Iran Digest Week of May 31- June 7
/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's top diplomat confirms talks with US
Iran's acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri said Monday his government was engaged in negotiations with arch-foe the United States hosted by the Gulf sultanate of Oman.
Asked about the issue at a news conference during a visit to Beirut, Bagheri said, "we have always continued our negotiations ... and they have never stopped."
Washington and Tehran have not had diplomatic relations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
(VOA)
Nuclear Accord
UN nuclear agency’s board votes to censure Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the watchdog
The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s board on Wednesday censured Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the agency, diplomats said, calling on Tehran to provide answers in a long-running investigation and reverse its decision to bar several experienced U.N. inspectors.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a late-night statement in response to the vote, saying it “strongly condemns” the action taken by the IAEA’s board of governors and called the move political.
The censure followed a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency a week ago that said Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, the latest in Tehran’s attempts to steadily exert pressure on the international community.
(AP News)
Environment
Iran’s Environmental Crisis: A Dire Consequence of Destructive Policies
June 5 marks World Environment Day, a day when nations across the globe prioritize environmental protection and address pressing issues like climate change.
In many developed and industrialized countries, presidential candidates often highlight environmental policies as a core component of their platforms, garnering the trust and votes of the populace by promising to tackle environmental challenges head-on.
In stark contrast, as Iran prepares for its upcoming presidential elections with 80 candidates registered, environmental concerns seem to be absent from their agendas.
Inside Iran
Iranian press review: Election setup favours weak president and low turnout
The early presidential elections in Iran have not brought change to the country's politics.
Most reformist politicians and analysts believe that, like in previous presidential and past two parliamentary elections, the government will not allow any non-fundamentalist candidate to enter the electoral competition.
The pro-reformist Ham Mihan discussed the topic with analysts daily, and all of them emphasised that despite the low participation in previous elections, the government prefers to choose its desired person from the fundamentalist camp.
Regional Politics
Scoop: U.S. warns Israel "limited war" with Lebanon could draw Iran to intervene
The Biden administration has cautioned Israel in recent weeks against the notion of "a limited war" in Lebanon and warned it could push Iran to intervene, two U.S. officials and one Israeli official told Axios.
Why it matters: The exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah that has been ongoing since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas dramatically escalated in the last two weeks, prompting some people inside the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Cabinet to call for significantly expanding the fighting against Hezbollah.
U.S. and Israeli officials said there is growing concern in the IDF and the Israeli Ministry of Defense that the situation in Lebanon is reaching a turning point. The U.S. and France have been trying to find a diplomatic solution to reduce tensions at the border but haven't made progress yet.
(Axios)
Bahrain sent message through Russia to normalise ties with Iran: Official
Bahrain has sent a request via Russia to re-establish diplomatic relations with Iran, Iranian news outlets have reported, citing presidential adviser Mohammad Jamshidi.
The reports on Friday come after several public statements by Bahraini officials expressing openness to restoring ties with Iran after years of tensions between the two countries.
“Bahrain has sent a message to Iran through Russia to normalise relations with Iran,” Jamshidi was quoted as saying by Iran’s Press TV.
Yemen's Houthi rebels unveil new missile that resembles Iranian hypersonic
Yemen's Houthi rebels have unveiled a new, solid-fuel missile in their arsenal that resembles aspects of one earlier displayed by Iran that Tehran described as flying at hypersonic speeds.
The rebels fired their new "Palestine" missile, complete with a warhead painted like a Palestinian keffiyeh checkered scarf, at the southern Gulf of Aqaba port of Eilat in Israel on Monday. The attack set off air raid sirens but caused no reported damage or injuries.
Footage released by the Houthis late Wednesday showed the Palestine being raised on what appeared to be a mobile launcher and rising quickly into the air with plumes of white smoke coming from its engine. White smoke is common with solid-fuel missiles.
(VOA)
Global Relations
IRGC Operatives Enter European Ports with Concealed Identity
Operatives of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are entering European ports, concealing their identity as seafarers while on board Iranian ships and oil tankers, sources familiar with the situation told Iran International.
The sources, who Iran International has not identified for their protection, are connected to a security apparatus in the Middle East.
They allege these individuals are not declaring their identity and are armed with weapons on the ship in European ports, specifically: Constanta (Romania) , Valencia (Spain) , Ravenna (Italy), and Antwerp (Belgium).
Analysis
The children of Iran’s revolution still want to go West
By: The Economist
Growing up, iran’s aghazadehs, the children of the elite, chanted death to America each morning at school. But as soon as they had finished their education, they set off in search of the American dream. Iran touts its pivot to Russia and China, but the aghazadehs of the Islamic Republic still want to go West.
Among them are close relatives of two of the front-runners in Iran’s presidential election on June 28th, Ali Larijani and Mohammad Qalibaf. They have settled in Britain and Canada. The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has several family members in Britain and France, including his nephew, Mahmoud Moradkhani. Grandchildren of the founder of the Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, have settled in Canada. According to one outraged former minister, 5,000 aghazadehs live in America, the Great Satan, alone.
How much will a presidential election reveal about Iran’s future?
By: The Economist
Iran’s recent history is a rollercoaster of contrasts, alternating between hope and despair, traditions and modernisation, revolutions and counterrevolutions, conservatism and reformism.
The country is once again on the verge of an historic moment as it prepares for a June 28 snap presidential election, following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month.
This election, forced upon the state, will likely reveal the Iranian establishment’s future plans for the country.
