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Iran’s supreme leader on Sunday formally endorsed Masoud Pezeshkian as president, allowing the reformist politician and heart surgeon to take charge of a country weakened by economic sanctions over its nuclear program. During an endorsement ceremony, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Pezeshkian to prioritize neighbors, African and Asian nations as well as countries that have “supported and helped” Iran in Tehran’s foreign relations policies. Khamenei criticized European nations for “behaving badly to us” by adopting sanctions, an oil embargo and for calling out alleged human rights abuses. He also condemned Israel for its actions in Gaza in the deaths of children, women and hospitalized people “who did not shoot a single bullet” against Israeli forces. “The Zionist regime is showing its ugliest face as a war criminal,” said Khamenei, accusing Israel of setting a “new record in assassinations” and cruelty. He also denounced the U.S. Congress for allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the legislative body.
Israel Says Hezbollah Rocket Kills 12 At Football Ground, Vows Response | Reuters
A rocket attack on a football ground in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights killed 12 people including children on Saturday, Israeli authorities said, blaming Hezbollah and vowing to inflict a heavy price on the Iran-backed Lebanese group. Hezbollah denied any responsibility for the strike, the deadliest in Israel or Israeli-annexed territory since the start of the conflict in Gaza. The attack sharply escalated tensions in the hostilities which have been fought in parallel to the Gaza war and has raised fears of a full-blown conflict between the heavily armed adversaries. The rocket struck a football pitch in the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, territory captured from Syria by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move not recognised by most countries. "Hezbollah will pay a heavy price, the kind it has thus far not paid," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a phone call with the leader of the Druze community in Israel, according to a statement from his office. In a written statement, Hezbollah said: "The Islamic Resistance has absolutely nothing to do with the incident, and categorically denies all false allegations in this regard". Hezbollah had earlier announced several rocket attacks targeting Israeli military positions. The Israeli ambulance service said 13 more people were wounded by the rocket that hit the soccer pitch which was filled at the time with children and teenagers.
UANI IN THE NEWS
The Iran-backed terrorist movement Hezbollah on Saturday rained down rockets on Israel, with at least one hitting a soccer field where children were playing in the northern Israeli town of Majdal Shams right by the border with Syria. At least 12 deaths have so far been reported with some 29 more injured, most reportedly between the ages of 10 and 20. […] Jason Brodsky, an expert on Iran and its proxies, told Fox News Digital that "Hezbollah’s secretary-general [Hassan Nasrallah]has been warning in July about striking "new targets" in Israel. This kind of strike in Majdal Shams is likely what he had in mind—especially as it is outside of major population centers like Tel Aviv, which would almost certainly trigger a decisive response, and it’s a Druze town. Nasrallah might have thought Hezbollah could get away with it." Brodsky, who is the policy director of United Against A Nuclear Iran, continued, "But that may prove to be a miscalculation on Hezbollah’s part because an attack of this nature has the potential to change the dynamics of the conflict in the north due to the mass civilian casualties, including children. How did we get here? Eroded deterrence. Hezbollah has been under the impression that the U.S. would constrain Israeli operations in Lebanon. When U.S. policy is centered on deescalation, it begets the very escalation that they hope to avoid."
Kamala Harris is the presumptive Democratic frontrunner — despite garnering zero votes from the electorate, a failed 2020 presidential bid and difficulties articulating what policy decisions, if any, marked her vice presidency. But the 47th president will be tasked with navigating a slate of global quagmires involving China, Russia, Iran and Israel-Palestine. So how would Harris’s foreign policy stand up against Trump’s? The VP’s first foreign policy moves since becoming the likely nominee have been characterized more by her absences rather than actions. […] Nowhere would Trump and Harris diverge more than on addressing Tehran’s nuclear weapons program. A Harris administration, notes Jason Brodsky of the United Against Nuclear Iran watchdog, would focus on perpetuating a Biden-esque policy of concessionary soft diplomacy while attempting to revive a nuclear deal.
Hezbollah Wouldn’t Have Attacked Israel On His Watch, Trump Says | Jewish News Syndicate
“Today’s attack on Israel cannot be forgotten,” former U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Saturday, after Hezbollah terrorists fired a rocket that killed 12 youths, and wounded dozens, in the Israeli Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights. “It will go down as another moment in history created by a weak and ineffective United States president and vice president,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account. “With time, this situation will only get worse for our country.” […] Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran, noted that the E.U. leader didn’t mention “the word Hezbollah, which the E.U. still does not designate in its entirety as a terrorist organization.” “Israel was just attacked, but the E.U. is calling for restraint,” Brodsky wrote. “It’s like counseling a person who is in the middle of being assaulted with a deadly object to restrain himself.”
Hezbollah Rocket Kills 12, Mostly Children, In Golan Druze Town | Israel Today
Twelve children and youths were killed, and dozens more people wounded, when a Hezbollah heavy rocket hit near a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights on Saturday evening. “The Hezbollah terrorist organization is behind the rocket launch at a soccer field in Majdal Shams which caused multiple civilian casualties, including children, earlier this evening,” the Israel Defense Forces said. […] Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran, noted that the EU leader didn’t mention “the word Hezbollah, which the EU still does not designate in its entirety as a terrorist organization.” “Israel was just attacked, but the EU is calling for restraint,” Brodsky wrote. “It’s like counseling a person who is in the middle of being assaulted with a deadly object to restrain himself.”
Iran Allows Retrieval Of Türkiye Crude Oil From Seized Tanker | Daily Sabah
[...] The cargo was transferred onto the Türkiye-flagged tanker T. Semahat earlier this week via a ship-to-ship transfer near Iran's Larak Island, said Claire Jungman, chief of staff at U.S. advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, which tracks Iran-related tanker traffic via satellite data.
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
The Biden administration was reportedly ready to sign a nuclear agreement with Iran, according to a Friday exclusive report by the Arabic-language Kuwaiti daily newspaper Al-Jarida. The report claims that an informed source in the Iranian Supreme National Security Council confirmed that US officials a few days ago on Tuesday said the Biden administration is willing to negotiate a return to the nuclear agreement concluded in 2015 after introducing minor amendments to it. The source explained to Al-Jarida that the communications between the two sides at the security level have been ongoing since October 7, and have recently become almost daily, and even several times during the same day to avoid a clash between them in the context of the Gaza war. The two sides had decided to return to an unwritten agreement between them before Hamas attacked Israel, the report described, as a meeting at the political level between them was cut due to the death of President Ebrahim Raisi.
The "failure" of President Biden and Vice President Harris could lead to Iran producing a nuclear weapon in the months ahead of the U.S. presidential election, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., warned on Sunday. Graham, appearing on CBS’ "Face the Nation," said the Senate last week received a "stunning" report from the Director of National Intelligence about the status of the Iranian nuclear program. "What I worry the most about is a sprint to a nuclear weapon," Graham said. "I am very worried that not only you could open up a second front [in Israel's war], but they could use these three or four months before our election to sprint to a nuclear weapon, and we have to put them on notice. That cannot happen." Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Iran could produce fissile nuclear material in "one or two weeks." While Blinken blamed the collapse of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal – for Iran’s accelerated development, Graham pointed to Biden and Harris. "Biden, Harris have been a colossal failure in terms of controlling the ayatollah," the senator said. "They've enriched him and Israel is paying the price."
Iran’s Nuclear Advances Raising Serious Concerns | Arab News
Iran’s nuclear program has always been a significant concern for the international community. However, developments over the past few weeks have escalated these concerns to unprecedented levels, signaling a critical juncture in Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the global response to them. According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Iran is now on the brink of producing the material necessary for a nuclear weapon, potentially within “one or two weeks.” This stark warning underscores the rapid advancement of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The Biden administration often attributes this alarming progression to Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the US from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal. Blinken noted: “What we’ve seen in the last weeks and months is an Iran that’s actually moving forward.” He added: “Where we are now is not in a good place … Now, they haven’t produced a weapon itself, but ... you put those things together — the fissile material, an explosive device — and you have a nuclear weapon.” The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency has also issued a stark warning regarding developments in Iran’s nuclear program. For the first time, IAEA inspectors last month confirmed that Iran has begun feeding uranium gas into advanced IR-4 and IR-6 centrifuges at its Natanz enrichment facility.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Economists Warn Iran's President-Elect About Liberalization Plans | Iran International
Economists are warning Masoud Pezeshkian that rushing his plans to liberalize the economy including closing the gap between the official and market currency rates could cause a sudden economic shock. Economic experts assert that the multi-rate currency system, with the government offering cheaper dollars to some importers, has primarily benefited a small group of merchants (rentiers) with political connections, fostering massive corruption. Iran's currency that has steadily declined since the overthrow of monarchy in 1979, has experienced sharp falls since 2018 when the United States withdrew from the JCPOA nuclear deal and imposed oil export sanctions. The government, trying to prevent massive price hikes for imports, decided to offer cheap dollars to importers, indirectly subsidizing food, medicines and animal feed. However, influential insiders took advantage of the cheaper currency system to line their pockets with fake imports and still high prices for consumers. These rates include the ‘preferential rate’ provided to importers by the government for food and medicine, cheaper than in the NIMA rate system whereby exporters must transfer their earned currency to importers. Then there is open market currency rate, which everyone can use to buy and sell foreign currencies at much higher rates. This is regulated by supply and demand, although the government tries to impact rates by periodically releasing dollars to banks and official exchanges.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Four Iranian Women Accused Of 'Armed Rebellion' At Risk Of Execution | Iran International
Iranian authorities have accused four women of "armed rebellion", a sentence carrying the death penalty, as the country's execution spree continues. The four women have been identified as Pakhshan Azizi, Sharifeh Mohammadi, Varisheh Moradi, and Nasim Gholami Simiyari. While Azizi and Mohammadi have received a death sentence in recent weeks, the verdicts for Moradi and Simiyari are pending. However, given the armed rebellion charges they face, activists have warned that they could be at high risk of execution. Article 287 of the Islamic Penal Code states that any group taking up arms against the Islamic Republic is considered a rebel and "its members shall be sentenced to death.” Rights groups, activists, and Evin Prison inmates have condemned the authorities' actions, sparking widespread protests on social media and from human rights organizations against the Islamic Republic's harsh treatment of female activists.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Khamenei Officially Endorses Relative Moderate As Iran's President | Reuters
Iran's supreme leader formally endorsed Masoud Pezeshkian as the country's president on Sunday, after he won an election this month by pledging a pragmatic foreign policy and easing repression at home. Pezeshkian, a relative moderate who will be sworn in on Tuesday, is taking office at a time of escalating Middle East tensions over the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran warned its arch foe Israel on Sunday against what it called any new adventure in Lebanon, after Israeli authorities blamed Hezbollah for a rocket attack on Saturday that hit a football ground in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights killing 12 people, and vowed to inflict a heavy response. Hezbollah denied any responsibility for the strike. In a ceremony broadcast live on state television, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave his approval for Pezeshkian, and in a speech afterwards, the supreme leader reiterated Iran's longstanding anti-Israel stance.
Iran’s Pezeshkian Names Mohammad Reza Aref As Vice President | Bloomberg
Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, appointed Mohammad Reza Aref, a reformist politician, as his first vice president, according to Iran’s state TV. Aref, 72, had previously served as a vice president under former reformist President Mohammad Khatami from 2001 to 2005. He was also a candidate in the 2013 presidential election but withdrew in favor of moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani, who went on to win the presidency. The appointment marks Pezeshkian’s first official act since assuming office, following his confirmation as president by the country’s supreme leader on Sunday.
A heat wave blanketing Iran has forced authorities to cut operating hours at various facilities Saturday and order all government and commercial institutions to shutter the following day as hospitals receive over 200 people for heatstroke treatment. The temperature ranged from 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) to 42 C (about 107 F) in the capital, Tehran, according to weather reports. State-run IRNA news agency said banks, offices, and public institutions across the country would close on Sunday to protect people’s health and conserve energy, due to extreme temperatures and that only emergency services and medical agencies would be excluded. Babak Yektaparast, Spokesman for the country’s emergency department told the semi-official Mehr news agency 225 people had to seek medical help for heatstroke, adding that some had to be hospitalized. Mehr also cited Sadegh Ziaian, an official at the National Meteorological Organization, as saying Saturday that the temperature reached over 45 C (113 F) in 10 Iranian provinces, with the highest temperature of 49.7 C ( about 121 F) recorded in the last 24 hours in Delgan, the southeastern city in Sistan and Baluchistan province which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan.
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Iran Warns Against 'Reckless' Response To Killing Of Druze Children | The Jerusalem Post
Iran warned Israel on Sunday against what it called a “new adventure” in Lebanon, in retaliation for the devastating Hezbollah attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams, in a statement issued by foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani. Israeli authorities blamed Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah for a rocket attack that hit a football ground in the Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, killing 12 children on Saturday, and vowed to inflict a heavy response. Hezbollah denied any responsibility for the strike. Kanaani said he strongly warned against “any new Zionist adventure against Lebanon under the pretext of the Majdal Shams incident in the Golan.” Kanaani also warned that any “reckless aggression” by Israel ran the risk of destabilizing regional security and escalating the war, Al Mayadeen reported. The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson reportedly said that Israel would bear “responsibility for the unexpected consequences of any foolish behavior they commit.” He called on the US and the rest of the international community to support Lebanon in achieving security in the face of “Zionist aggression," Al Mayadeen added.
OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Iran’s Supreme Leader Hints At Improving Ties With West | Bloomberg
Iran’s supreme leader indicated that his country is open to easing diplomatic engagement with the West, hinting at a potentially more conciliatory approach for the country under its new president. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran has been “treated badly in recent years” by Western states, particularly through sanctions that stifled its economy and oil exports. However, Tehran could reconsider its diplomatic priorities with the West “if they change their ill conduct,” he said in a televised address on Sunday, without elaborating. Iran has consistently criticized the European signatories of a 2015 nuclear deal — namely the UK, France and Germany — for failing to meet their commitments to revive the agreement after it was abandoned in 2018 by then-US President Donald Trump. The Iranian leader on Sunday formally confirmed Masoud Pezeshkian as Iran’s new president The endorsement on Sunday is considered a legal formality but marks the beginning of Pezeshkian’s term in office. In a runoff vote this month, Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old veteran reformist and long-time lawmaker, defeated hard-line diplomat Saeed Jalili who is known for his aversion to relations with the West.