Iran Digest Week of August 23- August 30
/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
Inside the Frantic U.S. Efforts to Contain a Mideast Disaster
As Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken flew to Mongolia on July 31, his mind was on events far away, in the Middle East. Hours earlier, Israel had assassinated a top Hamas leader in Tehran, and Iranian officials were vowing retaliation for the murder of a close ally on their soil.
Using a secure phone in his private compartment of the plane, Mr. Blinken spoke to several foreign officials in the hours after the killing, asking them to urge Iran against taking any action that could lead to all-out war with Israel.
Days later, one of the officials, the foreign minister of Jordan, Ayman Safadi, visited Tehran and called for “peace, stability and security.”
Nuclear Program
Iran's uranium enrichment rolls on, key issues stalled, IAEA reports show
Iran's production of highly enriched uranium continues and it has not improved cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog despite a resolution demanding this at the agency's last board meeting, watchdog reports seen by Reuters showed on Thursday.
Despite the resolution passed at the last quarterly meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation Board of Governors in June, nuclear diplomacy has largely been on hold with the election last month of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and the U.S. presidential election due in November.
"The (IAEA) Director General (Rafael Grossi) expresses the hope that his initial exchange with President Pezeshkian will be followed by an early visit to Iran and the establishment of a fluid, constructive dialogue that swiftly leads to concrete results," said one of the two confidential, quarterly IAEA reports sent to member states on Thursday.
(Reuters)
Iran’s supreme leader opens door to negotiations with US over Tehran’s nuclear program
Iran’s supreme leader opened the door Tuesday to renewed negotiations with the United States over his country’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, telling its civilian government there was “no harm” in engaging with its “enemy.”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s remarks set clear red lines for any talks taking place under the government of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and renewed his warnings that Washington wasn’t to be trusted.
But his comments mirror those around the time of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which saw Tehran’s nuclear program greatly curtailed in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Yet it remains unclear just how much room Pezeshkian will have to maneuver, particularly as tensions remain high in the wider Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war and as the U.S. prepares for a presidential election in November.
(AP News)
Women of Iran
Rising Number Of Iranian Women Sentenced To Death Amid Surge In Executions
What do an Iranian aid worker, a labor activist, a political campaigner, and a protester have in common?
All four are women who have been charged in Iran with armed rebellion against the state -- which carries the death sentence -- in recent months.
Two of them -- aid worker Pakhshan Azizi and labor activist Sharifeh Mohammadi -- have already been sentenced to death. Political activist Varisheh Moradi and protester Nasim Gholami Simiyari are awaiting their sentences.
Women in Pezeshkian's Administration: Fewer than Ahmadinejad, More than Rouhani
The new president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, has appointed two women as vice president and another as a minister in his cabinet. This report explores the backgrounds of these women and compares their roles with those of women in previous Iranian cabinets.
On August 21, the Iranian parliament granted a vote of confidence to the cabinet of Masoud Pezeshkian. This approval came amid Pezeshkian’s repeated assurances that his ministers had been endorsed at the “highest levels” of the Islamic Republic.
Pezeshkian admitted he adjusted his original "ideals" due to a lack of consensus, aligning more with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's preferences. This has made many see the cabinet as a reflection of Khamenei's choices, with Pezeshkian functioning more like a prime minister than president.
Health
Nurses’ Strikes Escalate Across Iran as Authorities Intensify Repression
As nurses’ strikes surge across Iran, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) demands that authorities respect the rights of these essential healthcare workers to peacefully protest and immediately cease violent crackdowns.
“For years, Iran’s predominantly female nursing workforce has been systematically exploited and silenced,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of CHRI.
“Without the freedom to form independent unions, these workers face severe government retaliation for simply demanding what is rightfully theirs—fair wages and safe working conditions,” he added.
Economy
The Rising Cost of Bread in Iran: A Growing Concern for the Population
A severe heatwave has struck several Iranian provinces, forcing authorities to close offices and reduce operating hours to manage energy demand and rising heat-related hospitalization.
In the southwest and southeast, temperatures have exceeded 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) this summer, making cities some of the hottest on the planet.
Residents of Khuzestan, Sistan and Baluchestan, and Kerman have endured days of relentless heat topping 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), preventing many from working and earning a livelihood.
Inside Iran
Afghan children exploited by Tehran municipality
Behind the manicured veneers of Iran's capital, Tehran, the hidden toil of the unseen workforce remains invisible, the country's Afghan children.
The workers, some as young as 13, are being exploited by municipal contractors who prioritize cost-cutting over human dignity, said a report by Khabaronline website.
In neighborhoods across Tehran, the presence of Afghan children laboring in municipal services is a reminder of the city’s reliance on cheap, undocumented labor.
Iran’s president orders investigation after activists alleged police tortured man to death
Iran’s president ordered an investigation Thursday into the death of a man in custody after activists alleged he had been tortured to death by police officers in the country’s north, the latest such fatality to gain the nation’s attention.
The order came from reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, elected last month, who campaigned on a promise to halt such deaths in custody. In 2022, the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the morality police for allegedly not wearing her headscarf correctly, sparked nationwide protests.
In the latest case, five police officers have already been temporarily detained as the investigation is ongoing.
(AP News)
Analysis
Iran’s new president wants better ties with the west. Can he succeed?
By: Najmeh Bozorgmehr & Andrew England
It was supposed to be Masoud Pezeshkian’s moment of crowning glory. Instead, it will be remembered for a dramatic assassination that put Iran on a war footing.
It was July 30, and scores of foreign dignitaries had gathered in Iran’s parliament to attend the swearing-in of Pezeshkian, the Islamic republic’s first reformist president in two decades. The 69-year-old had recently won a snap election, marked by promises to resolve Tehran’s long-running nuclear stand-off with the US and European powers in the hope of securing sanctions relief.
“I will not rest until these unjust sanctions are lifted,” Pezeshkian told the audience, which included officials from the EU, China, Russia and Arab states. “We want to normalise our economic relations with the world.”
(Read More Here)
