A Handshake That Rattled Iran’s Hardliners

"The countries of the region have today realized that only cooperation with each other brings security to the area," Iranian army's navy commander Shahram Irani was quoted as saying.

Iranian media had mentioned a new naval alliance this week without providing any details. There have been no hints by other regional countries about such a development.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard also has a navy along with the army's maritime force.

However, the United Arab Emirates unexpectedly announced May 31 that it had withdrawn from the US-led 34-nation Combined Maritime Forces coalition, which if true, signals a further weakening of the US position in the Middle East.

The Combined Maritime Forces task force, headquartered at the US naval base in Bahrain, works on security, counterterrorism and counter-piracy in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf areas. But in fact, the US and Israel were trying to forge a regional coalition to contain Iran, including an air defense network.

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"As a result of our ongoing evaluation of effective security cooperation with all partners, two months ago, the UAE withdrew its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

However, the US 5th Fleet on June 1 politely refuted the UAE claim and said that the country was still a "partner" in the multinational coalition.

The Iranian navy commander did not elaborate on the shape of the alliance that he said would be formed soon.

Iran has recently been trying to mend its strained ties with several Persian Gulf Arab states.

In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran ended seven years of hostility under a China-mediated deal, stressing the need for regional stability and economic cooperation.

At the time the deal was seen as a shift in Saudi foreign and security policies that for decades has relied on the United States for protection in return for a steady flow of oil at reasonable prices.

Tehran rejoiced the agreement with Riyadh, with officials repeatedly proclaiming a great diplomatic victory against Washington and another step toward their proclaimed goal of “expelling America” from the region.

Naval commander Irani said the states that will take part in the alliance also include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, Pakistan, and India.

Iranian officials often make exaggerated claims to boost domestic morale and Irani’s claims have to be echoed by regional Arab countries to have any credibility.

The region contains some of the world's most important shipping routes where, since 2019, suspected Iranian attacks began against oil tankers amid tensions with the United States. The Obama, Trump and Biden administrations chose not to retaliate against Iranian naval provocations over the years or show a convincing military deterrent response.

In its latest provocation in May, Iran seized two oil tankers transiting between UAE ports.

Saudi Arabia's rapprochement with Iran has frustrated Israel's efforts to isolate Iran diplomatically.

The UAE, which was the first Persian Gulf Arab country to sign a normalization agreement with Israel in 2020, resumed formal relations with Iran last year.

Bahrain and Morocco later joined the UAE in establishing ties with Israel.

Videos show security and law enforcement forces surrounded the cemetery of the city an hour before a scheduled ceremony and closed the entrances.

Although the roads to the cemetery were blocked, a group of people gathered near the location holding the pictures of those executed on June 2, 1983. They also carried the photos of those killed during “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests since September 2022.

The protesters chanted slogans like "The Dictator Is Afraid of Us" and "The Martyr Never Dies".

On June 2, 1983, the Iranian regime executed 59 people in the Kurdish-majority city of Mahabad for suspected opposition and based on unknown charges.

Since the establishment of Islamic republic, the regime has mounted massive military, economic, cultural, social and psychological pressures against ethnic Kurds.

Mahsa Amini who died after being arrested by the morality police in September 2022 for "improper hijab" was a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman. Her death ignited the largest and longest anti-regime nationwide protests in Iran.

The massacre of the prisoner took just a few minutes, while they had no chance to appeal for pardon while some of them were under 18.

The Islamic Republic calls the Kurdish armed groups in the western provinces of Iran, "terrorist groups" or "anti-revolutionary" but these groups say that the goal of their armed campaign is "defending the rights of the Kurds".

Human right groups reported on Saturday that the regime buried the Baha’i citizen without the consent of his family.

Based on the report, the relatives held the funeral ceremony behind closed doors on Friday.

Within the past months, activists of the Baha'i community and human rights organizations have repeatedly reported that Iranian government officials have buried some of the deceased in the Khavaran cemetery without the knowledge of their families.

The Khavaran cemetery in southeast Tehran is an unmarked mass graveyard where dozens of executed prisoners in the 1980s are buried.

Earlier, Iran Human Rights Organization quoted an informed source as saying that some people who are not from the Baha'i community are interfering in their religious practices.

Baha'i cemeteries in Iranian cities and villages have also been confiscated and destroyed, and new buildings have been constructed on the burial grounds to leave no traces of the remains of Baha'is.

The 1979 constitution of the Islamic Republic recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has on several occasions called the Baha'i faith a cult and in a religious fatwa in 2018 forbade contact, including business dealings, with followers of the faith.

Baha'is, who number around 300,000 in Iran, say their rights are systematically violated and they are often harassed, forced to leave their homes and businesses, and are deprived of government jobs and university education.

Critics ae mainly concerned about the lack of transparency about an amendment the current law kept under wraps. However, lawmakers with access to the text of the bill charge that the amendment will restrict reformists, moderates and independent candidates in the upcoming parliamentary elections planned for March 2024.

A May 31 report published by Khabar Online website quoted MP Abdollah Izadpanah as having said that the new law will give the Guardian Council a free hand to disqualify non-conservative candidates.

The Islamic Republic has always banned non-insiders from running in elections but since 2020, the Guardian Council with the constitutional power to review candidates, has banned even former senior officials from running for parliament and the presidency. The council’s heavy-handed intervention in early 2020, handed the majority in the legislature to hardliners.

Izadpanah confirmed that based on the new law the Guardian Council may even disqualify candidates after they win an election. On the other hand, he said that the new bill introduces the concept of proportional elections for Tehran.

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While currently the winning party list takes all the 30 parliamentary seats in the capital, the new law would divide the seats according to the percentage of votes each group receives. So, instead of the winner taking all, it takes as many seats as the percentage of votes it wins.

Some critics believe that this might even benefit candidates other than the conservatives. However, this will not make a big difference if all of the candidates and lists come from the same hardliner political faction, as it was the case in the previous election in 2020.

Ahmad Alirezabeigi, the lawmaker from Tabriz, also agreed that trying to restrict the voters' choice to ultraconservative candidates is the biggest shortcoming of this bill.

Another problem is that those with a pending legal case at the Judiciary may not be allowed to run for the parliament according to the bill. This opens the door to fabricating cases against some candidates, or some pending cases may be left inconclusive at the courts only to deprive some individuals from the right to run for the Majles.

Iran Judiciary, which controls both prosecutors and courts is a close ally of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s hardliner loyalists.

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Alirezabeiogi also disagreed with the part of the draft bill that allows the conservative-dominated Guardian Council to disqualify candidates who have won the election. Factional interests may be involved in such decisions, some members of the parliament have charged. Others say this will make voting and elections meaningless as a few members of the Guardian Council can effectively change elections result.

Reformist political activist Gholamali Rajaei charged in an interview with Nameh News website that some state officials and politicians are after a low-turnout election to ensure a victory by the ultraconservatives. These officials and politicians believe that a few percent of the total number of eligible voters in Iran are enough for the election and that there is no need for a majority of eligible voters to take part.

However, according to Nameh News website in Tehran, the main problem is whether Iranians can be persuaded to go to the ballot boxes again after two engineered elections in 2020 and 2021.

Rajaei also argued that a public deeply unhappy about the economic mess might boycott an election it has no faith in.

Rajaei also suggested that releasing political prisoners will also encourage political participation.

An earlier report by Iran International indicated that none of the country's political factions can do anything to ensure a high turnout in the upcoming parliamentary elections, and if the people do not feel it is a free election, they will not take part.

“Since its establishment, the Islamic Republic has drawn daggers against the workers,” said Shahabi in the letter published on social media.

Shahabi, a member of the Workers Syndicate of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sherkat-e Vahed), was arrested following a strike and protests by Tehran bus drivers last year.

He was arrested May 12, 2022 as Tehran’s bus drivers began a strike over unpaid wages, creating chaos across the city with security forces in the streets and the government wary of possible protests over rising food prices.

Addressing the International Labor Organization, he stated in his letter that since its establishment, the Islamic Republic has tried to replace the labor councils, trade unions and independent labor organizations with state organizations whose members are appointed by the regime.

“These organizations all operate under the supervision of the regime and act like secret police in factories and workshops and do not allow the workers to protest. They identify the protesting workers and report them to the security forces or the management.”

In the end, this labor activist urged ILO members to "pay attention to the request of the oppressed workers of Iran, who are just trying to survive in unequal conditions with minimum resources."

Shahabi also confirmed that a new security case has been filed against him, as well as Keyvan Mohtadi and Hassan Saeedi to mount pressure on labor activists.

In 2012, Shahabi was jailed for seven years on security charges - "assembly and collusion against state security" and "spreading propaganda against the system – two years after he was first imprisoned.