Hijab law passes, Toomaj freed—and more
The Iranist for the week of December 6, 2024
Greetings from the Middle East! 🐪 This is a more concise newsletter due to travel.
۱/1 Iran pledges support for Bashar al-Assad against advancing rebels
The US and Gulf states attempted to court Assad to pressure him to end ties to Tehran, but the latest developments have pushed the allies closer (New York Times).
۲/2 Parliament passes draconian Chastity and Hijab law
Prominent Iranian activists Nasrin Sotoudeh and Sedigheh Vasmaghi condemned the legislation, calling it a “shameful” and “medieval law” that undermines women’s civil rights (IranWire).
۳/3 Dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi freed
ICYMI: My guest essay from 2023 for The New York Times on Salehi’s life story before he became an international news story.
۴/4 Trump’s pick for FBI director targeted in Iranian hack
FBI nominee Kash Patel may take a hardline stance on Iran’s activities in the US (Iran International)
۵/5 Nobel Laureate given temporary release to recover from surgery
Upon her release, Mohammadi defied mandatory hijab in public and chanted, “Women, Life, Freedom!” (X) However, the State Department’s official Persian language account posted a picture of her with hijab (X).
۶/6 Two arrested in Romania for stabbing of Iran International journalist
۷/7 Iran and E3 agree to continue holding nuclear talks
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claims Tehran may change its nuclear doctrine and develop a weapon if snapback is triggered (The Guardian). Separately, Iranian Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote an op-ed on how Iran is ready for talks with the United States (Foreign Affairs).
OTHER اخبار/NEWS THAT MADE HEADLINES:
Human rights
۰ Three Arab political prisoners face imminent execution (IranWire)
۰ Kurdish activist and psychiatrist charged with blasphemy (IranWire)
۰ Activist Atefeh Rangriz faces additional two-year prison sentence (IranWire)
۰ Civil rights activist transferred to Urmia Prison following arrest in Bukan (IranWire)
۰ Prisoners hunger strike hits 45th week with widespread support (IranWire)
۰ Political prisoner Manouchehr Bakhtiari suffers heart attack (IranWire)
Domestic issues
۰ The fall of an ayatollah: Whispers of succession in Iran (IranWire)
۰ Green Movement leader hospitalized after severe allergic reaction (IranWire)
۰ The Sarrafan family: Architects of one of Iran’s largest rice frauds (IranWire)
۰ Corruption, black market, and shortages: How Iran’s influenza shots disappear (IranWire)
۰ 14 students hospitalized after carbon monoxide poisoning at Tehran University (IranWire)
Foreign policy + security
۰ Iran’s leadership split on how to handle a return to Donald Trump era (New Arab)
۰ Daniel Khalife was a British soldier who spied for Iran and dreamed of fame (BBC)
۰ As Iran sends forces to Syria, IDF warns it not to smuggle arms to Hezbollah (Times of Israel)
۰ Israeli jets block Iranian plane suspected of ferrying arms to Hezbollah over Syria (Times of Israel)
۰ Iranian MP vows strikes on Israel amid contradictory signals from Tehran (Iran International)
۰ Rebels in Syria take advantage of Israel’s successes against a weakened Iran axis (Times of Israel)
۰ Iranian commander’s killing, Aleppo advance shake up Syria conflict (Iran International)
۰ After decades of mistrust, Iran and Pakistan join forces against militancy (RFE/RL)
Iran deal + sanctions
۰ US deepens sanctions on Iran’s ‘shadow’ oil fleet (Reuters)
۰ Fuel oil smuggling network rakes in $1 billion for Iran and its proxies (Reuters)
۰ Iran’s oil trade with China rattled by US sanctions on tankers (Bloomberg)
۰ German company caught smuggling chemical plant to Iran (Financial Times)