Iran Digest Week of July 7- July 14
/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 accuses U.S. Navy of defending fuel smuggling in Gulf incident
An Iranian Revolutionary Guards Commander accused the U.S. Navy on Monday of defending fuel smuggling in the Gulf by trying to interfere when Iran intercepted a ship last week.
"On July 6th, Revolutionary Guards' Navy personnel were inspecting a ship with the name NADA 2 that was involved in smuggling Iranian oil and gas in the Persian Gulf, which the Americans sought to prevent through a series of unprofessional and risky actions," IRGC Commander Ramazan Zirrahi said in comments reported by Iran's Tasnim news agency.
On July 7th, Iran's Fars news agency reported that the Revolutionary Guards had seized a vessel carrying 900 tons of smuggled fuel with 12 crew members, following a court order.
(Reuters)
Nuclear Accord
US intelligence assessment says Iran not currently developing nuclear weapons
A U.S. intelligence assessment says Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons at the moment but has ramped up activities that could help it develop them.
The assessment from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released Monday says Iran has moved to increase its capacity to produce an atomic bomb since 2020 but has stopped short of that so far.
The findings corresponded with previous U.S. assessments about Iran’s nuclear program, although many in Congress and elsewhere have been skeptical of those.
(ABC News)
Women of Iran
Students barred from Iranian universities for refusing to wear a hijab
At least 60 female students in Iran have reportedly been barred from university for flouting the country’s mandatory hijab law.
Videos recently shared by citizen journalists show the harassment of women and girls in subways, streets and university campuses by disciplinary committees and pro-regime civilians. In defiance, female university students across the country have been recording themselves without headscarves.
Several female activists have told the Guardian that detentions and arrests of young women are on rise. They said they have been warned of serious consequences if they fail to adhere to the mandatory hijab law.
Health
Former Iranian Welfare Official Warns Of Looming 'Catastrophe' Over Malnutrition
A former official from Iran's Ministry of Social Welfare has issued a stark warning about a looming "humanitarian catastrophe" after fresh data showed more than half of all Iranians are suffering from malnutrition.
Hadi Mousavi Nik, the former director-general of the Social Welfare Studies Department at the ministry, said that 57 percent of Iran's population is malnourished and does not receive at least 2,100 calories per day, the amount set by the World Bank as the minimum daily requirement for refugees in camps.
Among the malnourished population, 14.5 million are children, including 10 million under the age of 12, she said, far above previous official estimates that said the figure for children was less than 1 million.
Economy
Iraq to trade crude oil for Iranian gas to settle power debt, prime minister says
Iraq will begin trading crude oil for Iranian gas to end the recurring issue of payment delays to Tehran due to the need for U.S. approval, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Sudani said on Tuesday.
Sudani said Iran had cut gas exports to Iraq by more than 50% as of July 1 after Baghdad failed to secure U.S. approval to disburse owed funds, but Tehran had now agreed to resume gas exports in exchange for crude oil.
The deal was reached during talks with an Iranian delegation that was in Baghdad since Saturday, Sudani said in a televised speech.
(Reuters)
Inside Iran
Alcohol Poisonings Rise in Iran, Where Bootleggers Defy a Ban
When a renowned Iranian artist hosted friends at his apartment in Tehran last month, he served, as he did often, a bottle of homemade aragh, a traditional Iranian vodka distilled from raisins, that he had secured from a trusted dealer.
His guests and his partner did not drink that evening, so he raised shot glasses to them and drank alone.
Within a few hours, the artist, Khosrow Hassanzadeh, 60, felt his vision blur. By the next morning, his sight was gone, he was delirious and short of breath. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with methanol poisoning from the aragh, according to his partner, Shahrzad Afrashteh.
'Not Our Enemies': Iran's Crackdown On Protest By Disabled War Veterans Triggers Outrage
Iranian veterans of the devastating war with Iraq in the 1980s are widely regarded as heroes, with tens of thousands disabled by chronic illnesses caused by exposure to chemical weapons used during the conflict.
But when dozens of veterans staged a protest on July 8 in Tehran over what they said were their inadequate pensions, police violently broke up the rally and reportedly fired tear gas at the demonstrators.
Amateur videos posted online appeared to show a protester lying on the ground and struggling to breathe. Many veterans suffer from respiratory and lung diseases.
Global Relations
Iran signs agreements with Zimbabwe as Raisi wraps up Africa tour
Iran and Zimbabwe have signed 12 agreements to boost bilateral relations as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi wrapped up a three-country African tour.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa greeted Raisi as “my brother” on the tarmac after the Iranian leader’s plane landed on Thursday in the capital, Harare.
Hundreds of people holding welcome banners, including many from the Southern African country’s Muslim community, turned out at Robert Mugabe International Airport.
Iran summons Russian envoy over statement with GCC on islands
Iran’s foreign ministry has summoned the Russian ambassador to Tehran over Moscow’s support for the United Arab Emirate’s claim over three disputed islands in a joint statement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Iran protested the challenging of its ownership over the islands in the Persian Gulf and asked Russia to “correct its position” on the issue, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
The ministry said the Russian envoy emphasised Russia’s respect for Iran’s territorial integrity and promised to relay the message of protest to Moscow.
Analysis
Iran, Russia, And The Challenges Of “Inter-Pariah Solidarity”
By: Mathieu Droin and Nicole Grajewski
On March 31, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a new Russian foreign policy concept that hailed the ongoing “formation of a more equitable multipolar world order.” The concept highlighted Moscow’s intent to strengthen its ties with the non-West, in particular “developing full-scale and trusting cooperation” with Iran and other states discontented with Western policies toward their countries. While the Russian-Iranian relationship has been strengthening for years, this showed that the alliance was deepening, especially as a result of the war in Ukraine.
This partnership is not merely a transactional alliance of convenience; it is a complex and multifaceted relationship with a long and fraught history. Over the course of the past 20 years, Russia and Iran have espoused shared perspectives on many global issues and affairs. The two countries are first tied by a shared animosity with the “collective West,” whose values and strategic objectives present, according to their perspective, a hostile ideological challenge that can endanger their social cohesion and political stability. Russia and Iran also share a common concern for regime survival. They both have faced internal upheaval and international sanctions that have led them to develop mirror narratives centered around resilience, self-sufficiency, and resistance. This has drawn the two states closer.
