Politicians In Iran Consider Their Odds Ahead Of March Elections

During a press briefing on Tuesday, US Department of State Spokesman Matthew Miller tried to reduce the problem to only one of the aides of Robert Malley, President Joe Biden's former special envoy for Iran. Malley has been put on unpaid leave since June and his security credentials suspended in an investigation not yet fully explained. 

"From my reading of it (the report), it looked like an account of things that happened almost a decade ago, most of which involve people that are not currently working for the government,” he said, tacitly acknowledging the existence of an Iranian lobby in US policy centers. 

“The one current US government official that I did see mentioned in that story has written critically of Iran on a number of occasions before joining the government," Miller said without naming her. Ariane Tabatabai is a senior policy advisor to the Department of Defense. 

In a joint investigative project with Semafor, Iran International’s Bozorgmehr Sharafedin combed through thousands of emails from Iranian diplomats revealing an Islamic Republic network of academics and journalists – under the aegis of the Iran Experts Initiative (IEI) -- established by the Iranian foreign ministry in 2014 to extend Tehran's soft power. The IEI members simultaneously worked for top Western think tanks and gave advice to the US and Europe. At least three aides of Robert Malley were part of the esoteric clan. 

Miller added that she “underwent a thorough background investigation to attain a security clearance before joining the State Department. She now works at the defense department.” 

Asked if the revelations in the report were related to the current FBI investigation of Malley, Miller said, “I am reluctant to say anything at all about the investigation.” 

In response to a question about how he would explain that these individuals were seeking directions and advice directly from Tehran to influence the US government, Miller said he does not know the context and repeated the same line that “This happened almost a decade ago.”

Daniel Roth from the United Against Nuclear Iran group said on X that “Miller doesn't 'know the entire context' but is confident there's nothing to see here,” pointing to revelations in the detailed report. 

Another UANI fellow Jason Brodsky said that “dismissing the story due to the time period in question and the fact that some do not work in the US government is an inadequate response.” “Some who do not hold USG jobs and don't have security clearances are regularly quoted in media as being briefed on ongoing negotiations with Iran's regime," he underlined. 

Andrew Ghalili, with the National Union for Democracy in Iran, called Miller’s response “irresponsible,” and called for clarification after some investigations. 

Just hours after the publication of the report, the Chairs of the House Armed Services Committee Mike Rogers (R-AL) and its Subcommittee on Intelligence (R-MI) wrote to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin demanding answers on why DoD’s Chief of Staff for Special Operations was a part of the Iranian FM’s “Iran Experts Initiative”. 

Later on Tuesday, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) released a statement, calling for a halt to secret negotiations with Iran seeing the investigative report. “These reports and the emails they expose are indescribably troubling,” adding that “They have agreed to secret nuclear side deals that are being kept from Congress, including ransom deals worth additional billions of dollars,” he said. 

Amwaj Media, based in the UK, claimed that Iran was planning to engage in direct talks with the US in Oman concerning its nuclear program, given the go-ahead by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. 

However, the foreign ministry called the claims "media hype and political theatrics, which are usually employed for political manipulation".

The UK report also claimed that Ali Baqeri-Kani, the chief nuclear negotiator, is prepared to meet with Brett McGurk, the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, in Oman within the coming weeks.

It was suggested that the subsequent step would involve a meeting between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (Britain, France, China, Russia, and the US) along with Germany.

There is speculation that if such a gathering occurs, it could occur after 'Transition Day' under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), specifically on October 18.

Vienna talks, that began in April 2021 as an attempt to salvage the nuclear agreement, encountered obstacles and stalled last August.

US officials have consistently asserted that their attention has shifted away from the JCPOA negotiations. Instead, Washington's primary focus is on the Islamic Republic's alleged oppression of its citizens and its military assistance to Russia during the Ukraine invasion.

Bahram Zonoubi Tabar, the head of the Labor Coordination Council in Fars Province, said that the escalating inflation rate and the steep costs of essential goods are causing significant hardships meaning children are increasingly being forced into the workplace.

Recently, Iran's Parliament Research Center released a report indicating a concerning surge in the number of working children. The report revealed that 15% of school age children are now working, depriving them of crucial educational prospects.

Tabar said, "With the commencement of the school year, numerous workers are grappling with difficulties enrolling their children," adding that the country's 100% increase in commodity prices within a year, compared to the annual wage increments of around 20% for workers, has made conditions unbearable for large numbers of Iranian families. Even basic necessities such as chicken and meat are becoming unaffordable for many.

While the precise number of working children in Iran remains undisclosed, the Ministry of Labor reported in 2017 that out of the country's nine million children, 499,000 were categorized as "active," signifying that nearly half a million Iranian children were either employed or actively seeking work. The number is believed to be far higher as global sanctions continue to wreak financial havoc on the country. 

Masoud Setayeshi, Iran's judiciary spokesperson, revealed details of the wide scale operation on Tuesday, the network's distribution having led to the poisoning, blindness, and disability in 191 other Iranians.

Eleven defendants were charged with "corruption on earth" for distributing toxic and hazardous methanol-laced substances, a charge which often carries the death penalty, though only four were sentenced to death. Others in the gang were charged with one to five year prison terms.

For decades, Iran has grappled with alcohol poisoning due to the consumption of counterfeit alcoholic beverages, resulting in fatalities, blindness, and severe injuries. Despite the Iranian regime's strict ban on alcohol, a recent survey by Iran Open Data revealed that half of all adults continue to regularly consume alcohol, often resorting to homemade beverages to evade the prohibition.

In recent months, Iranian cities have witnessed a concerning surge in alcohol poisoning cases, leading to hospitalizations and deaths, as reported by local news outlets.

A 2018 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked Iran ninth out of 189 countries in terms of alcohol consumption per capita, underscoring the persistence of alcohol consumption despite the government's ban.

During an interview with the state broadcaster Monday, IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri announced the construction of approximately 900 residential units by his force for the people on the three islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa. 

The measures by the IRGC are in line with the Islamic Republic’s policy to encourage people to live in the islands, where living conditions are dire in the absence of basic facilities. The government has also announced it is mulling over a plan to give free plots of land measuring 300sq meters (3,230sq feet) to anyone who commits to living on them. Moreover, it will also offer loans to build a home, as part of a national homeownership scheme, in a bid to incentivise Iranians to populate the contested area. 

The three Persian Gulf islands have historically been part of Iran, proof of which can be corroborated by historical and geographical documents. However, the UAE has repeatedly laid claim to the islands, describing the situation as “the continued occupation by the Islamic Republic of Iran.” The three islands fell under British control in 1921 but on November 30, 1971, a day after British forces left the region and just two days before the UAE was to become an official federation, Mohammad Reza Shah – the last monarch of Iran -- sent the Iranian navy to secure all three. Iranian forces remain on the islands, with only Abu Musa having a civilian population which is less than two thousand. 

Tangsiri reiterated that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has personally ordered efforts to increase the islands’ population “as a means to increase their security. We believe that we should settle the people on these islands so that our friends do not fear that we want to establish a military base against them," he stated, referring to Arab countries of the region who have collectively asserted the United Arab Emirates' right to sovereignty over the islands. 

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The Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) -- a regional organization bringing together six countries of Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia -- repeatedly expresses support for “the right of the State of the UAE to regain sovereignty over her three islands and over the territorial waters, the airspace, the continental shelf, and the economic zone of the three islands, as they are an integral part of the State of the United Arab Emirates.” 

Like China did in December, Russia signed a statement with the Gulf Cooperation Council in early July challenging Iran's ownership of three islands. Last week, the GCC foreign ministers, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and GCC Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi published a joint statement following their meeting in New York expressing “their support for the United Arab Emirates’ call to reach a peaceful solution to the dispute.”

Speaking at the annual United Nations General Assembly earlier this week, UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy also reiterated her country’s demand that Iran stop its “occupation” of the three islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa. She added that the UAE “continues to seek a resolution, either through direct negotiation or through the International Court of Justice. This has been our firm stance for decades.”

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On Monday, Iran's permanent mission to the UN rejected the claim as “baseless,” saying, “Iran regards such groundless statements as violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a member of the United Nations and a gross violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.” 

Tangsiri's remarks came against the backdrop of a series of maritime incidents involving Iran's seizure and harassment of vessels that prompted the US to strengthen its military presence in the region. This also came as Arab countries have stepped up efforts to claim the three islands leveraging their relations with Russia and China to sideline Iran. 

In recent months, Tehran's military forces have hijacked several Western tankers in what is seen as retaliation for previous Western seizures of Iranian oil. Iran's introduction of advanced maritime weaponry prompted Washington to extend armed protection to commercial ships traversing the Strait of Hormuz. In July, the US Defense Department announced the deployment of F-35 jet fighters and a Navy destroyer to the Middle East. 

Each day, 85 vessels, primarily oil tankers, pass through the Strait of Hormuz on average. A substantial portion of the world's crude oil is transported through these waters and thus, it has strategic importance.

Highlighting the strategic significance of the Strait of Hormuz, the IRGC Navy commander said that “the island of Greater Tunb, resembling an unsinkable aircraft carrier, is strategically positioned in the middle of the Strait of Hormuz, with full control over the entrance and exit routes of the strait.” 

Tangsiri added that the three islands along with Farvar, Sirri, and Lesser Farvar islands provide complete dominance over the entry and exit routes of the region. 

The Persian Gulf has numerous small islands with about 20 residential ones under Iran’s rule as well as about 20 without any local residents. Most islands are sparsely populated, with some being barren, and some utilized for communication, military, or as ship docks. 

Tangsiri said, “Foreigners have long cast covetous eyes on this region,” noting that the region’s vast oil and gas resources have further grown their eagerness.