Many Walk Out As Iran’s FM Ruffles Feathers At UN Meeting

In a statement Canada's foreign ministry announced on Monday that the targeted officials include Kurdistan Province Governor Esmaeil Zarei Kousha and Morteza Mir Aghaei, Commander of Basij paramilitary forces in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province.

The measures prohibit dealings with the listed individuals, effectively freezing any assets they may hold in Canada.

They are also inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, added the statement.

“Ottawa will continue to coordinate with its international partners to respond to the Iranian regime’s egregious treatment of its people, its deployment of propaganda and its actions that continue to threaten international peace and stability.”

Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada earlier stated that “The Iranian regime continues to brutally oppress its people and to deny them their fundamental rights and freedoms. We hear the pleas of the Iranian people, and we commend them for their bravery and resilience. Canada will not stop advocating for Iranians and their human rights.”

Iran’s suppression of nationwide protests since the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in September has drawn condemnation from international community with US and EU imposing sanctions on the regime.

Referring to the ever-increasing inflation and the inability of officials to control prices and the decrease in people's purchasing power, the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Associations called on all "retired and working colleagues" to participate in the gathering.

Telecommunications retirees on Monday gathered in Esfahan, Sanandaj, Arak, Bandar Abbas, Kermanshah, and Khorramabad to protest the government’s inattention to their demands as inflation soars and their pensions remain unchanged.

Iran witnessed another wave of daily protests and strikes Sunday, as its currency sank leaving ordinary people to wonder how they can afford minimum necessities.

Bakers held a gathering in Tehran, while workers of Haft-Tappeh Sugarcane complex in the southwestern Khuzestan province, the Esfahan Steel Company in central Iran, and workers in several southern cities, where most of oil and gas companies are located, were on strike.

The steel company’s strike, which started Saturday, continued Sunday while security forces used water cannons to disperse the protesting workers. On Monday there were reports workers being arrested.

The company, called Zob Ahan in Persian, is directly controlled by the country’s Ministry of Industries and Mines, and is Iran's third largest steel producer and is the largest factory producing steel for construction.

In some other cities of the oil-rich province such as Shush, Shushtar, and Dezful as well as the central city of Kerman, pensioners held rallies and chanted slogans.

As protests and strikes are likely to gain new momentum over the freefall of the national currency rial, Police Chief Ahmad-Reza Radan appointed Doustali Jalilian Sunday, to replace Mohammad Ghanbari who held the post for about two months in the restive province. 

Ghanbari himself had replaced Ahmad Taheri in November, who was the police commander during the massacre of protesters on September 30 in the provincial capital Zahedan. During “Bloody Friday”, as it became known, security forces opened fire killing more than 80 people. The security council of the province dismissed the police commander and chief of a police base in the city to calm the situation but to no avail. The Sunni Imam of Zahedan, Mowlavi Abdolhamid, called the move “inadequate” but “a right step” demanding the formation of an independent fact-finding committee to deal with the Bloody Friday massacre. Abdolhamid repeated his call for investigation into the incident almost every Friday since then. 

Jalilian, the new police chief, was the commander of Shahr-e Rey, a city in Tehran province with a relatively high crime rate. The new appointment can be seen as part of intensifying security measures in the face of rising prices and the devaluation of rial, which herald a new wave of regular protests. 

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During a ceremony to announce the appointment, Radan who was himself chosen for the job in January, reiterated threats against holding demonstrations. Like many other intelligence and police officials, Radan is a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and in essence an IRGC officer. 

Regarding the security of Zahedan, there will not be any appeasement, he said, adding, “We don't allow anyone to cross our red line because such issues (protests) stop the moving train of development.”

Trying to justify the appointment of the new chief just about two months after the earlier replacement, he claimed that Ghanbari had been "temporarily" appointed to the police command of this province. However, no report was published about the temporary nature of Ghanbari's mission.

Despite large crowds gathering every Friday since September to protest against the Islamic Republic in Zahedan, Radan claimed, "Today, this province is in a good condition in terms of all security indicators.” 

Last Friday, February 24, the Iranian regime was determined to prevent another round of protests by heavily deploying its security forces. However, worshippers held their customary rally following prayers, chanting "Death to Khamenei" and "Death to IRGC."

Makki Grand Mosque, where Abdolhamid usually delivers his Friday sermons, was under siege since the early hours on Friday and security forces tried to enter the Sunni mosque but were confronted by angry people. Some social media videos show snipers stationed on the roofs of the buildings and hills in the area. 

Amnesty International said on Friday that Ebrahim Rigi, a 24-year Baluch protester died as a result of beatings and injuries he sustained in police custody earlier in the week. Amnesty added that “evidence pointing to torture shows once again the Iranian authorities’ horrific assault on the right to life.” A day earlier, the former police commander had reacted to the murder of Rigi claiming that some people having a dispute with the victim had beaten and taken him to the police station while he was unconscious.

In a statement published by the spokesperson of National Resistance Front, Sibghatullah Ahmadi, the group said the action was taken despite the Front’s concerns about its “adverse consequences”.

“Nonetheless, [Iran] allowed the representatives of the illegitimate and the terrorist group of Taliban to enter the diplomatic mission of Afghanistan.”

It also warned that the political presence of the Taliban in Iran, with its “dark history” is “perilous”, especially for the millions of refugees who have sought protection in Iran.

“Handing over the diplomatic mission of Afghanistan in Iran to a group that is a murderer of the people of Afghanistan…is dubious and contains an unpleasant message to the people of Afghanistan and other countries.”

The statement expressed regret about the embassy takeover by a “criminal group”, adding that this situation will not last long.

Iran has good relations with the Taliban and also ties to the resistance front that comprises more non-Pashtun, Persian speaking Afghans.

Afghanistan’s embassy in Tehran was “formally” handed over to the Taliban on Sunday afternoon, according to an Afghan diplomat in Iran.

Sources say the Taliban has appointed Fazl Mohammad Haqqani, the first secretary of the former ambassador of Afghanistan in Iran, as the group’s charge d’affaires in Tehran.

Iran is the third country after Pakistan and Russia that handed the Afghan embassy to the Taliban.

Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser elaborated on the Thursday announcement about Canada making it easier for Iranians who wish to extend their temporary status in Canada, allowing them to apply for a new permit from inside the country. 

In his virtual interview with Mahsa Mortazavi, he said the measures were meant to help those Iranians who fear for their safety and prefer to stay longer in Canada after their temporary visa expires rather than return home amid an uprising in Iran, now into its six months and gaining more momentum. 

Fraser said as per their new regulations, Iranians studying, working or visiting family or any other temporary stay can get an extension of two years. The application process will be up and running as of March, he added. 

In addition to the new measures, the Canadian government also plans more options for other Iranians, who wish to immigrate to Canada. He, in particular, mentioned the special program that Canada has for people who seek refuge because they are being persecuted as human rights defenders. 

“We’re seeing and hearing stories from the Iranian community in Canada that there are many individuals who are vulnerable as a result of them standing up for human rights in Iran,” he said, adding that they are looking at the options to expand access to this stream. 

Answering a question about the situation of many Iranians who fled to Turkey in recent months to escape persecution by the regime, he said the situation is very challenging. He acknowledged the “extraordinary danger” they are facing in Turkey – considering Ankara’s close relations with Tehran and its proximity – saying Canada wants to do more to facilitate the protection of vulnerable individuals. 

He noted that there are certain unique challenges in Turkey, some of which are outside the control of the Canadian government and related to Turkish regulations, such as the documents needed to exit Turkey. 

He promised they are going to consider other options for the Iranians who have fled and are staying in third countries, such as Turkey. 

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Amid nationwide protests, ignited by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September, economic hardship and uncertainty about their future, more and more Iranians are emigrating, and Canada is one of the top destinations. However, since going directly to Canada needs a long process in addition to money, many have to go to nearby countries. The accelerating exodus is not limited to medical and engineering professionals anymore as many business owners have also started to transfer their businesses to neighboring countries where business is easier. 

Fraser also talked about the sanctions and inadmissibility provisions on Iranian individuals connected to the Islamic Republic and especially to the Revolutionary Guard. He insisted that anyone the top 50-percent regime officials would not be admitted. He explained that in addition to their list of sanctions on specific individuals, Ottawa is also putting in place regulations that can track down such individuals inside Canada and remove them from the country.

Canadian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Rob Oliphant told Iran International late in January that Ottawa needs to have a coordinated front against the atrocities of the Islamic Republic and the IRGC, both inside Canada and abroad.

He said the quickest action the Canadian government can take is limiting the activities of the Islamic Republic “through both the immigration act as well as through the special economic measures act that targets sanctions on those in the IRGC who are most directly responsible for the atrocities which they are committing on behalf of the regime.”