Iran Digest Week of July 30 - August 6
/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 Official Says Tehran to Drop Prisoner Swap Plans With U.S.
Iran is dropping plans for prisoner swaps with the United States due to "breaches" by Washington in efforts to free the detainees, an unnamed Iranian official told the semi-official Nour News agency on Tuesday.
Tehran and President Joe Biden's administration have been communicating on prisoner exchanges aimed at securing the release of Iranians held in U.S. jails and other countries over violations of U.S. sanctions, and of Americans jailed in Iran.
"With the continuing Biden administration...breaches, there is no incentive on Iran's part to continue this process and therefore the exchanges issue in its current form will be completely removed from its agenda," the official told Nour News, which is close to Iran's top national security.
(Reuters)
U.S., Britain, Israel Blame Iran for Fatal Drone Strike on Oil Tanker; Tehran Denies Responsibility
The United States, Britain and Israel on Sunday all accused Iran of carrying out a drone attack last week on an oil tanker in the Arabian Sea that killed two people on board, raising fears of an escalating maritime war in the Middle East, as Tehran denied responsibility for the strike.
American and Israeli officials had previously said that Thursday’s attack on the Liberian-flagged Mercer Street bore the hallmarks of an operation by Iran, which has been accused of deploying attack drones in the past. The Mercer Street is managed by Zodiac Maritime, a London-based company owned by an Israeli billionaire. Those killed included a British national and a Romanian citizen, the company said.
American Taylor Beats Iran’s Yazdani for Wrestling Gold
David Taylor seized the most important moment of his wrestling life.
The American scored a double-leg takedown with 17 seconds remaining to beat Iran’s Hassan Yazdani 4-3 on Thursday night and claim the gold medal in the freestyle 86-kilogram class.
Taylor expected a tough match from the man nicknamed “The Greatest.” Yazdani, the No. 1 seed, won the 74-kilogram class at the 2016 Olympics.
On Friday’s he’ll face Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili, the No. 1 seed and a three-time world champion.
COVID-19
Iran’s Health Minister Calls for Lockdowns Enforced by Military
Iran’s health minister has called for two weeks of lockdowns enforced by armed forces and law enforcement to curb the alarmingly fast rise of COVID-19 cases across the country.
Saeed Namaki, who will likely be replaced after Ebrahim Raisi is inaugurated as the next president on Thursday, made the request in a letter to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that was also widely published by Iranian media on Sunday.
“The pressure is so high that I’m worried even this plan won’t be enough, unless we reduce the exponential load of illnesses through quick preventive measures and boosting adherence to health protocols,” he wrote.
Women of Iran
Iranian Women Call for Ban on Motorcycle Licenses to Be Overturned
Iranian women have demanded that police issue motorcycle licences for women, permitting them to ride a motorbike officially, following a statement issued by Tehran's traffic police banning women from riding the vehicles in the Iranian capital.
The Hamshahri daily reported that Iran's traffic police had previously stressed that there was no ban on women riding a motorcycle if they had a licence. However, the police do not permit women to take the test to receive the permit.
The daily quoted an unnamed police source as saying that the law required them "to stop people riding without a licence, and since women do not have a licence, we are obliged to stop them".
Inside Iran
Iran Swears In President Ebrahim Raisi as Unease Grows in West
Ebrahim Raisi's inauguration on Thursday, after an election in which most of his rivals were disqualified, is set to consolidate power among hard-line loyalists of Mr. Khamenei just as Iran and the West are attempting to revive a deal that limits Tehran’s nuclear capabilities in return for lifting debilitating economic sanctions.
Mr. Raisi’s presidency is expected to be a significant shift from the past three decades. Iran’s recent presidents, regardless of their political bent, often staked out their own policy priorities, though the supreme leader always had the final say on vital matters of state, such as the nuclear program.
Some analysts said Mr. Khamenei, 82, instead appears to be focused on curtailing infighting and preserving what he sees as the tenets of the 1979 Islamic Revolution as he ages and Iran’s sanctions-hit economy comes under growing pressure.
Iran’s Raisi Promises to Lift Sanctions, Improve Public Trust
Iran’s incoming President Ebrahim Raisi has promised to take action to lift harsh sanctions imposed by the United States and bridge the gap with dissatisfied Iranians but said he will not tie the country’s future to the West.
After being officially endorsed on Tuesday by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Iran’s eighth president, the 60-year-old signalled that he will continue talks to restore the country’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers from which the US unilaterally withdrew three years ago.
"We will certainly be after lifting cruel sanctions, but we will certainly not make the people’s livelihoods and the economy conditioned, and won’t tie it to the will of foreigners,” he said during his speech at the televised ceremony in the capital, Tehran, which was also attended by other top officials and military commanders.
Regional Politics
Raisi Calls for Stronger Ties with ALBA States, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Iran’s new President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi discussed the expansion of relations with Latin American countries and Bosnia and Herzegovina in separate meetings in Tehran on Tuesday with the secretary-general of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) and the Bosnian foreign minister.
In his meeting with ALBA’s secretary-general, Sacha Sergio Llorenti Soliz, Raeisi said Iran and the member countries of the alliance share common values.
He added that the Islamic Republic is determined to further expand its political and economic relations with ALBA member states, noting that the move is in line with the sides’ common values and stances.
Mohammadreza Garaei Wins Iran’s Second Gold Medal
Iran’s Mohammadreza Garaei is taking home the country's second gold medal in the 2020 Olympic games, after winning the men’s Greco-Roman lightweight category on Wednesday.
The 27-year old athlete, who goes by the nickname “The Falcon”, also won a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games and a bronze medal in both the 2017 and 2019 World Championships.
The Iranian delegation now ranks 27th in the medal table with two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze.
Analysis
How Iran and Saudi Arabia Can Together Bring Peace to the Middle East
By: Vali Nasr and Maria Fantappie
The shift in Washington is undeniable: the Middle East is no longer a top priority for the United States. The U.S. withdrawal from the broader region is evident in the departure of troops from Afghanistan and reductions in U.S. military commitments to Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, alongside a heightened focus on China and Russia. There are good reasons for this shift in strategy, especially given the woeful recent history of U.S. involvement in the region, but it also brings risks of its own. The United States’ precipitous departure from Iraq in 2011, for example, paved the way for the rise of the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) and the expansion of Iran’s regional footprint. To avert similar damage this time, Washington must find a way to pair reductions in military commitments with gains in regional stability. One of the best opportunities for achieving those gains lies in emerging talks between the region’s two most consequential antagonists: Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Above all, the United States can help by persuading both Iran and Saudi Arabia that their own security interests are best served by successful talks. Each side should see progress as critical to what its leaders want: U.S. security guarantees in Riyadh’s case and a smaller U.S. military footprint in the region in Tehran’s.
