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Iran: Slow Internet Speeds Hinder Web Access

Time for a coffee -- or two -- while you wait at this Tehran Internet cafe (AFP) Like many young professionals in his native Tehran, Mohammad says he belongs to a new generation of Iranians who cannot imagine their personal and professional lives without the Internet.


The 27-year-old sales and advertising executive uses the Internet at work -- to sell his company's goods -- and at home to stay in touch with friends, meet new people, and keep up with the news.


"Computers and the Internet -- including services such as e-faxes and e-mails -- have become increasingly popular in workplaces, where people use them for communication, searches, and storing data," he says. "The age of using paper and paperwork has passed."


With about 15 percent of the population plugged into the Internet, Iran is home to one of the largest populations of web users in the Middle East.


But Mohammad says the length of time it takes to open websites is extremely frustrating and is the biggest problem for Iranians who have Internet connections at home.


In Iran, only offices and companies are allowed to have high-speed Internet connections.


"It becomes extremely annoying, especially when you want to download a photo," Mohammad says. "Downloading video takes ages ,and sometimes it's simply impossible to open and watch a video on the Internet."


Omid Habibinia, a Swiss-based communications expert, confirms Iranians' complaints about the glacial pace of the Internet in their country. He tells Radio Farda that in many cases, it is 100 times slower than the average speed in the United States or Europe.


Mixed Signals


Iranian authorities acknowledge the problem and blame it on the country's Internet service providers.


Iranian Communication and Information Technology Minister Mohammad Soleimani, however, insists that the existing speed is perfectly adequate "to use at home and universities and even for downloading a 500-page book from the Internet."


Soleimani told the semi-official news agency Fars earlier this month that there are not enough private Internet users in Iran who are willing to pay for high-speed Internet connections.


But Internet experts and media-rights defenders accuse the authorities of deliberately keeping the Internet speed low in order to frustrate people from downloading photos and video and reducing the amount of information they can access.


While the Internet has become an essential part of the lives of millions of young, tech-savvy Iranians, the authorities "try to restrict people's access to the free flow of information through the Internet," according to Habibinia.


"I don't believe that the problem here is the lack of customers," Habibinia says. "The minister himself once has said the high-speed Internet would create security problems. In reality, the low Internet speed has become a tool to keep the net restricted, it has become a tool to censor the Internet directly and openly."


Specific Targets, Too


Reza Moeni, who is in charge of the Afghanistan, Iran, and Tajikistan desk at the Paris-based organization Reporters Without Borders, notes official bans on websites and unofficial filtering-out of webpages, and he calls the lack of fast Internet connections yet another way for the government to block the flow of information.


Iranian authorities maintain that they only block immoral websites that contradict Iranian society's ethical values -- such as pornographic websites.


In reality, however, they block access to many local and international news websites, the sites of rights activists, and political opponents' blogs and online publications.


"Whether those websites that have been blocked most recently in Iran -- including the websites of the Iranian Women's Society, the One Million Signatures Campaign, and Amir Kabir University -- were against moral values or were they only using freedom of speech to freely distribute information?" Moeni says. "The majority of the websites that face censorship and filtering in Iran are news sites and blogs, the kinds of websites that exist freely elsewhere in the world."


Even social networking sites like Facebook have been filtered in Iran. Online social forums and chats have become increasingly popular among Iranian young people, with many of them finding friends and even spouses through such networking.


Mohammad, the young Iranian professional, says that "nowadays, even music sites are being blocked."


But as the authorities try to limit young people's access to the Internet, Iranian users are finding ways to get through the state's technological barriers.


Some Iranians use so-called proxy sites or antifiltering search engines to access websites that have been blocked by the government. And "proxies," in turn, also slow down Internet access speed.


"Well, we had to find our own ways to use the Internet," Mohammad quips, "because it seems that the authorities want to block every single site on the Internet, apart from the Iranian security services' website."


Radio Farda correspondent Hassan Jafari contributed to this report

Iran's 'No Browse' Zone

Iran's 'No Browse' Zone

BLOCKED SITES: Iran's state Information Technology Company announced in September 2006 that more than 10 million websites were being "filtered" in Iran. They included the following, organized by category.

Forums, Sharing, and Entertainment:

The Google-owned Internet social network system www.orkut.com

The video-sharing website www.youtube.com

The photo-sharing website and web services www.flickr.com

The Kurdish version of Wikipedia's online encyclopedia www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdish

Social and Human Rights:

London-based www.amnesty.org, one of the world's leading human rights defenders

New York-based Human Rights Watch www.hrw.org, also one of the leading human rights defenders in the world

The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders www.rsf.org, a leading media watchdog

The official website of the Tahkim Vahdat Organization, the largest reformist university organization in Iran www.advarnews.us. The group covers news concerning student activism in Persian

The www.gozaar.org website, a monthly Persian-English journal devoted to democracy and human rights

The www.meydaan.com website, a Persian site dedicated to women's rights and activism in Iran

News and Politics:

The Prague- and Washington-based www.radiofarda.com, a joint venture of RFE/RL and VOA covering news in Persian

The Persian service of the London-based BBC www.bbc.co.uk/persian

The Persian service of the Washington-based Voice of America www.voanews.com/persian

The Amsterdam-based www.radiozamaneh.com, which covers news in Persian

The pro Islamic Republic Tehran based www.baztab.ir covering political and social issues

Brussels-based www.gooya.com, featuring articles by journalists and political figures

The Amsterdam-based daily journal www.roozonline.com, which features articles and interviews in Persian and English

Weblogs:

The Google-owned blog publishing system www.blogger.com

The Harvard-based www.globalvoicesonline.org, a blog that summarizes events in the blogosphere in every corner of world

Numerous personal weblogs from around the world, both in Persian and English, with different views and focusing on different subjects including:

www.doomdam.com (satirical blog)

www.kosoof.com (photo blog)

www.khorshidkhanoom.com

www.z8un.com

www.sibiltala.blogspot.com

www.kamangir.net

www.jomhour.org

(source: Radio Farda)

More News

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

Report: Executions In Iran Last Year Highest Since 2015

Iran has the second-highest number of executions in the world, trailing only China, according to rights groups. (file photo)
Iran has the second-highest number of executions in the world, trailing only China, according to rights groups. (file photo)

At least 834 people were executed in Iran last year, a 43 percent increase compared to 2022, according to a joint report from the Iran Human Rights group (IHR) and the Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty, as authorities continue to ramp up the use of the death penalty for drug-related offenses.

In the annual report on capital punishment in Iran, released on March 5, the groups said that some 85 percent of all executions were not announced by Iranian authorities, meaning that the actual number of executions is likely much higher as dozens more are not included in the report "due to a lack of sufficient details or an inability to confirm cases through two different sources."

"Instilling societal fear is the regime's only way to hold on to power, and the death penalty is its most important instrument," said IHR Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam in the report.

The rate of executions in Iran has been rising sharply with rights groups pointing to a surge in drug-related executions and widespread protests that swept across the country last year following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody for an alleged head-scarf violation.

Iran has the second-highest number of executions in the world, trailing only China, according to rights groups. Last year was only the second time since 2015 that capital punishment in the Middle Eastern nation was carried out more than 800 times.

The IHR report said 471 executions carried out in 2023 were for drug offenses, almost double the number of the previous year.

"Some of the executions were carried out secretly, without the family or the lawyer being informed, and some have simply not been announced by the official media," the report says.

"This is while according to the Islamic republic’s own laws, the defendant’s lawyer must be notified of the planned execution."

The report showed that, excluding China where rights groups say it is impossible to get accurate data, Iran executed more women -- 22 -- than any other country in the world.

Furthermore, it said ethnic minorities also account for a disproportionate amount of the total number of people executed.

The report said that at least 167 members of Iran's Sunni Baluch community were executed, meaning they accounted for 20 percent of the overall total while representing only 5 percent of the country's population.

The Baluch community is "grossly overrepresented amongst those executed" on drug-related charges, it said.

Magnitude 5.4 Earthquake Strikes Southwestern Iran

An 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck Iran's southwestern Sistan-Baluchistan Province, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said early on March 5. The quake was at a depth of 35 kilometers, the USGS said, adding that the epicenter was some 66 kilometers northwest of the city of Fannuj. No injuries or damage were immediately reported.

Iranian Judiciary Says 'Mossad Agent' Executed In Connection With Attack In Isfahan

The attack on the Iranian Defense Ministry workshop in Isfahan occurred in January last year. (file photo)
The attack on the Iranian Defense Ministry workshop in Isfahan occurred in January last year. (file photo)

Iran's judiciary has announced the execution of a person it claims was a Mossad agent involved in an explosion at a Defense Ministry workshop complex in the city of Isfahan last year.

According to the Mizan News Agency, which is affiliated with Iran's judiciary, the execution took place on March 3. Four Kurds also accused of having a connection with the attack were executed in January. The Hengaw human rights group says none of the five was given a fair trial and their confessions were obtained through torture.

The person executed on March 3 was accused of being in contact with agents of Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency, since February 2019. It was alleged that, in 2022, the individual helped facilitate the smuggling of several drones into Iran by arranging the rental of a warehouse to store the aircraft and the purchase of vehicles to move them and people around. The attack occurred in January 2023.

The identity of the executed person has not been disclosed. However, Mizan, quoting the chief of the Isfahan judiciary, revealed that the individual fled the country under a false identity 13 days after the Isfahan attack. They were later apprehended by security forces in a “neighboring country,” although details of the arrest and the specific country where it occurred were not provided.

The Iranian Defense Ministry described the attack as unsuccessful, reporting no casualties and only minor damage to the facility's roof.

Though no one took responsibility for the attack, The Wall Street Journal quoted unidentified U.S. officials as saying Israel had carried out the strike.

In an article published by the newspaper in December, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett hinted at Israel's involvement in several operations inside Iran in 2022, including attacks on drone bases. Bennett cited the destruction of an Iranian drone base as a retaliatory measure for Iran's alleged attempts to launch drone attacks against Israel.

There has been a series of incidents inside Iran over the past year, including sabotage and cyberattacks, assassinations, and the mysterious killings of members of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), as well as scientists and engineers.

Tehran has blamed some of the incidents on Israel, its regional foe.

Israel says its standard policy is to not comment officially on such incidents.

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

U.S. Condemns Sentencing Of Iranian Singer Who Won Grammy

Shervin Hajipour, who wrote and performed the song Baraye in 2022, was sentenced last week to nearly four years in prison.
Shervin Hajipour, who wrote and performed the song Baraye in 2022, was sentenced last week to nearly four years in prison.

The United States on March 4 condemned the sentencing of an Iranian singer who won a Grammy award in 2023 for a song that became an anthem for mass Iranian protests after the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody. Shervin Hajipour, who wrote and performed the song Baraye in 2022, was sentenced last week to nearly four years in prison. He was also forced to write music critical of the United States. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the sentence was another sign of the government's "intent to crack down on freedom of expression and repress voices" inside Iran.

U.S. Says Low Turnout In Iranian Elections Another Sign Of 'Discontent'

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, casts his ballots during the parliamentary and key clerical body elections at a polling station in Tehran on March 1.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, casts his ballots during the parliamentary and key clerical body elections at a polling station in Tehran on March 1.

The United States said on March 4 that low turnout in Iran's election was a new sign of discontent in the country. "I don't think there's any doubt that there's discontent about the regime's rule," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. Miller said many Iranians likely assessed that the elections would not be free and fair and chose not to participate. Election authorities said earlier that conservatives and ultraconservatives secured a large majority in the parliamentary elections held on March 1 in which turnout was 41 percent. Many candidates, including moderates and reformists, had been disqualified from running.

Top Iranian Sunni Cleric Barred From Touring Flood Sites In Baluchistan

Iran's state news agency has described the flooding in Sistan-Baluchistan Province as severe.
Iran's state news agency has described the flooding in Sistan-Baluchistan Province as severe.

Iranian security forces have barred Molavi Abdolhamid, Iran's top Sunni cleric, from visiting areas affected by recent floods in Sistan-Baluchistan Province, while also detaining two of his children, according to local media reports.

Haalvsh, a group that monitors rights violations in the impoverished province, reported that the incident occurred on March 4 as Abdolhamid, accompanied by his family and associates, attempted to reach the flood-stricken region of Dashtyari.

However, their journey was abruptly halted by security personnel at a checkpoint on the Zahedan-Khash highway, where two of the cleric's teenage children were taken into custody.

Molavi Abdolhamid reportedly protested by refusing to leave the checkpoint.

The Baluch Activists Campaign also reported the vehicles of Abdolhamid and his companions being stopped and the "arrest" of two of his children, adding that residents of Zahedan were mobilizing toward the Zahedan-to-Khash road in response.

Abdolhamid has expressed criticism over the handling of flood disaster-relief efforts by officials and urged the public to provide aid to those affected in the province.

Molavi Abdolhamid (file photo)
Molavi Abdolhamid (file photo)

The heavy rainfall, which began last week, has inflicted significant damage across the southeastern province, leading to widespread flooding. Official reports indicate that at least 1,800 homes were damaged.

The floods, described as severe by the state news agency IRNA, have led to the overflow of four dams, affecting 1,947 villages across the region. The disaster has prompted concerns over the adequacy of emergency response and infrastructure resilience in Iran in the face of natural calamities.

Members of the Baluch minority, many of whom are Sunni Muslims in Shi'a-majority Iran, have long faced disproportionate discrimination and violence at the hands of the authorities.

Abdolhamid, the outspoken leader of Friday Prayers in Zahedan, has publicly criticized the authorities for alleged human rights abuses and repression of Iran's ethnic and religious minorities.

Sources in Sistan-Baluchistan told Radio Farda that Abdolhamid, whose popularity has soared, has been the subject of "intimidation and threats" from the authorities.

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

Iran, Sudan Reject Report Claiming Tehran Seeks Red Sea Base

Two Iranian Navy warships are seen docked at Port Sudan in the Red Sea in 2012.
Two Iranian Navy warships are seen docked at Port Sudan in the Red Sea in 2012.

Tehran has rejected a media report claiming that Iran had unsuccessfully asked Sudan to allow it to set up a naval base on its Red Sea coast, a day after Khartoum also called it into question.

Citing an unnamed Sudanese intelligence official, The Wall Street Journal on March 3 reported that Iran had offered advanced weapons to Sudan in return for permission to build a naval base on its Red Sea shore.

The Wall Street Journal added that Sudan rejected Iran’s offer out of concern for alienating the United States and Israel. Iran has supplied the Sudanese military with drones used to fight rebels. The Iranian Navy has maintained a presence in the Red Sea for years but does not have a naval base in the strategic waters.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said on March 4 during a weekly press briefing that the report was “baseless and politically motivated.” A day earlier, Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq denied the article, calling it “false and fabricated.”

Commercial shipping in the Red Sea has been crippled since November, when Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels started targeting ships with ties to Israel. Analysts say Tehran has used its so-called “spy ship” Behshad in the Gulf of Aden to provide intelligence to the Huthis.

The Huthis’ targeting of ships in the key global trade route has triggered retaliatory U.S. and U.K. air strikes, though questions remain about whether the attacks will deter the Yemeni rebels.

The Rubymar, a cargo vessel struck by the Huthis in late February, sunk in the Red Sea on March 3, becoming the first ship lost in the conflict.

The Huthis say they are striking Israeli-linked ships in support of Palestinians following the October outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

Updated

Hard-Liners Ahead In Tehran After Iranian Elections With Record Low Turnout Reported

A woman in Tehran casts her ballot on March 1.
A woman in Tehran casts her ballot on March 1.

Iranian state media says hard-liners are ahead in the capital, Tehran, as vote counting progresses in Iran's March 1 elections, which were marred by what appears to be a record-low turnout prompted by voter apathy and calls for a boycott by reformists.

The 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, who had been detained for an alleged Islamic dress-code violation.

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said 1,960 from 5,000 ballots in Tehran have been counted so far, with hard-liners ahead as expected.

An alliance led by hard-liner Hamid Rasaee won 17 out of 30 seats in Tehran, state radio reported, while the incumbent parliamentary speaker, conservative Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf also obtained a new seat.

The turnout appears to be at a record low, according to unofficial accounts, despite the officials' repeated appeals to Iranians to show up en masse at the polls as Iran's theocracy scrambles to restore its legitimacy in the wake of a wave of repression in 2022 and amid deteriorating economic conditions.

The Mehr news agency, citing unofficial results, reported that voter turnout in Tehran was only 24 percent.

Iran's rulers needed a high turnout to repair their legitimacy following the unrest, but many Iranians said they would not vote in “meaningless” elections in which more than 15,000 candidates were running for the 290-seat parliament.

State media reported that the turnout was "good." Official surveys before the election, however, suggested that only some 41 percent of eligible Iranians would come out to vote.

The Hamshahri newspaper said on March 2 that more than 25 million people, or 41 percent of eligible voters, had turned out, thus confirming the official survey.

If the figure is confirmed, it will be the lowest election turnout in Iran since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 that brought the current theocracy to power, despite officials twice extending voting hours to allow late-comers to cast ballots.

The pro-reform newspaper Ham Mihan published an opinion piece titled The Silent Majority, reporting a turnout of some 40 percent.

Shortly afterwards, however, the title of the piece was changed to Roll Call without any explanation, which commenters on social media networks blamed on pressure exerted on the newspaper by authorities.

So far, the lowest turnout, 42.5 percent, was registered in the February 2020 parliamentary elections, while in 2016, the turnout was some 62 percent.

As the voting concluded, the United States made clear that the international community was aware that the results of the poll would not reflect the will of the Iranian people.

"As some Iranians vote today in their first parliamentary election since the regime's latest violent crackdown, the world knows the Iranian people do not have a true say at the ballot box," U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Iran Abram Paley wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Ahead of the vote, prominent figures, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, said they would boycott the elections, labeling them as superficial and predetermined.

Mohammad Khatami, Iran's first reformist president, was among the critics who did not vote on March 1.

Mostafa Tajzadeh, a former deputy interior minister, has also voiced his refusal to vote, criticizing the supreme leader's indifference to the country's crises.

Voter apathy, along with general dissatisfaction over living standards and a clampdown on basic human rights in Iran, has been growing for years.

Even before Amini's death, which sparked massive protests and the Women, Life, Freedom movement, unrest had rattled Iran for months in response to declining living standards, wage arrears, and a lack of insurance support.

In a last-ditch effort to encourage a high turnout, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said after casting his ballot in Tehran that voting would “make friends happy and ill-wishers unhappy.”

While domestically attention is mostly focused on the parliamentary elections, it is perhaps the Assembly of Experts polls that are more significant.

The 88-seat assembly, whose members are elected for eight-year terms, is tasked with appointing the next supreme leader. Given that Khamenei is 84, the next assembly may end up having to name his successor.

Analysts and activists said the elections were “engineered” because only candidates vetted and approved by the Guardian Council were allowed to run. The council is made up of six clerics and six jurists who are all appointed directly and indirectly by Khamenei.

'Engineered Elections': Iran To Vote On Assembly That May Name Next Supreme Leader
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In dozens of audio and written messages sent to RFE/RL’s Radio Farda from inside Iran, many said they were opting against voting because the elections were “meaningless” and likely to consolidate the hard-liners’ grip on power.

With reporting by Reuters

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