Chinese Entry Into Iranian Construction Market Raises Concerns

The administration notified the Congress it is renewing the sanctions waiver for Iraq to continue buying electricity and natural gas from Iran.

The waiver was offered in 2018 after former President Donald Trump imposed sanction on Iran, while Iraq needed the energy imports. Considering Washington's amicable ties with Baghdad, US administrations allowed the exception to the sanctions, on the condition that Iraq cannot pay Iran in cash hard currencies, but only allow the purchase of humanitarian needs in Iraq.

However, last year, the Biden administration allowed $10 billion in accumulated funds to be transferred to Oman for Iran being able to use the money, ostensibly for non- sanctionable purposes.

A group of Republican House Representatives led by Rep. Bill Huizenga, in a letter addressed to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, questioned the rationale behind the Biden administration's decision to renew the 120-day sanctions waiver, allowing Iraq to pay Iran for electricity and facilitating the transfer of Iranian funds from the Trade Bank of Iraq to a bank in Oman.

The lawmakers are asking the Biden administration to provide information on how much cash Iran has been able to access in the months since sanctions were lifted, referring to a December 2023 hearing of the House Financial Services Committee, when Elizabeth Rosenberg, the assistant secretary of the US Treasury Department, acknowledged the existence of "two transactions” by Iran.

Since the US extended the sanctions waiver four months ago, the situation in the Middle East has deteriorated further, amplifying an already tense crisis.

In January, an Iran-backed militia's drone attack in Jordan claimed the lives of three US service members, marking the first American military fatalities from hostile fire amid escalating tensions from Israel's conflict with Hamas.

Increased attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthi rebels have intensified criticism of the administration's handling of Iran. Recently, CENTCOM Commander Gen. Erik Kurilla told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Iran remains undeterred in its support for Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis – and is not paying a price for its nefarious activities in the region.

Amid concerns about potential altercations between women and hijab enforcers, Reza Nakhjavani, Iran’s Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development, claims that hijab enforcement at airports is conducted in accordance with the laws of the country.

“Currently there is no law regarding the prohibition of entry for passengers without hijab onto airplanes, but order and discipline must prevail at airports," said Nakhjavani on Wednesday.

His remarks come amid heightened tensions surrounding the deployment of government-affiliated forces, commonly known as 'hijab enforcers,' particularly in the Tehran metro.

The controversy surrounding hijab enforcement in Iran gained international attention following the death of Mahsa Amini while in morality police custody. Amini's arrest in September 2022, on charges related to 'improper hijab,' sparked nationwide protests and catalyzed the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.

Amini's death was followed last year by another incident involving Armita Geravand, a teenage student, who was assaulted by hijab enforcers in the metro, leading to her eventual death after spending 28 days in a coma.

The situation has further escalated with reports of hijab enforcement forces extending their activities to university campuses, including the University of Tehran. Student councils have reported instances of harassment and intimidation by these forces, who claim to be enforcing dress codes on campus.

The crackdown on mandatory hijab defiance continues despite widespread condemnation, both domestically and internationally, rights groups branding the laws discriminatory and oppressive. The UN said the latest round of hijab laws are nothing less than gender apartheid. 

On one front, the government aims to increase the population by two-fold – and as soon as possible. To achieve this, it has severely restricted abortion and contraception, and simultaneously promotes pregnancy and childbearing.

But, year after year, individuals are instead opting to have fewer children, standing in opposition to the government's ambitious population policy. In essence, Iranians have effectively countered Khamenei's population policy – and defeated its goals.

Abortion rate undermine Khamenei’s goals

One of the ways Khamenei’s policy has been thwarted is by Iranian women opting for abortion.

Estimating the precise number of abortions in Iran proves challenging. Nonetheless, a senior health expert with the Expediency Council suggests that both legal and illegal abortions total approximately 1.3 million annually, with intentional abortions accounting for around 530,000 cases. Other authorities offer estimates ranging from 250,000 to 650,000 cases per year.

These abortions are carried out either by private clinics or through the use of illegal pills available in the market. While today's younger generation is knowledgeable about contraception methods, the government has eliminated their accessibility from all public facilities in this field.

A policy driven by nefarious motives

The abortion policy of the Islamic Republic has been quite stringent, though not driven by Islamic Sharia prohibition or a culture of valuing human life. Instead, it has been driven by the aim to boost the population for the establishment of an Islamic empire – despite causing impoverishment and exacerbating the populace's hardships with annual inflation rates ranging around 50%.

Until the fetus reaches 4.5 months of gestation, there are typically no Shariah restrictions according to the fatwas issued by most Shia sources of emulation. In such cases, the mother isn't required to obtain a license and is obligated to pay an atonement. The new population law of the Islamic Republic of Iran, akin to its regulations on loan interests, contradicts fatwas.

Unlike many American conservatives, the authorities of the Islamic Republic do not take a moral stance against abortion nor emphasize the inherent right to life. Over the past 45 years, their focus has primarily revolved around execution, genocide, warfare, and bloodshed.

Their opposition to abortion stems from two primary motives: firstly, they view a large population as essential for achieving superpower status, which aligns with their overarching agenda, and secondly, they seek to maintain a vast army comprised of impoverished, uneducated, and vulnerable individuals for the perpetuation of their oppressive regime and involvement in endless regional conflicts. But, compared to their government, the general populace is more acutely aware of the country's resource constraints, such as limited access to safe water, education, and healthcare.

Khamenei battles ongoing population decline

In the last two decades, Ali Khamenei has expressed dissatisfaction with Iran's population control policies from the 1990s, aiming to counteract the ongoing decline in growth rates since the 1980s, where it stood at 3.91%, by striving to increase the rate from the 1.2% observed in the 2000s.

Consequently, following the enactment of the Family Protection and Youth Population Law in 2020, abortion can only be conducted legally with official permits.

Law vs. Reality

According to Article 56 of the Family Protection and Youth Population Law, an abortion without a license is punishable by fine, imprisonment, and revocation of the medical license, and the coroner’s office is responsible for filing the case for the applicants. The doctor of this office is in charge of reviewing the documents and completing the details of the case. In addition to the punishments stipulated in the Islamic Penal Code, the work license of a doctor, midwife, or pharmacist involved in abortion and their stewards will be revoked and they must pay a fine. But despite these punishments, underground and illegal abortions continue, with the government struggling to enforce its law. Easy access to abortion drugs has also contributed to high abortion rates.

However, societal trends have consistently shifted in the opposite direction. Iran's population growth rate has declined from 1.62% in 2006 to 1.24% in 2016, and approximately 0.7% in 2021. Certainly, around half a million individuals—comprising roughly one million births and half a million deaths—are added to the population annually. But, if current trends persist, the growth rate is projected to reach zero within the next seven years, thereafter turning negative.

The Family Protection and Youth Population Law and its various rewards and punishments for having children and infertility have not been able to change this trajectory. Paradoxically, even the prohibition of prenatal screening has not aided in decreasing abortion rates. The pervasive sense of economic hardship and despair regarding the future weighs heavily on the minds of mothers across all 31 provinces – with this overwhelming burden prompting them to undergo abortions despite the associated risks and financial strain, all of which are borne out of their own pockets.

Thus, Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) cannot rely on population growth to bolster their influence. To sustain their oppressive regime, they depend on maintaining a populace mired in poverty and unemployment. Their aspirations for empire-building hinge on depleting the resources of the people, impoverishing them for conflicts with Israel and America, and funneling billions annually to proxy groups and sympathetic governments in Syria and Yemen. Additionally, to support the Quds Force, they must rely on Shiite populations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Lebanon. Ultimately, their pursuit of power relies on a strategy of impoverishment and manipulation that will also extend beyond Iran's borders.

He stated that Iran is expected to face water shortages until at least 2040. Shahidi emphasized that “400 out of 608 plains in Iran are situated within the red zone of subsidence, prohibiting any extraction of water from them.”

Moreover, Shahidi highlighted that the hot and dry conditions prevailing in the country are projected to persist until 2030 amid global warming.

The announcement comes amidst Iran's ongoing struggle with one of its most severe droughts in over fifty years, marking the fourth consecutive year of water scarcity.

The dire situation has led to widespread criticism of the Iranian government's environmental management practices. Reports indicate that a quarter of Iran's farmers have lost their livelihoods in the past seven years, primarily due to water scarcity. Beyond economic impacts, the drought has led to soil erosion, desertification, and dust storms affecting nearly half of Iran's population, according to the country's health ministry.

Criticism of the Iranian government's environmental policies has intensified, particularly in light of the arrest and imprisonment of several Iranian environmentalists in 2018 on charges of espionage for the US and UK governments.

The situation is having dire effects on the country's farmers, around a quarter of whom have lost their livelihood as a result of the drought in the last seven years alone.

Environmental impacts have since included soil erosion, desertification, and hazardous dust storms that affect approximately half of Iran's population, according to the country's health ministry.

Celebrated on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year, Chaharshanbeh Suri holds ancient Zoroastrian roots and marks the first festivity of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year.

Despite the festival's traditional origins, this year's event took under a political tone as citizens expressed their discontent with the government. The streets echoed with cries for freedom and support for the ongoing uprising across the country.

The high turnout at the festival ceremonies was accompanied by incidents and accidents. Babak Yektaparast, spokesman for the National Emergency Organization, reported that 15 people lost their lives in incidents related to the festival in recent days, indicating a 20 percent decrease compared to the previous year.

Images and videos captured by Iran International revealed the festival's transformation into a platform for dissent, with many Iranians seizing the opportunity to voice their grievances against the government. Families of those lost in the nationwide uprising also used the occasion to honor the victims of the Women, Life, Freedom movement, sharing their stories through photos and videos.

One citizen reported a symbolic act of protest: the burning of an image of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, during the festival.

Throughout the festivities, slogans like "Freedom, freedom, freedom!" in Rasht and "Woman, Life, Freedom" in Tehran resounded, serving as powerful expressions of resistance against the policies of the Islamic Republic.

Videos from the event showcased citizens defiantly dancing and removing their hijabs, a symbol of the uprising which began in 2022 in the wake of the death of Mahsa Amini.