IRGC’s Unrelenting Attacks On Iraqi Kurdistan Draw International Ire

Spain summoned the Iranian ambassador Wednesday to convey Madrid’s “absolute condemnation” of the Islamic Republic's violence against peaceful protestors. 

According to a diplomatic source on Wednesday, “The foreign ministry has summoned the Iranian ambassador in Madrid to express its objection over the repression of the protests and the violation of women’s rights.”

Spain, in particular, expressed its "abhorrence of the violence against Iranian women and their rights,” read a foreign ministry statement.

The Spanish ministry also urged Iran to carry out "an independent investigation (into the bloodshed) and to establish responsibility in a transparent, objective and thorough manner" while "ending all arbitrary arrests" of journalists and other citizens exercising their civic freedoms.

On Monday, Germany called in the Islamic Republic’s envoy in Berlin over Tehran’s heavy-handed crackdown on the popular protests, triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish girl who died due to several blows on her head in the hands of hijab police. 

On Sunday, the EU foreign policy chief slammed Iran’s handling of protests as unjustifiable and unacceptable, hinting that the European Union may issue sanctions over the crackdown.

In a statement on behalf of the EU, Josep Borrell,called on the Islamic Republic “to immediately stop the violent crackdown on protests and ensure internet access, as well as the free flow of information.”

“The European Union will continue to consider all the options at its disposal ahead of the next Foreign Affairs Council, to address the killing of Mahsa Amini and the way Iranian security forces have responded to the ensuing demonstrations,” read the statement.

Amnesty has called on the international community to take action now, urging everyone to sign the petition and call on states to set up an independent UN mechanism now to investigate and ensure accountability for the most serious crimes under international law in Iran.

International reactions are coming everyday over the nationwide protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old woman, Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, who was mortally wounded in the custody of hijab enforcement police. An eyewitness told Iran International that Mahsa had told her in a detention room that an officer had hit her on the head.

On Wednesday, the UN Secretary General’s spokesman said, "We are increasingly concerned about reports of rising fatalities, including women and children, related to the protests across Iran,” calling for “prompt, impartial and effective investigation" into Amini’s death. 

The Australian foreign ministry said in a statement, “The Australian government condemns the deadly and disproportionate use of force against protesters in Iran, following the tragic death of Mahsa Amini.”

“We have raised concerns into circumstances surrounding her death in custody with the Iranian Embassy in Canberra,” it added, saying, “We’re alarmed by reports that dozens of people have been killed and many more injured, including teenagers, during heavy-handed measures Iranian authorities have implemented to crackdown on the protests. We call on Iran to exercise restraint.”

President Michel Aoun's six-year term ends on October 31, and politicians have voiced concern about no successor being found - warning of even greater institutional deadlock given that Lebanon has also been without a fully functioning government since May.

The session will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, the state-run National News Agency reported.

The votes of two-thirds of lawmakers in the 128-member legislature are required for a candidate to be successful in the first round of voting, after which a simple majority suffices.

Aoun came to power after a 29-month presidential vacuum in which parliament was unable to agree on electing a president.

The stalemate ended with a series of deals that secured victory for Aoun and his powerful Iran-backed ally Hezbollah, which still holds a lot of power within the sectarian division in Lebanon.

Aoun is limited to one term, and major political parties have not announced any agreement on his successor, although many blame the militant group and Iran for the country's problems.

Lebanon has been in economic turmoil since 2019, when its banking system and the government went bankrupt, and citizens lost their foreign currency deposits. The national currency has lost most of its value and many middle-class people struggle for a living.

Kardashian posted a story on her Instagram page on Monday in support of the Iranian women's fight for their "basic rights" including "the right to sing in their country, to ask for a divorce, to have custody over their children, and to choose how they dress."

She also posted photos of the Iranian people's ongoing protests against the Islamic Republic, including one with a poster of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman whose death in the Iranian "morality police" custody sparked nationwide demonstrations.

Kardashian is the latest celebrity to join the global wave of support for the Iranian nation's struggle against the Islamic Republic.

Earlier, Canadian singer Justin Bieber, with 260 million followers on Instagram, and American Oscar-winning actress Jessica Chastain had supported the uprising.

"The people of Iran will not be silenced. I stand with the women of Iran and will amplify their voices from afar. When one woman is attacked, it is an attack on as all," Chastain wrote in her message.

Iranian celebrities, both from inside the country and abroad as well as athletes from many national teams have also expressed support for the protests despite repeated threats and warning by authorities about banning them from their professions.

The association issued a statement on Sunday saying that the Iranian-American community will no longer be silent in the face of appeasement of and association with “this evil regime.”

The Board of Directors and Board of Trustee's of the Iranian-American Medical Association (IAMA) said in its statement that Dr. Shervin Mortazavi’s meeting with Raisi – which was revealed following a photo of the meeting – was not scheduled by the association, adding that the IAMA was completely unaware of such action. 

“Dr. Mortazavi has publicly stated this was a private engagement that had nothing to do with his role at IAMA,” the statement read.

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Strongly condemning the meeting, IAMA said that “Regardless of the reason, this was not acceptable by the Board members, hence accordingly and unanimously the Board asked him (Mortazavi) to resign immediately.”

It added that the IAMA has also asked him “to distance himself completely from our organization, which during its 30 years history has solely been a scientific, humanitarian, non-political, non-religious, and non-profit organization.”

“We, as IAMA members, like other Iranians all over the world, strongly condemn what has happened to Masa Amini, a young innocent girl as a distinct violation of human rights,” it said, referring to the death of the 22-year-old Kurdish girl whose death in custody of hijab police has triggered nationwide unrest in Iran.