Iran Supports Hamas, Biden Admits As War With Israel Rages On

Over the weekend, at least 511 individuals sought medical attention for respiratory, cardiac, and eye-related complications, according to Majid Mahboubi, the Director-General of the Crisis Management Office of Sistan and Baluchestan Province.

The sandstorm and the dispersion of dust particles have affected five major cities in the province, namely Zahedan, Zabol, Iranshahr, Chabahar, and Nikshahr. Of the 511 victims hospitalized, 484 have been discharged after receiving medical treatment. However, at least 27 people remain hospitalized.

While the government has not released transparent statistics, in the 35 days between August 21 to September 24 alone, fragmented data from the Crisis Management Office suggests that over 3,800 people were hospitalized due to sandstorms.

For over two decades, the 120-day winds of Sistan and Baluchestan have exacerbated the dust phenomena, especially after the drying of the Hamoun wetlands and the formation of new dust centers.

Several factors have contributed to the crisis, including the failure of the government to receive a water share of the Hirmand border river from Afghanistan and the intensification of sandstorms and influx of dust particles. The factors have also led to a water shortage crisis in the region.

Mahshid Gohari Kakhaki, a distinguished literature PhD holder and lecturer at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, known for her published works, and Mersedeh Eslami, a dedicated literature graduate and lecturer, were the latest victims of the recent wave of suspensions and expulsions just weeks into the new academic year.

It is the second time they have been expelled, the literature department overturning the decision once before, but this time, it was unable to fight the university's final decision.

In a joint statement published on Monday, the two professors expressed their shock, stating, "We hadn't even set foot in our classrooms, let alone the chance to ignite the flames of awareness and knowledge, when we received the disheartening news of our collaboration being terminated once again."

The dismissals occurred without prior notification, raising concerns and further unsettling the academic community. The alarming move comes in the wake of widespread national demonstrations, ignited by the tragic death of Mahsa Amini during her detention by morality police in September 2022.

The protests have led to the removal of dozens of academics, with student councils denouncing it as part of a broader initiative to "purify universities across the nation." The move has the blessing of hardliners in the government and parliament, who call the dismissal of educators and state employees "purification".

These opposing views, the result of economic hardships, widespread poverty, political impasses, and a negative approach by policy-making institutions toward Iranian culture and lifestyle, are contributing to a broader shift in attitudes among the opposition. 

Former government spokesman Ali Rabiei, in a commentary published by the reformist Etemad newspaper on Saturday, highlighted that this perspective on the Gaza situation extends beyond "some among the masses" to include "some intellectuals and writers" who either remain silent on the Gaza issue or express support for Israel.

Ahmad Bokharai, head of the political sociology department of Iran's Sociological Association also told Didban-e Iran (Iran Monitor] news website Saturday that “the proxy wars Iran has waged in the past few years” are not acceptable to the majority of the Iranians. 

Highlighting that Iranians who lived through the eight-year war with Iraq (1980-88) and witnessed its devastating aftermath tend to favor peace, Bokharai argued that those dissatisfied with the government's stance lean towards supporting Israel over the Palestinians. He pointed out that the "majority in Iran" expressing support for Israel is a reaction to the minority who misuse government resources to suggest that Iranians are pleased with Hamas's attacks on Israel.

Judging from social media comments, many ordinary Iranians are supporting Israel, blaming Hamas for starting the recent war, and condemning the atrocities it has allegedly committed against Israelis. Pounding Gaza and driving the residents out of the Palestinian enclave, they say, is only a response to Hamas’ atrocities and photos and footage that has emerged of their actions is proof of its barbarism. 

In contrast to other regional countries like Turkey and Pakistan, there have been no significant pro-Gazan protests in Iran, aside from small, state-sponsored rallies that were organized to "celebrate the Palestinian victory" in Hamas' Al-Aqsa Storm Operations last week and after Friday prayers this week.

The level of support shown for Israel on social media these past few days has no precedent even in the past few years when anti-government protesters often chanted against the regime’s financial support of militants in other countries, particularly in Gaza and Lebanon.

“Neither Gaza, nor Lebanon, I will sacrifice my life for Iran” was first chanted by anti-government protesters on Quds Day in 2009 in reaction to the government-sponsored demonstrations and again during the anti-government protests of 2017, 2019, and 2022-23. In a speech on October 13, 2021, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said those who chanted the slogan were “deluded” and “would even not defend Iran”.

Khamenei and other officials have fervently praised Hamas for initiating the recent attack on Israel and their goal of eradicating the Jewish state. However, they deny any direct involvement by the Islamic Republic in the attack. "This was carried out by Palestinians themselves," Khamenei stated in a speech on Tuesday during a military event in Tehran.

Many Iranians consider it unacceptable that the country's resources are directed toward supporting proxy forces in the region, including those in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen. These actions provoke the international community against Iran and Iranians. This happens while the pressing needs of the Iranian people, whose livelihoods are significantly impacted by these policies, are being neglected.

Most expatriate opposition figures including former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi have condemned Hamas and expressed solidarity with Israel while in Iran some opposition figures such as the reformist former President Mohammad Khatami have called the Hamas attack a result of years of Israeli oppression and occupation but urged the Islamic Republic to take a cautious stance. 

Others, such as outspoken Sunni leader Mowlavi Abdolhamid are arguing that the regime’s enmity with Israel is pointless and should be abandoned in favor of a solution that accepts the existence of two states for Israelis and Palestinians. 

Pahlavi, who appeared on Fox News on Sunday, stated that the crisis in the region is a symptom of the cancerous Islamic Republic regime. “If you want to solve and cure the cancer, you have to take the eye of the octopus out and not just fight the tentacles. The ultimate solution is a regime change in Tehran,” he said, referring to Iran’s arms and logistics supply for Hamas -- and many other -- terrorist groups.

Calling for international action against the Islamic Republic over its threats to expand the conflict to "other fronts” against Israel, Pahlavi urged the freezing of Iran's funds that were recently unblocked from a South Korean bank. These oil revenues were frozen under US sanctions and are now held in Qatari banks as part of a prisoner exchange deal between Tehran and Washington.

Pahlavi, who has long campaigned for a secular and democratic Iran, said the US should implement stricter sanctions on Iran to curb Iran’s oil exports. The revenues will be spent on the regime’s “campaign of instability” vie its proxy groups, suppression of the people at home and advancement towards nuclear weapons. The sanctions on Iran's oil exports have been so laxly enforced that Iran's exports have reached record highs in recent months.

Pahlavi, who visited Israel this spring and met with senior officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, added that one of the main operatives behind the militant attacks is the Revolutionary Guards and called on the US to push its allies to designate the IRGC as a terror group.

According to the Iranian state news agency IRNA, Ebrahim Raisi conveyed the message that if “the crimes of the Zionist regime, particularly the killing of civilians and the ongoing siege of Gaza, persist, the situation in the region could become increasingly complex and the conflict could escalate.”

In the official Iranian regime terminology, Israel is referred to as "the Zionist entity" or the "Zionist regime."

On Saturday, the French president stressed the need for Iran to exercise restraint and avoid further fueling tensions in the region.

The office of French President Emmanuel Macron also reiterated the importance of Israel's right to self-defense, while emphasizing the necessity of taking all possible measures to protect civilians during the ongoing Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip."

Amid the ongoing conflict resulting in a high Palestinian casualty count, Hamas persists in deploying its civilian population as human shields within the enclave. Video analysis reveals that the terror group is obstructing safe passage for Gaza residents, even after the IDF issued warnings of impending airstrikes on military targets.

In response to the escalating situation, both the United States and the United Kingdom have deployed warships to the region and have pledged military support to Israel in its efforts to combat the terror group. This show of support is aimed at discouraging further interference from Iran and its affiliated groups.