Iran Digest Week of August 25- September 1
/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's oil output, exports rise as Washington, Tehran talk
Iran's oil output and exports jumped in August despite U.S. sanctions, according to consultants and companies that track tanker shipments, as Tehran sells to buyers including China.
Analysts said the higher exports appear to be the result of Iran's success in evading U.S. sanctions and Washington's discretion in enforcing them as the two countries seek better relations.
The United States has sought to limit Iran's oil exports since Donald Trump exited a 2015 nuclear accord in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions aimed at curbing revenues to Iran's government. But the exports have risen during President Joe Biden's term, with China a top buyer, according to the industry trackers.
(Reuters)
Women of Iran
Pop singer arrested by Iran's regime after releasing track dedicated to women
Mehdi Yarrahi, a prominent Iranian pop singer, was arrested by Iranian authorities on Monday after releasing a song celebrating the anniversary of the Mahsa Amini protests coming up next month.
Iran said the "illegal song" was the reason for his arrest, according to the Mizan News Agency affiliated to the Islamic Republic judiciary stated on Monday.
“Take off your scarf, the sun is sinking,” the opening lyrics to the song reads. “Don’t be afraid, my love, laugh, protest against tears.”
(ABC News)
Health
Iran Grapples With Exodus Of Health-Care Professionals
Sepideh, a middle-aged doctor, left Iran to benefit from the higher wages and better living conditions offered abroad.
After first moving to the Gulf state of Oman, the single mother recently relocated to Finland, where she lives with her child.
“The working conditions [in Iran] were difficult," Sepideh, who did not reveal her full name due to fears for the safety of her family in Iran, told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.
Economy
Workers' Strike At Iran’s Arak Machinery Manufacturing Gains Momentum
Protesting workers at Iran's Arak Machinery Manufacturing who are refusing to work over wage disputes reached new levels of intensity on Thursday.
According to the Telegram channel Bazaar Civil Protest, the worker's protest at the factory, also known as Machine Sazi Arak, gained momentum as the strikers insist that they will not stop until they receive their rightful wages.
Over the past few months, the facility's workforce has staged several strikes over low wages - typically less than $200 per month - and other labor-related concerns. On April 21st, they synchronized their strike action with workers from at least 16 oil and industrial units as a collective and symbolic protest.
Iran’s Raisi inaugurates South Pars gasfield after foreign companies exit
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has inaugurated the last phase of a major gasfield that has been reportedly built by local contractors after their foreign counterparts pulled out due to sanctions.
The president on Monday travelled to Asaluyeh in the southern province of Bushehr and visited Phase 11 of the South Pars gasfield after landing on the rig via a helicopter.
He spoke with officials and engineers at the platform and commended them for relying on their expertise to complete a project that had been lagging for nearly 20 years due to sanctions over Iran’s nuclear programme.
(AlJazeera)
Environment
Oil Leak Detected in Iran's Vital Kharg Island Transmission Pipeline
An oil leak has been detected in a crucial transmission pipeline connecting the strategic Kharg Island south of Iran to the mainland port of Genaveh.
According to a report from the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Sunday, two vessels have been dispatched to the coasts of Kharg and Genaveh to facilitate the clean-up operations and to mitigate potential environmental and economic repercussions.
"To prevent oil leakage on the seabed from the pipelines, diving teams have been dispatched," an official from Bushehr province said.
Inside Iran
‘Academic decline‘: Why are university professors being expelled in Iran?
A number of professors in some of Iran’s most prestigious universities have been expelled, prompting a debate over whether their terminations are related to support for last year’s nationwide protests.
The protests began in September after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody following her arrest by the morality police for alleged non-compliance with a mandatory dress code for women.
Street protests died down months ago, but they have continued to have repercussions, especially in universities across Iran, many of which saw acts of civil disobedience from students and professors during the demonstrations.
Hacktivists Breach Iranian Surveillance System
Hacking group GhostSec says it's successfully taken down Iran's privacy-invading software Fanap Behnama, revealing details about its surveillance capabilities.
The group has exposed 20GB of data, including source code, relating to face recognition and motion detection systems from Iranian software company Fanap.
While Fanap was initially established as a native Iranian banking system, it has been apparently expanded into a comprehensive surveillance system used by the Iranian government to monitor its citizens.
(Forbes)
Regional Politics
Iran says Israeli sabotage plot against ballistic missile programme foiled
Iran has accused Israel of trying to sabotage its ballistic missile programme through faulty foreign parts that could explode, damaging or destroying the weapons before they could be used.
The Israeli prime minister’s office declined to comment on Thursday’s allegation, though it comes amid a yearslong effort by both Israel and the United States to target Iran. A report aired on Iranian state television also said that the parts could be used in Iran’s extensive arsenal of drones, which have grown in prominence amid their use by Russia in its war on Ukraine.
The state TV report described the alleged Israeli operation as “one of the biggest attempts at sabotage” Iran had ever seen. It accused Israeli Mossad agents of supplying the faulty parts, which the report described as low-price “connectors”.
Analysis
How the Dorra gas field could disrupt warming relations between Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait
By: Kelly Shannon
In a surprising move in July 2022, Iran reignited an age-old conflict with its Gulf neighbors, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The controversy? Exploration and drilling rights in the offshore Dorra gas field, which is named after the Arabic term for a “precious large pearl” and also known as “Arash” in Persian. The Dorra field, lying in the submerged Neutral Zone, between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, promises significant economic returns. With reserves estimated at 300 million barrels of oil and around 11 trillion cubic feet of gas, it is no wonder the region is a hotspot of contention.
The Dorra dispute is not new—its roots stretch back to the tumultuous 1960s, when Iran and Kuwait granted conflicting exploration rights to distinct companies. This situation halted gas exploration in the area, embedding a deep-seated dispute over ownership and development rights that persists to this day.
Iran’s recent assertiveness on this issue was best captured by Mohsen Mehr, the executive director of Iran’s National Oil Company. Last June, Mehr confidently declared the company’s readiness to launch drilling operations in the Dorra field, promising an imminent start given favorable geopolitical conditions. This bold statement came hot on the heels of a fruitless negotiation round with Kuwait in March. Kuwait demanded the establishment of a clear-cut mechanism to demarcate maritime boundaries—an endeavor that remains elusive amid Iranian refusal.
