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Oct. 20, 2025, 5:13 AM EDTBy Saba HamedyIranian director Jafar Panahi puts a lot on the line for his work.Authorities could again arrest him for speaking out against the country’s hard-line regime. They could send him back to the notoriously cruel Evin Prison in Tehran, which houses many of Iran’s political dissidents. He could again be placed on house arrest and barred from making films.But Panahi, now 65, has largely ignored these attempts at silencing him over the years, instead focusing on doing what he loves most: making films about his homeland.When he was imprisoned and charged with “propagandizing against the government,” he went on a hunger strike until authorities released him on bail. His filmmaking ban — which was supposed to last for 20 years — ended up serving as creative inspiration, fueling critically acclaimed films such as “This Is Not a Film” and “Taxi.”With his latest movie, “It Was Just an Accident,” which was released in limited North American theaters over the weekend, Panahi once again defied the government’s attempts to censor his art, though it has meant putting himself at risk.“You have to find a way around the system,” Panahi said in a recent interview conducted in Farsi at a hotel in Santa Monica, California, and translated into English by NBC News. Panahi, known for the signature sunglasses that he sports at every event, was sitting in the lobby next to his translator after enjoying a smoke break outside.The filmmaker has had a busy few months traveling the world to promote his film, a buzzy Oscar contender that was picked up for distribution in North America by Neon. He has also faced several hurdles coming from Iran — including missing a New York Film Festival screening after his visa process was delayed, reportedly because of the U.S. government shutdown.While on the press tour, he has continued to champion his message of the importance of freedom of expression.Jafar Panahi at the Cannes Film Festival on May 24.Rocco Spaziani / Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images“It Was Just an Accident,” a revenge drama that is sprinkled with comedic moments, follows a group of Iranians who capture a man whom they suspect was their interrogator while they were in prison. They quarrel about the man they have put in the back of their van and whether he is in fact the guard, noting both have an artificial leg that makes a squeaking noise when walking. The group also grapples with the morality behind taking vengeance, and whether that makes them just as bad as those who oppressed them.Panahi reflected on how his own time in prison shaped “It Was Just an Accident,” which was the first film he directed after spending seven months in Evin from 2022 to 2023.“When you are imprisoned, it does not matter which group, which category and which party you are. We are all living with each other. And then when you go out, you can’t separate from it. These all remain in your mind,” he said. “This experience stays in your brain, and after you leave … you feel like you have to do something to express this.”The filmmaker has previously spoken about his time at the prison, recalling how he was placed in solitary confinement and blindfolded during his hourslong interrogations. He drew from his own experiences, as well as from fellow political prisoners he met there, in writing the film, making it one of his most personal endeavors to date.But authorities in Iran oversee the media, so filmmakers must get their scripts approved to get film permits. While Panahi is no longer banned from filmmaking, he chose to shoot in secret, filming in Iran over the course of several weeks without official permission from the government because of the film’s sensitive subject matter.The crew shot scenes in a remote desert location, in a van and in the streets of Tehran. Expecting trouble from authorities, the crew also took precautionary steps while moving around the city. Panahi told Vulture that in the summer of 2024, the crew was stopped by police during filming. They were asked to turn everything over but they handed over an empty memory card from a camera, rather than the actual footage of the film.They then waited a few weeks to resume the project and ended up editing part of the movie in France for safety reasons after the cast and crew had a run-in with authorities.“If you want to make a movie in Iran, you have to accept that is not possible through a regular path, you have to find an alternative path, and you either have to find it yourself or use other people’s experience in doing so,” Panahi said.Despite his years of political dissent and the personal price he has paid, Panahi is humble. He explained that it’s the people of Iran who deserve praise for continuing to stand up to the government in the aftermath of the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody, which triggered huge, monthslong public protests that were labeled the Women, Life, Freedom movement.“They are more brave than I am,” he said, noting that he’s someone who is “well known” and because of that has “some protections in place.” The activists “are not known to anyone,” he said. They took to the streets, were jailed and released, and still continue to protest in their own ways.For example, there are women in Iran who now refuse to wear the mandatory hijab, instead walking around with their hair flowing freely. It’s a subtle act of defiance that Panahi captured in his film, which shows its two female stars without headscarves in public in several scenes.It was important to Panahi to depict a “truthful picture of Iran,” he said. “We’ve reached a point in history where everything is measured by whether it happened before or after the Women, Life, Freedom movement. If it’s before, and you were showing in your film that there was a woman without the headscarf covering, it would not be believable.”Those who admire Panahi say his art serves as its own powerful form of activism, as he balances politics with a personal touch that helps breathe levity into heavier topics.At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Panahi won the prestigious Palme d’Or after the film received a nearly eight-minute standing ovation.The win marked the second time an Iranian filmmaker took home the award (Abbas Kiarostami was the first, winning in 1997 for “Taste of Cherry”). Panahi has now received the top prize at all three major European film festivals, including Berlin’s Golden Bear for “Taxi” in 2015 and the Golden Lion at Venice for “The Circle” in 2000.Oscar-winning actor Juliette Binoche, who served as the 2025 Cannes jury president, said that “It Was Just an Accident” “springs from a feeling of resistance, survival, which is absolutely necessary today.”“It’s very human and political at the same time, because he comes from a complicated country,” she said at the event, according to Deadline. “When we watched the film, it stood out.”At the New York Film Festival earlier this month, Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese also praised Panahi and called on more streaming services to champion Iranian cinema.As the film continues to rack up positive reviews and vies for Oscar nods, Panahi plans to continue to promote it at events.Other Iranian filmmakers, including Panahi’s friend and fellow director Mohammad Rasoulof, have fled Iran to avoid facing fierce punishment.But when asked whether he fears the Iranian government lashing out at him again, Panahi appeared undeterred.“What are they going to do that they haven’t done already?” he said.Saba HamedySaba Hamedy is the trends and culture editor for NBC News.

- Latest News - October 20, 2025

Iranian director Jafar Panahi puts a lot on the line for his work

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Oct. 20, 2025, 5:20 AM EDT / Updated Oct. 20, 2025, 5:58 AM EDTBy Chantal Da SilvaPresident Donald Trump insisted that the ceasefire in Gaza was still in place after Israel launched strikes in the enclave and traded accusations with Hamas that each side had violated the fragile truce he helped broker.”We wanna make sure that it’s going to be very peaceful with Hamas,” Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One late Sunday after Israel carried out a wave of strikes in response to what it said were a series of Hamas attacks on Israeli forces in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Sunday that it had begun “renewed enforcement of the ceasefire” after the first major test of the deal.Trump said Washington believed that Hamas leadership may not have been involved in the alleged violation of the truce after Israel accused the militant group of killing two soldiers beyond the “yellow line,” referring to the boundary within Gaza that Israeli troops have withdrawn to under the first phase of the truce. Asked whether the Israeli strikes that followed the incident were justified, Trump said, “I’d have to get back to you on that,” adding that the matter was “under review.” He said the situation was “going to be handled toughly, but properly.”As fears grew in the region that the 10-day-old ceasefire agreement could collapse, Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, headed to Israel. Smoke billows following an Israeli strike that targeted a building in the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday.Eyad Baba / AFP via Getty ImagesHamas’ failure to return all of the bodies of deceased hostages held in Gaza had already put a strain on talks to advance to a second stage of the deal.The difficulty of locating remains of deceased hostages amid the rubble of Gaza had been raised by both Hamas and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has helped facilitate the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel.Israeli barriers to more aid entering Gaza, another key tenet of the agreement, have also been a point of contention. An Israeli security official said Monday that aid would enter the famine-stricken territory through the Kerem Shalom Crossing, while the Rafah crossing remained closed.But after days of mounting tensions, Sunday’s strikes posed a sudden and significant threat to the deal.The Israeli military said it launched its strikes in southern Gaza after accusing Hamas of carrying out a “blatant violation” of the truce, with attacks on its forces in the Rafah area.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had directed officials to take “strong action” against “terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip,” while Defense Minister Israel Katz said Hamas would “learn the hard way today that the IDF is determined to protect its soldiers and prevent any harm to them.”A spokesperson for the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza told NBC News on Sunday that at least 23 people had been killed in Israeli attacks that day.Hamas denied any involvement in the incident in Rafah and emphasized its commitment to the truce, while a senior official accused Israel of working to “fabricate flimsy pretexts” for its own assault. In a statement, Hamas’ government media office accused Israel of committing “80 violations” of the ceasefire since it began, which it said had killed dozens of people and wounded hundreds in just over a week since the truce began.

- Latest News - October 20, 2025

President Donald Trump insisted that the ceasefire in Gaza was still in place after Israel launched strikes in the enclave and traded accusations with Hamas that each side had violated.

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Oct. 20, 2025, 5:27 AM EDTBy Rohan NadkarniEntering Sunday, NFL teams had won 1,602 consecutive games when they were leading by 18 points in the final six minutes of a game.On Sunday, that streak was broken.The New York Giants had a historic collapse against the Denver Broncos, losing 33-32 in what was the wildest game of the NFL season so far.With rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart under center, the Giants appeared to be turning their season around, taking a 19-0 lead into the fourth quarter against the Broncos and their stingy defense. New York was stuck on 19 because of a missed extra point and a failed 2-point conversion, both of were factors in the roller-coaster final frame. The Broncos’ comeback began early in the fourth, when a tipped pass in the end zone fell into the hands of Troy Franklin for a touchdown. Denver completed a 2-point conversion to cut the lead to 19-8. Not to be outdone, the Giants followed up with a tip-drill touchdown of their own, as Theo Johnson caught a deflected pass on third-and-17 and ran with it for a 41-yard score on the ensuing possession.Johnson’s score spiked New York’s win probability. On the Broncos’ next drive, they faced third-and-12 from their own 47 with 7 minutes and 12 seconds to go. At that moment, the Giants’ win probability was 99.8%, according to ESPN. But a 9-yard pass and a defensive pass interference penalty on the next two plays gave Denver new life. Quarterback Bo Nix would lead the team down the field for another score, running for a touchdown with 5 minutes and 13 seconds to go. Denver converted another 2-pointer to make the score 26-16.On the Giants’ next drive, Dart made a backbreaking mistake.On third-and-5, he was picked off by Justin Strnad, who ran the ball back 21 yards to set up Denver’s offense inside the red zone.Four plays later, Nix threw another touchdown pass to cut the lead to 26-23.New York couldn’t answer the score, punting after only three plays and taking only a minute and 9 seconds off the clock in the process.Six plays. Sixty-eight yards and 51 seconds later, the Broncos had their first lead of the game. Nix completed a 31-yard pass on third-and-11 to keep the scoring drive alive, then ran for a touchdown three plays later to put Denver ahead.But the drama was far from finished.With 1 minute and 8 seconds to go, the Giants were staring down a fourth-and-19 from their own 26-yard line and the game on the line. Dart scrambled and found Wan’Dale Robinson for first down, with a roughing-the-passer penalty giving New York another 15 yards.After a pass interference penalty moved the Giants all the way to the 1-yard line, Dart called his own number for a score. Crucially, however, New York kicker Jude McAtamney missed his second extra point of the game, which meant the Giants led by only 2, 32-30, with 37 seconds to go. Still, with no timeouts left, the Broncos faced an uphill climb to get in position for another score.But their next drive started fortuitously, when Nix seemingly overthrew a receiver only for the ball to fall into the hands of an awaiting Marvin Mims for a 29-yard gain. As Denver lined up to spike the ball after the completion, a New York defender couldn’t get onside in time, giving the Broncos 5 more yards.After the penalty, Nix found Courtland Sutton for 22 yards, putting Denver firmly in field-goal range. The Broncos spiked the ball with 3 seconds left, bringing on Will Lutz for a 39-yard kick.The field goal easily sailed through the uprights, and Denver’s shocking comeback was complete.The Broncos’ 33 points in the fourth quarter were the most in NFL history by a team that had been shut out during the first three quarters, per ESPN. Denver went from having a 0.2% chance of winning to improving to 5-2, remaining in first place in the AFC West.The Giants, meanwhile, were robbed of winning two straight games for the first time this season. And instead of being 3-4 and potentially in the playoff hunt, New York exited Sunday tied for the second fewest wins in the NFC. Rohan NadkarniRohan Nadkarni is a sports reporter for NBC News. 

- Latest News - October 20, 2025

Entering Sunday, NFL teams had won 1,602 consecutive games when they were leading by 18 points in the final six minutes of a game

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Oct. 19, 2025, 11:34 PM EDTBy Dennis RomeroSAN DIEGO — The Marines Corps has launched an investigation after the California Highway Patrol said shrapnel from an artillery shell, fired during a live-fire demonstration touted by the White House, struck a law enforcement vehicle.No injuries were reported when an artillery round “detonated overhead prematurely” during Saturday’s 250th anniversary celebration for the Marines Corps at Camp Pendleton, the highway patrol said.But at least one of its patrol vehicles, on hand to help stop and divert traffic on Interstate 5 through the base during the demonstration, was damaged, the highway patrol said in a statement Sunday.“This was an unusual and concerning situation,” CHP Border Division Chief Tony Coronado, who also identified himself as a Marine, said in the statement. “It is highly uncommon for any live-fire or explosive training activity to occur over an active freeway.”Capt. Gregory Dreibelbis, spokesperson for I Marine Expeditionary Force, said in a statement Sunday that officials “are aware of the report of a possible airborne detonation of a 155mm artillery round outside the designated impact area” during Saturday’s Marine Corps amphibious capabilities demonstration.Pictures from a CHP incident report show a black-and-white unit with a hood apparently pierced by shrapnel, as well as multiple munition fragments. The report indicated that the fragment on the hood measured around 2 inches by 2 inches. According to a CHP map, the vehicle was at Interstate 5 and Las Pulgas Road, nearly a mile north of the Red Beach demonstration along the northernmost coast of San Diego County, when it was hit. The highway patrol said shrapnel from live artillery, fired over Interstate 5 as part of the anniversary demonstration, struck a patrol vehicle.California Highway PatrolThe report said a motorcycle officer also found a fragment measuring about 1 inch by a half-inch near his own vehicle. The CHP said the strike happened as officers were temporarily halting traffic on the freeway so motorists would be out of harm’s way during the demonstration.California Gov. Gavin Newsom had been critical of the plan to fire live munitions over the interstate in the days leading up to Saturday’s celebrations, which were attended by Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who both gave spoke at the event. Newsom, a Democrat who has repeatedly sparred with the Trump administration, had criticized the potential impact of a temporary closure of the 80,000-vehicles-per-day Interstate 5, and he said state authorities were denied sufficient notice of a dangerous and “absurd show of force.”“This could have killed someone,” Newsom said Sunday on X.Asked for a response to the CHP’s report of a shrapnel strike, Newsom spokesperson Diana Crofts-Pelayo also pointed to a post on the X account for the governor’s office: “We love our Marines and owe a debt of gratitude to Camp Pendleton, but next time, the Vice President and the White House shouldn’t be so reckless with people’s lives for their vanity projects.”The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday. In the lead-up to Saturday’s celebrations, officials within the Trump administration had characterized complaints about the live-fire demonstrations and consequent freeway shutdown as an overreaction. “Gavin Newsom wants people to think this exercise is dangerous,” William Martin, Vance’s communications director, said in a statement to The New York Times. “The Marine Corps says it’s an established and safe practice. Newsom wants people to think this is an absurd show of force. The Marine Corps says it’s part of routine training at Camp Pendleton.”Dreibelbis, the Marine spokesman, said safety protocols were observed.“The demonstration went through a rigorous safety evaluation, and deliberate layers of redundancy, to ensure the safety of fellow citizens,” he said, adding that live fire was suspended Saturday in accordance with safety protocols. The CHP said it wants to conduct a review and create better communication with federal officials. Dreibelbis said the Marine Corps has launched an investigation and wants to learn from the incident, as well.”We are committed to determining the incident’s root cause and applying findings to future missions,” he said.Dennis RomeroDennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.Elyse Perlmutter-Gumbiner, Bill Feather and Madeline Morrison contributed.

- Latest News - October 20, 2025

The U.S. Marines Corps has launched an investigation after the California Highway Patrol said shrapnel from an artillery shell, fired during a live-fire demonstration touted by the White House, struck.

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