TOP STORIES
Iran: Repression Continues Two Years After Nationwide Protests | United Nations
Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran – a group of Council-appointed independent experts – said that Ms. Amini’s death in September 2022 was “unlawful and caused by physical violence” for which the State is responsible. Chairperson Sara Hossain told the forum’s 47 Member States that after Ms. Amini’s death, young women and schoolchildren “were at the forefront” of nationwide protests. “The entire State apparatus was mobilised with security forces using firearms, including AK-47s and Uzis as we documented in some areas, resulting in injuries and deaths,” she said. There are “credible figures” that indicate there were 551 deaths, at least 49 women and 68 children, “and we found that those occurred in 26 out of the 31 provinces of Iran over multiple months”, the Mission found. Ms. Hossain explained that many protesters “removed their hijab in public places as an act of defiance against long-standing discriminatory laws and practices”.
How China, Russia And Iran Are Forging Closer Ties | The Economist
Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, and Ebrahim Raisi, his Iranian counterpart, have several things in common. Both belong to a tiny group of leaders personally targeted by American sanctions. Even though neither travels much, both have been to China in recent years. And both seem increasingly fond of one another. In December they met in the Kremlin to discuss the war in Gaza. On March 18th Mr Raisi was quick to congratulate Mr Putin for his “decisive” election victory. For much of history, Russia, Iran and China were less chummy. Imperialists at heart, they often meddled in one another’s neighbourhoods and jostled for control of Asia’s trade routes. Lately, however, America’s actions have changed the dynamic. In 2020, two years after exiting a deal that limited Iran’s nuclear programme, Uncle Sam reimposed an embargo; more penalties were announced in January this year, to punish Iran for supporting Hamas and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Russia fell under Western sanctions in 2022, after invading Ukraine, and they were recently tightened. Meanwhile, China faces restrictions of its own, which could become much more stringent if Donald Trump is elected president in November.
The government was preparing to list Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terror group before a sudden change of mind, according to bombshell documents obtained by Sky News. The move has led to accusations from the Opposition that the government is not being upfront with the public and putting Australians at risk. The U-turn is revealed in a schedule of documents released by authorities to a Sydney-based member of the Iranian community.
UANI IN THE NEWS
“I Would Have Iran’s Nuclear Facilities Bombed” | Die Welt
...The fact that Lieberman is still involved in Iran matters even after leaving the Senate in 2013, for example as president of the United Against Nuclear Iran initiative, is not only due to his ties to the State of Israel. For him, the Iranian nuclear program is a danger to the West that is too often underestimated by the public.
UANI Policy Director On I24 News | "Netanyahu: We Are Waging War Against Iran Terror Axis"
On March 18, 2024, UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky appeared on i24News for segment on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's recent comments and the Iranian IRGC's Axis of Resistance.
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Outrage As Iran Chairs UN Disarmament Conference | Iran International
Iran's chairmanship of the UN Conference on Disarmament sparked outrage on Monday, as activists and US lawmakers expressed concerns about the erosion of trust in the international body. The 2024 session of the conference began in Geneva in late January and will continue till mid September. The Presidency of the conference rotates among its member states in alphabetical order, each member holding office for four weeks. Iran took over from Indonesia o March 18 amid harsh criticism over its non-compliance with the demands and rulings of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “Why does @UN_Disarmament think that it’s a good idea to allow the Islamic Republic of Iran to preside over negotiations on arms control and disarmament agreements,” Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna asked on X. “The Islamic regime’s history and continuous breaches of nuclear agreements go against the very purpose of the conference. It’s disgusting that the UN is continuing to legitimize the Mollah’s murderous regime.” This is not the first time the United Nations is criticized for handing leadership positions, symbolic or inconsequential as those may be, to representatives of the regime in Tehran.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran’s Currency Drops To New Lows Two Days Before Norouz | Iran International
After a short respite, Iran’s currency, the rial, plummeted on Monday to its lowest-ever level against the US dollar and other major currencies, just two days before the Norouz (Nowruz) holiday. The Iranian currency had fallen to 605,000 rials per dollar earlier this month and then briefly rose to 590,000. However, despite a US sanctions waiver last week, the rial began to fall when the markets re-opened on Saturday after the Islamic weekend on Friday. The rial was trading at 607,000 per dollar Monday afternoon local time, with each euro fetching more than 660,000 and the British pound 773,000. The Biden administration renewed a sanctions waiver for Iraq to import electricity and natural gas from Iran, and also allowed Baghdad to pay Tehran with euros and dollars, providing a few billions of dollars to the crippled Iranian economy. However, local investors and ordinary people expect the economic crisis to deepen and inflation to rise. They buy US dollars and other major currencies to protect their capital and savings. Iran’s current annual inflation rate hovers around 50 percent.
In response to escalating regional conflicts in the Middle East, the U.S. Maritime Administration has issued a new advisory to shipping that enhances previous guidelines for U.S.-flagged commercial ships navigating through high-risk areas including the Southern Red Sea, Bab el Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden, as well as the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters. The comprehensive new guidance, which replaces a previous advisory, comes in response to the volatile maritime security situation in the region from a combination of Houthi attacks from Yemen, the resurgence of Somali piracy, and a aggressive actions by Iran that are affecting international shipping lanes critical to the global economy. Despite efforts by the U.S. and its allies to safeguard these waters through operations like the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian and EU’s Operation Aspides in the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden, along with EU’s Operation Atalanta off the coast of Somalia, these efforts have so far been ineffective at ensuring the free flow of commerce in the region, particularly in regards to the Red Sea.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Tehran Court Upholds Five-Year Sentence For Iranian-Swedish Citizen | Iran International
Azizi, 60, was arrested by Iranian security forces on November 12 at his private residence shortly after returning from Sweden to Iran. His lawyer had previously highlighted Azizi's deteriorating health condition, citing prostate cancer and injuries sustained from a fall in prison. The case of Azizi adds to a series of detentions involving dual-national citizens in Iran. Notably, Ahmadreza Djalali, an Iranian-Swedish physician and researcher arrested in 2016, and Johan Floderus, a Swedish diplomat working for the European Union detained in April 2022, have also faced accusations of espionage. The Swedish government has expressed deep concern over the detention of its citizens, demanding their immediate release. In mid-January, Sweden called for Azizi's release, stating that Iran had detained him "without any specific reason." Critics accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran of leveraging the detention and trial of Western or dual-national citizens as a means to advance its political agendas and to provoke tensions with Western governments. Last year, the United States unfroze $6 billion of Iran's blocked funds in exchange for the release of five hostages.
Nobel Winner Urges World To Browbeat Iran Over Rights Abuses | Voice Of America
Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi on Monday called on countries to increase pressure on Tehran over its "egregious" human rights abuses. Mohammadi, 51, won the 2023 award for her campaign for human rights in Iran which has seen her spend much of the last two decades in and out of prison. "The people of Iran are enduring systematic, widespread and institutionalized human rights violations," she told a U.N. Human Rights Council session on Iran, in a message read out on her behalf. "With the recent surge in protests and the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, repression has escalated targeting not only political dissidents but also women, religious minorities and ethnic groups," she said. "The U.N. and human rights organizations worldwide must exert systematic and comprehensive pressure on the Islamic republic, holding it accountable for its egregious violations of human rights." Mohammadi is detained in Tehran's Evin prison, and her message was read out by the nongovernmental organization Together Against the Death Penalty.
Mahsa Amini's Death In Iran Custody Was 'Unlawful,' Says UN Mission | Reuters
A fact-finding mission mandated by the United Nations said on Monday the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran's morality police was unlawful and caused by violence and that Iranian women still suffer systematic discrimination. The death of 22-year-old Amini, a Kurdish Iranian woman, in September 2022 while in custody for allegedly flouting Iran's Islamic dress code unleashed months of protests and the biggest challenge to the Islamic Republic's clerical leaders in decades. "Our investigation established that her death was unlawful and caused by physical violence in the custody of state authorities," Sara Hossain, chairperson of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. The fact-finding mission found the protests that followed were marked by extra-judicial executions, arbitrary arrests, torture and ill-treatment, as well as rape and sexual violence. The Tehran Province Court of Appeals has upheld the five-year sentence for Saeed Azizi, an Iranian-Swedish dual-national, one of several held as part of Tehran's hostage diplomacy policy.
5 Kurdish People, Including Teen, Sentenced To Prison In Iran | Iran Wire
The Iranian judicial system has sentenced five Kurdish individuals to varying terms of imprisonment, according to a report by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. Among those sentenced is a minor, 16-year-old Hiwa Sharifi. Two others, Shwana Babakri and Shafie Babakri, have been identified as members of a "justice-seeking family." The remaining two individuals are Shahin Ebrahimi and Saleh Sakhavat. Their sentences range from three to six months, with Hiwa Sharifi receiving the shortest term and Shwana and Shafie Babakri receiving the longest. Shahin Ebrahimi and Saleh Sakhavat were each sentenced to three months. The report states that all five individuals were arrested by security forces in Oshnavieh in July 2023. They were released on bail a month later while awaiting trial.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Dozens Of Businesses Sealed In Iran For Ramadan Violations | Iran International
In the western city of Hamedan in Iran, 35 retail businesses faced closure after being accused of disrespecting the holy month of Ramadan. Mohammad Arghavan, head of the Hamedan Chamber, condemned individuals who encouraged others to break their fasts, labeling it as an “insult to the devout residents of Hamedan.” Simultaneously, in the southern city of Dezful, authorities sealed 10 shops on Saturday for failing to observe the sanctity of Ramadan. Masoud Bahrampour, the Friday Prayer Imam of Dezful, used his sermons to criticize such disregard for religious observance, calling for strict penalties to deter further violations. Iranians are required to refrain from eating, drinking, and smoking in public during Ramadan, even if inside their vehicles. Article 638 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code, implemented about 12 years after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, mandates penalties ranging from 10 to 60 days imprisonment or up to 74 lashes for violating fasting regulations, applicable to all regardless of religion.
Prisoner Dies In Iran Due To 'Reckless' Drug Prescription: Report | Iran Wire
Another Iranian prisoner has died under suspicious circumstances in custody amid a rising number of inmate fatalities. Sohail Haqbin reportedly died due to "reckless prescription of psychotropic drugs" by prison authorities, according to a report by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. The report alleges that Haqbin succumbed to the effects of excessive medication at Lakan Prison in Rasht. Hengaw cites a source who claimed prison officials are attempting to cover up the incident by labeling Haqbin's death as "suicide." Haqbin was previously incarcerated on charges of "homicide" before being transferred to Lakan Prison. His death has ignited concerns about the use of psychotropic drugs in Iranian prisons. At least 32 inmates died within the confines of the Islamic Republic's prisons last year, according to Hengaw. Nine of them were political prisoners.
CONGRESS & IRAN
Gallagher Statement On Iran Chairing UN Disarmament Conference | Congressman Mike Gallagher
"Today, Iran assumed responsibilities as the Chair of the United Nations' Conference on Disarmament. An adversary nation actively pursuing the development and proliferation of nuclear weapons is now chairing the single multi-lateral disarmament negotiating forum. Western appeasement of Iran, especially in assuming this role, only serves to degrade the institution and its efforts. Iran has, for decades, lied to the international community regarding its nuclear development and unabashedly serves as perhaps the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world. Iran should be prohibited from occupying this post, and banned from holding any leadership role in the international community, especially any to do with weapons of mass destruction."
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Israeli Airstrikes Target Damascus Countryside, Syria Says | Reuters
Israel early on Tuesday launched missiles at several military targets outside the Syrian capital Damascus resulting in some "material damage," Syria's defense ministry said. Syrian air defenses intercepted Israeli "missiles and shot down some of them," the ministry added in a statement. Iran has been a major backer of President Bashar al-Assad during Syria's nearly 12-year-old conflict. Its support for Damascus and the Lebanese group Hezbollah has drawn regular Israeli air strikes meant to curb Tehran's extraterritorial military power. Those strikes have ramped up in line with flaring regional tensions since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, with more than half a dozen Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers killed in suspected Israeli strikes on Syria since December. As a result, the Guards have scaled back deployment of their senior officers in Syria and have planned to rely more on allied Shi'ite militia to preserve their sway there, Reuters reported in February.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
Saudi Iranian Relations Remain Cool Despite Renewed Diplomatic Ties | Iran International
Hopes for increased economic cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia following last year's diplomatic reconciliation have not materialized, due to historical and political factors. Saudi Arabia and Iran have a long history of hostility, usually taking opposing sides in regional conflicts such as Yemen, Lebanon, and Syria. This competition, fueled by disruptive activities and outright attacks on Saudi land and oil infrastructure, strained relations in the last two decades. However, encouraged by China, the resumption of relations in 2023 presented the possibility of some cooperation between the two regional powers. However, despite this success, Saudi Arabia has opted not to engage in Iran's energy development initiatives, citing various reasons. The Islamic regime in Iran has long sought political and military dominance in the region, angering Sunni Arab neighbors, with Saudi Arabia having the most to lose if Shia Iran establishes supremacy. This lies behind costly rivalries in Yemen and other parts of the region. It was believed that following restoration of diplomatic relations, their economic ties would improve, notably in the oil sector. However, Saudi Arabia has made no investments in Iran, particularly in the energy sector, during the last year.
OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Iran Fears Loss Of Clout In The Caucasus | Radio Free Europe
An emboldened Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, has changed the balance of power in the South Caucasus in recent years. Baku reclaimed full control over Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region that for three decades had been under ethnic-Armenian control, last year. A weakened Armenia, meanwhile, has distanced itself from its traditional ally, Russia, and looked to move closer to the West. The geopolitical changes in the region have raised concerns in Iran, which neighbors Armenia and Azerbaijan. Tehran fears it could lose its clout in a region that has long been dominated by Moscow, an ally. The Islamic republic strongly opposes the proposed east-west Zangezur Corridor that would connect mainland Azerbaijan to its Naxcivan exclave through Armenian territory and open a long-sought trade route to Tehran's rival, Turkey, and beyond.