In an unprecedented development, the chairman of Iran National Development Fund has called on President Masoud Pezeshkian to re-establish US consular services at the venue of former American embassy in Tehran.
Mehdi Ghazanfari, appointed by former hardline president Ebrahim Raisi, addressed Pezeshkian in a tweet, saying, "It would be good, at the very least, to restore consular services at the US Embassy in Tehran out of respect for the Iranian people, so that the many Iranians there can travel more easily."
"Now that all the pillars of the regime are supporting you and your government, please, if you see fit, implement a few tasks that have been left unfinished for many years. It might be better to do these before the honeymoon period ends."
In 1979, a few months after the establishment of the Islamic Republic, a group labeled as student supporters of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini attacked the US embassy in Tehran and took dozens of Americans hostage for 444 days. They were release in January 1981, the day when President Ronald Regan was taking his oath of office. US and Iran have severed diplomatic relation for the past 44 years.
The National Development Fund (NDF) is Iran’s sovereign wealth fund and Ghazanfari is considered a high-level government official. Most of the fund, estimated to be around $100 billion has been drained in the past five years because of the impact of US sanctions.
Ghazanfari began his message to Pezeshkian by saying, "Now that all the pillars of the regime are supporting you and your government, please, if you see fit, implement a few tasks that have been left unfinished for many years. It might be better to do these before the honeymoon period ends."
He went on to say that the students who took over the embassy were most probably linked to the Iran’s Communist Tudeh Party. “They threw a rock into the well, which no one has been able to retrieve so far,” Ghaznfari said.
It is difficult to determine if Ghazanfari was expressing his personal opinion, or his tweet was an effort by the government or a certain faction to raise the issue of re-establishing ties with the United States.
An Iranian analyst, who wants to remain anonymous, told Iran International that if the government orchestrated Ghazanfari’s comments, the aim might have been to raise the issue and initiate a national conversation, using an economic figure to break the ice rather than a political official.
The analyst further noted that reactions in Tehran to Ghazanfari's remarks could indicate whether the government was involved. If Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei or President Pezeshkian swiftly dismiss or condemn his statement, it would suggest that the policy at the top remains unchanged.
Amid unsurmountable economic crisis, there have been some signals in the past two months that Tehran might be open to improving relations with the West. The specter of Donald Trump’s re-election has made the Islamic Republic more nervous about harder times ahead. The Biden administration has been softer on Tehran, allowing breach of sanctions and releasing $16 billion of frozen funds.
In November 2019, nationwide protests erupted in Iran after the government unexpectedly tripled fuel prices overnight, sparking widespread outrage across the country. What began as an economic protest quickly escalated into an anti-government movement, with demonstrators in 29 provinces and hundreds of cities voicing their frustration with the Islamic regime.
The government responded by deploying security forces who used live ammunition to suppress the crowds. The crackdown resulted in the deaths of at least 1,500 people, according to Reuters, and a nationwide internet blackout to prevent the world from seeing the full extent of the killings.
In addition, at least 6,000 deaths with "unknown causes" were recorded in November 2019.
These 89 individuals, arrested during the nationwide protests were initially released on bail. Now, years later, they have been dragged back into the judicial system and found guilty by the first investigative branch of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office in Likak. Their so-called crimes are "Disrupting public order," "destroying public property," and other charges that the Islamic Republic conveniently uses to silence dissent.
The timing of the sentencing raises questions: why, after five years of silence, has the judiciary suddenly decided to punish the group now, especially amid growing rumors of a potential fuel price hike under President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration?
It is likely that the government wants to send a message: if you dare to challenge the Islamic Republic, you will be hunted down, no matter how much time has passed. The HRANA news agency has published the identities and details of these individuals, a public shaming apparently intended to instill fear in those who might consider taking to the streets in the future.
In Likak, under the direction of Mehrdad Soltani, the judiciary assembled its case against these 89 citizens. The so-called evidence included police videos, intelligence reports, and confessions extracted under dubious circumstances—confessions that are more likely the result of torture than voluntary admissions of guilt.
As Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have reported, the Islamic Republic's use of force during the protests was unprecedented, with the highest death tolls in marginalized regions such as the impoverished towns in Tehran, Khuzestan, and Kermanshah.
Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, sealed the fate of these protesters with his infamous speech on November 17, 2019. Labeling the demonstrators as "thugs, counter-revolutionaries, and enemies," Khamenei not only justified but ordered the crackdown that followed. The message was according to many unambiguous: challenge the regime, and you will be crushed.
Human rights groups and activists have long accused the Islamic Republic’s for using fear as a tool of governance. With the internet blackout and the mass arrests of 2019 still fresh in the collective memory, possibly Tehran is now demonstrating that it has no qualms about revisiting the past to punish those who dared to rise against it.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency or HRANA’s reports suggest that while these people have been convicted, others involved in the same case have been exonerated or had their charges dropped. It is also believed that the selective prosecution serves the Islamic Republic’s broader strategy of creating uncertainty and fear—if you protest, your fate will be decided not by the law, but by the whims of those in power.
Between July 22 and August 21 alone, at least 106 individuals were executed in Iranian prisons, a reminder of the brutal measures the Islamic government has used for four decades despite international criticism, reported the US-based HRANA news agency on Thursday.
“The total number of reported violations indicates a concerning situation and underscores the urgency for the international community and the Iranian government to address these issues,” added HRANA.
The executions have not been limited to those convicted of violent crimes. Many of those hanged were political prisoners, protesters, and individuals from ethnic and religious minority groups, often sentenced in sham trials that lack transparency and due process, the report said.
Among those executed were Kamran Sheikh, a Sunni Kurdish prisoner, and Reza Rasaei, a protester arrested during the 2022 nationwide uprising.
Adding to the toll, at least 10 new death sentences were handed down, and 10 existing ones were confirmed by the judiciary during this period.
HRANA has highlighted how this culture of state-sanctioned violence only fuels further aggression and resentment, laying the groundwork for a cycle of violence that threatens the very fabric of the nation.
According to reports from human rights organizations, since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21) more than 388 people, including 15 women, have been hanged in Iranian prisons.
The surge in executions has not gone unnoticed by the international community. Human rights organizations, including the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights, have raised alarms over the unprecedented pace of executions. They have called for immediate international intervention to halt what they describe as the "killing machine" of the Iranian government.
On August 12, four international human rights organizations appealed to the United Nations, urging the establishment of an independent investigative mechanism to hold the Islamic Republic accountable for its actions.
Despite these calls for action, the Islamic Republic remains defiant, continuing its executions unabated. Political prisoners like Golrokh Iraee, who remains incarcerated in Evin Prison, have spoken out against the death penalty, urging a united front against the regime's use of capital punishment as a tool of oppression. Iraee’s plea for the abolition of the death penalty echoes the sentiments of many Iranians who see no hope for a better future under the current system.