Iran Digest Week of August 30- September 5
/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 associate Samuel Howell. Please note that the news and views expressed in the articles below do not necessarily reflect those of AIC.
US-Iran Relations
US ‘alarmed’ by reports of Iranian missile transfer to Russia
The White House tells VOA it is “alarmed” by unconfirmed Western news reports that an unprecedented Iranian transfer of missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine recently happened or will occur imminently. Iran is responding to those reports by separately telling VOA that it “abstains” from arming parties engaged in the war that its ally Russia launched against Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that unnamed U.S. and European officials determined in recent days that Iran has delivered ballistic missiles to Russia in what would be a first for the growing military partnership of the two anti-Western allies.
Prior to the Journal story, Bloomberg and Reuters published reports on Monday and August 10 respectively, citing unnamed European officials as saying an Iranian transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia was imminent.
(VOA)
Iran Emerges as a Top Disinformation Threat in U.S. Presidential Race
A website called Savannah Time describes itself as “your trusted source for conservative news and perspectives in the vibrant city of Savannah.” Another site, NioThinker, wants to be “your go-to destination for insightful, progressive news.” The online outlet Westland Sun appears to cater to Muslims in suburban Detroit.
None are what they appear to be. Instead, they are part of what American officials and tech company analysts say is an intensifying campaign by Iran to sway this year’s American presidential election.
Iran has long carried out clandestine information operations against its adversaries, especially Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States, but until now most of its activities were conducted under the shadow of similar campaigns by Russia and China. Its latest propaganda and disinformation efforts have grown more brazen, more varied and more ambitious, according to the U.S. government, company officials and Iran experts.
Nuclear Program
As Iran threatens Israel, the danger of Tehran’s long-vaunted missile program remains in question
As Iran threatens to attack Israel over the assassination of a Hamas leader in the Iranian capital, its long-vaunted missile program offers one of the few ways for Tehran to strike back directly, but questions loom over just how much of a danger it poses.
The program was behind Iran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on Israel in April, when Iran became the first nation to launch such a barrage since Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein lobbed Scud missiles at Israel in the 1991 Gulf War.
But few of the Iranian projectiles reached their targets. Many were shot down by a U.S.-led coalition, while others apparently failed at launch or crashed while in flight. Even those that reached Israel appeared to miss their marks.
(AP News)
Women of Iran
'Women, life, freedom': Does Pezeshkian offer hope for Iran's protest movement?
On 16 September 2022, Mahsa Jina Amini’s death in police custody sparked a social movement in Iran that still has the Islamic regime in trepidation.
The widespread women-led protests dubbed ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ were against the mandatory hijab but also united around issues concerning wider societal issues and Iran’s different ethnic groups.
Simply put, Iranians wanted equality and a decent quality of life.
Inside Iran
An Iranian man’s death and the state’s enduring torture tactics
The recent death of Mohammad Mir-Mousavi, who succumbed to injuries from severe torture while in custody, has once again revealed the pervasive abuse within Iran's police, security, and judicial institutions.
The case, occurring at a detention center in northern Gilan province, starkly illustrates that extrajudicial killings are not isolated incidents but integral to the state’s broader system of repression and oppression.
For some time now, human rights activists have identified several of Iran's detention centers as particularly deadly for prisoners, including Shapour Intelligence Detention Center in Tehran and others in Shiraz, Yasuj, Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, and Zahedan. Among these, Shapour Detention Center in southern Tehran stands out as one of the most notorious, often referred to as the "dungeon for prisoners."
UN experts: Iran executed more than 400 people this year
U.N. experts voiced alarm Monday at a surge in executions in Iran last month that pushed the total in the country so far this year to over 400.
At least 81 people were put to death in Iran in August alone, significantly more than the 45 reported in July, a group of 11 independent United Nations rights experts said in a statement.
The reported number of executions since the start of 2024 rose above 400, including those of 15 women, they said.
(VOA)
Regional Politics
Sanctions complicate Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project
Pakistan Federal Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik said Wednesday that international sanctions have caused complications for the Iran-Pakistan cross-border natural gas pipeline project.
Media outlets reported that Iran had warned Pakistan to complete its part of the project or face an $18 billion penalty — news that sparked a debate days later in Pakistan's lower house, the National Assembly.
Responding to a question by a lawmaker on the floor of the house regarding Iran's final notice, Malik said, “This is a deeply complicated matter and involves international sanctions."
(VOA)
Iran forces relocation of its Kurdish opposition groups inside Iraq
Three Iranian Kurdish armed groups have been relocated to a "less accessible" camp in Iraqi Kurdistan after months of pressure from Tehran on both the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraq’s central government.
Iran has long accused the semi-autonomous Kurdish government in northern Iraq of harboring groups, all under the Komala name, which Tehran labels as terrorist organizations. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has frequently launched attacks on their bases, claiming these groups pose a threat to the security of the Islamic Republic.
In March 2023, the governments of Iran and Iraq signed a ‘border security’ agreement that was, in essence, a plan to curb the activities of Iran’s Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq. The agreement led to partial evacuation of Komala bases in September 2023. The move now seems to have been completed, with the three Kurdish parties, with military wings, leaving their camps in the Zirgwez region near Sulaymaniyah and settling in camps in Suwardash near Dukan.
Global Relations
Iran warns Russia against siding with Azerbaijan in border dispute
Iran’s new reformist government has warned Russia against siding with Azerbaijan in a border dispute as concerns in Tehran persist over its relations with Moscow.
The Iranian foreign minister, Sayeed Abbas Araghchi, took the unusual step of upbraiding Russia after Moscow sided with Azerbaijan over its calls for a land corridor along the Armenia-Iran border that Tehran fears could limit its access to Europe and the wider world.
“Regional peace, security and stability is not merely a preference, but a pillar of our national security. Any threat from north, south, east, or west to territorial integrity of our neighbours or redrawing of boundaries is totally unacceptable and a red line for Iran,” Araghchi said on X.
Analysis
How Qatar Replaced Oman in the Islamic Republic’s Foreign Policy
By: Faramarz Davar
As Oman’s role as mediator between Iran and the West, particularly the US, has declined over the past decade, Qatar has expanded its influence over Tehran, increasing Iran’s dependence on Doha.
This article explores how Qatar stepped in to fill the gap left by Oman’s mediation and assumed its position in diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic.
In December 2015, after Saudi Arabia executed a Shia cleric, students aligned with Supreme Leader Khamenei attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran, leading Saudi Arabia to cut diplomatic ties with Iran and call for collective action from Arab nations.
(Read More Here)
