外媒每日新闻 AI Self-Police Edition

Iran executed two men Wednesday over what it said was their role in violence during nationwide anti-government protests in January, state media reported. IRNA, citing the judiciary, said the men took part in unrest in the northeastern city of Mashhad that left four security officers dead. The judiciary said the men confessed to violence, including setting fires and damaging public property, and that one had confessed to stabbing a member of Iran's security forces. The executions come as Iran's government faces growing domestic pressure amid a seven-month war with the U.S. and Israel that has sent the economy into free fall, with the currency collapsing and inflation soaring. Anti-government protests first erupted in late 2025 amid economic hardship, and reignited in January after the war began. Human rights groups have repeatedly accused Iran of using the death penalty to crush dissent, with hundreds of people sentenced to death on protest-related charges since the unrest began.^[3]

Iran's currency hit a new record low against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday, with traders in Tehran exchanging more than 2.5 million rials per dollar as the country's seven-month war with the U.S. and Israel continues to batter its economy. The rial has steadily declined since the war began on Feb. 28, hitting its previous record low of 2.2 million to the dollar on Sept. 2. The currency has now lost more than half its value since the start of the war. The collapse has been driven by a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, sweeping sanctions, and the destruction of key infrastructure from airstrikes. Inflation has soared, with prices for food, medicine and other basic goods skyrocketing. The Iranian government has tried to prop up the currency with capital controls and access to limited foreign exchange reserves, but those measures have failed to stem the decline. The worsening economic situation has increased domestic pressure on the government, with scattered protests reported in several cities over rising prices and shortages. Analysts say the currency's collapse reflects deepening pessimism about Iran's economic prospects as the war shows no signs of ending.^[6]

Congo's fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history has topped 6,000 confirmed cases with 2,911 deaths, authorities said. More than 1,360 people have recovered, in what officials called an "encouraging" development. The outbreak in eastern Congo is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fueled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers' strike and intense population movements. The World Health Organization has said it remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak — the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare type of Ebola that has no approved vaccine or treatment. Congo has begun vaccinating health workers with the Ervebo vaccine, effective against the more common Zaire strain, but clinical trials are still underway for a Bundibugyo-specific vaccine. Response teams have been attacked while working in the field, with machete-wielding youth storming funeral sites. The outbreak has spread from three health zones to nearly 60, with most cases occurring outside monitored contact networks.^[9]

Reports of soaring medicine prices and worsening shortages in Iran sparked widespread discussion on X across the Middle East on Wednesday, with #IranMedicineCrisis trending at number one in Iran and several neighboring countries. Users shared stories of struggling to find essential medications — from insulin and chemotherapy drugs to simple painkillers — and of prices tripling or even quadrupling in recent months. "My mother needs chemotherapy. I spent three days searching all over Tehran and finally found it at six times the price," wrote one user in a post that was shared over 80,000 times. The conversation highlighted the complex humanitarian impact of sanctions: while U.S. officials maintain that medicines are exempt from sanctions, the reality of financial restrictions and banking fears means legal medical supplies often can't reach patients. Many users shared the quote: "Sanctions don't hurt the regime — they hurt sick people." The hashtag also saw extensive debate about who bears responsibility for the crisis: some blamed U.S. sanctions policy, while others pointed to the Iranian government's mismanagement and corruption. Medical professionals and human rights groups used the platform to call for humanitarian exemptions and mechanisms to ensure medicine access is protected even during conflict.^[15]