Iran Hardliners Blame Foreign Minister For Being Soft On Gaza Issue

Mizan News Agency affiliated with Iran’s notorious Judiciary made the announcement, as it has executed more than 100 inmates in the past one month.

The condemned political prisoners were charged with alleged "membership and collaboration with Jaish ul-Adl, receiving military training, transporting and concealing bomb-making materials, as well as participating in two bombing operations in Zahedan, an unsuccessful bombing in Zabol county, and two bombing operations in Zahedan's police station."

Jaish ul-Adl, a Sunni Islamist armed group, operates predominantly in southeastern Iran, where a significant Sunni Baluchi population resides, and the border with Pakistan is porous.

The detainees, apprehended by security forces in September 2020, underwent months of interrogation before being transferred to Zahedan prison.

Last Saturday, another political prisoner was also executed after enduring 12 years of imprisonment in the same facility.

Jaish ul-Adl promptly responded to the executions, characterizing them as "a sign of the weakness and incompetence of the regime of the Supreme Leader in confronting the movement of the people of Baluchestan for the realization of their legitimate rights," as stated on its Telegram channel and website.

In a parallel development, the Oslo-based Human Rights Organization of Iran released a report on Tuesday, documenting 114 executions in the country since the commencement of the conflict in Gaza. Of these, 24 were Baluch citizens, five of whom were sentenced to death for collaborating with armed groups opposing the Islamic Republic.

The 2022 execution statistics for Iran reveal that the Sistan-Baluchestan holds the highest per capita execution rate in the country, with 39 executions per one million people.

Mohammad Peikanpour, the Director-General of Drugs and Controlled Substances, highlighted the severity of the situation, noting that certain medications are in short supply due to a lack of specific currency allocations.

Peikanpour further addressed the life-threatening challenges in the availability of plasma-derived drugs, including albumin, which comes amidst already dire nursing and doctor shortages.

Mazyar Nourbakhsh, the head of the Commission for Transformation, Innovation, and Productivity at the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, shed light on the currency allocation dilemma in an interview with ILNA News Agency on Tuesday, stating, "If the delay in currency allocation and the clearance issues persist, goods will expire, leading to a loss of functionality."

The pharmaceutical industry in Iran, heavily dependent on the government for hard currency to import raw materials, is grappling with the impact of the shortages. Production of essential medicines has been disrupted, causing widespread concern among pharmaceutical companies. Local media reports indicate that various common medicines and drugs crucial for hospitals are now scarce or entirely unavailable.

The economic challenges faced by Iran, exacerbated by US oil sanctions, have strained the government's ability to allocate foreign currencies. Despite an increase in oil exports in recent months, reaching nearly six times the 2019 levels at approximately 1.5 million barrels per day, the Iranian rial is near an all-time low.

With inflation soaring above 60 percent, the country is facing a complex economic situation that is directly affecting the healthcare sector and the well-being of its citizens.

Former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told centrist news website Entekhab that "opposition to national interests is in the nature of some of Iran's hardliners." He had disclosed earlier that hardliners sent letters to Khamenei to encourage him to intervene in the Gaza war.

Zarif said on social media that "In several interviews over the past week, I tried to explain Israel's warmongering objectives and its inhumane treatment of Palestinians over the past 70 years. Unfortunately, some of my statements were fragmented before publication and then used selectively. At times, hardliners used my statements to further their own political game."

Last week, it was reformist journalist Sara Massoumi who first reported Zarif's speech during a meeting with reformist politicians in Tehran. Massoumi quoted Zarif as having said: "If Iran is dragged into the Israel-Gaza war, nothing is going to happen to any of Iran's state officials! The bombs are going to fall on the people."

Elsewhere in the speech Zarif asked: "So far who has suffered from the sanctions? Those who make several millions of dollars, or the poor people?"

Zarif posted a video of his statement on YouTube and X, and called on viewers to see for themselves that those who accuse him of not having any concern for Palestinians were wrong or biased in their judgement. He also reiterated his call for Islamic and national solidarity in support of Palestinians.

Nonetheless, his critics continued to attack him on social media. "Congratulations Mr. Zarif! Your video clip is being used by Israeli and European channels with the caption 'Former Iranian Foreign Minister says Gaza has nothing to do with Iran.' Once again you backstabbed Iran among the Resistance groups and countries."

Zarif, in return, told Entekhab that the accusations were part of a factional polarization attempt to poison the mood in the society." Zarif had said in an earlier interview on Telegram that "Israel dreams of getting Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah involved in the Gaza war.”

In another statement, Zarif accused Iranian hardliners of boosting Iranophobia and Islamophobia in the world with their behavior. He added that Iran has been eliminated from the international scene as many big powers do not like to engage with Tehran. He added that none of the powerful world players, particularly Russia want Iran to be able to play any part on international scene.

He further referred to the controversy about the use of Iranian drones in Russia's war against Ukraine and accused Russia of letting down Iran by getting the drones from Tehran and then disclosing Iran’s involvement in the war.

Last week, former President Hassan Rouhani had also warned against Iran becoming involved in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Rouhani addressed the ongoing conflict in Gaza, warning that regime’s role in flaming the conflict was putting Iran at risk. He emphasized the potential consequences of its direct, or indirect involvement through proxies, warning that "a mistake, a wrong decision, or an imprecise action could drag the flames of war towards us."

While the election Scheduled for March 1, Madani highlighted the chance to capitalize on the momentum of the 2022 uprising which has called for a nationwide shift away from the regime.

In February, Mousavi, from his confinement, called for the preparation of a new constitution to save Iran. Mousavi outlined the core principles of the new constitution within the framework of the Women, Life, Freedom movement.

Madani was sentenced to nine years in prison in January on charges of "forming and managing dissident groups against the system" and "propaganda against the Islamic Republic."

He called for international standards for the elections, expressing that “those advocating for change would support boycotting the elections if these standards are not met.”

Referring to the stance of Mir Hossein Mousavi, a leader of the Green Movement who opposes symbolic elections and advocates for a boycott, Madani asserted, "It is time for reformists to prioritize justice and truth."

The statement by the imprisoned researcher and national-religious political activist coincides with reports of widespread disqualifications of lawmakers critical of President Ebrahim Raisi's government. As of Sunday, approximately 40 current members of parliament and several former lawmakers or top officials were barred by the interior ministry from running in the elections.

The mass disqualifications have raised concerns among regime insiders about the potential for low voter turnout in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The United States announced its third round of sanctions since the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel. The measures target key Hamas officials and the mechanisms through which Iran provides support to Hamas and its ally Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), another militant group.

US State Department in announcing the sanctions particularly focused on the financial and military support by the Iranian regime to Hamas and other militant groups.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement highlighted that “Iran’s support, primarily through its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, enables Hamas and PIJ’s terrorist activities, including through the transfer of funds and the provision of both weapons and operational training. Iran has trained PIJ fighters to produce and develop missiles in Gaza while also funding groups that provide financial support to PIJ-affiliated fighters.”

Britain added six new designations to its counter-terrorism sanctions list, including four individuals linked to Hamas, an update to the UK government website showed.

"The United States will continue to work with our partners, including the U.K., to deny Hamas the ability to raise and use funds to carry out its atrocities," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.

"Hamas’s actions have caused immense suffering and shown that terrorism does not occur in isolation. Together with our partners we are decisively moving to degrade Hamas's financial infrastructure, cut them off from outside funding, and block the new funding channels they seek to finance their heinous acts."

Israel vowed to wipe out Hamas after the militant group's fighters burst across the fence around the Gaza enclave on October 7 and rampaged through Israeli towns killing civilians. Israel says 1,200 people were killed and around 240 were dragged back to Gaza as hostages in the deadliest day of its 75-year history.

There are also thousands of casualties in Gaza as a result of Israeli attacks, although there is no independent estimate of the exact numbers.

FINANCES TARGETED

Since the terror attack, Washington has imposed three rounds of sanctions on Hamas. It has targeted the group's investment portfolio and issued an alert to financial institutions on countering Hamas financing while senior officials have discussed the group's access to funds on trips abroad.

Hamas is designated a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, the European Union, Britain and others.

Washington's action on Tuesday specifically targeted Mahmoud Khaled Zahhar, a senior member and co-founder of Hamas, the PIJ's representative to Iran and the Damascus-based Deputy Secretary General of PIJ and leader of its militant wing.

Lebanon-based money exchange company Nabil Chouman & Co was also targeted, along with its owner and founder. Treasury said Hamas uses the company to transfer money from Iran to Gaza and accused it of having transferred tens of millions of dollars to the group.

Washington's move freezes any US assets of those targeted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them. Those who engage in certain transactions with them also risk being hit with sanctions.

US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told Reuters last week that efforts to cut off Hamas funding would increasingly focus on facilitators in third countries, and that it would take coordination with allies and partners to shut off those avenues. His recent trip to Europe centered on fostering more cooperation in this area.