The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned some 35 individuals involved in laundering money for Iran on Friday as the administration seeks to make a deal with Iran over its nuclear weapons program.

A State Department spokesperson said in a statement that,”This network has laundered billions of dollars through Iranian exchange houses and foreign front companies to sustain Tehran’s campaigns of terror that undermine international peace and security and line the pockets of regime elites.”

Meanwhile, tensions with Iran continue, with the Associated Press reporting that Western powers are considering a resolution at the IAEA that would formally declare Tehran in non-compliance with its nuclear obligations.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the move a “strategic mistake” and accused the U.K., France, and Germany of choosing “malign action” over diplomacy. “Mark my words as Europe ponders another major strategic mistake: Iran will react strongly against any violation of its rights,” he wrote on X.

She described a system where state censors dictate what reporters can and cannot say—down to the vocabulary. “It’s not just the content—it’s the individual words. And that makes journalism almost impossible.”

In the interviews with Fox News Digital, Iranians expressed deep skepticism that Khamenei would abide by any agreement. “He lies,” the journalist said bluntly. “What he says publicly is never what he actually does. He manipulates both the public and foreign governments. No one should trust a dictator like him.”

The man echoed the sentiment. “The regime’s survival depends on its hostility toward the U.S. and Israel. If it truly committed to a deal, it would undermine its own ideological foundation. That’s why no one believes it can last.”

Recent months have seen a resurgence of protest activity in Iran, including a growing nationwide strike by truck drivers demanding fair wages and lower fuel prices. Though largely ignored by international media, these strikes follow years of widespread protests—most notably the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody. 

That movement, along with economic demonstrations in 2019 and 2021, was met with violent crackdowns, mass arrests, and internet blackouts. The pattern has left Iranians wary that any sign of instability is met with brutal suppression.

An Iranian student pointed to the truckers’ strikes currently roiling parts of Iran as a sign of grassroots unrest. “These strikes are a direct message from the people,” he said. “They’ve been largely ignored by the media, but they are powerful and legitimate. This is how change begins—if it’s allowed to.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.