Four prisoners dead and dozens injured after huge fire breaks out at Iran’s notorious Evin prison
Four prisoners are dead and 61 injured after a huge fire at Iran’s notorious Evin jail – where political prisoners and anti-government activists are held, as well as criminal convicts.
Gunshots were reported to have been fired as the blaze took hold at the jail in the capital Tehran.
An alarm was heard as the US-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran claimed an “armed conflict” was taking place behind the prison walls.
Shots were said to have first been heard in Ward 7 of the jail, according to unverified reports.
Thick plumes of smoke billowed from the prison, where now freed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori were detained.
State-run IRNA news agency claimed there were clashes between prisoners and personnel in one ward.
An unnamed official told the Tasnim news agency in Iran: “No security (political) prisoner was involved in the clash between prisoners, and basically the ward for security prisoners is separate and far from the wards for thieves and those convicted of financial crimes.”
‘Rioters were separated from other prisoners’
A senior security official claimed inmates set fire to a warehouse full of prison uniforms, adding the “rioters” had been separated from the other prisoners to de-escalate the conflict.
The situation is now said to be “completely under control” with work under way to put the fire out.
But several eyewitnesses said ambulance sirens could still be heard and smoke could be seen over the prison.
One eyewitness told the Reuters new agency: “Roads leading to Evin prison have been closed to traffic. There are lots of ambulances here.
“Still, we can hear gunshots.”
Another witness said families of prisoners had gathered in front of the main prison entrance and “people from nearby buildings are chanting ‘Death to Khamenei’ from their windows”.
The internet was also said to have been blocked after the fire started.
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Why are Iranians protesting?
Fury over Iranian dress code crackdown
The blaze happened as violent anti-government demonstrations intensified across the country for a fifth week, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, with children among the dozens dead.
International anger erupted when Ms Amini, 22, died in police custody on 16 September after being arrested by morality police in Tehran for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code.
Iranian officials insist she was not mistreated in custody and previously said she had a heart attack.
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But her family believes her body showed signs of being beaten after she was held.
On Saturday night, the National Council of Resistance of Iran said people had gathered opposite the Iranian Embassy in London to protest against “the regime’s criminal attack on prisoners” – and to urge the international community to “intervene to prevent another massacre in Evin Prison”.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Pic: BBC
People including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe cut their hair in a show of defiance against authorities – despite the risk of imprisonment.
This week, a senior Iranian official became the first to publicly criticise the regime’s hijab crackdown.
Ali Larijani, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, called for a re-think on how girls and women who do not adhere to the Islamic dress code are dealt with.
‘Land of the living dead’
Anoosheh Ashoori
Mr Ashoori has previously revealed his struggle to survive after spending five years in Evin prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
He described the prison as a “circle of hell”, revealing how he had to beg guards for basic needs such as using the toilet.
He was interrogated “day after day from eight in the morning right to 10 or 11 in the evening”, as his captors made threats against his family, showing him pictures of his wife and children and warning he would never see them again.
He eventually hit his “threshold of mental pain and had a mental collapse” – leading to three unsuccessful suicide attempts, the last being a 17-day hunger strike.
“When you are here with a heavy sentence on you it is as if you have died but you are not completely detached in this world,” he said.
Twitter account @FreeAnnosheh posted on Saturday night: “I can’t possibly imagine how awful & worried these poor families must feel. My heart goes out to everyone who has a loved one inside #Evin“.
Donald Trump has threatened Russia with more sanctions after a series of deadly strikes across Ukraine, as he said of Vladimir Putin: “What the hell happened to him?”
The US president appeared aghast at the conduct of his counterpart in the Kremlin after drone and missile attacks in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities left 12 people dead and dozens more injured.
Trump criticises Putin – latest updates
Speaking to reporters at an airport in New Jersey ahead of a flight back to Washington, Mr Trump said: “I’m not happy with Putin. I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
“He’s killing a lot of people,” he added. “I’m not happy about that.”
Mr Trump – who said he’s “always gotten along with” Mr Putin – told reporters he would consider more sanctions against Moscow.
“He’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all,” he said.
Ukraine said the barrage of strikes overnight into Sunday was the biggest aerial attack of the war so far, with 367 drones and missiles fired by Russian forces.
It came despite Mr Trump repeatedly talking up the chances of a peace agreement. He even spoke to Mr Putin on the phone for two hours last week.
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Hundreds of drones fired at Ukraine
‘Shameful’ attacks
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is ready to sign a ceasefire deal, and suggested Russia isn’t serious about signing one.
In a statement after the latest attacks on his country, he urged the US and other national leaders to increase the pressure on Mr Putin, saying silence “only encourages” him.
Mr Trump’s envoy for the country, Keith Kellogg, later demanded a ceasefire, describing the Russian attacks as “shameful”.
Three children were among those killed in the attacks, explosions shaking the cities of Kyiv, Odesa, and Mykolaiv.
Ukrainian siblings Tamara, 12, Stanislav, eight, and Roman, 17, were killed in Russian airstrikes. Pic: X/@Mariana_Betsa
Before the onslaught, Russia said it had faced a Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday. It said around 100 were intercepted and destroyed near Moscow and in central and southern regions.
The violence has escalated despite Russia and Ukraine completing the exchange of 1,000 prisoners each over the past three days.
Donald Trump says he will delay the imposition of 50% tariffs on goods entering the United States from the European Union until July, as the two sides attempt to negotiate a trade deal.
It comes after the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in a post on social media site X that she had spoken to Mr Trump and expressed that they needed until 9 July to “reach a good deal”.
The US president had last Friday threatened to bring in the 50% tariffs from 1 June, as European leaders said they were ready to respond with their own measures.
But Mr Trump has now said that date has been put back to 9 July to allow more time for negotiations with the 27-member bloc, with the phone call appearing to smooth over tensions for now at least.
Speaking on Sunday before boarding Air Force One for Washington DC, Mr Trump told reporters that he had spoken to Ms Von der Leyen and she “wants to get down to serious negotiations” and she vowed to “rapidly get together and see if we can work something out”.
The US president, in comments on his Truth Social platform, had reignited fears last Friday of a trade war between the two powers when he said talks were “going nowhere” and the bloc was “very difficult to deal with”.
Mr Trump told the media in Morristown, New Jersey, on Sunday that Ms Von der Leyen “just called me… and she asked for an extension in the June 1st date. And she said she wants to get down to serious negotiation”.
“We had a very nice call and I agreed to move it. I believe July 9th would be the date. That was the date she requested. She said we will rapidly get together and see if we can work something out,” the US president added.
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Shortly after, he wrote on Truth Social: “I agreed to the extension – July 9, 2025 – It was my privilege to do so.”
On his so-called “liberation day” last month, Mr Trump unleashed tariffs on many of America’s trade partners. But since then he’s backed down in a spiralling tit-for-tat tariff face-off with China, and struck a deal with the UK.
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Much of his most incendiary rhetoric on trade has been directed at Brussels, though, even going as far as to claim the EU was created to rip the US off.
Responding to his 50% tariff threat, EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said: “EU-US trade is unmatched and must be guided by mutual respect, not threats.
“We stand ready to defend our interests.”
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