Iranian Pundits Call for Pragmatism, Change In Foreign Policy
A former Iranian diplomat says Tehran may have concluded that it should replace idealism with pragmatism to end the long-standing impasse in its foreign policy.
A former Iranian diplomat says Tehran may have concluded that it should replace idealism with pragmatism to end the long-standing impasse in its foreign policy.
At the same time, a reformist commentator in Tehran has also said that it is essential for Tehran to reform its foreign policy as a precondition to attract foreign and domestic investment.
Hojjatollah Joudaki, a former Iranian diplomat in Egypt, told Etemad Onlinethat a recent trend of changing tens of street names in Tehran could be the first move in the interest of pragmatism.
Iran had named many streets after terrorist figures such as Khaled Eslamboli, the man who assassinated President Anwar Sadat for giving asylum to the Shah of Iran. The street's name was changed following the resumption of ties with Saudi Arabia in anticipation of further extending the regional rapprochement.
The interview with Joudaki coincided with media reports indicating that talks took place between Iranian and Egyptian officials in Oman.
Joudaki argued that the hard core of the Iranian regime might have finally noticed the Islamic Republic’s isolation in the region.
He claimed that the resumption of Iran's ties with Egypt was hindered by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Now that Iran has made peace with Saudi Arabia, it is time to think of resuming the ties between Tehran and Cairo. He added that hardliners who were against restoring ties with Egypt also think that maintaining relations with Cairo and other regional capitals could help Iran to surmount its economic problems.
"While there seems to be no hope in the revival of the JCPOA, one solution for Iran could be restoring its ties with its neighbors and regional states," said Joudaki, adding that Iranian leaders have concluded that it is advantageous to end their international isolation. He added that the pressure groups who prevented better relations with Iran's neighbors are still there, but they have realized what have they done to the country.
Meanwhile, in a commentary in Etemad daily, reformist commentator Abas Adi wrote: "reforming Iran's foreign policy is a must. Without solving the problem of [nuclear accord] JCPOA and maintaining stable foreign relations, it is not possible for Iran to attract any domestic or foreign investment."
Abdi wrote that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's plan for the current year, that is "harnessing inflation and boosting production" requires large investments that would facilitate the 8 percent economic growth envisaged by Khamenei." He wrote, "This can be made possible only through restoring the country's infrastructure. But if you ask me, the key here is prioritizing domestic investment over foreign investment."
Abdi’s preference for domestic investment is a more practical approach, as he probably knows that Tehran is not inclined to improve relations with the West, which could unblock foreign investments.
"At the same time, we need to look for foreign investment. But the reason for prioritizing domestic investment is that domestic capital is either invested in non-productive areas or is exiting the country."
Abdi added that priority should be given to the private sector as the government lacks the resources for investment.
He further pointed out that Iran needs to remove major obstacles such as the state-controlled banking system, instability in policymaking, financial corruption, and the absence of free media. All of these are obstacles to an efficient economy with inflation and economic growth, Abdi said.
In a letter to Germany’s Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser last week seen by the German daily Die Welt, the head of the association, Necla (Nejla) Kelek, also demanded the government to stop cooperation with a major group, the Central Council of Muslims (ZMD), at least as long as it cooperates with the Islamic Center of Hamburg, known by its German abbreviation IZH for Islamische Zentrum Hamburg.
In her letter, Kelek referred to IZH’s connections with the Hezbollah of Lebanon and the activities of Soleiman Mousavifar, the former deputy head of IZH, who was expelled from Germany along with his family in June 2022 for his support for militant Shiite groups and organizations
The Hamburg Administrative Court on April 27 held its first hearing in a lawsuit brought by IZH against the city of Hamburg for being classified as an extremist organization by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, a security organization known as Hamburger Verfassungsschutz (HV) in German.
HV has been monitoring IZH since 1993 due to its connections with groups such as the Lebanese Hezbollah which is also banned in Germany and for ties to the Iranian regime.
Philipp Woldin, the managing editor of Die Welt Hamburg, alleged in an article in 2021 that the IZH is Iran’s most “important propaganda center" in Europe, and it sends busloads of pro-Iranian and pro-Hezbollah activists to Berlin to participate in the annual al-Quds rallies.
IZH runs one of the oldest mosques in Germany and Europe, known as the Blue Mosque on the Alster, which has been administered by Iran’s government since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Calling IZH “the [Iranian] regime’s most important spy nest in Germany,” Omid Nouripour of Iranian descent and leader of Germany’s Green Party, has also repeatedly called for its closure.
The Hamburg Shura Council, an association of Muslim organizations that represents around 40 mosque communities and other Islamic institutions in the city, in January 2022 removed the Hamburg Islamic Center from its board of directors for supporting IRGC’s Quds Force former commander Qasem Soleimani and allegations that the center is Iran’s “long terrorist arm” in Europe after German intelligence confirmed connections to Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei as well as Hezbollah, both designated as terrorist entities by the US and EU.
The Islamic Centre of England in London's Maida Vale is another Iranian regime affiliated religious organization in Europe undergoing a statutory inquiry by Britain’s Charity Commission over "serious governance concerns" and failure to comply with previous rulings.
Britain’s Security Minister Tom Tugendhat told the Times in March that the government was “pulling together” to deal with “this vile threat that’s taken over a country and is now threatening ours.”
The British minister had previously warned that "interference, threat and influence" by the Islamic Republic of Iran on British soil has increased alarmingly.
“Sadly, the Islamic Centre for England is not alone and the work of the IRGC is not limited to those Iranian proxy organizations.”
It was revealed in 2021 that the Islamic Centre of England in London run by the UK representative of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had received more than £100,000 in coronavirus aid from the British government’s coronavirus job retention scheme.
The Islamic Republic, controlled by Khamenei, does not allow the presence of international institutions or non-governmental organizations in Iran, but it directly and indirectly has a network of associations and offices around the world, including Western countries.
But in a bitter twist of fate, the prisoners’ families were violently dispersed by security forces using teargas, batons and warning shots, with no chance to say goodbye, or see their loved ones for one final word.
"A family member of one of the prisoners was taken to the hospital after being beaten by the forces and he is in critical condition,” a human rights group cited an unnamed source as saying, the brutal scenes compounding the pain of the families pleading for amnesty for their loved ones.
Three inmates were executed at Ghezel Hesar prison in the city of Karaj while another four were hanged at Rajai Shahr Prison also in Karaj. The charges for the executed prisoners were announced as drug trafficking and rape and have been part of a spree of killings by the Islamic Republic in recent weeks.
The number of executions started to rise after President Ebrahim Raisi – the former head of the country’s notorious judiciary -- took office in August 2021 but the recent exponential spike has triggered concern at home and abroad.
The United Nations said Tuesday that Iran has executed 209 people so far this year, calling the record "abominable". The Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran 2021, published by Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) and Paris-based Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort or ECPM (Together Against the Death Penalty), said at least 333 people were executed in 2021, about two thirds of whom were during Raisi’s administration. This was up from 267 in 2020.
In 2022, executions rose by about 80 percent, with at least 582 people put to death. Several right groups such as IHRNGO, ECPM, and the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) described the rise as the authorities’ tactic to "spread fear" among protesters.
A glance at the HRANA’s 2022 reports on Iran's rights violations clearly shows a sharp upward trend in the reported cases since mid-September when the 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa (Jina) Amini died in the custody of the so-called “morality police,” following which protests swept across the country.
Iranian social media users have launched a twitter campaign calling on the regime to stop the executions, particularly of prisoners of conscience. The Persian translation of the hashtag “we are all together” had been retweeted about 300,000 times by mid-Wednesday.
The global community has also been vocal about the exponential rise in the number of executions, with many officials condemning the acts and calling on the regime to halt the hangings.
Two Iranians jailed for insulting religious entities were hanged on Monday, strengthening speculation that the killing spree aims to intimidate people against further protests. Moreover, Iran executed Iranian-Swedish political activist and former leader of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz (ASMLA) Habib Chaab (Asyud) on Saturday for “corruption on earth”.
Speaking to Iran International, the Canadian foreign ministry called the executions of the three activists hanged in the past few days “appalling,” urging the Islamic Republic to abolish capital punishment.
Australian Senator Jordon Steele-John, a political sponsor of Majid Kazemi -- among four men accused of being involved in the deaths of three IRGC’s Basij militia members during anti-government protests in the city of Isfahan – called on the Federal Government and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong “to have an urgent meeting with her Iranian counterpart to do all they can to prevent the execution of Majid, which could happen at any moment”.
On Tuesday, the sentiments were echoed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk. ”On average so far this year, over 10 people are put to death each week in Iran, making it one of the world's highest executors,” she said. And as numbers continue to climb, it looks unlikely to stop any time soon, with the regime doing all it can to spread fear among its people.