50 Detained In Zahedan Friday Protests, 13 Children

On the initial day of registration October 19, a total of 959 candidates officially entered the race, with the registration process set to continue for an additional week. Earlier, an unofficial registration process saw approximately 49,000 candidates vying for the 290 parliamentary seats in Iran's Majles, in the elections scheduled for March.

The registration unfolds in the midst of widespread observations that the Majles (parliament) no longer holds a pivotal role in decision-making within Iran. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has significantly curtailed the parliament's authority by transferring key decision-making responsibilities to the heads of the government's three branches or the Expediency Council, a non-elected body whose members are directly appointed by Khamenei.

Simultaneously, grievances persist regarding the vetting process, as the Guardian Council, responsible for approving candidates, often arbitrarily disqualifies individuals who do not align with Khamenei's preferences. In recent rounds of presidential and parliamentary elections, the Council disqualified all reformist and moderate candidates, effectively consolidating power in Iran in the hands of ultraconservatives who have exhibited inefficiency in their governance.

Certain reformist figures have already chosen to boycott the elections, while others, such as former President Mohammad Khatami, have declared their decision not to participate, though they have not explicitly announced a formal boycott.

The Spokesman for the Reform Front, Javad Emam, told the press that in fact "It is not the reformists, but those who deprived the people of fair elections who have boycotted the upcoming parliamentary elections."

He elaborated by saying, "We have no issues with the ballot box, as it represents the will of the nation. However, regrettably, the people have been denied the opportunity for a fair electoral process through the ballot boxes." Emam went on to express his perspective that "The current state of affairs in Iran deviates from the ideals of the 1979 revolution. The people have been deprived of their constitutional right to shape their own destiny." He further added, "This deviation from the Constitutional Law calls for the restoration of the people's political participation."

The spokesperson also emphasized that the public's trust in the government has been severely eroded following the protests of the previous year. As long as this trust remains unrestored, “we, as reformists, find it challenging to engage people's interest in participating in elections.”

Meanwhile, centrist politician Gholamhossein Karbaschi said in an interview with the official news agency IRNA that "If reformists wish to boycott the elections, they had better declare this boycott publicly rather than keeping silent about it."

He made it clear that he is no longer a member of the reform front, adding that "I do not like the political taste of the Reform Front." Karbaschi had earlier declared his opposition to a woman, Azar Mansoori, being the leader of the front. In this interview he said: "The Reform Camp's former leader, Behzad Nabavi preferred reform over revolution."

Further explaining his opposition to boycotting the elections, Karbaschi reiterated that "Blind radicalism in the reform front will not lead to anywhere." He explained that reformist cannot be in the reform camp and be part of the opposition at the same time, but this is a situation that has been imposed on the reform camp by the government.

Karbaschi’s criticism of reformists contrasts with the opinion of the anti-regime opposition that sees them as responsible for keeping the Islamic Republic alive, by promising people reforms for 25 years.

Former President Hassan Rouhai had earlier warned Iran's ruling ultraconservatives in a message to his own Moderation and Development Party that the government is wasting the opportunity for coming to an understanding with the people and that if the government fails to pave the way for everyone's political participation, it is likely to lose its ability to solve domestic and international problems.

Both Elaheh Mohammadi and Niloufar Hamedi have been accused of "collaboration with the United States government" in their sentencing, meant to send a clear message to journalists that those stepping out of line will be punished. 

Mohammadi was among the few journalists to cover the funeral of Mahsa Amini whose death in morality police custody last year triggered the boldest anti-regime uprising in its history.

A journalist with Ham-Mihan, she has been sentenced to six years in prison on the charges of "collaboration with the United States government" plus five years for "conspiracy and collusion against national security". She was given an extra year for "promoting activities against the state."

Niloufar Hamedi's photograph of the grieving parents of Mahsa was one of the iconic photos that ignited the protests. A former correspondent for the Iranian reformist newspaper, Shargh, she has been handed a seven-year prison sentence for "collaboration with the United States government" and was also sentenced to five years for "conspiracy and collusion in committing acts against national security". She too had an additional one-year term added for "engaging in propagandistic activities against the state".

A brave activist, Hamedi also reported a 16-year-old girl’s murder by her husband in July last year, as well as the self-immolation of several women in September to escape domestic violence, just before the outbreak of the Women, Life, Freedom protests.

Earlier this year, the pair were honored in Time Magazine’s list of the world’s most influential people and were awarded the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize together with a third woman journalist, Narges Mohammadi.

Iran ranks among the world's most restrictive countries in terms of press freedom. Over the past year, hundreds of journalists have been arrested and imprisoned as the Women, Life, Freedom movement gained momentum.

The draft text calls for the protection of civilians - including those who are trying to get to safety - notes that states must comply with international law when responding to "terrorist attacks", and urges the "continuous, sufficient and unhindered" delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip, according to Reuters.

It was not immediately clear if or when the United States planned to put the draft resolution to a vote. To pass, a resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Iran allies Russia, China.

There was no response by Tehran as of Sunday morning. Government media mentioned the news in passing, while it had less coverage of the conflict compared to previous days.

The move by the United States comes after it vetoed a Brazilian-drafted text on Wednesday that would have called for humanitarian pauses in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants, to allow aid access to Gaza.

Israel has vowed to wipe out the Hamas Islamist group that rules Gaza, after its gunmen burst through the barrier fence surrounding the enclave on October 7 and rampaged through Israeli towns and kibbutzes, killing 1,400 people.

Israel has since pounded Gaza from the air, imposed a siege and is preparing for a ground offensive. Palestinian authorities say more than 4,000 people have been killed in the enclave. The UN says more than a million have been made homeless.

Iranian regime officials throughout the week continued threatening to expand the war if Israeli attacks on Gaza do not stop. Iran’s intelligence chief, Esmail Khatib, warned the United Statesand other ‘supporters’ of Israel on Saturday that they would face a ‘harsh, fatal revenge’ from God and the people.

Israel's Minister of Economy and Industry, Nir Barkat, warned that Israel would take action not only against the Hezbollah but also against Iran if Hezbollah takes action against Israel on its northern border, claiming "we will go to the head of the snake, which is Iran".

The US draft text does not call for any pause or truce in the fighting. It calls on all states to try and stop the "violence in Gaza from spilling over or expanding to other areas in the region, including by demanding the immediate cessation by Hezbollah and other armed groups of all attacks."

Lebanon's Iran-backed, heavily armed Hezbollah group has clashed with Israel across the Lebanese border multiple times since October 7 in the deadliest confrontations since they fought a month-long war in 2006.

SELF-DEFENSE

The US draft resolution demands Iran stops exporting arms to groups threatening peace and security across the region, including Hamas.

Iran has made no secret of its backing for Hamas, funding and arming the group and another Palestinian militant organization Islamic Jihad. Hamas officials have also confirmed that they received weapons from Iran and Hezbollah.

Article 51 covers the individual or collective right of states to self-defense against armed attack and states must immediately inform the 15-member Security Council of any action that states take in self-defense against armed attack.

In a letter sent the same day as the Hamas attack, Israel told the council it would "act in any way necessary to protect its citizens and sovereignty from the ongoing terrorist attacks originating from the Gaza Strip." But it does not appear to have formally invoked Article 51, diplomats said.

Arab countries have argued that Israel cannot justify its actions as self-defense.

"The Gaza Strip is an occupied territory," Jordan's UN Ambassador Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud told the council on October 16, citing a 2004 opinion by the International Court of Justice on an Israeli separation barrier built around the West Bank.

With reporting by Reuters

In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Israel's Minister of Economy and Industry, Nir Barkat, stated that Israel would take action not only against Hezbollah but also against Iran if Hezbollah takes action against Israel on its northern border, claiming "we will go to the head of the snake, which is Iran".

The warnings come after consistent threats from Tehran that if Israel does not cease its air attack on Gaza following Hamas' declaration of war on October 7, it will activate its other proxies, from Hezbollah in Lebanon to the Houthis in Yemen. A potential Israeli ground operation further raises tensions.

Hezbollah has become increasingly active on Israel's northern border since the war broke out following a Hamas rocket barrage and infiltration of thousands of its terrorists by air, land and sea, massacring hundreds of civilians in the most deadly day for Jews since the Holocaust. Its troops have been caught infiltrating the northern border as well as sending UAVs and anti-tank missiles.

Israel's Institute of National Security Studies estimates Hezbollah's troops to be between 50,000 and 100,000. It is Iran's most powerful proxy in the Middle East. 

Barakat added, “Lebanon and Hezbollah are going to pay a heavy price, similar to what Hamas is going to pay. But that's not enough…The very clear message is that we are going to be going after the heads of Iran as well. When will we do that? When we decide,” he underlined.

Condemning Israel for what he called ‘genocide in Gaza’, Esmaeil Khatib on Saturday called the October 7 operation the “most complex and most effective” operation by the ‘resistance front’.

Khatib’s rhetoric come amid deep concerns that the conflict between Israel and Hamas would escalate into a full-blown regional war involving proxies of the Islamic Republic –which regime officials call the ‘resistance front.’

Unconfirmed reports emerged Saturday that the IRGC Quds Force Commander Ismail Qaani has traveled to Syria to “supervise” the Iran-backed armed groups along the Syrian border with Israel.

Official and state-affiliated media have not confirmed nor denied this report –which, if true, could be read as a sign of imminent escalation or a bluff of that.

In the week gone by, Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both supported by Iran, have entered the war theater, albeit on a limited scale and with no official declaration of war.

Hezbollah’s shelling of northern Israel has forced the preemptive evacuation of around 20,000 people from border areas. Israel has bombarded Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon daily, killing 19 militants to date, per Al Jazeera English.

On Saturday, Hezbollah’s number 2, Naim Qassem threatened Israelwith an augmented involvement in the conflict.

“Let's be clear,” Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General said, “as events unfold, if something comes up that calls for greater intervention by us, we will do so,” implying that a ground invasion of Gaza would take the Iran-backed group to its next level of engagement.

On the Israeli side, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Saturday “Hezbollah has decided to participate in the fighting, we are exacting a heavy price from it.”

As the conflict deepens and broadens, so do diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to mitigate the damage of war and prevent a catastrophic outcome.

Egypt hosted a major peace summit Saturday, where regional leaders and high-ranking officials from western powers met to discuss ways to de-escalate the Hamas-Israel war.

The summit coincided with a temporary opening of the Rafah crossing (from Egypt to Gaza), allowing vital aid to get into the enclave.

On Saturday, five UN agencies expressed concern about the worsening conditions in Gaza and called for a humanitarian ceasefire.

Jordan's King Abdullah II criticized Israel's siege and bombardment of Gaza, calling it ‘collective punishment’ and a "war crime." Jordan is a close US ally and has had good relations with Israel for almost three decades. King Abdullah’s stance signals a growing unease with the ongoing conflict in the region.

The World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN's Development Programme (UNDP), the UN’s Population Fund (UNFPA) and its International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) said in a statement: “Gaza was a desperate humanitarian situation before the most recent hostilities. It is now catastrophic”.

The Biden administration now finds itself in an unenviable position: pressured from the international community to call for a ceasefire and pushed at home by those wanting to see a tougher stance.

And at the heart of Biden’s problems lies the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The regime in Iran holds some leverage through its armed proxies across the region, which makes Biden hesitant in his approach towards Iran. On the other hand, Republican lawmakers have been hammering Biden for many months, especially since the exposure of an Iran influence network and the $6 billion ransom to free five Iranian-American hostages held in Tehran.

The US proposed a draft UN Security Council resolution on Saturday that demands Iran stop exporting arms to "militias and terrorist groups threatening peace and security across the region” including Hamas, according to the draft text seen by Reuters.