Iran Digest Week of August 20 - August 27
/AIC’s Iran digest project covers the latest developments and news stories published in Iranian and international media outlets. This weekly digest is compiled by Communications Associate Elizabeth Kos. Please note that the news and views expressed in the articles below do not necessarily reflect those of AIC.
US-Iran Relations
Iran Resumes a Crucial Lifeline to Afghanistan: Fuel
Iran resumed fuel exports to Afghanistan a few days ago following a request from the new Afghan government, which feels empowered by the US withdrawal to buy the sanctioned nation’s oil more openly, an Iranian official has told the Reuters news agency.
The price of gasoline in Afghanistan reached $900 per tonne as many Afghans were driven out of cities, fearing reprisals and a return to a harsh interpretation of Islamic law the Taliban imposed when in power 20 years ago.
To counter the price spike, the new Taliban asked Shia Iran to keep the borders open for traders.
Nuclear Accord
Biden’s Meeting With Israeli Leader Delayed After Kabul Attack
When Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of Israel was scheduled to meet President Biden at the White House on Thursday, the two new leaders had aimed to reset relations between their countries and reinforce a bond that has showed signs of strain.
But their first meeting was postponed Thursday after two deadly blasts outside the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, where officials said there were dozens injured or dead, including at least 12 U.S. service members who were killed.
The meeting, originally scheduled for Thursday morning, was delayed and then rescheduled for Friday as Mr. Biden remained in the Situation Room meeting all morning with his top national security advisers and the Pentagon held a briefing with Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., commander of U.S. Central Command.
COVID-19
Deaths Surge in Iran Following Lifting of Restrictions
Covid-19 deaths in Iran have surged following the lifting of restrictions in the country.
Iran's health ministry on Sunday reported more than 680 daily Covid deaths for the first time.
The six-day restrictive measures that ended on Saturday included the closure of government buildings, banks and non-essential shops.
The ministry said the deaths of 684 people in the past 24 hours brought the total number of fatalities to 102,038.
Women of Iran
Iranian Women Campaign to Stop the Rise in "Honor Killings"
Honor killings punish women for bringing “disgrace” upon their families, for example by refusing forced marriages, being the victim of rape, getting divorced, having sexual relationships, or engaging in adultery. Although honor killings are not a new phenomenon, they have been increasing in number in recent years.
A significant reason for this increase in honor killings is because women and girls are becoming more aware of their rights; for example, they are not accepting forced marriage and want to have the freedom to choose their future spouses, their education and jobs, and to be present in public life shoulder to shoulder with men. They are in short demanding their personal freedom. However, at the same time, many Iranian men have not developed modern ideas about personal freedom and gender equity. They enjoy having the power to control women and resist these cultural changes.
Inside Iran
Iran’s Parliament Confirms Conservative as Top Diplomat
Iran’s parliament confirmed an experienced diplomat trusted by the country’s hard-liners as its new foreign minister as the government prepares for a possible return to nuclear negotiations in coming weeks.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is expected to closely follow the line set by Iran’s conservative new President Ebrahim Raisi, who has said he wants to restore the 2015 nuclear deal while resisting U.S. efforts to negotiate a wider agreement that might limit Iran’s influence across the Middle East.
Mr. Raisi has also said he wants Iran’s new foreign policy to focus on improving Iran’s regional ties and influence, an area on which Mr. Amir-Abdollahian has spent much of his career. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, is the main decision maker on all major strategic issues, including the nuclear deal.
Leaked Videos Show Abuses Behind Bars in Iran’s Prisons
This week, apparently hacked videos of surveillance cameras in Iran’s Evin prison, in the capital Tehran, have confirmed many of the patterns of abusive treatment and violations of due process human rights groups have documented for decades. These videos appear to be from wards under the supervision of Iran’s prisons office and appear to show guards beating or otherwise abusing prisoners, as well as several incidents of inmate assaults against other inmates and prisoners self-harming without apparent intervention by prison officials.
For nearly two decades, authorities have prohibited independent monitors to visit Iranian prisons. They have refused to meaningfully investigate allegations of violations, and have prosecuted prisoners who reported being tortured. Despite these restrictions, rights groups and activists imprisoned for their peaceful activism continue to report on the systematic due process and torture violations in Iranian prisoners.
Regional Politics
Japanese FM Discusses De-Escalation with Iranian Officials
Iranian president met Sunday with Japan’s foreign minister in the capital of Tehran and the two discussed de-escalation of tensions in the region, Iranian news agencies reported.
The president’s official website, president.ir, said that Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi discussed bilateral, regional and international issues with President Ebrahim Raisi.
The two-day visit is the first by a Japanese official since Raisi became Iran’s new president and the first since the Japanese prime minister visited Iran in 2019. ISNA said Motegi is in Tehran at the official invitation of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Iran is Ready to Ship More Fuel to Lebanon if Needed
Iran says it is ready to ship more fuel to Lebanon if needed, a day after the leader of Lebanon’s Iran-aligned Hezbollah group said more vessels carrying Iranian fuel would sail soon to help ease the country’s energy crisis.
Hezbollah’s foes in Lebanon have warned of dire consequences from the purchase, saying it risked sanctions being imposed on a country whose economy has been in meltdown for nearly two years.
“We sell our oil and its products based on our own decisions and the needs of our friend. Iran is ready to send fuel again to Lebanon if needed,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said at a news conference on Monday.
Iraq Seeks to Ease Saudi-Iran Hostility at Baghdad Summit
Iraq has invited Iran and Tehran's Gulf Arab foes to a summit in Baghdad with the objective of calming tensions which have brought them close to open conflict in recent years.
Officials say the meeting, which will also discuss the war in Yemen, Lebanon's collapse and a regional water crisis, could take a step towards Saudi-Iranian rapprochement even though they have yet to say what representation they will send.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has also invited Gulf allies Egypt and Jordan as well as Turkey and French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is co-organising the summit, expected to be held on Saturday.
(Reuters)
Analysis
Afghanistan: With Taliban in Power, Iran and Gulf States Will Vie for Influence
By: Rupert Stone
Following the Taliban’s stunning takeover of Afghanistan on 15 August, diplomats in Kabul braced for evacuation. Predictably, the US and other western missions quickly packed their bags; more surprisingly, the embassies of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also jumped ship.
The move was striking because the two Gulf countries were the only nations, along with Pakistan, to recognise the isolated Taliban emirate in the 1990s. But then came further proof of a froideur between the UAE and Taliban when it was announced that Abu Dhabi had welcomed the fleeing former Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani.
The rift between the militant group and its erstwhile Gulf allies has been widening for years, largely due to the Taliban’s closer ties to their principal adversaries, Qatar and Iran, and could now escalate into a more serious conflict if the regional rivals back different armed actors in Afghanistan.
