US Reveals Another Iranian Plot On American Soil

Economist Morteza Afghah told ILNA that every report about the possibility of Trump's victory or polls in favor of the Republican Party leads to the rial’s devaluation as a return to Republican rule in the US signals a choking of the Iranian economy with Trump seen as a US president with the most negative impacts on the regime. 

In 2018, Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal – known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Actions or JCPOA – and imposed ‘maximum pressure’ sanctions on Tehran, practically reducing Iran’s oil exports to less than 500,000 barrels per day and blocking the revenues in foreign banks. 

Afghah noted that a myriad of factors play a role in the devaluation of the rial such as the country's foreign policy and the regional tensions over the war in Gaza. Iran backs several regional militia groups in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria as well as Yemen that have escalated attacks on US and Israeli targets in allegiance with Hamas. 

The Iran-backed Islamist group invaded Israel on October 7, killed about 1,200 mostly civilians and took about 240 hostages, igniting the worst Middle East conflict in years. Meanwhile, Iran's Yemeni militia, the Houthis, are now imposing a blockade on trade routes around the Red Sea in support of Hamas in Gaza, causing huge economic implications to global trade.

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According to Afghah, another factor that has been fueling the rise of foreign currency rates against the rial is the high demand for dollars and euros in the last weeks of the Iranian year, which ends on March 20 and ushers the Noruz (Nowruz) in Iran. During the two-week holidays, many Iranians take trips abroad, making the demand for foreign currency far higher than the Iranian authorities can supply. 

Afghah made the remarks after the rial hit a low of about 600,000 against the dollar on Sunday. The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has been injecting foreign currency into the market to curb the devaluation of the rial but after a historic low turnout in Iran’s elections on March 1 and the prospects of Trump winning the office in the US, the CBI’s efforts seem inconsequential.

The analyst says the fall of rial will continue until at least the end of March and the CBI does not have enough foreign currency supply to control the market as the administration has been draining all its strategic reserves, including the National Development Fund, in the past two years to balance its budget deficit. 

Former US president Trump swept a trio of states Saturday, inching his way closer to a formal Republican party nomination for president. But the weekend also featured a bright spot for Nikki Haley, who won her first state in the nominating cycle with a victory in Sunday's Washington, DC, primaries. However, even Haley is a tough critic of the Iranian regime and strongly defended Trump’s decision to withdraw from the JCPOA. 

For critics outside Iran, the JCPOA symbolizes a policy of appeasement with Tehran’s destabilizing acts across the region and human rights violations at home. Dissidents and critics of the regime in Tehran view the nuclear deal as the West tolerating Iran’s military adventurism and crackdown on dissent as a measure to keep the path of diplomacy open. The majority of the Iranian population and a large number of foreign officials believe that years of punitive measures against Tehran have proved that sanctions and condemnations will not lead to a change in the regime's behavior, only becoming further emboldened in its policy of hostage-taking and accelerating its nuclear program in the face of sanctions.

Ruling hardliners in Iran are growing increasingly apprehensive about the possibility of a Republican victory in US presidential elections, leading to a tougher stance towards Tehran. Trump's withdrawal from the JCPOA shattered the hopes of both Iranian hardliners and moderates, who had envisioned reaping benefits from the nuclear deal with the West in exchange for curbing their nuclear ambitions, while expanding their conventional capabilities and regional influence. 

Although the Biden Administration has been too lenient on Iran and often turned a blind eye in the face of mischiefs by the regime, politicians in Tehran still believe that Biden could have done more than giving billions of dollars to Iran in return for releasing US hostages and releasing Iran's frozen assets in South Korea, Iraq and elsewhere.

Making matters worse, the results of Iran’s March 1 elections show that some of Iran's lawmakers known to be staunch critics of the JCPOA have been reelected for the parliament. Morteza Ezzati, an economic analyst, told Rouydad24, “The representatives who will apparently be in the next parliament are known to be anti-JCPOA, which could seriously threaten the public interest and also provoke a reaction from the global community.”

He noted that the history of hardliners at the helm shows that whenever they are the decision makers, they have dragged the economy to the brink of bankruptcy.

Iranian singer and songwriter Shervin Hajipour said on his Instagram account last week that he had been sentenced to more than three years in prison. He was convicted for incitement and provocation of people to disturb national security through his music, local rights advocates noted.

Hajipour, 26, wrote and published the song "Baraye" following the death in police custody of Amini, a young woman from Iranian Kurdistan.

US first lady Jill Biden described the song as a "powerful and poetic call for freedom and women's rights" when she presented him last year with the first-ever song for social change Grammy award for "Baraye." A song "can ultimately change the world," she said at the time.

"We condemn the years long prison sentence for Shervin Hajipour," US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters in a press briefing on Monday.

"The Iranian government's actions are just another signal of their intent to crackdown on freedom of expression and repress voices inside their own society whenever possible."

Amini, 22, was arrested in Tehran in 2022 for "unsuitable attire" by the morality police. Her death in police custody sparked huge protests in Iran and by Iranians in other parts of the world. The unrest spiraled into the biggest show of opposition to Iran's authorities in years.

(Report by Reuters)

"The Master reports the fire onboard has been extinguished and that the crew are all safe. Coalition Forces are responding," UKMTO said in a recent update on the incident.

It later added that the vessel was clear of the area and was proceeding to its next port of call.

A first explosion was reported at a distance off the vessel's port quarter and a second explosion caused damage to the vessel, leading to a fire which the crew are dealing with, the British maritime agencies said.

No casualties were reported.

"Coalition Forces operating in the area are investigating," UKMTO said.

The US has formed an international coalition aimed at safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea region from attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militants. The Houthis say they are carrying out the attacks in solidarity with Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Ambrey had reported that a container ship was struck and had issued a distress signal, saying the ship was Liberia-flagged and Israel-affiliated, and en route from Singapore to Djibouti. Neither agency disclosed the vessel's name.

"The vessel was listed as operated by the Israeli company ZIM Integrated Shipping Services. This may have been an out-of-date affiliation, as the vessel was not listed on other public sources," Ambrey added.

Israeli shipper ZIM told Reuters it had no connection with the ship.

The container ship continued to transmit an AIS signal after the incident, Ambrey said.

The Rubymar cargo ship sank on Friday, becoming the first vessel lost since the Houthis began their attacks in November.

(Report by Reuters)

Lamenting the absence of accountability measures in Iran, Javaid Rehman pointed to recent cases where international law and universal jurisdiction were used to hold individuals and Iran accountable.

For this avenue to be pursued, Iranian officials, whether former or current, would need to be apprehended outside of Iran.

In a landmark case in 2022, former Iranian prison official Hamid Nouri was convicted of war crimes and murder by the Stockholm District Court, leveraging universal jurisdiction.

Nouri was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in the 1988 prison massacres in Iran, where thousands of political prisoners were executed on the orders of Iran’s former ruler, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The UN official also highlighted a forthcoming case at the International Court of Justice concerning the 2020 shootdown of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

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Canada, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom, whose citizens were among those killed in the flight, are pursuing legal action against Iran for the unlawful downing of the passenger jet by the IRGC.

Initially, the Islamic Republic denied it fired the two missiles, and has yet to be held accountable for the attack that led to the death of all 176 people on board.

Rehman pointed to the absence of an independent judiciary, which has long been politicized, as one of the key causes of continued impunity and lack of accountability in the Islamic Republic.

UN Official expresses alarm over surge in executions

The UN expert’s 42-page report also gave an updated view of the Iranian regime’s gross human rights violations.

Rehman wrote that 2023 saw a spike of death penalty sentences and executions, with at least 834 people hanged – marking a 43% increase compared to the previous year.

Over half of the reported executions were for drug-related charges.

Iran also remains one of the leading executioners of women, with at least 22 women executed last year, with the report noting that many were victims of domestic violence or child marriage.

The Special Rapporteur particularly expressed alarm over the disproportionate number of executions of all kinds of members of minority communities, in particular the Baluchi and Kurdish minorities.

Death sentences handed down after unfair trials, torture and denial of legal representation disproportionately affected “ethnic and religious minorities, particularly Baluchis, in Iran,” the report read.

The latest numbers suggest at least 170 Baluchis and 181 Kurdish prisoners were executed last year.

Over 80 offenses in the Islamic Republic’s criminal justice system that are punishable by the death penalty do not meet the criteria for "most serious crimes." These include ambiguous national security charges and non-violent crimes, which contravene international human rights standards.

The report says at least 39 persons were executed after being convicted of national security charges.

The above-mentioned figures represent official executions and frequently exclude arbitrary killings perpetrated by Iranian authorities, whether in the streets amid protests or within prisons.

The Special Rapporteur called for the Islamic Republic to abolish the death penalty immediately, for all offenses.

While the UN official provided a comprehensive list of recommendations, he acknowledged that none of his previous suggestions to end institutional impunity and ensure accountability for serious human rights violations have been implemented.

The cost of household consumption basket has surged to 300 million rials (approximately $500 =) in major cities, making it difficult for people to afford meat products.The price of boneless mutton has reached 9,000,000 rials or about $15 per kilogram. With the minimum monthly salary barely exceeding $150 to $200 per month, many Iranian workers find themselves unable to afford any meat at all.

According to a report by the ILNA news agency, the removal of meat from many household tables has led to eggs becoming the sole protein option for families across the country. The shift reflects the reality of economic challenges faced by Iranians, with meat becoming a luxury beyond reach for many.

The elimination of meat from the diets of many households has resulted in eggs becoming the primary source of protein for families throughout the country, with meat being considered an unaffordable luxury.

Adding to the economic strain, Iran's currency, the rial, on Monday hit an all-time low of 606,000 against the US dollar. The depreciation has further exacerbated the affordability crisis for meat products.

Additionally, the decline in the value of the national currency has led to a surge in fish exports, as it has become more profitable for producers. Consequently, domestic availability of fish has dwindled, exacerbating the protein shortage for consumers.