Iran Digest Week of November 26 - December 3
/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 Communications Associate Elizabeth Kos. Please note that the news and views expressed in the articles below do not necessarily reflect those of AIC.
US-Iran Relations
US Lawmakers Hope to Rein in Iran’s Drone Program
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers introduced legislation on Wednesday aimed at curbing Iran's growing drone programme, following a string of attacks that have targeted the US and its allies across the region.
The Stop Iranian Drones Act looks to clarify that existing US sanctions on Iran's conventional weapons systems also apply to individuals involved in the direct or indirect supply, transfer or sale of combat drones to or from Iran.
The bill was introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks and Ranking Member Michael McCaul, along with Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa and Global Counterterrorism Ted Deutch and Ranking Member Joe Wilson.
Nuclear Accord
Iran, World Powers Resume Nuclear Talks in Vienna
Iran and several world powers have restarted the talks designed to restore the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, officially the 7th round of these specific talks. The resumption of the talks in Vienna under a new Iranian administration — and new negotiators — are focused on bringing the United States back into the original deal and Iran into full compliance. The talks will include representatives from Iran, China, Russia, France, Germany and the UK.
Before the beginning of talks, deputy foreign minister and lead Iranian negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani told reporters, “We’ve entered the talks with a serious will and strong preparation to remove the illegal and oppressive sanctions.” Bagheri met separately Sunday with representatives from China and Russia and as well with Enrique Mora, chief of staff for Josep Borrell, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.
Iran’s Nuclear Enrichment Could Imperil Talks, Diplomats Says
Senior European diplomats warned on Tuesday that negotiations to revive nuclear talks could be terminated if Iran moved to produce weapons-grade nuclear fuel.
“It would seriously imperil the process” if Iran did something “as provocative as going to 90% enrichment,” said a senior diplomat from the three Western European nations that are participating in the talks—Britain, France and Germany.
The warning came on the second day of the latest round of talks in Vienna aimed at restoring the 2015 nuclear deal, which lifted most international sanctions on Iran in exchange for tight but temporary restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program.
Women of Iran
Iran Doubles Down on Abortion and Contraception Restrictions
Iranians long had degrees of access to free contraception at public health facilities, part of family planning policies aimed at limiting population growth.
In recent years, policy shifts have whittled away such programs. The changes have culminated under a new law — meant to address an emergent demographic shift — which critics have decried as a major setback for women’s and reproductive rights.
The law, enacted by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi last month, adds more red tape to existing abortion restrictions, bars public health-care providers from offering free contraception, prohibits voluntary sterilization and offers more benefits to childbearing families, among other measures. The law also expands the role of security agencies in surveilling who accesses what services — adding to the ways the Iranian state can control the private lives of citizens.
Inside Iran
Police Fire Tear Gas at Protesters in Iran’s City of Isfahan
Police fired tear gas and birdshot while fighting protesters with batons on Friday in a central Iranian city that has seen days of demonstrations demanding government action over a drought, online videos show.
The social media videos and others from activists show police and protesters clashing in the dry bed of the Zayandehrud River in the city of Isfahan. The videos correspond to reporting by The Associated Press and satellite images of the area, as well as some semiofficial Iranian news agency accounts of the unrest.
Videos from Human Rights Activists in Iran show demonstrators throwing stones at police, while others depict bloodied protesters, including one man who appeared to have wounds in his back from birdshot. They also show similar unrest in nearby streets in Isfahan, which is 340 kilometers (210 miles) south of the capital Tehran.
Regional Politics
Israel and Iran Broaden Cyberwar to Attack Civilian Targets
Millions of ordinary people in Iran and Israel recently found themselves caught in the crossfire of a cyberwar between their countries. In Tehran, a dentist drove around for hours in search of gasoline, waiting in long lines at four gas stations only to come away empty.
In Tel Aviv, a well-known broadcaster panicked as the intimate details of his sex life, and those of hundreds of thousands of others stolen from an L.G.B.T.Q. dating site, were uploaded on social media.
For years, Israel and Iran have engaged in a covert war, by land, sea, air and computer, but the targets have usually been military or government related. Now, the cyberwar has widened to target civilians on a large scale.
Iran and Taliban Forces Clash in Border Area
Clashes erupted between Iranian soldiers and Taliban forces near the Afghanistan-Iran border, but appear to have led to no casualties and was later described as a “misunderstanding”.
Multiple videos on Wednesday showed Taliban troops mobilising. Gunfire can be heard while one shows Iranian forces firing artillery shells in response to Taliban fire.
The semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim confirmed the battle in the village of Shaghalak in Hirmand county.
Iran: All Aspects of 2020 Ukrainian Plane Crash ‘Adequately’ Investigated
Over a week into the launch of a hearing process over the accidental downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran in January 2020, Iran defended its investigations into the case and said it has provided “adequate” attention to all aspects of the deadly tragedy.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Tuesday to enlighten public opinion about the plane crash, given the start of court hearing into the case earlier this month and an ensuing statement by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in that regard.
Kiev, in its statement, had rejected Tehran’s invitation for the Ukrainian ambassador’s participation in the court hearings, which began on November 21. It said, “As of today, the requests for international legal assistance in criminal proceedings, sent by the Ukrainian side to the competent authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, have not been fully complied with, the requested documents and information have not been provided by the Iranian side.”
Analysis
Trump’s Iran Policy Has Become a Disaster for the US and Israel
By: Thomas L. Friedman
The judges have voted and the results are in: President Donald Trump’s decision to tear up the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 — a decision urged on by his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu — was one of the dumbest, most poorly thought out and counterproductive U.S. national security decisions of the post-Cold War era.
But don’t just take my word for it.
Moshe Ya’alon was the Israeli defense minister when the nuclear agreement was signed, and he strongly opposed it. But at a conference last week, he said, according to a summary by Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, “as bad as that deal was, Trump’s decision to withdraw from it — with Netanyahu’s encouragement — was even worse.” Ya’alon called it “the main mistake of the last decade” in Iran policy.
