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Oil Prices Plunge As Saudi-Iran Split On Output Freeze Resurfaces

Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak favors giving Iran an exemption from an oil output freeze being pushed by Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak favors giving Iran an exemption from an oil output freeze being pushed by Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Oil prices plunged anew as signs of discord reemerged between Iran and Saudi Arabia over an oil production freeze being pushed by the Saudis and Russia.

At a meeting of the OPEC oil cartel in Algeria on September 27, Iran rejected an offer by the Saudis to cut their oil production if Tehran agreed to freeze its output at its current level of 3.6 million barrels a day, OPEC officials said.

Iran continued to insist that it be free to increase production to levels attained before international sanctions were imposed in 2012 -- around 4 million barrels a day.

Despite the renewal of discord between the two regional rivals, Russia and Saudi Arabia remained hopeful that Iran and other members of the cartel would eventually join in an output freeze agreement.

"The gap between OPEC countries is narrowing," Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said. "I remain optimistic on the basis of market fundamentals that are moving in the right direction and also on the producers coming to a common view."

Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak, who did not formally attend the OPEC meeting but was present in Algiers for some meetings on the sidelines, said that while an output freeze remains elusive, he believes it would speed up the stabilization of oil prices by three to six months.

He said he supports an exemption from the freeze not only for Iran, which was crippled for years by sanctions, but for Nigeria and Libya, both nations whose production has been interrupted by fights against insurgencies this year.

"This is fair for Iran. First of all, we are talking about this country, as well as Nigeria and Libya, which saw a significant drop in production volumes this year as the result of force majeure. Individual approaches may also be applied to them," Novak said.

While Russia President Vladimir Putin recently came out strongly in favor of a production freeze to help stabilize the recession-stricken economies of Russia and other oil producers, Novak said Russia is waiting until the members of OPEC reach a consensus before resuming discussions on the mechanics of a freeze with the cartel.

"They need to discuss and make a decision. Then we will be ready to consider proposals from OPEC for countries outside the organization," he said.

While Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Russia all held out hope that agreement could be reached at OPEC's next meeting in November, global oil markets were disappointed by the failure to make progress in Algeria.

Premium crude prices fell about 3 percent on September 27 in London and New York trading, ending at $45.97 a barrel on the London commodity exchange. Prices recovered only marginally in Asian trading early on September 28.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and TASS

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Persia From Above, A Century Ago

In the winter of 1924, inhabitants of a small village near Tehran looked up as a metal-bodied airplane swooped in to land, bumped along a field, then collapsed in a cloud of dust after its landing gear broke.

Women in burqas watch as Walter Mittelholzer’s plane is repaired outside a settlement 40 kilometers from Tehran in December 1924.
Women in burqas watch as Walter Mittelholzer’s plane is repaired outside a settlement 40 kilometers from Tehran in December 1924.

The pilot of the plane was Swiss aviator Walter Mittelholzer, who had received an invitation from the Persian government to deliver a new Junkers aircraft to the country, which would be renamed Iran in 1935.

Swiss aviator and photographer Walter Mittelholzer (left) and mechanic Ernst Bissegger before their 1924 flight to Persia
Swiss aviator and photographer Walter Mittelholzer (left) and mechanic Ernst Bissegger before their 1924 flight to Persia

Kaspar Surber, a Swiss journalist who wrote a book on Mittelholzer, told RFE/RL the aviator was chosen for the flight to Persia in part to “popularize flying” through aerial images he would take there.

Mittelholzer was famous at the time for becoming the first person to extensively photograph Switzerland’s mountains from an airplane.

Tehran photographed from an altitude of 400 meters with the Alborz mountain range in the background
Tehran photographed from an altitude of 400 meters with the Alborz mountain range in the background

In the 1920s, Surber says there was something of a “race” between German and British aviation companies to begin air services in Persia, making Mittelholzer's photography skills a key promotional advantage.

A Swiss newspaper wrote of the aviator: "The Swiss people know what to expect from their Mr. Mittelholzer, who can not only pilot a plane across unknown countries but also photograph and film in flight."

The Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine in northern Iran
The Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine in northern Iran

After their ignominious landing 40 kilometers outside of Tehran, Mittelholzer and mechanic Ernst Bissegger had a tense confrontation with villagers before help eventually arrived from the Persian capital and their aircraft was repaired.

Locals pull Mittelholzer’s plane into position at an airfield in Persia.
Locals pull Mittelholzer’s plane into position at an airfield in Persia.

Mittelholzer and Bissegger's flight of more than 3,000 kilometers from Switzerland to Persia included a standoff with Turkish authorities who confiscated their plane, troubles with poor quality gasoline purchased in Baghdad, and erroneous maps that forced them into the ill-fated landing during which their plane's landing gear collapsed.

A river cutting through an unidentified Persian mountain range.
A river cutting through an unidentified Persian mountain range.

Mittelholzer’s initial impressions of the territory of Persia from above were of “areas that lie desolate and empty and wander past the observing eye for hours. Huge alluvial fans, piles of rubble, and deltas of saline rivers [that] characterize the country."

A small village in Persia
A small village in Persia

Isolated settlements occasionally came into view as the pair flew over Persian territory.

"Here and there a green patch shines," Mittelholzer wrote, "a space in the center of which features residents' mud huts rising on narrow and winding streets. Silver bands mark the irrigation channels at the edges of the gardens."

Bushehr, a town on the Persian Gulf, seen from an altitude of 300 meters.
Bushehr, a town on the Persian Gulf, seen from an altitude of 300 meters.

Mittelholzer seized the opportunity to photograph Persia extensively from above in photographs that are now held by the ETH Zurich library.

The port in Bushehr
The port in Bushehr

The Swiss aviator and photographer also made use of his camera on the ground to capture a country on the cusp of dramatic change under Reza Shah Pahlavi, a ruler who would become known as Persia’s “modernizing strongman.”

A walled village in Persia photographed from Mittelholzer’s plane
A walled village in Persia photographed from Mittelholzer’s plane

At the time of Mittelholzer’s visit to Persia, the country was without major rail or road networks, and camel caravans were still in use as a means of foreign trade, making air transport an enticing possibility for the country’s rulers.

Isfahan, in the center of today's Iran, as seen in 1924
Isfahan, in the center of today's Iran, as seen in 1924

With the aviation industry still in its infancy in Persia, Mittelholzer and Bissegger had the sky virtually to themselves as they swept low over urban centers to snap images that would soon stun European audiences.

A Junkers airplane photographed by Mittelholzer flying over Tehran
A Junkers airplane photographed by Mittelholzer flying over Tehran

Mittelholzer predicted that aerial photography would play a significant role in documentary imagery of the future.

"Another hitherto unseen world opens up before us. It is as if the Earth has thereby gained a new face, and man a new, unflawed eye," he wrote in 1928.

A fishing vessel under construction in Bushehr
A fishing vessel under construction in Bushehr

After spending several weeks inside Iran, the two Swiss aviators eventually made the long trek back to Central Europe by car. Mittelholzer would later co-found a company that became Swissair, Switzerland's national carrier until 2002. He died in a mountaineering accident in 1937 aged 43.

Kashan, in today’s Isfahan Province of Iran
Kashan, in today’s Isfahan Province of Iran

In a newspaper obituary, a friend noted that Mittelholzer's death in the mountains that he loved, and that had sparked his extraordinary career, had a certain tragic poetry: "They have embraced him 0n his last wanderings and claimed him, and perhaps he would not have wished for a better end, but alas it came all too soon, there was so much more for him to do."

Oscar-Winning Director Asghar Farhadi Cleared Of Plagiarism By Iranian Court

Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi
Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi

An Iranian court has cleared two-time Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi of plagiarism charges over his film A Hero, which won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021. A former student, Azadeh Masihzadeh, had accused Farhadi of stealing the idea for the movie from a documentary she made during a workshop run by the director in 2014 in Tehran. Farhadi's public relations firm on March 13 said in a statement the court verdict was based on the "expert" opinions of three prominent professors at Tehran University, as well as experts and lecturers in the field of intellectual property rights and arts. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.

Iran's Inflation Taking Bite Out Of Traditional Persian New Year Meals

Iranians buying items to celebrate the Persian New Year in Tehran. (file photo)
Iranians buying items to celebrate the Persian New Year in Tehran. (file photo)

Iranians, already hit hard by declining living standards, are seeing steep price increases for essential goods as the Persian New Year, Norouz, approaches.

The New Year, which this year follows the start of the holy month of Ramadan and heralds the start of spring on March 20, is traditionally a time of celebration. But the surge in prices, according to local media, has forced many to prioritize essential food items over other purchases of new clothes for the New Year celebrations at a time already marred by economic hardship.

The Tehran-based Etemad newspaper highlighted the impact of these price hikes on Ramadan, noting that the cost of consumer goods for iftar meals has multiplied compared to the previous year as Iranians continue to endure an annual inflation rate that for the past five years has been above 40 percent while purchasing power has been decimated.

The cost of preparing the traditional haft-sin table, a central part of Norouz celebrations, has also skyrocketed, retailers said.

Unrest has rattled Iran for more than a year in response to declining living standards, wage arrears, and a lack of welfare support.

The country's economy has been ravaged by U.S. sanctions, hitting budget revenues hard while also leading to a surge of protests. Labor Ministry data show that Iran's poverty rate doubled in 2021, with one-third of the population living in "extreme poverty." Since then, conditions have failed to improve.

In September 2023, Iran's Misery Index, calculated by the Iranian Statistics Center, rose to 60.4 -- its highest point ever and more than double what it was six years ago. The higher the rating, the worse off people feel.

Rasoul Shajari, the head of Tehran's Shoemakers Union, reported a 25 percent drop in demand amid a 30 percent increase in prices in Tehran's pre-Norouz shoe market. Meanwhile, the Ettela'at newspaper said its survey of retailers showed a significant decline in the demand for sweets, a staple of Norouz celebrations, due to high prices.

Compounding the economic pressures, Tehran's City Council announced fare increases for public transport, including a 16 percent rise for the subway, 21 percent for rapid transit buses, and 30 percent for regular buses, further squeezing the already strained budgets of Tehran's residents.

The situation outside the capital is just as bad.

The Mehr news agency reported from the central Iranian province of Semnan that some prices have jumped "significantly" in the weeks leading up to the holiday season.

The Etemad newspaper, in a rare move, urged officials to refrain from exacerbating the situation with "additional social pressures" such as clamping down on wearing the hijab.

The Misery Index is also seen as a barometer for societal issues, with a direct link to crime rates and even instances of suicide. The most recent index also showed that in the past year, 22 of Iran's 31 provinces reported a reading surpassing the national average, highlighting countrywide discontent.

Several protests have been held by Iranians over the past year in response to declining living standards, wage arrears, and a lack of welfare support.

The death of Amini while in police custody for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly has added fuel to the unrest, as Iranians have also demonstrated against a lack of freedoms and women's rights.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Iranian Protesters Voice Outrage During Fire Festival

Iranian Protesters Voice Outrage During Fire Festival
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Throughout Iran, protesters called for change and chanted "Freedom" on March 12 during traditional bonfires for Chaharshanbe Suri. The annual fire festival, held ahead of Persian New Year, or Norouz, has become an outlet for protest.

Fires And Feast As Iranians Prepare For Persian New Year Amid Heightened Tension

Revelers take part in the traditional fire feast known as Chaharshanbe Suri on March 12. The ancient Persian festival of Zoroastrian origin marks the eve of the last Wednesday before the Persian New Year that begins on March 20.

Suspects Who Published Video Of Hospital Fight Arrested In Iran

The video in question shows a woman without the mandatory hijab holding her baby, leading to widespread public and online outrage. 
The video in question shows a woman without the mandatory hijab holding her baby, leading to widespread public and online outrage. 

Iran's judiciary has confirmed the arrest of individuals linked to a video circulating on social media that shows a confrontation between a cleric and a woman at a hospital in the central city of Qom, saying the incident was an attempt to sow "division" inside the country.

Ruhollah Muslemkhani, the deputy prosecutor of Qom, said four people had been detained in the case, which he described as “a deliberate act aimed at sowing discord within society.” He added that the case has been transferred to the Intelligence Ministry.

According to the Tasnim news agency, which is associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the deputy prosecutor said the arrested individuals were accused of “distributing the video to the London-based Iran International news channel with the intention of creating societal division” in Iran.

Government officials had initially defended the cleric involved in the confrontation.

The episode comes amid heightened sensitivity to public decency and hijab enforcement in Iran, with the video in question showing a woman, without the mandatory hijab, holding her baby, leading to widespread public and online outrage.

The woman demanded the cleric delete the unauthorized video, but instead he refused, insisting she cover up. As the confrontation intensified, the woman began to show signs of having a nervous breakdown while the man ultimately departed with the camera and video.

The woman's condition following the incident remains unknown. There was no further information on the cleric involved in the confrontation.

This case follows a recent pattern of a public outcry over clerical interference and the enforcement of the mandatory hijab, especially during and since the nationwide protests broke out in September 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody for an alleged head scarf violation.

The Iranian government and its officials, including those in President Ebrahim Raisi's administration, often support the so-called promoters of virtue in their efforts to enforce dress codes, with Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi stating no permission is needed to advise women and girls on hijab compliance.

The hijab, or Islamic head scarf, became compulsory for women and girls over the age of 9 in 1981, two years after the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The move triggered protests that were swiftly crushed by the new authorities.

Many women have flouted the rule over the years and pushed the boundaries of what officials say is acceptable clothing.

Since Amini died, thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets to demand more freedoms and women's rights, with the judiciary, backed by lawmakers, responding to the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution with a brutal crackdown.

Several thousand people have been arrested, including many protesters, as well as journalists, lawyers, activists, digital rights defenders, and others.

At least nine protesters have been executed after what rights groups and several Western governments have called "sham" trials.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Iran Official Says Health System Faces 'Disaster' Over Nurse Exodus

A nurse at a hospital in Hamedan, Iran, pauses for a moment while caring for patients with the coronavirus in April 2021.
A nurse at a hospital in Hamedan, Iran, pauses for a moment while caring for patients with the coronavirus in April 2021.

A member of the leadership of Iran's Medical Council (IRIMC) says the issue of nurses migrating to other countries has become a full-blown crisis, leaving Iran's hospitals far below international standards for treating patients.

Abolghasem Talebi, a member of the Supreme Council of IRIMC, told state-run radio on March 11 that the stark disparity between Iran and the global standard for nurse-to-bed ratios highlights the critical state of the country's health-care system.

He said nearly 3,000 nurses leave Iran each year, a figure that starkly contrasts with the 10,000 individuals trained annually at the country's educational institutions. This mass exodus, Talebi said, creates a "disaster" for the nation's health-care system.

"While the international norm stands at three nurses per bed, Iran's ratio is alarmingly less than a third of this benchmark," he said.

Talebi said Iran's health-care system currently employs around 240,000 nurses and that even with recruitment efforts trying to match the current total number of active nurses the system remains well below accepted international standards.

The Iranian Nursing System Organization has acknowledged the alarming rate of nurse migration and its effects on patient care, noting that retirement levels -- around 6,000 nurses annually -- is making it even harder to staff nursing stations, "compromising the quality of care and potentially leading to increased patient mortality."

Thousands of Iranian health professionals have left their homeland in recent years, mainly due to the country’s deepening economic crisis, difficult working conditions, and the lack of social and political freedoms.

Iranian media outlets estimate some 16,000 doctors, including specialists, have left the Islamic republic since 2020, leading to warnings of a public health-care crisis.

Tehran's harsh response to unrest across the country -- both by struggling industrial workers and farmers suffering severe water shortages in recent years, as well as supporters of the country's Women, Life, Freedom movement who have voiced their anger at the clerical establishment -- appears to have pushed many Iranians to consider leaving as well.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Tehran Court Says Iranian-German National, U.S. Must Pay $2.5 Billion Over 2008 Bombing

Jamshid Sharmahd in an Iranian courtroom in 2022
Jamshid Sharmahd in an Iranian courtroom in 2022

A court in Tehran has ordered Iranian-German national Jamshid Sharmahd and the United States government to pay $2.5 billion in compensation to victims of a 2008 bombing in Shiraz in southern Iran.

The Tehran International Claims Court handed down its decision on March 11, saying 116 plaintiffs claiming to be families of the deceased and wounded in the attack at the Sayyid al-Shuhada Husseiniya mosque were owed compensation. Fourteen Iranians were killed and 210 others wounded in the incident, which occurred during a ceremony to mourn the death of Imam Hussein, the third imam of Shi'a Muslims.

The court said Sharmahd was part of the Tondar group, which it deemed responsible for the bombing in Shiraz, according to the Mizan News Agency, which is affiliated with Iran's judiciary.

Sharmahd was detained under unclear circumstances in 2020 and is accused by the Iranian Intelligence Ministry of being a member of the Iranian opposition group Kingdom Assembly of Iran, or Tondar.

Based in Los Angeles, Tondar says it aims to overthrow the Islamic republic and reestablish a monarchy similar to that of Cyrus the Great. It runs pro-Iranian opposition radio and television stations abroad, as well as social media channels. Because it is based in the United States, the court ruled the U.S. government is also liable.

Iran's Intelligence Ministry accused Sharmahd of planning the bombing, a charge his family has robustly refuted, dismissing them as "ridiculous."

In November, Sharmahd's daughter, Gazelle Sharmahd, said her 68-year-old father is barely able to walk and talk due to health conditions that prison authorities have failed to properly treat. She added that her father suffers from Parkinson's disease and could die due to his deteriorating health

Iran is known to have assassinated and abducted multiple exiled opposition figures in the past, including Iranian journalist Ruhollah Zam, the administrator of the opposition Amadnews Telegram channel that has been accused by authorities of stirring up domestic dissent.

At least one other Iranian-German dual citizen, Nahid Taghvi, is also being held in Iran, which has arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals in recent years, often on widely criticized espionage and security-related charges.

Western countries have repeatedly said that Iran is trying to take advantage of foreign countries by taking dual and foreign nationals hostage and then using them in prisoner swaps.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Two Women Arrested In Tehran For Dancing Dressed As Fictional Folk Character

Tensions have been rising in Iran over public conduct by Iranians and the enforcement of dress codes, especially with women.
Tensions have been rising in Iran over public conduct by Iranians and the enforcement of dress codes, especially with women.

Two Iranian women were detained after a video surfaced on social media showing them dancing in Tehran's Tajrish Square while dressed as a fictional character in Iranian folklore known as "Haji Firuz."

Haji Firuz is traditionally associated with the celebrations leading up to Norouz, the Persian New Year, marking the onset of spring on March 20.

Their performance was deemed by the authorities to be an act of "social defiance," leading to their arrest by order of the Tehran prosecutor for "committing acts of norm-breaking," according to reports by the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.

Tensions have been rising in Iran over public conduct by Iranians and the enforcement of dress codes, especially with women.

In a separate incident in Qom, a city known for its religious significance, a confrontation at a medical center escalated into a national controversy.

The furor was touched off when a video emerged on social media that showed a clergyman filming a woman who was not wearing the mandatory hijab as she held a child in the clinic.

The visibly shaken mother pleaded with the cleric for him to delete the unauthorized recording, but he insisted on continuing, saying she had to adhere to the hijab rule. The confrontation continues until the woman appears to begin having a nervous breakdown while the cleric is seen fleeing the scene with his camera.

This encounter prompted significant reaction on social media, with initial reports from pro-government channels claiming that the woman, along with clinic staff, faced arrest by the intelligence arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. They also claimed the medical center was temporarily closed.

However, government and judicial authorities rejected the claims and said that no arrests had been made in connection with the incident.

The Qom prosecutor has since ordered an investigation to identify those responsible for disseminating the footage to the media.

The hijab, or Islamic head scarf, became compulsory for women and girls over the age of 9 in 1981, two years after the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The move triggered protests that were swiftly crushed by the new authorities.

Many women have flouted the rule over the years and pushed the boundaries of what officials say is acceptable clothing.

Since September 2022, when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died while in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation, thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets to demand more freedoms and women's rights, with the judiciary, backed by lawmakers, responding to the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution with a brutal crackdown.

Several thousand people have been arrested, including many protesters, as well as journalists, lawyers, activists, digital rights defenders, and others.

At least nine protesters have been executed after what rights groups and several Western governments have called "sham" trials.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Imprisoned Iranian Cleric Says Under Pressure To Confess To Crimes He Didn't Commit

Mohammad Taghi Akbarnejad, a cleric and vocal opponent of Iran's leadership, was arrested on February 17 by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' intelligence service.
Mohammad Taghi Akbarnejad, a cleric and vocal opponent of Iran's leadership, was arrested on February 17 by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' intelligence service.

In a rare phone call from Qom prison, Mohammad Taghi Akbarnejad, an Iranian cleric and seminary professor known for his outspoken criticism of Supreme Leader Ali Ayatollah Khamenei's policies, said he has been pressured to make false confessions and faces constant attempts by the authorities to discredit him.

Akbarnejad, who has been a vocal opponent of the Islamic republic's leadership, was arrested on February 17 by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' intelligence service.

During the call, Akbarnejad revealed he spent 14 days in solitary confinement at security detention centers where officers pressured him to confess.

"They pressured me to make false confessions for release without trial. They wanted me to appear on camera and express regret for my words and actions," he said, adding that he was being pressured to confess to crimes he did not commit.

When he refused, he said officials began fabricating cases against him and then pressuring needy families to file complaints against him claiming he misled them as a representative of the leadership.

Akbarnejad's criticism has not been limited to the current leadership. He has also targeted the foundational rhetoric and strategies of the Islamic republic, including those of its founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

In a widely shared social media video, he accused Khomeini of misunderstanding the world and leading the country astray, notably referring to the eight-year Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s as an example of misguided leadership.

The cleric has also critiqued the establishment's shift in rhetoric pre-and post-revolution, suggesting their current claims would not gain significant public support if put to a referendum.

Akbarnejad's situation appears to be part of a pattern of repression against clerics critical of Iran's supreme leadership.

In a related case, the Special Clerical Court of Shiraz recently sentenced Shahabeddin Haeri Shirazi to three years in prison, highlighting tensions within the clerical community and the authorities' efforts to suppress dissent.

Criticism of Khamenei, who has the last say on almost every decision in Iran, is considered a red line in Iran, and his critics often land in prison, where political prisoners are routinely held in solitary confinement and subjected to various forms of torture.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Rights Groups Say Hundreds Of Iranian Women Detained Last Year, Dozens Still Held

Iranian security officers patrol the streets for alleged head-scarf violations on March 4.
Iranian security officers patrol the streets for alleged head-scarf violations on March 4.

The human rights organization Hengaw said Iranian security agencies detained over 300 women for political or ideological reasons last year, with more than 100 still facing imprisonment for various charges.

According to a report released on March 8 by Hengaw, which closely tracks human rights violations in Iran, at least 325 women were apprehended by security forces across Iran in 2023. The detainees include a diverse group including at least 18 students, 17 journalists and media activists, 10 artists and actors, and seven teachers.

The same day, which was International Women's Day, the human rights monitor HRANA revealed the identities of 113 women who currently are imprisoned for their beliefs.

The charges laid against the women primarily encompass accusations of propaganda against the system, assembly and collusion, "corruption on Earth," and espionage. The allegations have led to severe penalties, including life prison sentences and multiple years of incarceration.

Hengaw's findings also highlighted the judicial proceedings against female activists in Iran during 2023.

It said at least 147 women activists were subjected to trials in Iran's judiciary system. The sentences handed down included imprisonment, lashing, and in one instance capital punishment.

In total, 139 female activists were condemned to a total of 553 years and 10 months of punitive imprisonment. Additionally, 10 individuals, apart from their prison sentences, were collectively sentenced to 557 lashes, underlining the harsh penalties faced by female activists in Iran.

Since September 2022, when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died while in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation, thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets to demand more freedoms and women's rights, with the judiciary, backed by lawmakers, responding to the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution with a brutal crackdown.

Several thousand have been arrested, including many protesters, as well as journalists, lawyers, activists, digital rights defenders, and others. At least nine protesters have been executed after what rights groups and several Western governments have called "sham" trials.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Iran Rejects Critical UN Report On Death Of Mahsa Amini, Crackdown On Protests

A woman holds a portrait of her son, who was killed during the crackdown on protesters in Iran.
A woman holds a portrait of her son, who was killed during the crackdown on protesters in Iran.

Iran condemned a United Nations report on the September 2022 death of a 22-year-old woman in police custody and the protests that later erupted, denouncing what it called Western countries' "Iranophobia." The March 9 Foreign Ministry statement followed a UN mission report that found the Iranian government was responsible for the physical violence that led to the death of Mahsa Amini, and for the brutal crackdown on street protests. Amini was arrested in Tehran by the so-called morality police, accused of improperly wearing a head scarf. Within hours of her detention, she was hospitalized in a coma and died days later. Spokesman Nasser Kanani asserted the UN report contained "baseless claims" and "false and biased information, without a legal basis." To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.

Iranian Government 'Bears Responsibility' For Amini's Death, Brutal Crackdown, UN Mission Says

A mourner clutches a portrait of Mahsa Amini.
A mourner clutches a portrait of Mahsa Amini.

The Iranian government "bears responsibility" for the physical violence that led to the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman who died in police custody in 2022, and for the brutal crackdown on largely peaceful street protests that followed, a report by a United Nations fact-finding mission says.

The report, issued on March 8 by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran, said the mission “has established the existence of evidence of trauma to Ms. Amini’s body, inflicted while in the custody of the morality police."

It said the mission found the "physical violence in custody led to Ms. Amini’s unlawful death.... On that basis, the state bears responsibility for her unlawful death.”

Amini was arrested in Tehran on September 13, 2022, while visiting the Iranian capital with her family. She was detained by Iran's so-called "morality police" for allegedly improperly wearing her hijab, or hair-covering head scarf. Within hours of her detention, she was hospitalized in a coma and died on September 16.

Her family has denied that Amini suffered from a preexisting health condition that may have contributed to her death, as claimed by the Iranian authorities, and her father has cited eyewitnesses as saying she was beaten while en route to a detention facility.

The fact-finding report said the action “emphasizes the arbitrary character of Ms. Amini’s arrest and detention, which were based on laws and policies governing the mandatory hijab, which fundamentally discriminate against women and girls and are not permissible under international human rights law."

"Those laws and policies violate the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief, and the autonomy of women and girls. Ms. Amini’s arrest and detention, preceding her death in custody, constituted a violation of her right to liberty of person,” it said.

The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran hailed the findings and said they represented clear signs of "crimes against humanity."

“The Islamic republic’s violent repression of peaceful dissent and severe discrimination against women and girls in Iran has been confirmed as constituting nothing short of crimes against humanity,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the center.

“The government’s brutal crackdown on the Women, Life, Freedom protests has seen a litany of atrocities that include extrajudicial killings, torture, and rape. These violations disproportionately affect the most vulnerable in society, women, children, and minority groups,” he added.

The report also said the Iranian government failed to “comply with its duty” to investigate the woman’s death promptly.

“Most notably, judicial harassment and intimidation were aimed at her family in order to silence them and preempt them from seeking legal redress. Some family members faced arbitrary arrest, while the family’s lawyer, Saleh Nikbaht, and three journalists, Niloofar Hamedi, Elahe Mohammadi, and Nazila Maroufian, who reported on Ms. Amini’s death were arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced to imprisonment,” it added.

Amini's death sparked mass protests, beginning in her home town of Saghez, then spreading around the country, and ultimately posed one of the biggest threats to Iran's clerical establishment since the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979. At least 500 people were reported killed in the government’s crackdown on demonstrators.

The UN report said "violations and crimes" under international law committed in the context of the Women, Life, Freedom protests include "extrajudicial and unlawful killings and murder, unnecessary and disproportionate use of force, arbitrary deprivation of liberty, torture, rape, enforced disappearances, and gender persecution.

“The violent repression of peaceful protests and pervasive institutional discrimination against women and girls has led to serious human rights violations by the government of Iran, many amounting to crimes against humanity," the report said.

The UN mission acknowledged that some state security forces were killed and injured during the demonstrations, but said it found that the majority of protests were peaceful.

The mission stems from the UN Human Rights Council's mandate to the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran on November 24, 2022, to investigate alleged human rights violations in Iran related to the protests that followed Amini's death.

Activists Demand International Boycott Of Iran To 'Delegitimize The Regime'

The activists hailed the growing defiance of the mandatory head covering in Iran as an "achievement" of the Women, Life, Freedom movement, which was born out of the deadly 2022 unrest that rocked the country.
The activists hailed the growing defiance of the mandatory head covering in Iran as an "achievement" of the Women, Life, Freedom movement, which was born out of the deadly 2022 unrest that rocked the country.

Dozens of Iranian activists at home and abroad have called on the international community to boycott the Islamic republic for committing "gender apartheid."

In a statement marking International Women's Day on March 8, more than 40 activists and groups hailed the growing defiance against the mandatory head covering in Iran as an "achievement" of the Women, Life, Freedom movement, which was born out of the deadly 2022 unrest that rocked the country.

More than 500 protesters were killed in the protests that broke out following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman who died in police custody after being detained for allegedly flouting the country's hijab law. Iran's brutal crackdown on the protests has been widely condemned by rights groups.

"This woman-killing regime has no legitimacy in Iran, and we ask the international community to also delegitimize the regime," the statement from the activists says.

In a separate statement, jailed Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi urged international rights groups to help the women of Iran and Afghanistan by pushing for “the criminalization of gender apartheid” committed by the Islamic republic and the Taliban-led government in Kabul through “systemic and targeted” discrimination against women.

Mohammadi, who won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, has been convicted five times since 2021 on various security-related charges and has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.

On March 4, London-based activist Fariba Baluch, who has been advocating for the rights of women and the Baluch ethnic minority in Iran, was awarded the U.S. State Department’s International Women of Courage Award.

"This award is not mine, but for all the nameless, courageous girls and women in Iran who are fighting for their basic demands," she told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.

The United Nations' Independent International Fact-Finding Mission asserted in a report on March 8 that Iran's repression of the 2022 protests and "pervasive institutional discrimination against women" had led to serious human rights violations, "many amounting to crimes against humanity."

The fact-finding mission concluded that unless the Iranian establishment implements fundamental changes, member states of the UN Human Rights Council "should explore avenues for accountability at international level and in their domestic systems."

The Islamic republic has long been dismissive of concerns by Western states and rights groups about women's rights in Iran.

"The issue of women is a point of strength in Islam," Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in an address to a group of women in December 2023. "It should not be thought that we are supposed to be held accountable on the issue of women."

Jailed Iranian Dissident Rapper Moved Back To Psychiatric Clinic

Saman Yasin
Saman Yasin

Jailed Iranian dissident rapper Saman Yasin, who was detained during the nationwide protests in 2022 and has since detailed harrowing accounts of physical and psychological torture he has endured, has once again been moved from prison to a psychiatric institution.

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported Yasin's transfer to the Aminabad Psychiatric Hospital in Rey on March 7, adding he was moved from the Qezelhesar prison in Karaj earlier this week.

The move has again put a spotlight on the treatment of political prisoners in Iran, where the judiciary sends offenders to psychiatric centers as part of their punishment. Prominent psychiatry boards in Iran have called the practice an abuse of judicial authority.

Yasin recently made a plea from prison to the judiciary to "issue my death sentence" rather than continue holding him indefinitely without a trial. He has been detained without trial for 18 months, with multiple court dates set and then subsequently delayed.

Initial reports suggest Yasin was first taken to a local police station during nationwide protests in September 2022 before being transferred to Evin prison and subsequently to the Greater Tehran prison.

The judiciary's news agency has reported that Yasin was accused of "waging war against God," a charge that led to a death sentence from the Tehran Revolutionary Court. However, the Supreme Court accepted Yasin's appeal for a retrial and referred his case back to the Revolutionary Court. A retrial has yet to take place.

Yasin has described enduring a "mock execution" set up by prison officials before being moved to prison in Karaj.

He has consistently maintained his innocence, releasing multiple audio recordings to publicize his claims. He has also reportedly launched at least one hunger strike in protest.

It's not Yasin's first transfer to Aminabad, where he previously reported adverse reactions to an unidentified medication, raising serious health concerns. The incident mirrors the case of Behnam Mahjoubi, a Gonabadi Dervish activist who died in 2021 following similar transfers and medical neglect.

Human rights lawyer Saeed Dehghan has criticized the use of psychiatric facilities like Aminabad for political prisoners, indicating a punitive approach by the judiciary and prison authorities.

Since the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in custody after she was detained for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly, Iranians have taken to the streets across the country to protest a lack of rights, with women and schoolgirls making unprecedented shows of support in the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.

The judiciary, at the urging of lawmakers, has instituted harsh penalties, including the death sentence, for offenders.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Oil Tanker Caught Up In Iran-U.S. Dispute Over Sanctions

Why did Iran seize the Advantage Sweet, a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker bound for the United States? (file photo)
Why did Iran seize the Advantage Sweet, a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker bound for the United States? (file photo)

When Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker last year, Tehran said the transporter had collided with and damaged an Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Oman.

Now, nearly one year later, Tehran said it will confiscate the cargo of the Advantage Sweet, which was transporting oil from Kuwait to the U.S. state of Texas, in retaliation for crippling American sanctions against the Islamic republic.

The Mizan news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's judiciary, reported on March 6 that a Tehran court had ruled in favor of confiscating the oil, which is valued at around $50 million.

The 55th branch of the Tehran Court of Justice said funds from the sale of the oil will be used to compensate patients suffering from epidermolysis bullosa, a rare skin disease. The court ruled that U.S. sanctions have prevented a Swedish company from selling medicine to Iran that is used to treat the disease and caused Iranian “patients severe emotional and physical damage.”

EB Home, an Iranian nongovernmental organization representing over 300 epidermolysis bullosa patients, had brought a case against the United States in the Tehran court. In a statement following the court ruling, the NGO described U.S. sanctions as “criminal and unilateral.”

U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller criticized the ruling and demanded that the tanker be “immediately released.”

“Iran’s continued harassment of vessels and interference with navigational rights and freedoms in the region’s vital waterways is a threat to maritime security, regional stability, and the global economy,” he said in a press briefing on March 6.

The U.S. military said in January that Iran was “holding five ships and over 90 members hostage” from vessels it seized in 2023. Most Iranian tanker seizures are carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the elite branch of Iran’s armed forces.

Iran said it seized the Advantage Sweet in April 2023. The tanker was chartered by U.S. oil giant Chevron and was carrying oil to the U.S. port of Houston, according to ship tracking data.

Iran’s capture of the Advantage Sweet came days after the United States seized Suez Rajan, an oil tanker that was transporting sanctioned Iranian oil to China.

Months after seizing the Suez Rajan, and despite Tehran’s threats, Washington begun unloading the ship’s oil in August 2023.

Sanctions And 'Butterfly' Patients

The Tehran court’s ruling has put the spotlight on the impact of U.S. sanctions on the health sector in Iran.

In 2018, then-U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimposed sanctions against Tehran.

Iranians have witnessed rising prices and faced shortages of life-saving medicine -- including drugs for cancer treatment and insulin -- in recent years due to U.S. sanctions and corruption.

U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran exclude food and medicine. But in practice, the restrictions have made it difficult for Tehran to purchase some drugs, according to human rights groups.

There are estimated to be hundreds of epidermolysis bullosa patients in Iran.(file photo)
There are estimated to be hundreds of epidermolysis bullosa patients in Iran.(file photo)

That includes specialized bandages produced by Swedish firm Molnlycke that are used to treat epidermolysis bullosa patients, who often develop painful blisters and wounds, similar to third-degree burns. They are sometimes referred to as “butterfly” patients due to the fragility of their skin.

State Department spokesman Miller told reporters on March 6 that U.S. sanctions “have always had a carveout for humanitarian purchases.”

“We have never prevented medicine from reaching the Iranian people,” he added.

EB Home, the Iranian NGO, had previously filed an unsuccessful complaint against Molnlycke in Sweden in 2021.

In its failed complaint, the NGO claimed that Molnlycke had informed it in March 2019 correspondence that it had “decided not to conduct any business with relation to Iran for the time being. This also applies to business conducted under any form of exceptions to the US economic sanctions.”

In a 2021 report, United Nations experts warned about the consequences of “over-compliance” with U.S. sanctions on “butterfly kids,” who they said “can no longer enjoy the right to health.”

The following year, the Swedish government provided financial support to the United Nations Children's Fund to procure and deliver specialized bandages to Iran.

“The lack of availability of certain medicines and health products in Iran is a humanitarian concern, affected by the impact of the sanctions regime on financial transactions,” Sweden’s then-ambassador to Iran, Mattias Lentz, said. “We do hope a solution will be found and will continue to support such a solution.”

U.S. Treasury Chief Says Congress Inaction On Ukraine Aid A 'Gift' To Putin, Iran

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (file photo)
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (file photo)

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on March 7 that Congress's inaction in approving new U.S. aid to Ukraine is "nothing short of a gift" to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iran, and other adversaries as Ukrainian forces run short of ammunition to fight Russia's invasion. In remarks at the start of a meeting with German Economy Minister Robert Habeck in Washington, Yellen urged House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson again to swiftly pass a $61 billion military and economic aid package for Ukraine.

Baha'is Say Iranian Security Forces Destroyed 30 Graves At Tehran Cemetery

The actions of the Islamic republic's authorities not only inflicted severe and fresh pain on these families, but also underscored the "inhumanity of their conduct" toward believers, a Baha'i spokeswoman said.
The actions of the Islamic republic's authorities not only inflicted severe and fresh pain on these families, but also underscored the "inhumanity of their conduct" toward believers, a Baha'i spokeswoman said.

Officials from Iran's Baha'i community say Iranian security forces have destroyed more than 30 graves at the Golestan Javid, a cemetery dedicated to Baha'is in Tehran, in what they characterized as an attempt to erase the existence of the deceased because of their religious beliefs.

According to a statement from the Baha'i International Community group, the targeted graves were located in the Khavaran mass grave site and the demolition was done with the aim of completely obscuring the presence of the burial sites.

Simin Fahandej, the spokeswoman for the Worldwide Baha’i Community in Geneva, said the actions of the Islamic republic's authorities not only inflicted severe and fresh pain on these families, but also underscored the "inhumanity of their conduct" toward believers.

Since the Islamic Republic of Iran was established in 1979, hundreds of Baha'is have been arrested and jailed for their beliefs. At least 200 have been executed or were arrested and never heard from again.

Thousands more have been banned from receiving higher education or had their property confiscated, while Baha'i cemeteries are often desecrated in what Baha'is say is the systematic targeting of the group.

The Khavaran cemetery in the east of the capital was traditionally a final resting place for members of religious minorities who were interred there to keep them separate from the graves of Muslims.

But decades of forced disappearances and secret extrajudicial executions have made Khavaran best-known as a secret burial ground for some of the thousands killed.

The graves at Khavaran are unmarked, and Tehran has for decades barred families of the dead from mourning there and punished those who left flowers and mementos.

In April 2023, Baha'i believers Shadi Shahidzadeh, Mansour Amini, Vahid Qadamian, and Ataollah Zafar were arrested in connection with activities related to the cemetery. Three months later, Tehran's Revolutionary Court sentenced each to five years in prison.

Iran accuses Baha'is of having links to Israel, where the city of Haifa hosts a center of the Baha'i faith. Baha'i leaders reject the allegations and say they are used as a pretext to persecute members.

There are some 300,000 Baha'i adherents in Iran and an estimated 5 million worldwide.

In Iran, where their faith is not officially recognized in the constitution, its leaders say they face systematic persecution.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has on several occasions called the Baha'i faith a cult and, in a religious fatwa issued in 2018, he forbade contact, including business dealings, with followers of the faith.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Casualties Reported After Explosion, Fire At Refinery In Iran

An initial report by state news agencies IRNA and ISNA said there were "several dead and injured" but gave no precise toll.
An initial report by state news agencies IRNA and ISNA said there were "several dead and injured" but gave no precise toll.

An explosion and fire at the Aftab oil refinery in Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas has caused casualties, state media reported on March 7. An initial report by state news agencies IRNA and ISNA said there were "several dead and injured" but gave no precise toll. IRNA said there had been no official statement about the incident. A public relations representative at the refinery later told the media there had been "no serious damage" and that only two employees suffered "minor injuries." No cause was given for the incident. The Aftab refinery is described on its webpage as "the largest private refinery in Iran." To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.

Iran Should Immediately Release Seized Tanker, U.S. Says

The Advantage Sweet tanker
The Advantage Sweet tanker

Iran should immediately release the Advantage Sweet tanker, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on March 6, after the semiofficial Fars news agency reported that Iran will unload about $50 million worth of crude from the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker seized last year. Miller added that Iran's continued harassment of vessels and interference in navigational rights and freedoms is a threat to maritime security, regional stability, and the global economy.

Yemen Huthi Attack Hits Ship, Causing First Deaths In Group’s Assaults On Shipping

An attack by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden killed some of its crew and forced survivors to abandon the vessel on March 6, authorities said, the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the group over Israel's war in the Gaza Strip on Hamas, deemed a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the EU. The attack on the Barbados-flagged bulk carrier True Confidence further escalates the conflict on a crucial maritime route linking Asia and the Middle East to Europe that has disrupted global shipping.

Jailed Politician Tajzadeh Calls Out Khamenei After 'Historic Failure' Of Iranian Elections

Imprisoned Iranian politician Mostafa Tajzadeh (file photo)
Imprisoned Iranian politician Mostafa Tajzadeh (file photo)

Prominent Iranian reformist politician Mostafa Tajzadeh, who is currently imprisoned at Tehran's notorious Evin prison, has sharply criticized recent elections in Iran, calling them a "historic failure" for the country's ruling regime.

In a letter published on his Telegram channel on March 5, Tajzadeh squarely places the blame for this failure on the shoulders of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Islamic republic and boldly challenges his domestic and international policies, denouncing them for their contribution to the nation's crises.

The March 1 elections for a new parliament, or Majlis, and a new Assembly of Experts, which elects Iran's supreme leader, were the first since the deadly nationwide protests that erupted following the September 2022 death while in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She was detained for an alleged Islamic dress-code violation.

Tajzadeh's criticism focuses on the dismal voter turnout -- a historic low of 41 percent -- and the negligible percentage of votes garnered by elected officials. He accused Khamenei of failing to recognize and address the widespread dissatisfaction among Iranian citizens despite promoting a slogan of "maximum participation."

According to Tajzadeh, Khamenei's inaction has exacerbated the disconnect between the government and its citizens, leaving many Iranians despondent and without hope for meaningful change.

Tajzadeh also called out authorities for a lack of transparency in reporting detailed election results, such as the number of spoiled ballots, particularly in critical regions like Tehran, which has only added to the public's mistrust and skepticism of the leadership.

Tajzadeh, who served as deputy interior minister under reformist President Mohammad Khatami, said declining participation in elections since 2019 shows Khamenei has failed to learn from the numbers and instead persists with policies that have led to "widespread poverty, pervasive corruption, and increasing anger and desperation among the people."

Amid Iran's economic and social turmoil, Tajzadeh argues that the nation's leadership must acknowledge its mistakes, prioritize civil and political freedoms, and focus on development over "ambition and adventurism."

He also questioned the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Assembly of Experts, suggesting that genuine reform is needed to align the institution with the people's will.

Tajzadeh was first arrested in 2009 during mass protests disputing the reelection of then-President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who ran against opposition reformist candidates Mehdi Karrubi and Mir Hossein Musavi.

In 2010, Tajzadeh was convicted of harming national security and propaganda against the state. He was released in 2016 after serving most of his seven-year sentence.

After his release, Tajzadeh often called on authorities to free Karrubi and Musavi, who have been under house arrest for more than a decade.

In October 2022, a branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Court sentenced Tajzadeh to the current five-year term he is serving. Tajzadeh declined to speak in court during the hearing after a request he made to talk one-on-one with his lawyer was rejected.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Growing 'Despondency' And Hard-Liners' Dominance: Key Takeaways From Iran's Elections

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi casts his vote during parliamentary elections in Tehran on March 1. “The Islamic republic is now a minority-ruled unconstitutional theocracy,” one Iran expert says.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi casts his vote during parliamentary elections in Tehran on March 1. “The Islamic republic is now a minority-ruled unconstitutional theocracy,” one Iran expert says.

Iran’s parliamentary elections on March 1 witnessed a historically low turnout, in a blow to the legitimacy of the clerical establishment.

The official turnout of 41 percent was the lowest for legislative elections since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Critics claim the real turnout was likely even lower.

Hard-liners dominated the elections for the parliament and the Assembly of Experts, a body that picks the country’s supreme leader, consolidating their grip on power. Many reformists and moderates were barred from contesting the polls.

Experts said the declining turnout signifies the growing chasm between the ruling clerics and Iran's young population, many of whom are demanding greater social and political freedoms in the Middle Eastern nation of some 88 million.

“These elections proved that the overriding imperative for the Islamic republic is strengthening ideological conformity at the top, even at the cost of losing even more of its legitimacy from below,” said Ali Vaez, the director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group.

'Widening Divide'

Observers said disillusionment with the state has been building up for years and is reflected in the declining voter turnout in recent elections.

Turnout in presidential and parliamentary elections were consistently above 50 percent for decades. But the numbers have declined since 2020, when around 42 percent of voters cast ballots in the parliamentary elections that year. In the 2021 presidential vote, turnout was below 49 percent.

Ali Ansari, a history professor at the University of St. Andrews, puts that down to growing “despondency” in the country.

This is “the clearest indication of the widening divide between state and society, which has been growing over the years,” said Ansari.


“It is quite clear that the despondency is extending even to those who are generally sympathetic to the regime,” he added, referring to reformist former President Mohammad Khatami choosing not to vote in the March 1 elections.

Voter apathy was particularly evident in the capital, Tehran, which has the most representatives in the 290-seat parliament. In Tehran, only 1.8 million of the 7.7 million eligible voters -- or some 24 percent -- cast their votes on March 1, according to official figures.

Up to 400,000 invalid ballots -- many believed to be blank -- were cast in Tehran alone, a sign of voter discontent.

Ahead of the elections, nearly 300 activists in Iran had called on the public to boycott the “engineered” elections.

Beyond Boycott

The March 1 elections were the first since the unprecedented anti-establishment protests that rocked the country in 2022.

The monthslong demonstrations, triggered by the death in custody of a young woman arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s hijab law, snowballed into one of the most sustained demonstrations against Iran’s theocracy. At least 500 protesters were killed and thousands were detained in the state’s brutal crackdown on the protests.

Iran has been the scene of several bursts of deadly anti-establishment protests since the disputed presidential election in 2009. Many of the demonstrations have been over state repression and economic mismanagement.

Iranians protest the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the morality police in September 2022. Experts say declining voter turnout highlights society's growing disenchantment with the state.
Iranians protest the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the morality police in September 2022. Experts say declining voter turnout highlights society's growing disenchantment with the state.

But experts said that the 2022 protests alone did not result in the record-low turnout in the recent elections.

“This is a reflection of a deeper malaise that extends back to 2009 and traverses through 2017, 2019, and 2022,” Ansari said. “It has been building for some time.”

Despite the historically low turnout, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the “epic” participation of the public. State-run media, meanwhile, spun the elections as a victory over those who called for a boycott.

By claiming victory, the clerical establishment “overlooks the growing absence of support from 60 percent of its population,” said Vaez.

“Such self-approbation [mirrors] the regime’s previous dismissal of the 2022 protests as the result of foreign intrigue rather than reflection of deep discontent,” he said, adding that it represents the Islamic republic’s “continuation of ignoring simmering public discontent.”

Hard-Line Dominance

Around 40 moderates won seats in the new parliament. But the legislature will remain dominated by hard-liners.

The elections were largely seen as a contest between conservatives and ultraconservatives.

“We can say that a more hotheaded and previously marginal wing of the hard-liners scored a victory against more established conservatives,” said Arash Azizi, a senior lecturer in history and political science at Clemson University in South Carolina.

“This is because the former had a more fired-up base and in the absence of popular participation were able to shape the results,” he added.

A more hard-line parliament could have more bark but “certainly” not more bite than its predecessors, according to Vaez.

“The parliament is subservient to the supreme leader and rubber stamps the deep state's strategic decisions, even if grudgingly,” he added.

Since the ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi, a close ally of Khamenei, was elected as president in 2021, Iran’s hard-liners have dominated all three branches of the government, including the parliament and judiciary.

Other key institutions like the Assembly of Experts and the powerful Guardians Council, which vets all election candidates, are also dominated by hard-liners.

“There is not much left of the system's republican features,” Vaez said. “The Islamic republic is now a minority-ruled unconstitutional theocracy.”

Tehran Tells Transgender People To Avoid 'Busy' Areas, Highlighting Difficulties Faced By LGBT Community

Most members of Iran's LGBT community are forced to hide their sexual orientation, often leading double lives due to fear of persecution by the hard-line leadership and a society that views them as diseased.
Most members of Iran's LGBT community are forced to hide their sexual orientation, often leading double lives due to fear of persecution by the hard-line leadership and a society that views them as diseased.

The Tehran City Council spokesman said that transgender people should congregate in only certain parts of Iran's capital, highlighting how many in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community are shunned.

Speaking at a press briefing on March 4, Alireza Nadali said transgender people should avoid areas such as the bustling Valiasr Intersection -- a focal point in Tehran for both its cultural significance and as a site of major public gatherings, including protests -- and instead meet up in "inclusive" areas.

"We're not sweeping the issue under the rug. There should be an inclusive space for them, just not in this busy area," Nadali said.

Most members of Iran's LGBT community are forced to hide their sexual orientation, often leading double lives due to fear of persecution by the hard-line leadership and a society that views them as diseased.

Nadali referred to transgender people as having "a special physical and psychological condition," further underscoring the institutional challenges faced by the LGBT community in Iran.

The comments come less than two months after a father admitted to murdering his 17-year-old son over what he called the teenager's "feminine" behavior and makeup. The father added that he felt publicly shamed and claimed, "everyone pointed fingers at us."

Violence against sexual minorities by family members is not uncommon in the Islamic republic, where senior officials often address them with derogatory terms, such as "inhuman" or "sick," fanning homophobic sentiment.

The Tehran City Council's moves to push transgender people to find certain areas to meet up aligns with broader efforts by the city and other government bodies to regulate public spaces and control social conduct.

Tehran recently erected barriers around the City Theater -- one of the areas transgender people should avoid, according to the City Council -- and has increased patrols by hijab enforcement officers in the area after more than a year of unrest sparked by Iranians' anger over a lack of freedoms and rights.

Despite the legality of sex-reassignment surgery in Iran -- a country that otherwise criminalizes same-sex relations with severe penalties including corporal punishment and death -- the official stance towards transgender individuals remains fraught with contradictions.

Authorities provide legal mechanisms for gender transition while simultaneously restricting the visibility and rights of transgender people in public life.

Meanwhile, religious leaders in Iran have issued varying fatwas regarding gender reassignment surgery -- while some clerics do not consider it haram, or forbidden -- creating an even more complex landscape for transgender rights and acceptance in the country.

According to a 2020 poll published by the 6rang advocacy group, 62 percent of LGBT members surveyed in Iran said that they had experienced one or more forms of violence by their immediate family. Nearly 30 percent complained of sexual violence, while 77 percent said they had been subjected to physical violence.

The pressure and persecution force many members of Iran's LGBT community to flee the country, while many others undergo sex-reassignment surgery (SRS). Iran is the only Islamic country where SRS is recognized.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Activists Say Iranian Students Remain Under Pressure In Clampdown On Dissent

Students Sheida Saberi (left) and Khabat Vaisi
Students Sheida Saberi (left) and Khabat Vaisi

Student activists say Iran's judiciary has escalated its crackdown against dissent on campus after a student was summoned to commence a 15-year prison sentence, while another faces fresh charges, according to reports from human rights organizations.

Khabat Vaisi, a student at Payame Noor University in Marivan, was transferred to the western city's central prison to serve his term after being convicted by the Marivan Islamic Revolutionary Court of "propaganda against the system" and membership in the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran. These charges followed his arrest and interrogation in late 2022.

Separately, Sheida Saberi, a student at the University of Shiraz, was indicted on charges including disturbing public order and peace, illegal assembly, and propaganda against the Islamic republic.

She posted an image on Instagram of the charges handed down by the seventh branch of the Public and Revolutionary Court of Yasuj against her.

Saberi was detained in September 2022 after she stood in the Haft-e Tir Square in Yasuj and cut her hair off as part of the Women, Freedom, Life protests that erupted across Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody for an alleged hijab infraction.

Student activists have highlighted the increasingly oppressive atmosphere within Iranian universities since the start of the new academic year. This includes widespread summonses issued by intelligence and security agencies, disciplinary actions, temporary suspensions, and even expulsions of students and faculty members.

Universities and students have long been at the forefront of the struggle for greater social and political freedoms in Iran. In 1999, students protested the closure of a reformist daily newspaper, prompting a brutal raid on the dorms of Tehran University that left one student dead.

Over the years, the authorities have arrested student activists and leaders, sentencing them to prison and banning them from studying.

The activist HRANA news agency says at least 700 university students have been arrested during the nationwide protests sparked by the September 2022 death of the 22-year-old Amini.

Many have faced sentences such as imprisonment and flogging, and dozens of students have been expelled from universities or suspended from their studies, as security forces try to stifle widespread dissent.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

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