Iran Digest Week of January 6- January 13
/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.
Women of Iran
Iran Says Face Recognition Will ID Women Breaking Hijab Laws
LAST MONTH, A young woman went to work at Sarzamineh Shadi, or Land of Happiness, an indoor amusement park east of Iran’s capital, Tehran. After a photo of her without a hijab circulated on social media, the amusement park was closed, according to multiple accounts in Iranian media. Prosecutors in Tehran have reportedly opened an investigation.
Shuttering a business to force compliance with Iran’s strict laws for women’s dress is a familiar tactic to Shaparak Shajarizadeh. She stopped wearing a hijab in 2017 because she views it as a symbol of government suppression, and recalls restaurant owners, fearful of authorities, pressuring her to cover her head.
But Shajarizadeh, who fled to Canada in 2018 after three arrests for flouting hijab law, worries that women like the amusement park worker may now be targeted with face recognition algorithms as well as by conventional police work.
(WIRED)
Economy
World Bank Predicts Slower Growth For Iran’s Economy
The World Bank has predicted that the Islamic Republic’s GDP growth will fall below two percent in 2024, teetering on the brink of recession as rial is falling and inflation raging.
In its latest Global Economic Prospects report released on Tuesday, the World Bank also said that global growth is slowing sharply in the face of elevated inflation, higher interest rates, reduced investment, and disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It said it expected global GDP growth of 1.7% in 2023, one of the slowest paces since 1993 except for the 2009 and 2020 recessions. In its previous Global Economic Prospects report in June 2022, the bank had forecast 2023 global growth at 3.0%. The global economy is projected to grow by 2.7% in 2024.
Iran swells budget to boost growth, cut inflation
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi presented a substantially enlarged state budget to parliament on Wednesday, vowing to bring down inflation and boost growth to lift an economy hit by U.S. sanctions.
State media gave the value of the draft budget at about 21,640 trillion rials (slightly over $53 bln at the free market rate) for the next Iranian year which starts on March 21, 2023.
The new budget is about 40% bigger than the current budget in local currency.
(Reuters)
Documents show EU’s planned new Iran sanctions list
The EU is considering fresh sanctions against nearly 40 Iranian individuals and entities, according to draft documents seen by POLITICO.
The additional sanctions are being discussed as part of the EU’s ongoing response to Iran’s lethal crackdown on protesters following the death last September of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in custody after the country’s morality police detained her. The outburst of anger is considered one of the strongest challenges to Iran’s regime since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
There are overall 27 EU documents, seen by POLITICO, which are called an “evidence pack,” as they include the information — mostly press reports — backing up the proposed sanctions.
(Politico)
Inside Iran
Iran Gives Death Sentence to Former Defense Official, a Dual U.K. Citizen
Iran’s judiciary announced on Wednesday that a former deputy defense minister had been convicted and sentenced to death on charges of spying for Britain, where he had lived for a decade as a dual national.
Alireza Akbari, who had served the Islamic Republic in senior roles until his departure to Britain, was arrested in 2019 in Iran on allegations of being a “super spy” for MI6, Britain’s foreign intelligence service, and passing it classified national security information, according to a statement released Wednesday by Iran’s intelligence ministry.
The news of a dual national at risk of execution comes at a time of heighten tensions for Iran’s government both at home and abroad. Iran has been roiled for months by a popular protest movement demanding an end to the theocratic regime, which in recent weeks has executed four demonstrators in a widening crackdown aimed at crushing dissent.
Iran protests: Jailed activist Sepideh Qolian describes brutality in letter
One of Iran's most prominent female activists has described how confessions are forced out of prisoners, in a letter written inside a notorious jail.
Sepideh Qolian has been serving a five-year sentence since 2018 after being convicted of acting "against national security" for supporting a strike.
Writing from Evin prison, she describes the brutal treatment of her and other detainees by interrogators.
Their forced confessions are later broadcast on state-run television.
(BBC)
Regional Politics
Oil, human rights, security: Here's what's in store for U.S.-Gulf relations in 2023
As the war in Ukraine grinds on, the United States is looking internationally to partners to weaken Russia's influence. It's also seeking to blunt China's growing reach.
In the Mideast, President Joe Biden has reached out to Gulf allies like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in an attempt to align interests. While visiting Saudi Arabia last summer, he tried to reassure Arab leaders of U.S. commitment to the region's security. But Gulf nations aren't rushing to side with Washington.
(NPR)
Global Relations
Iran sentences Belgian national to 40 years in prison, 74 lashes
A court in Iran has sentenced a Belgian national to a total of 40 years in prison, dozens of lashes, and financial penalties for spying and other charges.
Former aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele received the preliminary sentences, which can later be appealed, on four charges, according to the official news outlet of the Iranian judiciary.
For each of the main two charges, namely spying for foreign intelligence services and “cooperating with the hostile United States government against the Islamic Republic”, he received 12.5 years in prison.
Flight PS752: Families of victims met with harassment from Iran
Three years after the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 in Tehran, families and friends of those who died are still pushing for accountability. But they have been greeted with multiple hurdles along the way, including threats to their safety.
Reza Akbari is one of many Iranian-Canadians who lost a loved one on 8 January 2020, when Flight 752, destined for Kyiv, Ukraine, was shot down by two anti-aircraft missiles after it took off in Tehran.
All 176 were killed.
(BBC)
Analysis
Why reporting on Iran comes at a heavy price
By: Parham Ghobadi
In Iran, the anti-government protests of 2022 have continued into the new year. Reporting on one of the biggest international stories of the moment is an ongoing challenge for BBC Persian Service journalists, who are not allowed into the country, suffer daily harassment, and whose families back home are persecuted.
Iran has been in turmoil since September, when the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini sparked mass protests against the compulsory hijab and other restrictions - leading to calls for regime change.
It has meant working around the clock for BBC Persian journalists. But reporting on events in Iran is not just a logistical challenge, it also has serious personal ramifications. The harassment it triggers from the Iranian government creates consequences for the lives of the journalists.
