Ahead Of Iran's March Elections, All Eyes Are On Khamenei

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani Friday said charges by Ukraine and Western countries are mere "accusations" lacking credible evidence, insisting that it has not supplied drones to Russia for any aggressive purpose.

However, hundreds of these drones have been shot down over Ukraine with multiple pieces collected by the Ukrainian military and in one case even a complete drone was put on display late last year.

The European Union's decision to impose additional restrictive sanctions against Iran comes after the Islamic Republic already faced three previous sanctions for drone exports to Russia. The latest measures target the export of components used in the construction and production of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from EU member states to Iran.

Iran had consistently denied providing any drones to Russia to be used in the conflict with Ukraine until November 2022 when credible evidence forced foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to admit that some were sent to Russia "before the war with Ukraine."

The United States and its main NATO allies have warned Tehran to cease military cooperation with Moscow and any weapons shipments.

In response to mounting criticism, Nasser Kanani asserted that any attempt to link the situation in Ukraine to Iran-Russia bilateral cooperation is a "purely political act."

Iran maintains that its relations with Russia are based on “shared interests and mutual agreements, unrelated to any military involvement in other regions”.

The news was brought to light by Mohammad Hossein Ajorlou, a reporter, and husband of Niloofar Hamedi, a journalist who is in prison for covering the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 after her arrest for violating hijab rules.

According to Ajorlou, the incident took place Thursday, at approximately 5:30 in the morning. The morality police patrol intervened during the female athletes' routine workout session at the popular coastal boulevard.

Some local runners present at the scene have expressed their dismay over the incident. One of the runners described the scene: "In the mornings, when we go to the coastal boulevard to run, there are all kinds of crowds. Some have not collected their hookahs from the night before, some of them are still drunk and are speeding past us in their cars. A number of addicts are looking for a piece of bread in the garbage bins, but the police arrest athletes.”

The incident has sparked outrage among the community, as the female athletes were merely engaged in a peaceful morning workout.

The names and identities of the arrested female athletes have not been disclosed at this time, and it remains uncertain under what charges they were detained.

In the aftermath of the nationwide protests following the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, the Islamic Republic has intensified its efforts to enforce mandatory hijab.

However, a resilient wave of Iranian women and girls has chosen to defy these restrictive measures by appearing in public places without hijab.

The singer, who has been in detention for ten months, denies any involvement in criminal activities and expresses his desire for a better life for all citizens.

In the audio file, Yasin, 27, and a resident of Tehran, refutes allegations of being a political figure or a member of any political group. He addresses his supporters and fellow citizens, seeking their understanding and support during his challenging ordeal.

One of the significant points raised by Yasin is a government ban for him and other political detainees to choose their own defense attorneys. A notorious judge, Abolqasem Salavati, has denied him the right to select his preferred lawyer, leaving him with an assigned attorney.

Yasin says that his attempts to communicate with the lawyer have remained unanswered, as the lawyer is unable to proceed without the judge's approval.

Earlier reports by government media claimed that Yasin faced charges in Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court for allegedly participating in protests and supporting gatherings and singing revolutionary songs. Additionally, he was accused of being involved in activities intending to undermine the country's security.

Rejecting these accusations, Saman Yasin's family says that he made confessions under duress and torture. In his audio message, Yasin vehemently denies all charges and describes them as baseless lies orchestrated to harass him.

In a critical interview with the newspaper Arman-e Melli, Mohammad Dadkan raised concerns about various aspects of governance in Iran, including the regime’s crackdown on voices of dissent. 

"With pressure and force, what do you expect to achieve? You boast about arresting 92,000 people. You claim that 20 million people have legal cases, which means 60 million people are affected when considering their families. By forcing everything to appear right, what will be the outcome in the end?" he said. 

Dadkan quipped that the regime sought to become an Islamic Japan but has become an Islamic North Korea, claiming that "If the leader of North Korea says in the morning that the border is open, he himself won't stay either. If they open the bridge between the two Koreas, not a single person will remain in North Korea. 

Dadkan has served in several positions related to sports in Iran, including as a physical education advisor at the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Industry, Mine and Trade. He was the president of Iran’s Football Federation from 2002 until 2006, during which Iran’s national squad finished third in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup and ranked 15 in the FIFA standing, its best so far. In the past two decades, Iran's Team Melli has not achieved a better title.

The number of politicians who once held important positions in the Islamic Republic but are now critical of the regime has been growing, especially since people revolted against the Islamic autocracy after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. Iranian analysts and politicians continue criticizing the ruling establishment for the country’s multiple crises within the limits of controlled media.

Hossein Marashi, a leading centrist politician in Tehran, said earlier in the week that the governance and politics in Iran have reached a deadlock and people need to take the lead to help themselves. "I have no hope in Iranian politicians. The elites in society should come forward with determination and make their point, and whatever they need to do. I have hope that the people will change the scene." 

Last week, prominent economist Mehdi Pazouki told Didban Iran website that government officials have humiliated the nation in the name of their revolutionary approach. Pazouki said, in an unprecedented and daring statement, "One of Khomeini's mistakes was allowing clerics to intervene in the country's social and executive affairs." 

He was referring to the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who after the 1979 revolution gradually expelled independent-minded people from the government and increasingly relied on clerics that he knew had no experience in running a country.

Regime insiders, pressed hard by serious economic crises and popular rejection, try to blame everything on invisible enemies.

Ahmad Alamolhoda, the representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Khorasan Razavi province, whose financial corruption case within one of Iran's biggest charities was recently revealed, said Friday that "The enemy wants to undermine the clergy in the eyes of the people.” 

Dadkan elsewhere in his extensive two-hour interview drew a comparison between the responses of the Iranian and French governments to popular protests. He pointed out that while the French government took action against the police officer who shot and killed a 17-year-old boy of Algerian descent, Iran's approach was markedly different. He emphasized that in Iran, officers who harm or kill protesters are often praised instead of being held accountable for their actions.

Ahmad Alirezabeigi, a member of the Iranian parliament who was sentenced to imprisonment this week for disclosing a major bribery case involving at least 75 other lawmakers and a former Industry Minister, accused officials of evading their responsibility and adding insult to injury by making statements that blame the people for the government's shortcomings.

Masih Mohajeri, a conservative newspaper editor, said in a strongly worded article earlier this week that, "People refuse to accept that in a country with such wealth and resources, a few individuals amass fortunes while millions of families are in poverty.

Dadkan echoed these sentiments saying that the ruling power places its incompetent supporters in crucial positions and manipulates information to distort the true state of affairs in the country. "The state-controlled television is biased, and spreads lies,” he emphasized. 

These regime supporters he said pretend to be religious and the "have made a business out of it,” asking why is it that “out of 72,000 mosques across the country, "50,000 are dormant.”

Hassan Sanei had a prominent role in Iranian society, having been appointed as the head of the Khordad 15 Foundation in 1983 by the directive of Ayatollah Khomeini, the ruler of Iran at the time. He continued to serve in this capacity until 2020.

The Khordad 15 Foundation was established shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution by taking over a collection of confiscated property and factories. Over the years, it grew to become one of Iran's major economic entities, with interests spanning various sectors such as steel, medicine, petrochemicals, food, detergents, investments, and travel quasi-public companies.

Notably, during his tenure as the foundation's head, Hassan Sanei was involved in the decision to offer a reward for the assassination of Salman Rushdie, a prominent writer who faced significant controversy following the publication of his book The Satanic Verses in 1988. This literary work caused protests among some Muslims, resulting in Ayatollah Khomeini issuing a fatwa calling for Rushdie's death in 1989.

The United States Treasury imposed sanctions on the 15 Khordad Foundation on October 28 last year, following an assassination attempt on Rushdie during a speech in New York.

Subsequently, the foundation further increased the reward amount for Salman Rushdie's murder by half a million dollars, bringing the total sum to 3.3 million, just weeks after the knife attack.