Iran Digest Week of January 24th- January 31st
/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
Iran foreign minister: attacking our nuclear sites would be 'one of biggest mistakes US could make'
Iran will respond immediately and decisively if its nuclear sites are attacked which would lead to an "all-out war in the region," Tehran's foreign minister told Al Jazeera TV in an interview aired on Friday.
Israel and the U.S. launching a military attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would be "one of the biggest historical mistakes the U.S. could make," Abbas Araqchi said through a translator.
Concerns have grown among Iran's top decision-makers that U.S. President Donald Trump might in his second term empower Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strike Iran's nuclear sites while further tightening U.S. sanctions on its oil industry.
(Reuters)
Tehran more ready than ever for US talks, commentators say
In fighting persisted among rival factions in Tehran over possible US talks after Ali Khamenei gave an implicit green light earlier this week, though with caveats reflecting his recurrent distrust of America.
At the same time, some of the key politicians who opposed the idea of negotiations with the United States have been realigning their stances and shifting their loyalties.
The conservative Jomhouri Eslami newspaper described the past week as marked by an intensifying war of words between supporters and opponents of negotiations aimed at addressing Iran's economic and foreign policy impasse.
Women of Iran
Nobel laureate calls anti-execution campaign in Iran a growing civil movement
Nobel laureate calls anti-execution campaign in Iran a growing civil movementurges Mohammadi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and prominent human rights activist, has described the No to Execution Tuesdays campaign by female prisoners as a "civil movement capable of expanding across Iran"
Speaking during a virtual event on Clubhouse to mark the campaign's first anniversary, Mohammadi highlighted its significance in opposing the widespread use of executions in Iran.
"The Islamic Republic seeks to assert its hollow authority by creating fear through mass executions," said Mohammadi, one of the most outspoken activists inside Iran.
Health
In Iran, One-Third of Patients Refrain from Purchasing Medication
Following the recent rise in medication prices, many patients have refrained from obtaining their prescribed drugs, with some pharmacists reporting that one-third of patients forgo purchasing medication due to its high cost.
Mohammad Abdozadeh, chairman of the Iranian Syndicate of Human Pharmaceutical Industries, told the state-run IRNA news agency that the root of rising medication prices lies
Economy
Online gold platforms thrive in Iran as economic pressures mount
Online gold-selling platforms are gaining traction in Iran, offering fractional ownership of the precious metal as an accessible option for those grappling with financial instability.
The platforms, heavily advertised across Tehran, target lower-income individuals seeking to protect their dwindling savings amidst a falling currency that wipes out their cash savings.
With gold prices soaring to approximately 55 million rials per gram, many Iranians now find traditional methods of purchasing gold increasingly out of reach.
Environment
Vanishing mountains: Winter air pollution smothers Iran
Toxic air that cloaked Iran this winter sent thousands to hospital, shuttered schools and forced Tehran to admit it must do more to tackle its top pollutants: old cars and filthy fuel.
In the capital, a sprawling mountain-ringed metropolis that is home to more than 18 million people, residents experienced only five days of clean air between last March and December, according to Tehran Air Quality Control.
The city frequently ranks among the world's most polluted, said Swiss-based air quality monitoring company IQAir.
Regional Politics
Iran’s foreign minister meets the Taliban in the first visit to Kabul in 8 years
Top Taliban officials met Iran’s foreign minister on Sunday to discuss tensions along their shared border, the treatment of Afghan refugees in Iran and water rights.
It was the first visit by an Iranian foreign minister to the Afghan capital since 2017.
Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said Iran was committed to the return of some 3.5 million Afghan refugees and had no intention of interfering in its neighbor’s domestic politics, according to a statement from the Afghan government’s deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat.
(AP News)
Irans VP attends Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Almaty
This visit came in response to an official invitation from Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Oljas Bektenov.
The first vice president was welcomed by the deputy prime minister of Kazakhstan and senior officials of the country upon her arrival at Almaty International Airport.
Iran, Kazakhstan emphasize strengthening of joint committees
(Tehran Times)
Analysis
Iran faces wage dilemma amid sanctions, economic malaise
By: Mardo Soghom
As Iran's fiscal year draws to an end in March, the government and parliament grapple with the challenge of raising wages in line with an inflation rate of 40% that has pushed millions of workers to poverty.
Raising wages would be fraught with challenges. The heavily dominant government sector lacks the funds to pay higher wages, while quasi-governmental and private enterprises could face bankruptcy if they attempt to double workers’ pay.
But why is doubling wages even being considered? Ordinary workers currently earn less than $150 a month, while official estimates indicate that a family of three needs at least $450 a month to cover basic necessities.
Beyond “Maximum Pressure” in US Policy on Iran: Leveraging Regional Partners to Contain Iran's Actions and Shape its Future Choices
By: Brian Katulis, Alex Vatanka, and Patricia Karam
The Islamic Republic of Iran is currently in its weakest and most isolated position since the founding of the regime in 1979, and it is struggling to preserve its regional network of proxies and non-state allies, whose activities undercut regional and global security. This so-called “Axis of Resistance”1 is part of Iran’s broader “forward defense”2 strategy designed to safeguard the regime at home and project power across the region by employing its own military, diplomatic, cyber, and propaganda tools as well as the capacities of the axis partners. For the past year, however, Tehran’s strategy has faced unprecedented pressure along multiple fronts and across various spheres.
