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US-Iran deal timing fight
A peace deal between the US and Iran is described as within reach, with Il Sole 24 ORE saying Trump insists the agreement with Iran will be signed on Sunday the 14th while Tehran denies it.
Il Sole 24 ORE reports that plans for a virtual signing of the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States have been finalised, with the decision attributed to logistical and scheduling issues.
The same Il Sole 24 ORE account says the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps denied that Iran will sign an agreement with the United States tomorrow and criticised President Donald Trump’s “unusual insistence” on signing the agreement on that very day.
Il Sole 24 ORE adds that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps described the timing as a “test for the Iranian negotiating team” and said Trump’s announcement comes despite Iranian negotiators having explicitly stated that the memorandum has not yet been finalised.
Separately, Il Sole 24 ORE quotes Trump writing on Truth that “At the appropriate time, once the situation has calmed down, we will intervene to recover the nuclear material” in Iran.
139 death-row pardons
Iran announced a general pardon for 139 death row prisoners, with 24 News HD reporting that judiciary spokesperson Ali Asghar Jahangir said a total of 139 death row inmates were granted clemency in a collective decision.
24 News HD says the pardons were approved by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Ali Khamenei and that the decision applied to prisoners who, according to authorities, did not have any private complaints against them and were not involved in security-related offences.
The same 24 News HD account says Jahangir added that the individuals were considered eligible for amnesty due to their improved behaviour in prison, expression of remorse, and participation in rehabilitation programmes.
Dunya News frames the move as a rare large-scale pardon, saying Iran’s judiciary announced that 139 individuals sentenced to death have been granted clemency and that the decision marks the first time such a large group of death row inmates has been pardoned in the country.
Dunya News also quotes Ali Asghar Jahangir saying the pardons were approved following authorization from Iran’s top leadership, as reported by state-linked media.
Constitutional basis and exclusions
Multiple outlets tie the commutations to Supreme Leader authority under Iran’s Constitution, with News.az saying the move followed approval by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei and that the judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei requested the commutation.
News.az says under Iran's Constitution, the Supreme Leader has the authority to pardon or reduce sentences following recommendations from the head of the Judiciary, and that the prisoners will no longer face execution even if many continue serving prison terms under revised sentences.
News.az lists categories excluded from the commutation, including people convicted of “Armed struggle against the state” and “Armed or organised drug trafficking,” while also excluding those accused of undermining national security, participating in foreign-backed unrest, or carrying out acts of sabotage.
Khabaronline, citing IRNA, quotes Asghar Jahangir telling reporters that “this amnesty was carried out with the approval of the Supreme Leader,” and says some prisoners gained release or a reduction in their sentences.
Khabaronline also quotes Jahangir explaining that individuals involved in security offenses and the recent incidents were not included in this amnesty and were from the outset excluded from the amnesty list.
