcement and Olympic security coordination, also helped lay the groundwork for the arrest. He faced criticism at the time after being seen attending Olympic events, with questions raised about whether the travel was primarily official.
Patel described the suspect as «one of the top two cyber criminals in the world for China,» alleging he played a key role in hacking efforts aimed at American universities, immunologists and virologists during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
«We were able to bring him to Houston for prosecution, which is most of what I was doing when people said I was on vacation in Italy,» Patel said.
Xu allegedly reported to Chinese intelligence officials after compromising a U.S.-based research university in early 2020, according to the indictment, and allegedly was directed to access email accounts belonging to virologists and immunologists studying COVID-19.
Patel told Fox News Digital in an interview the bureau was able to «directly tie» Xu to China’s Ministry of State Security and its Shanghai bureau, though additional details remain classified pending declassification. (FBI)
Patel said Chinese officials sought to intervene in recent days to prevent Xu’s extradition from Italy.
Timing was critical, according to Patel, who pointed to past cases where suspected Chinese operatives were able to avoid extradition.
In one instance in 2025, he said, a Chinese national detained in Serbia was ultimately returned to China despite U.S. efforts to secure custody.
Authorities allege Xu and his co-conspirators targeted U.S.-based universities, immunologists and virologists working on COVID-19 during the height of the pandemic, gaining access to email accounts and sensitive research.
But the Justice Department has not publicly detailed the specific data allegedly exfiltrated, including whether it included proprietary vaccine formulas, clinical trial data or internal communications between researchers.
Patel said the operation was «specifically engineered at a time when our adversaries were looking to hurt us during COVID,» adding that the suspect targeted research tied to treatments and vaccines.
FBI Director Kash Patel looks on before the men’s gold medal ice hockey match between Canada and the United States at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 22, 2026. (Elsa/Getty Images)
Prosecutors also allege Xu was involved in exploiting vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server, a widely used email system, as part of the broader «HAFNIUM» hacking campaign that compromised thousands of computers worldwide, including more than 12,000 organizations in the United States.
The indictment also describes how Chinese intelligence services allegedly rely on private contractors to carry out cyber operations, allowing the government to obscure its direct involvement.
Among the alleged victims was a law firm with offices in Washington, D.C., where prosecutors say attackers searched email accounts for information related to U.S. policymakers and government agencies.
Xu’s alleged co-conspirator, who was also charged in the case, remains at large.
Patel declined to discuss specifics about the broader network but said China’s Ministry of State Security continues to actively target the United States through cyber operations.
«The MSS is always a target of this FBI’s. They’re always operating whether it’s to steal our classified information, our nation’s research and scientific information, or anything they can use to embarrass us or leverage against us,» Patel said. «They’re going to keep doing it.»
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Patel said the FBI has made countering Chinese espionage a top priority, pointing to a sharp increase in arrests tied to Beijing-linked activity.
«We’ve arrested more Chinese spies than any FBI before me,» he said.
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Patel signaled that efforts to identify and prosecute individuals tied to similar operations are ongoing.
«It’s a priority threat and it’s going to continue to be that way,» he said.
The Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
kash patel, fbi, cybercrime, us, xi jinping
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Tourist dies at luxury resort after cobra from snake show climbs up pants, bites him: police
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A German tourist has died after a venomous cobra featured in a snake show reportedly slithered up his pants and bit him on the leg, authorities said.
The freak accident occurred early April at a luxury resort destination in Egypt, according to the Bavarian State Police in Germany, which released details Monday.
«During the snake charmer’s performance, one of the snakes crawled into the trousers of a 57-year-old man, resulting in a bite to the German tourist’s leg,» officials said.
Police said the victim, whose identity was not released, was on vacation with two family members from the Unterallgäu region of Germany.
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A King Cobra stis up freely while inside a building in April 2010. (Patrick Aventurier)
Authorities said the snake charmer event was part of a hotel entertainment program in the resort city of Hurghada, a popular Red Sea destination known for its upscale all-inclusive packages, as well as nearby desert and water excursions.
Two snakes, believed to be cobras, were used in the show, officials said.
Investigators indicated that it is not uncommon for performers to allow snakes to interact closely with audience members, as some of the snakes were reportedly placed around guests’ necks during the act.
However, during one segment of the performance, a snake reportedly bit the German tourist after crawling into his clothing.
«He subsequently exhibited clear symptoms of poisoning and required resuscitation,» officials said.
He reportedly died shortly after arriving at a local hospital.
LAW STUDENT KILLED BY ELEPHANT DURING VACATION TO THAILAND: OFFICIALS
Tourists swim in the Sunny Days Elpalacio beach in the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Hurghada. (MOHAMED EL-SHAHED / AFP)
The results of a toxicological examination are still pending, Bavarian police said.
The investigation is being handled by Germany’s Memmingen Criminal Police Inspectorate under the direction of the Memmingen Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPPO).
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Tourists swimming at the Red Sea Egyptian resort of Hurghada on June 18, 2020 (KHALED DESOUKI/AFP)
Cobras are known for being highly venomous snakes. Their bite can lead to rapid respiratory failure and paralysis without prompt medical treatment.
Fox News Digital has reached out to MPPO for more information.
travel, resorts, africa, germany, reptiles
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Policía Control de Drogas detiene a 17 integrantes de una banda de narcomenudeo en Puntarenas, Costa Rica
La Policía Control de Drogas (PCD) de Costa Rica detuvo este martes a 17 integrantes de una estructura criminal dedicada a la venta de drogas en las inmediaciones de centros educativos en diferentes barrios de Puntarenas, como resultado de una investigación iniciada en marzo de 2024. El operativo, realizado en 23 allanamientos simultáneos y con el apoyo de unidades especiales, permitió desarticular una red que, tras una serie de conflictos internos y violentos cambios de liderazgo, venía operando en la zona de Caldera y extendiéndose hacia Barranca y Chacarita.
Entre los resultados de este despliegue coordinado, la PCD decomisó 1.683.5 gramos de marihuana, 114 dosis de marihuana, 749.2 gramos de cocaína, 195 dosis de crack, un millón 897 mil colones, USD 4,459, 10 armas de fuego y 349 municiones, además de radios de comunicación, implementos para dosificación, una moledora eléctrica, dos cajas fuertes y 240 pares de artículos deportivos. Estos datos confirman la magnitud operativa y logística de la organización, cuyos miembros eran principalmente jóvenes entre 18 y 33 años.
El grupo criminal fue originalmente dirigido por Garbanzo Rodríguez, conocido como “Mufasa” y residente de Pavas, San José. Según la PCD, Mufasa tenía conexiones con estructuras como la de Marco Antonio Zamora Solórzano(“Indio”), Los Paveños y Los Myrie, lo que facilitó la distribución de cocaína, marihuana y crack en Caldera durante más de cinco años. En ese periodo, Mufasa se apropió de viviendas ajenas con el objetivo de controlar puntos de venta, incluso desplazando a vecinos que rechazaban involucrarse.
El 15 de agosto de 2025, Mufasa fue asesinado en un bar de Santa Ana en medio de disputas territoriales. Tras su homicidio, el liderazgo recayó en Rojas Rodríguez, alias “Moti”, hermano de Mufasa, quien, con el apoyo de otros miembros, dirigió una etapa de expansión hacia Barranca y Chacarita en Puntarenas. Este cambio precipitó divisiones internas y episodios violentos.
La fragmentación de la organización provocó al menos tres víctimas mortales en 2025: el propio Garbanzo Rodríguez(“Mufasa”) en agosto, Vargas Montero (“Pingo”) en noviembre y Cordero Mora el 20 de diciembre. Además, Moti sobrevivió a un atentado en diciembre de ese mismo año.
La PCD detalló que la estructura estaba integrada por hombres y mujeres jóvenes que cumplían roles diferenciados. Además de Mufasa y Moti, entre los líderes se identificó a Monge Ramírez (28 años), encargado de abastecer el principal punto de venta y con antecedentes por receptación y tenencia de drogas; aunque, según las investigaciones, posteriormente se habría desligado del grupo.
Como vendedores participaron personas de entre 18 y 36 años, como Serrano Montero (“Calufa”, 21), Araya Rodríguez (“Chino”, 22), Montoya Arroyo (diversos registros de edad y antecedentes), Bustos Montero (20), Jiménez Bejarano (29), Chaves Núñez (20) y García Medina (36), la mayoría con antecedentes policiales por infracción a las leyes de tenencia y consumo de drogas. Entre las mujeres identificadas como vendedoras figuran las hermanas Rodríguez Montero (19 y 23 años) y Cabrera Araya (20), aunque no todas registraban antecedentes previos.
La administración del dinero recaía en Obando Guerrero, alias “Gamuza” (34 años), encargado, según las pesquisas, de gestionar préstamos bajo el esquema conocido como “Gota a Gota”.
La intervención en Caldera y barrios aledaños, Salinas, Mata de Limón, Villanueva, Cambalache y Santa Marta— incluyó el allanamiento de 23 viviendas vinculadas a la red investigada. El despliegue contó con la participación de G-TRES, la Unidad de Intervención del Ministerio de la Presidencia, la Unidad Especial de Apoyo, la Dirección de Inteligencia y Análisis Criminal (DIAC), Guardacostas y Fuerza Pública, en coordinación con la Policía Control de Drogas.
De acuerdo con el reporte oficial de la PCD, el objetivo de las acciones fue recolectar pruebas y detener a sospechosos de liderar o participar en el narcomenudeo local. En 2023, la policía había intervenido puntos asociados a esta red y detenido a tres personas vinculadas al mismo entramado delictivo.
El operativo de este martes permitió desarticular en su totalidad a los 17 objetivos identificados por la investigación policial. La acción estuvo dirigida a reforzar la seguridad de las comunidades cercanas a centros educativos y contener la expansión de células criminales que, según la PCD, habían desarrollado una estructura compleja y eran capaces de reciclar sus liderazgos tras episodios violentos, además de articularse con otras organizaciones para la distribución de drogas en la provincia de Puntarenas.
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