Iran Digest Week of November 15- November 22
/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 Debates Whether It Could Make a Deal With Trump
President Donald J. Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and world powers, imposed tough economic sanctions on Iran and ordered the killing of its top general. And Iran, federal prosecutors said on Friday, plotted to assassinate Mr. Trump before November’s election.
Yet despite that charged history, many former officials, pundits and newspaper editorials in Iran have openly called for the government to engage with Mr. Trump in the week since his re-election. Shargh, the main reformist daily newspaper, said in a front-page editorial that Iran’s new, more moderate president, Masoud Pezeshkian, must “avoid past mistakes and assume a pragmatic and multidimensional policy.”
And many in Mr. Pezeshkian’s government agree, according to five Iranian officials who asked that their names not be published because they were not authorized to discuss government policy. They say Mr. Trump loves to make deals where others have failed, and that his outsize dominance in the Republican Party could give any potential agreement more staying power. That might give an opening for some kind of lasting deal with the United States, they argue.
Nuclear Program
UN nuclear agency’s board condemns Iran for the 2nd time this year for failing to fully cooperate
The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s board on Thursday condemned Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the agency, the second time it has done so in just five months.
The International Atomic Energy Agency also called on Tehran to provide answers in a long-running investigation into uranium particles found at two locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites.
Nineteen members of the IAEA board voted for the resolution, while Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed it, and 12 abstained and one did not vote, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-doors vote.
(AP News)
Women of Iran
Iran to open hijab clinic, framing defiance as mental health issue
An Iranian state Islamic body announced plans on Tuesday for a new Tehran clinic to treat women flouting mandatory headscarves, in the latest example of authorities treating opponents of the rule as mentally ill.
Iran’s first counseling clinic explicitly dedicated to promoting mandatory hijab laws will provide "scientific and psychological treatment for hijab removal," said Mehri Talebi Darestani, the woman due to oversee the facility.
“The establishment of this center will be for the scientific and psychological treatment of removing the hijab, specifically for the teenage generation, young adults, and women seeking social and Islamic identity and visiting this center is optional," she added.
Concerns grow for imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi’s health in Iran
Imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi underwent a complex surgery in Iran that saw part of a bone in her right leg removed over cancer fears but was immediately returned to prison, raising the risks to her life, rights groups warned.
A letter signed by over 40 activist groups, sent to the United Nations Human Rights Council, urged that Mohammadi be immediately released on a medical furlough from a prison sentence on charges long criticized internationally. It is part of a wider pressure campaign on Iran over Mohammadi’s detention since the Nobel committee honored her last year.
Meanwhile, a group says another activist set himself on fire in prison this past weekend to protest against his incarceration as Iran continues to face internal dissent after years of protests against its theocracy.
(AP News)
Health
Impacts of economic sanctions on population health and health system: a study at national and sub-national levels from 2000 to 2020 in Iran
Background
Formal evidence regarding the effects of sanctions on population health status and the health system is scarce in Iran. Given the intricate and multifaceted nature of sanctions, a nuanced understanding of their impact is imperative. We aimed to investigate the magnitude and effects of sanctions on population health and healthcare system during the last two decades in Iran.
Design
This is a mixed-methods research. We quantified the impact of sanctions using 28 indicators, i.e. macroeconomic, healthcare resources and health outcomes indicators from 2000 to 2020. The concurrent qualitative study aimed to explore the pathway of the effect by considering perceptions of both patients and health policy makers towards sanctions; Interview data was analyzed using content analysis.
Setting
This study was conducted in Iran at both national and sub-national levels.
Inside Iran
Food Insecurity is Rapidly Spreading in Iran
The Research Center of the Iran Chamber reported that, according to the latest available statistics, approximately 32 million people in the country were living below the poverty line (food insecurity) by the end of 2021. This trend continues to expand rapidly due to the severe inflation of recent years.
On November 16, the Research Center examined the causes of inflation in the Iranian economy and the necessary measures to address this phenomenon under various scenarios, focusing on monetary perspectives and the impact of exchange rates.
The Iran Chamber emphasized that in economies with 20% inflation, discussions about production, investment, and economic growth are practically futile and unconventional.
Iran faces demographic challenge as births drop below one million for first time
The alarming forecast was revealed on Wednesday during a meeting with officials from the Medical Sciences Universities at the Ministry of Health.
Zafarghandi highlighted that unlike Western countries, Iran is experiencing an aging population before achieving full development.
“While other nations first developed and then faced population decline, Iran is encountering these issues concurrently,” he explained.
Global Relations
Israel and Iran Seemed on the Brink of a Bigger War. What’s Holding Them Back?
It has been nearly a month since Israel sent more than 100 jets and drones to strike Iranian military bases, and the world is still waiting to see how Iran will respond.
It is a loaded pause in the high-risk conflict this year between the two Middle East powers. Israel’s counterattack came more than three weeks after Iran launched over 180 ballistic missiles — most of which were shot down — on Oct. 1 to avenge the killings of two top Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.
The first volley of strikes came in April, when Iran decided to avenge an attack on one of its diplomatic compounds by directly bombarding Israel with at least 300 missiles and drones. Even then, Israel waited days, not hours, to respond.
China, Saudi Arabia, Iran meet to reaffirm commitment to Beijing Agreement
Saudi Arabia and Iran reaffirmed their commitment to all provisions of the Beijing Agreement, and their continued efforts to consolidate good-neighborly and friendly relations between the two countries. They welcomed the continued positive role of China and held that China's support and follow-up to the implementation of the Beijing Agreement is of great importance, according to a press release issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry after the second meeting of the China-Saudi Arabia-Iran Trilateral Joint Committee held on Tuesday in Riyadh.
The meeting marks China's efforts to maintain dialogue between the two nations to ensure the ties steer clear of conflicts in the Middle East, Chinese experts said, noting that it also highlights China's role of being a reliable peacemaker amid wariness in the region over uncertainties coupled with the change in the US government.
The meeting was chaired by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji, with the participation of the Chinese delegation headed by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Deng Li and the Iranian delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran for Political Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi, according to a handout published by China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.
(Global Times)
Analysis
How multi-tiered currency rates corrupt Iran's banks
By: Dalga Khatinoglu
After Iran's Central Bank report on government banks providing large loans to their employees and affiliates, new reports have emerged about these loss-making financial institutions entering the local foreign currency market.
In Iran's heavily state-controlled economy, the government has long been the primary supplier of foreign currencies and controller of imports. Since 2012, when international sanctions began to sharply devalue the Iranian rial, the government has struggled to keep essential imports affordable. To manage this, it introduced multiple exchange rates, a system that has fueled widespread corruption. Influential insiders have taken advantage of government-provided privileges, such as export-import licenses, to profit from the disparities between official and market rates.
The official exchange rate is significantly lower than the free market rate for foreign currencies. The government aimed to control rising prices by subsidizing essential imports like basic food, animal feed, and medication, offering importers access to cheaper foreign currency in an effort to make these goods more affordable and prevent mass discontent
