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U.S.: Iranian-American Poet Puts Her Faith In Literature

Persis Karim at RFE/RL's studios in Washington, D.C. (RFE/RL) WASHINGTON, November 9, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Poet and academic Persis Karim was born in the San Francisco Bay area to an Iranian father and a French mother. She came of age during the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and the holding of U.S hostages in Tehran for 444 days. She spoke recently to Radio Farda correspondent Fatemeh Aman about her experiences as an Iranian-American and the importance of literature in the lives of emigres.


Karim received her master’s degree in Middle Eastern studies and a PhD. in comparative literature from the University of Texas at Austin. She is now an associate professor of English and comparative literature at San Jose State University in San Jose California. Most recently, Karim edited and contributed to a new anthology entitled "Let Me Tell You Where I've Been: New Writing By Women Of The Iranian Diaspora" (University of Arkansas Press, 2006).


Radio Farda: I understand from your biography that you were born in the United States to an Iranian father and a French mother. How has that background influenced you intellectually, and when did your parents come to the United States?


Persis Karim: My parents -- my father in particular -- came here at a different time than most Iranians. He came here after the Second World War. He had been in Iran when Iran was occupied by the British and the Soviets. He worked on building the railroads in the war to transport munitions to the southern front of the Soviet Union. He was sent to the United States after the war to help with transforming the [Iranian] railroads from military, wartime use to civilian use. He came to the U.S. to study the railroads. He wrote a report, traveled on the railroad for a year in the United States, and then sent the report back to the shah and never heard back. And he said, "I'm going to stay here."

I think to some degree, literature can strike a middle ground and it can often speak to issues that get obscured by those tensions and media depictions. So, I see it as a really important time for literature to step into play and offer something different.

Of course, I think my father was very politically sophisticated about what was taking place in Iran, and he saw that Iran was going to go through a very difficult time after the war because of the influence of the British, the Soviets and the emergence of the Cold War. So, he decided to stay here. He was a very early immigrant to the U.S.


My mother also came here, after the war in France. Like many young women, she hadn't had the opportunity to get an education and she was unmarried and she was, during the war, working with American servicemen, teaching them French. So she had contact with Americans when she came here and my parents met in Chicago.


I grew up at a time when it wasn't very encouraged to learn a second language, so my parents ended up speaking English in the household. But I was always very curious about both cultures, and particularly about Iran, because it was so much more inaccessible to me. I remember during the 1970s, when there was the Suez crisis, the Six Day War, and all of those events in the Middle East, it kind of made me curious about Iran.


But, really what happened was in 1979. I was in high school and the hostage crisis erupted and, suddenly, Iran was in the headlines every day. And I began to sort of ask some questions about what it meant to be an Iranian living in the U.S. We had had relatives who immigrated later in the 1970s, so I had some exposure, but I didn't grow up in [an emigre] community. So, unlike some people who retreated from their Iranian background, I was actually more curious about what is Iran and who are these people? So that led me to kind of a journey to want to study more about Iran, and I was very interested in Iranian literature.


Radio Farda: Where does that come from? From your father?


Karim: My father was very interested in writing and literature. He loved poetry. He was part of that generation of Iranians that was kind of living in the aftermath of the constitutional revolution [of 1907]. Education was very much encouraged and my father was among the early graduates of the Tehran University. So he had a very big interest in philosophy and literature.


He was one of those people, I think, who saw the potential for the United States to be a positive influence in Iran and he came here thinking it's a great democracy and he was very disillusioned with what happened in 1953 with the coup and the overthrow [organized by the CIA] of [democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad] Mosadegh. Those are events that really left a mark on him, and his whole life he was studying, writing and reading about Iran's early 20th-century history. And that very much influenced me -- just seeing in him that desire to unravel his own part in that history too.


Radio Farda: How do you see the second generation of Iranian-Americans distinguishing themselves from the first generation, from their parents? How has the experience of Iran’s recent history shaped them, their families, and perhaps their sensibilities about Iran and Iranian culture?


Karim: Well, I think for many young people, the scars of the revolution, the disillusionment, the [1980-88] Iran-Iraq war, the absolutely tumultuous events that transformed Iran from its pre-revolutionary status under the shah, to an Islamic republic was very difficult for many young people at the beginning. For kids, for example, growing up in the United States. It was something that people didn't necessarily talk about. I see now something different among younger people -- that they don't seem as plagued by the negative feelings about those events.


Many of those early immigrants thought they were going to return to Iran. But now, people are settled here; they have children they've raised here. I see in this younger generation, people who are a generation removed from me, a lot of confidence about who they are, both as Americans and as Iranian-Americans. They have much more positive feelings and they're not burdened by some of that nostalgia for the way Iran used to be. I've noticed among some of this younger generation a real sophistication, politically, about understanding their position in the United States and having that curiosity about Iran. They don't seem as burdened by the events of the past.


Radio Farda: Some of them actually go to Iran….


Karim: Yes, they travel to Iran. They speak Persian. They are bilingual. They're interested in international policy and politics. I find them very impressive. Many of them, I think, are much more sophisticated than their parents and don't seem to harbor this fantasy of returning Iran to its pre-1979 origins, but are in fact more pragmatic and also have a much more sophisticated understanding of how to utilize their citizenship in the United States. So you see a bunch of organizations emerging that I think are doing very important work, particularly at this time.


Radio Farda: "Let Me Tell You Where I’ve Been: New Writing By Women Of The Iranian Diaspora" is the second anthology you’ve compiled and edited. Do you see any noticeable differences between writing of this earlier period -- 10 years ago and today?


Karim: Yes, the first anthology was called "A World Between: Poems, Short Stories, And Essays By Iranian-Americans" [April 1999]. I started compiling that when I was in graduate school. I was working on a dissertation about exile writing, and I was including Iranians.


I began to notice that, in fact, there were lots of people who were writing about their experiences either as first-generation immigrants or second-generation American-born or American-raised Iranian-Americans. I was interested in capturing that beginning of talking about what it means to live through these historical events.


So the first collection, I think, was grounded in a kind of sorrow and loss about leaving Iran or struggling through the events of the 1970s and 1980s and recognizing how much shame and sorrow there was surrounding the Iranian community here. Also the sophistication of the writing was not quite as evolved as it is now. What I notice in the second collection is this real confidence with the English language -- writing in English, feeling as though it is our space to write from, in English.


Radio Farda: How do you explain the explosion in women’s writing outside Iran -- as well as inside Iran?


Karim: I think to a great extent women, in particular, have this sense in which there's a kind of urgency to write their narratives because their stories have been so prescribed by both the image of Iran in the Western media -- a very singular image of it as religious, intolerant, women are veiled. I mean, the veil is a singularized image of the woman's experience in Iran. And similarly, the Islamic Republic is dictating a notion of Iranian women that's very much in the same vein.


So, I see women outside of Iran really saying: "You know what. I'm going to tell my own story, and I'm going to tell it my own way." I feel like there's a lot of confidence in that narrative that hasn't been there before. Also because women outside of Iran are not burdened by the issue of censorship, which exists in Iran today. They're writing about issues that historically are very taboo -- sexuality, marriage, and all kinds of issues. There's a kind of liberty I think that women are taking in their writing, which is kind of interesting both in its form and in its content.


Radio Farda: How do you see this literature playing a critical role at a time when tensions between Iran and the United States are growing?


Karim: Well, I think that literature and art generally are one of the ways you can paint a human face on a nation or a people that has been vilified in the media. Certainly, because of the issue of [the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States], terrorist actions around the world, the situation in Iraq, and growing tensions between Iran and the U.S. because of Iran's nuclear capabilities, there's been an attempt in the Western media to portray Iran as a growing boogeyman. I feel that literature is one of the ways in which people, Americans, readers, recognize the common humanity of those people who are often depicted as outsiders and foreigners.


Much of the literature, I think, really is suggestive of how much Iranians themselves are struggling to stay connected with Iran at a time when they feel a certain amount of alienation from the government and also they're critical in the same way of the United States' policies. I think to some degree, literature can strike a middle ground and it can often speak to issues that get obscured by those tensions and media depictions. So, I see it as a really important time for literature to step into play and offer something different.

'Axis Of Evil'

'Axis Of Evil'

Iraqis strike a statue of deposed leader Saddam Hussein with their shoes following Friday Prayers in Baghdad on Decemer 26, 2003 (epa)


LISTEN

Listen to Persis Karim read and discuss her poem "Axis Of Evil" (about four minutes):
Real Audio Windows Media

AXIS OF EVIL
By Persis Karim

I
Soheila puts the samovar back on the crowded shelf,
sips the last of her dark, red tea.
Her hands sweep across the sofreh
on the floor -- gathering empty plates
littered with pistachio shells and sprigs of mint.
Tonight they have declared war on Baghdad.
She worries about her young son,
her mother suffering from rheumatism.
Upstairs her husband listens to the radio,
sometimes the BBC, sometimes Voice of America.
But lately it's the government station.
When he hears the sound of the plaintive ney
he turns the volume up,
down when the mullahs address the nation.

II
In a quiet city in the Midwest
a woman opens her umbrella
at the first sight of a last spring rain.
Lately, she's been thinking about her safety.
What will it take to drive back
the forces of evil in our midst?
She's thought more about the places
and people on earth that live
like she does. Checking their watches,
feeding their kids, dutifully
paying their taxes.

III
All night Muhammad hears the wail of sirens.
In the morning, he watches angry men
hoist long ropes and topple
statues of the Great One.
Let them erase this history --
so long as he can go to school again,
so long as the rain of bullets
ceases.

IV
Soheila awakens to a glorious sunrise
How can she have turned in her bed
so much and still feel so rested?
Tehran is a lonely city, she thinks,
gazing out her second-story window
at the sad dirtiness enveloping her city.
She thinks too of her deceased father's
voice. His reminders to look always
for goodness.

(reprinted with permission)

More News

Targeted Activist Calls Failure Of Iranian Assassination Plot 'Pleasing'

Masih Alinejad, 48, has been the target of three alleged Iranian kidnapping and assassination plots.
Masih Alinejad, 48, has been the target of three alleged Iranian kidnapping and assassination plots.

Iranian-American human rights activist Masih Alinejad says she derives joy from the failure of alleged plots by the Islamic republic to kidnap and assassinate her.

The U.S. Justice Department on November 8 unsealed criminal charges that include details of a plot allegedly backed by Iran to kill Alinejad and President-elect Donald Trump before the November 5 election. Iran has rejected the allegation.

"When the Islamic republic is defeated, disgraced, and embarrassed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI], it has no choice but to deny," Alinejad, 48, said in comments to RFE/RL's Radio Farda.

Alinejad, who has criticized Iran's laws requiring women to wear a hijab, or head scarf, was the target of a kidnapping plot in 2021. In 2022 a man was also arrested with a rifle outside her home.

“The Islamic republic has been disgraced three times…. The humiliation of [Iranian authorities] is truly pleasing,” she said.

The FBI informed Alinejad of the suspected Iranian plot to kill her shortly before the court documents were unsealed, she said, recalling that she was "shocked" to learn about the details.

Two men arrested by the FBI were planning to target Alinejad at Fairfield University in Connecticut, where she was scheduled to appear.

The Justice Department alleges the two men spent months surveilling Alinejad and earlier this year traveled to the university campus and took photos of the premises.

"It is shocking how brazenly the Islamic republic can savagely plan to assassinate someone in another country," Alinejad said.

Iran has long been accused of targeting dissidents abroad, either to kidnap them or kill them.

Rights groups say exiled opposition activist Ruhollah Zam was abducted in 2019 before being executed in Iran a year later.

In 2020, Tehran said it had arrested Iranian-German citizen Jamshid Sharmahd and later sentenced him to death. Sharmahd's family insists he was kidnapped while through the United Arab Emirates. Iranian authorities claim Sharmahd died in prison last month before being executed.

Alinejad, who is visiting Germany and recently met with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said her message to Germany, the United States, and all Western countries is to "protect your borders and democracy instead of protecting me so that the Islamic republic's terrorists can't enter and plot assassinations on Western soil."

She said symbolic gestures by the West in support of Iranian protesters and dissidents "is not enough" to dissuade Iranian authorities from targeting critics abroad. Instead, she argued, severing diplomatic ties and "extensive support" for protesters inside Iran would be more effective.

Written based on an interview by Nasrin Afshar of RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Saudi Armed Forces General Travels to Iran In Rare High-Level Visit

Fayyad al-Ruwaili, chief of the general staff of Saudi Arabia’s armed forces, meets his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Baqeri, in Tehran on November 10.
Fayyad al-Ruwaili, chief of the general staff of Saudi Arabia’s armed forces, meets his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Baqeri, in Tehran on November 10.

The general chief of staff of Saudi Arabia's armed forces, Fayyad al-Ruwaili, met his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Baqeri, in Tehran during a rare visit on November 10.

Iran's official IRNA news agency said they discussed the development of defense diplomacy and bilateral cooperation without offering any details.

Iranian media said Baqeri had discussed regional developments and defense cooperation with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman al-Saud last year.

Ruwaili is only the second high-profile Saudi official to travel to Tehran since Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic relations after seven years following Chinese-brokered talks in March 2023. Previously, Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan visited Iran in June 2023.

Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia severed ties with Shi'a-dominated Iran in 2016 after its diplomatic compounds in Tehran and Mashhad were attacked by protesters over Riyadh's execution of Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

The trip comes days after the election of Donald Trump, whose second term as U.S. president begins in January. He has pledged to bring peace to the Middle East, where U.S. ally Israel is engaged in wars against Iranian-backed groups in Gaza and Lebanon.

Hamidreza Azizi, a fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said the timing of the trip was significant because it comes as various countries are preparing for a second Trump presidency.

He said the Saudis' decision to send their top military official to Tehran "is a signal that they are committed" to the detente process that started last year and that "they don't want Trump's election to jeopardize the recently improving relations with Iran."

Separately, Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman on the phone and discussed expanding bilateral relations, according to Pezeshkian's office.

Trump had good relations with Persian Gulf Arab states in his first tenure in office and worked on normalizing relations between Arab states and Iran's archfoe, Israel.

Saudi Arabia has not normalized relations with Israel but Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is said to have discussed the possibility of normalization with Saudi Arabia since 2021.

In another sign of warming relations, Saudi Arabia announced last month that it held military drills with Iran in the Sea of Oman.

UN Nuclear Watchdog Chief To Visit Iran On November 13

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi

UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi will visit Iran on November 13 and start consultations with Iranian officials the following day, state media reported on November 10. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said last week that he might head to Iran in the coming days to discuss its disputed nuclear program and that he expected to work cooperatively with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Long-standing issues between Iran, the IAEA, and Western powers include Tehran barring several uranium-enrichment experts from IAEA inspection teams in the country and its failure for years to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites. Iran has also stepped up nuclear activity since 2019, after then-President Trump abandoned a 2015 deal Iran reached with world powers under which it curbed enrichment -- seen by the West as a disguised effort to develop nuclear weapons capability -- and restored tough U.S. sanctions on the Islamic republic.

Iranian Foreign Minister Denies Plot To Kill Trump

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi (file photo)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi (file photo)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi denied U.S. charges that Tehran was linked to an alleged plot to kill Donald Trump and called on November 9 for confidence-building between the two hostile countries. "A new scenario is fabricated....As a killer does not exist in reality, scriptwriters are brought in to manufacture a third-rate comedy," Araqchi said in a post on X. He was referring to an alleged plot Washington said was ordered by Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to assassinate Trump, who won the U.S. presidential election on November 5 and takes office in January.

Iran Urges Trump To Change 'Maximum Pressure' Policy

Iranian Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif (file photo)
Iranian Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif (file photo)

Iran signaled an openness toward Donald Trump on November 9, calling on the U.S. president-elect to adopt new policies toward it after Washington accused Tehran of involvement in a plot to kill him. Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif urged Trump to reassess the policy of "maximum pressure" he employed against the Islamic republic during his first term. "Trump must show that he is not following the wrong policies of the past," Zarif told reporters. His remarks came after the United States accused Iran of conspiring to assassinate Trump. The Foreign Ministry on November 9 described the American accusations as "totally unfounded."

After Iranian Student Jailed For Stripping, London Activist Shows Solidarity In Her Underwear (Video)

After Iranian Student Jailed For Stripping, London Activist Shows Solidarity In Her Underwear (Video)
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A university student in Tehran was detained and sent to a psychiatric ward after stripping down to her underwear in public. In a demonstration of support, activist Rokhsareh Mohammad Khani took similar action in London, filming herself in minimal clothing in a central square. Khani said she wanted to highlight the extreme nature of Iran's dress code and the penalties it imposes on women.

Updated

Court Documents Allege Iranian-Backed Plot To Assassinate Trump, Dissidents

President-elect Donald Trump (file photo)
President-elect Donald Trump (file photo)

The U.S. Justice Department on November 8 unsealed criminal charges that include details of a plot allegedly backed by Iran to kill President-elect Donald Trump before the November 5 election.

A criminal complaint filed in federal court in New York City alleges that an unnamed official in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) instructed a contact to develop a plan to surveil and ultimately kill Trump, the Justice Department said in a news release.

Three men, including an Iranian national, were charged in the criminal complaint in connection with their alleged involvement in a separate plot to murder a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin.

Two of the three men -- Carlisle Rivera, 49, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, both of New York City -- made an initial appearance in court on November 7 and were ordered detained pending trial, the department said.

The third man, identified as Farjad Shakeri, remains at large and is believed to be in Iran.

"The charges announced today expose Iran's continued brazen attempts to target U.S. citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders, and dissidents who criticize the regime in Tehran," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in the news release.

The IRGC "has been conspiring with criminals and hitmen to target and gun down Americans on U.S. soil and that simply won't be tolerated," he added.

Shakeri allegedly recruited Rivera and Loadhold to follow and kill a prominent Iranian-American. The target was not named in the news release or in court documents but appears to be dissident journalist Masih Alinejad.

Alinejad said on X that she was shocked to have learned of the plot from the FBI.

"I also learned that the person assigned to assassinate @realDonaldTrump was also assigned to kill me on U.S. soil," she said on X, calling on Trump to be tough on terrorism. "The Islamic Republic understands only one language: the language of pressure," she said.

Alinejad, who has criticized Iran's laws requiring women to wear a hijab, was the target of a kidnapping plot in 2021, and in 2022 a man was arrested with a rifle outside her home.

The Justice Department said Shakeri was an IRGC "asset" who immigrated to the United States as a child and was deported around 2008 after serving 14 years in prison for robbery.

According to the criminal complaint, Shakeri allegedly disclosed the plot to assassinate Trump in telephone conversations with FBI agents in recent months.

Shakeri spoke with FBI agents because he was hoping to obtain a sentence reduction for a person who is imprisoned in the United States, the court document said.

Shakeri told the FBI he was approached by an IRGC official about organizing the assassination of Trump. He planned to use a network of criminal associates he met in prison, including Loadholt and Rivera, to supply the IRGC with operatives to conduct surveillance and assassinations of IRGC targets, the Justice Department said.

Shakeri promised to pay $100,000 in the murder-for-hire plot described in the document in which Alinejad appears to be the target.

The IRGC also tasked Shakeri with carrying out other assassinations of U.S. and Israeli citizens located in the United States, according to the press release.

"In particular, Shakeri has informed law enforcement that he was tasked on October 7, 2024, with providing a plan to kill President-elect Donald J. Trump," the Justice Department said.

Shakeri was unable to draft a plan within the time span requested by the IRGC official, and the official then told him Iran would pause its plan until after the presidential election because the official believed Trump would lose and it would be easier to assassinate him afterward, the criminal complaint said.

The United States has repeatedly accused Iran of seeking to assassinate U.S. officials in retaliation for the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who died in a U.S. military drone strike in Iraq in 2020.

In his first term as president, Trump withdrew the United States from an international nuclear agreement negotiated between Iran and nuclear powers, imposed new sanctions on the country, and classified the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

Shakeri, Rivera, and Loadholt have all been charged with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and money-laundering conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Shakeri faces additional charges related to terrorism.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and dpa

The Azadi Briefing: What Will Trump's Election Victory Mean For Afghanistan?

Customers watch a live broadcast of Donald Trump at a juice shop in Kabul. (file photo)
Customers watch a live broadcast of Donald Trump at a juice shop in Kabul. (file photo)

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Abubakar Siddique, senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm watching in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

The unrecognized Taliban government in Afghanistan said it wants to open a “new chapter” with the United States following Donald Trump’s victory in the November 5 presidential election.

In a statement, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry said it hoped the “upcoming U.S. administration will take realistic steps to foster tangible progress in the relationship between the two countries.”

During his first stint in power from 2017 to 2021, the Trump administration signed a deal with the Taliban that paved the way for the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

The agreement ended America’s longest-ever war. But critics said the accord led to the collapse of the U.S.-backed Afghan government and the Taliban’s return to power.

During the campaign, Trump defended the 2020 accord as a “very good agreement.” But he blamed President Joe Biden for the deadly and chaotic U.S. military withdrawal in 2021.

Why It's Important: Trump’s return to the White House is likely to have repercussions for Afghanistan, where the world’s largest humanitarian crisis is unfolding.

The United States is the biggest donor of humanitarian aid to the country, having provided around $3 billion since the Taliban takeover in August 2021. There has been a major drop in donor funding over the past two years.

“The sharp decline in humanitarian funding seems likely to worsen under a Trump presidency,” said Graeme Smith, senior Afghanistan analyst at the Brussels-based International Crisis Group.

Hameed Hakimi of Chatham House, a London-based think tank, said Trump could place conditions on U.S. aid, a move that would “increase the financial and humanitarian vulnerability of the Afghan people.”

Experts said it is unlikely that the incoming Trump administration would reverse current U.S. policy by arming anti-Taliban groups inside Afghanistan or recognizing the Taliban’s government.

“The Republicans will do everything possible to keep Afghanistan out of the headlines,” said Smith.

What's Next: Afghanistan is unlikely to be a priority for the Trump administration.

But a major attack on the United States or its allies emanating from Afghan soil could change that.

What To Keep An Eye On

An Indian diplomat traveled to Kabul for talks with senior Taliban officials on November 4-5.

The Taliban’s defense and foreign ministers held meetings with JP Singh, who oversees the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division of India’s External Affairs Ministry.

“Both sides declared their common desire” to expand bilateral relations, mainly in humanitarian cooperation, said a statement by the Taliban’s Defense Ministry.

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said the two sides also discussed “how the Chabahar Port can be used for imports and exports.”

Over the past two decades, India has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in developing Iran’s southeastern Chabahar Port and built a highway linking it to western Afghanistan.

In March, the Taliban announced that it would invest around $35 million in Chabahar Port, a move aimed at decreasing landlocked Afghanistan's dependence on neighboring Pakistan.

Relations between the Taliban and Pakistan, longtime allies, have deteriorated sharply in recent years.

Why It's Important: Singh’s visit to Afghanistan signals New Delhi’s interest in developing relations with the Taliban.

India was a key backer of the Western-backed Afghan government. But since the Taliban’s return to power, it has signaled a willingness to cooperate with the extremist group.

The Taliban’s tense relations with Pakistan has offered India an opportunity to boost its influence in Kabul.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org

Until next time,

Abubakar Siddique

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org

Will Trump's Election Trigger An Iran Policy Of 'Maximum Pressure 2.0'?

Iranian authorities insist there is no difference between various U.S. presidents.
Iranian authorities insist there is no difference between various U.S. presidents.

Before the U.S. presidential election, Iran dismissed the vote as irrelevant.

But former President Donald Trump’s stunning victory on November 5 could have major ramifications for Tehran, experts say.

During his first stint in power, Trump ramped up pressure on Iran over its nuclear and missile programs and imposed sweeping sanctions against Tehran.

Iran will “have to contemplate radical changes in its foreign policy and national security…in order to stave off bigger crises that could come as a consequence of a [second] Trump presidency,” said Farzan Sabet, senior research associate at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

'Maximum Pressure 2.0'

From 2017-2021, the Trump administration pursued a campaign of “maximum pressure” on Iran.

Trump withdrew the United States from a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, reimposed crippling economic sanctions on Iran, and ordered the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

Trump’s return to the White House could see a policy of “maximum pressure 2.0,” said Sabet, adding that the aim could be “containment and regime weakening.”

Sabet said Trump could try to devise “a kind of policy in perpetuity” on Iran that would be difficult to undo by future U.S. administrations.

Japan's then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe traveled to Tehran in June 2019 with a message from then-President Donald Trump, but Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei refused to reply.
Japan's then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe traveled to Tehran in June 2019 with a message from then-President Donald Trump, but Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei refused to reply.

In a sign of what is to come, Brian Hook, who oversaw the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, is expected to lead the president-elect’s transition team at the State Department. U.S. media reported that Hook could be considered for the role of secretary of state.

During the campaign, Trump sent mixed messages on Iran. He threatened to blow the country to “smithereens” but also said he was open to talks with Tehran. Trump also said he wants Iran to be “successful,” although he added that Tehran “can't have a nuclear weapon.”

Sabet said Iran has grown more adept at evading U.S. sanctions since Trump’s first term and its nuclear program has become more advanced following the abrogation of the nuclear deal.

But experts say Iran will still feel the bite of tougher U.S. policies. The Iranian economy is in free fall, while the clerical establishment has faced growing domestic unrest and threats from archenemy Israel.

The Israeli Factor

Iran and Israel have traded direct aerial attacks in recent months that have raised fears of an all-out regional war.

The tit-for-tat attacks have come as Israel fights a multifront war against Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

Hamidreza Azizi, a fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said Trump is likely to give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a free hand” to confront Iran.

Trump has a close relationship with Netanyahu, who was one of the first world leaders to congratulate the president-elect.

During his first term, Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, reversing decades of U.S. policy. He also moved the U.S. embassy to the contested city.

Sabet said Iran’s “security situation is rapidly deteriorating vis-à-vis Israel with possible further involvement of the U.S.”

The View From Iran

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian said on November 7 that Trump's election victory “makes no difference” to Tehran, which has “prioritized developing relations with Islamic and neighboring countries.”

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said Iran had “bitter experiences with various U.S. governments' past policies and approaches.” But he added that Trump’s return to the White House was a chance “to review previous wrong policies.”

Iran's pro-reform President Masud Pezeshkian vowed to engage the West to lift sanctions before taking office in July.
Iran's pro-reform President Masud Pezeshkian vowed to engage the West to lift sanctions before taking office in July.

Some conservative Iranian lawmakers and media outlets have done little to hide their disdain for Trump.

Hard-line lawmaker Malek Shariati wrote “death to Trump” on X on November 6 before taking down his post. The conservative Hamshahri newspaper decried “the return of the murderer,” alluding to Trump’s role in Soleimani’s assassination.

Others have urged Iranian decision-makers to consider negotiating with Trump, especially as the reformist Pezeshkian pledged to engage the West when he took office in July.

Tehran-based political analyst Hamid Asefi told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that some critics of the clerical establishment hope that Trump will help topple the Islamic republic. But he said that was “wishful thinking” because his Iran policy has never been about regime change.

“Many politicians and analysts in Iran now believe Tehran can easily strike a deal with Trump, as he is a dealmaker,” he added.

Hannah Kaviani of RFE/RL’s Radio Farda contributed to this story
Updated

Israel Sends Planes To Evacuate Soccer Fans After 'Willful Attack' In Amsterdam

Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters gather in Amsterdam ahead of the game against Ajax on November 7.
Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters gather in Amsterdam ahead of the game against Ajax on November 7.

Israel sent several chartered planes to Amsterdam to bring back Israeli soccer fans after they were attacked following a match on November 7 by what Mayor Femke Halsema described as "anti-Semitic hit-and-run squads."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incidents "anti-Semitic attacks" as his office announced that the Israeli airlines El Al and Israir have set up special flights for free on November 8 and 9 to do the job.

El Al said it was sending six planes to bring the fans home, and Israeli airport authorities said later on November 8 that the first plane had landed.

Amsterdam police said that 62 people were detained following the violence, with 10 in custody on November 8 in connection with the clashes -- which left five people hospitalized -- in the center of Amsterdam between young locals and Israeli supporters who had come to watch Maccabi Tel Aviv's game against Ajax Amsterdam in the Europa League competition.

"This is a very dark moment for the city, for which I am deeply ashamed," Halsema told a news conference. "Anti-Semitic criminals attacked and assaulted visitors to our city, in hit-and-run actions," she said.

Dutch authorities said there was no concrete threat to Israeli soccer fans before the game and that it was not clear how or precisely when the violence began.

Peter Holla, the city's acting police chief, told a news conference that the Israeli fans were "willfully attacked."

U.S. President Joe Biden condemned "anti-Semitic" violence against Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam, calling the attacks "despicable" throwbacks to dark moments in history.

"The anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam are despicable and echo dark moments in history when Jews were persecuted," Biden said on X.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and other world leader joined Biden in condemning the violence.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attacks as "vile" and said she discussed them with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof.

"Outraged by last night's vile attacks targeting Israeli citizens in Amsterdam," von der Leyen said in a post on X. "I strongly condemn these unacceptable acts. Antisemitism has absolutely no place in Europe. And we are determined to fight all forms of hatred."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar flew to Amsterdam for impromptu meetings with the Dutch government and far-right leader Geert Wilders, and Amsterdam banned demonstrations for three days.

Police said fans had left the stadium on November 7 without incident after the game was won 5-0 by Ajax, but various clashes in the city center were reported during the night.

Video posted online also purported to show Israeli fans chanting anti-Arab slogans in the streets ahead of the game.

Maccabi fans are known to have used similar chants in Israel at recent matches there.

Earlier, a pro-Palestinian protest against Maccabi's visit scheduled to take place near the stadium was banned by Dutch authorities for security reasons amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

Anti-Israeli protests have been held in various parts of the world, including in Western Europe amid Israel's war in the Gaza Strip against Iran-backed Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist group by the United States and the EU, following the group's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people.

The conflict has spilled outside of Gaza and into southern Lebanon against Iran-backed Hezbollah -- designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hezbollah’s political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament.

Schoof said he was "horrified" by the incidents. which he called "completely unacceptable." He said he told Netanyahu that those who are guilty would be "identified and prosecuted."

Netanyahu told Schoof that he "views the premeditated anti-Semitic attack against Israeli citizens with the utmost seriousness and requested increased security for the Jewish community in the Netherlands," the Israeli prime minister's office said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he had talked to Dutch King Willem-Alexander on the phone, who had voiced "deep horror and shock over the criminal acts committed."

The Israeli Embassy in the United States said on X that "hundreds" of Maccabi fans were "ambushed and attacked in Amsterdam tonight as they left the stadium following a game against Ajax."

"The mob who targeted these innocent Israelis has proudly shared their violent acts on social media," the embassy said in its message accompanied by a video of violent clashes in the city.

Israel also said it had banned members of its military from traveling to the Netherlands.

What Can The World Expect From Trump 2.0?

Donald Trump gestures as he stands on stage at a rally at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6.
Donald Trump gestures as he stands on stage at a rally at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6.

During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump made big promises about what would be in store if he reclaimed the White House.

"With your support, we'll bring back our nation's strength, dominance, prosperity and pride," Trump said two weeks before Election Day. "This will be America's new golden age."

Now that Trump has won a second term as president, what might be expected from his incoming administration?

The answer to that question depends a lot on who you ask. Trump's supporters believe he will "make America great again," at home and abroad. His detractors have warned that Trump will undermine democracy in the United States.

War And Peace

The way the United States exerts its influence around the world is likely to change.

Trump has said he could end Russia's war in Ukraine "in 24 hours." With Israel involved in a two-front war in the Middle East against Iranian-backed armed groups, Trump has called on Israel to "finish the job."

Peter Skerry, professor of political science at Boston College, said he expects Trump to "push for some sort of settlement" between Moscow and Kyiv that he predicted will "mean big concessions on the part of Ukraine."

What Trump will do regarding Israel is much less clear, Skerry says, but he said that "he'll be extremely supportive of Israel" while at the same time trying to revive the Abraham Accords that aim for Arab-Israeli normalization.

China, with which Trump launched a trade war during his first term in office, is a wild card. Trump has pledged to introduce more steep tariffs on products made in China if Beijing were to "go into Taiwan."

He has previously said he would not have to use U.S. military force to prevent a possible Chinese blockade of Taiwan due to his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Global Footprint

In his four years as president, Trump pushed for NATO members to meet their required levels of defense spending, goals that most have since met.

Trump also oversaw the U.S. withdrawal from the UN cultural body UNESCO, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, the Iran nuclear deal worked out with world powers, the Paris Agreement on mitigating the effects of climate change, and withheld funding for the World Health Organization due to its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Moscow Residents Don't Expect Change From Trump Election Win
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The outgoing Biden administration made a point to restore U.S. influence in such agreements and institutions, but now many predict another reversal under Trump.

Skerry said Trump is a "single-minded, self-interested actor" who is focused on domestic issues. It would not be surprising to see Trump "get back on the track" of limiting Washington's role in some global institutions, he said.

Keith Naughton, co-founder of the U.S.-based public-affairs firm Silent Majority Strategies, said that "Trump will want to go it alone more." But he added that the U.S. Congress was unlikely "to go along" and will put up resistance.

Payback Time

Trump has frequently lashed out against his political adversaries, referring to them as the "enemy from within" and suggesting they could "very easily handled" by the military in the event of postelection chaos.

The comments led outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris, who ran and lost against Trump, to say just before the vote that Trump was "obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and out for unchecked power."

At home, the U.S. judicial system is one area where Trump is expected to clean house, in large part owing to multiple criminal cases related to his first term, including regarding alleged election interference and attempts to derail the transfer of power following his 2020 election loss.

Trump has also said that he would "absolutely" pardon his supporters imprisoned for their role in the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol in a failed attempt to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden's victory.

More broadly, many predict Trump will use "Project 2025" -- an initiative conceived by the right-wing Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington to "take down the deep state" -- as a template for his policies.

Trump distanced himself from Project 2025 during his campaign, claiming he did not know who was behind it, but investigations have found that at least 140 people who worked in the previous Trump administration are involved.

"Trump likes to talk tough, but rarely follows through," Naughton said. "Any retribution will be haphazard and from staff members. I think there will be a lot of changes at the Department of Justice."

Trump Wins U.S. Presidency: Reactions From Our Region

Afghan men watch a television broadcast of Donald Trump's victory speech at a restaurant in Kabul on November 6.
Afghan men watch a television broadcast of Donald Trump's victory speech at a restaurant in Kabul on November 6.

Our teams bring you the latest updates, reactions, and insights into what the U.S. elections mean for our audiences. With Russia's war on Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, and a decline in democratic values, the outcome of these elections will reverberate far beyond U.S. borders.

Iranian Scholar Calls Psych Ward Admission Of Woman Who Disrobed In Protest 'Illegal'

Videos emerged on social media on November 2 showing a young woman stripped to her underwear and walking around outside a university in Tehran.
Videos emerged on social media on November 2 showing a young woman stripped to her underwear and walking around outside a university in Tehran.

Iranian religious scholar and civil activist Sedigheh Vasmaghi said there is no legal basis for admitting a young woman into psychiatric care because she took her clothes off in apparent protest against harassment outside her Tehran university.

"Even if someone suffers from mental health disorders, diagnosing that is not up to judicial authorities or the police, not to mention that admitting someone into a psychiatric facility should not be a punishment," Vasmaghi told RFE/RL's Radio Farda on November 5.

"Punishments need to be legal…. Whoever [admitted her] has committed an illegal act," said Vasmaghi, who lives in Iran.

Videos emerged on social media on November 2 showing a young woman stripped to her underwear and walking around outside a university in Tehran.

Stripping In Protest? Amnesty Calls for Immediate Release Of Iranian Woman (Video)
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The circumstances that led to her taking off her clothes remain unclear, but witnesses say she was harassed by the university's security officers over what she had been wearing. One video showed officers violently forcing the unidentified woman into a car.

Reports in Iranian media later alleged she was suffering from mental illness and that she was taken to a psychiatric hospital.

Rights groups have condemned her treatment and demanded her immediate release.

Amnesty International on November 3 said, "Pending her release, authorities must protect her from torture & other ill-treatment & ensure access to family & lawyer."

Sedigheh Vasmaghi
Sedigheh Vasmaghi

The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights on November 4 decried what it described as the Islamic republic's use of "psychiatric hospitals as tools of repression to delegitimize acts of protest and silence dissenting voices."

Echoing the same sentiment, Vasmaghi said Iranian authorities had a track record of sending protesters to psychiatric wards to "belittle and punish" them.

"Women have made their decision and they will not retreat" from demanding the freedom to choose how to dress, the activist said.

"The authorities must accept that and stop doing things that increase tensions in society," she added.

Written by Kian Sharifi based on an interview by Hooman Askary of RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Iran Sentences 3 To Death Over Assassination Of Nuclear Scientist

Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh is known as the father of the Islamic republic's nuclear program and had been under U.S. sanctions for his role in Iran's nuclear research.
Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh is known as the father of the Islamic republic's nuclear program and had been under U.S. sanctions for his role in Iran's nuclear research.

Iran's judiciary says three people have been sentenced to death by a lower court over the killing in 2020 of Iran's top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, in what Tehran says was an Israeli-orchestrated operation.

"The sentencing of these three people was carried out in the Revolutionary Court of Urmia, and they were sentenced to death in the initial stage, and the case is currently in the appeal stage," Asghar Jahangir, a spokesman for Iran's judiciary, said at a news conference in Tehran.

Urmia is a town In Iran's northwestern province of West Azerbaijan close to the border with Turkey.

The sentencing of the three, who have not been named, comes at a time of rising tensions between Iran and Israel amid the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

Israel has been blamed for the assassination of at least four other Iranian nuclear scientists suspected of working on Tehran's military nuclear program.

Fakhrizadeh, known as the father of the Islamic republic's nuclear program, had been under U.S. sanctions for his role in Iran's nuclear research and Israel accused him in 2018 of being the architect of Iran's efforts to develop a nuclear weapon.

"After some investigations, three out of eight people arrested in West Azerbaijan province were accused of spying for the occupying regime of Israel," Jahangir said, adding that the case is now in the "appeal stage."

The three were also accused of bringing unspecified equipment from abroad into Iran for the attack "under the guise of smuggling alcoholic drinks."

Jahangir said the case against the other defendants is still ongoing.

Fakhrizadeh was assassinated in a brazen ambush of his vehicle in the town of Absard, near Tehran on November 27, 2020, which Iran at the time blamed on Israel while suggesting the United States also had an indirect or direct role.

The circumstances of the attack remain unclear. Initial reports immediately after the killing suggested Fakhrizadeh was targeted by a truckful of explosives, several gunmen, and a suicide attacker.

Just days later, the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) offered a different account, saying a machine gun equipped with a "satellite-controlled smart system" that employed "artificial intelligence" was used in the pinpointed killing of the scientist that left his wife, who was traveling with him, unharmed.

Israel has not commented on Fakhrizadeh's killing.

Tehran Says German-Iranian Died Before Execution Could Be Carried Out

German-Iranian national Jamshid Sharmahd, 69, was accused by Iran of heading a pro-monarchist group that Tehran believes was behind a deadly 2008 bombing and of planning other attacks in the country.
German-Iranian national Jamshid Sharmahd, 69, was accused by Iran of heading a pro-monarchist group that Tehran believes was behind a deadly 2008 bombing and of planning other attacks in the country.

Iran's judiciary says a dual German-Iranian national sentenced to death on terror charges died while in prison and was not executed, as previously reported by local media.

Reports from state media that Jamshid Sharmahd was executed surfaced on October 28, sparking a diplomatic row with Berlin that saw Germany shut all three of Iran's consulates in the European nation.

However, Asghar Jahangir, a spokesman for the judiciary, contradicted the reports on November 5, saying a judicial statement on the issue was misquoted as it did not specifically say the death sentence had been carried out. No details on Sharmahd's death were given.

"There was no deadline for the execution of Sharmahd's sentence, he died before the execution of the death sentence," Asghar Jahangir said.

Sharmahd, 69, was accused by Iran of heading a pro-monarchist group that Tehran believes was behind a deadly 2008 bombing and of planning other attacks in the country.

He was in Dubai and heading to India for a business trip when he went missing for several days before Tehran announced it had taken Sharmahd into custody and brought back to Iran.

Fourteen Iranians were killed and 210 others wounded in the attack at the Sayyid al-Shuhada Husseiniya mosque in Shiraz during a ceremony to mourn the death of Imam Hussein, the third imam of Shi'a Muslims.

Iran's Intelligence Ministry accused Sharmahd, who lived in Glendora, California, of planning the bombing, a charge his family dismissed as "ridiculous."

In reaction to the reports of Sharmahd's execution, the European Union put out a statement "strongly" condemning the punishment and accusing Iran of having "illegally" abducting the software engineer, holding him for years "under inhumane conditions without a fair trial."

Western governments and rights groups have long accused Iran of detaining dual citizens to use them as bargaining chips against the West.

Iranian Foreign Minister In Pakistan To Discuss Ties, Middle East

 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Islamabad at the start of a two-day official visit during which he will hold talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and other officials, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry announced on November 5. Araghchi and the Pakistani officials will discuss improving bilateral ties and the current crisis in the Middle East, the Ministry said in a statement. The visit also "provides an important opportunity to advance cooperation and dialogue between Pakistan and Iran on a wide range of areas including trade, energy and security," the statement said. Iran and Israel are currently engaged in a standoff, with Tehran threatening to launch another retaliatory strike in response to an Israeli attack on October 26 that targeted Iranian military facilities. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, click here.

Stripping In Protest? Amnesty Calls for Immediate Release Of Iranian Woman (Video)

Stripping In Protest? Amnesty Calls for Immediate Release Of Iranian Woman (Video)
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Amnesty International has called for the immediate release of a young woman who was arrested after stripping to her underwear outside her Tehran university on November 2. In a statement, Amnesty said "allegations of beatings and sexual violence against her during arrest need independent and impartial investigations." Footage of the incident has been widely shared on social media.

Jewish Man Executed In Iran For Murder He Said Was In Self-Defense

Arvin Ghahremani
Arvin Ghahremani

Iran, at a time of rising tensions with Israel, has executed a Jewish man who was convicted of murder, a charge his family rejected saying he acted in self- defense after being attacked.

The Mizan news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's judiciary, quoted Hamidreza Karimi, the prosecutor of the western Iranian city of Kermanshah, as saying Arvin Ghahremani, 23, was executed on November 4.

Ghahremani, 18 at the time, was found guilty of stabbing another man to death in 2022 outside a gym in Kermanshah. The victim had owed money to Ghahremani and, according to his family, an altercation broke out over the dispute.

The victim was armed and Ghahremani acted in self-defense, they said, saying he even tried to help keep the victim alive after the altercation.

After being sentenced to death, Ghahrmani's lawyers failed to get the family of the Muslim victim, whose identity was not revealed, to pardon him and spare his life.

Islamic legislation provides for qisas, or equivalent punishment, in murder cases.

However, rights groups have long said that the law discriminates against non-Muslims, who often receive harsher punishments than Muslims convicted of similar offenses.

Ghahremani's lawyers had requested a retrial three different times, but each motion was rejected by Iranian courts.

The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group condemned the execution of Ghahremani, who the group said was 20 years old, not 23.

The group also disputed Ghahremani's guilt, saying he had been attacked with a knife by the victim. It also said that the victim's family initially agreed to spare Ghahremani but changed their mind after finding out he was Jewish.

"Arvin was a Jew, and the institutionalized anti-Semitism in the Islamic republic undoubtedly played a crucial role in the implementation of his sentence," IHR Director Mahmood Amiri-Moghadam said in a statement, adding that the case had "significant flaws."

Jews are a small minority estimated at some 20,000 in Iran, a mainly Shi'ite Muslim nation of nearly 92 million people. Many Jews fled Iran in the aftermath of Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979 as the new regime adopted a sharp anti-Israel stance, including not recognizing Israel's right to exist.

Israel and Iran's proxies in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip have been fighting a war over the past year since one of the groups, Hamas, invaded Israel and killed some 1,200 people in an unprovoked attack.

The group, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, also took around 240 hostages back to the Gaza Strip.

How Will The U.S. Election Impact Washington's Iran Policy?

Supporters of the Islamic republic burn a U.S. flag during a protest against President Donald Trump's decision to walk out of a 2015 nuclear deal, in Tehran in May 2018.
Supporters of the Islamic republic burn a U.S. flag during a protest against President Donald Trump's decision to walk out of a 2015 nuclear deal, in Tehran in May 2018.

The U.S. presidential election on November 5 will probably have a major bearing on Washington’s policy toward Iran.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, is likely to continue President Joe Biden’s diplomacy-focused policies, experts say.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, adopted a policy of “maximum pressure” during his first stint in office and is more likely to embrace a hawkish position, analysts say.

How Iran Is Trying To Interfere In The U.S. Election (Video)
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Harris's Calculated Toughness?

In early October, Harris raised eyebrows when she described Iran as Washington’s “greatest adversary” ahead of Russia and China.

Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said her comments should not be taken at face value. Harris said “what she had to say” for the sake of domestic U.S. policies and to appease the pro-Israel lobby.

Observers say Kamala Harris's hawkish comments about Iran on the campaign trail should not be taken at face value.
Observers say Kamala Harris's hawkish comments about Iran on the campaign trail should not be taken at face value.

Harris’s campaign wants to “position her somewhat to Trump’s right on issues like Iran,” said Gregory Brew, senior analyst at the U.S.-based Eurasia Group.

“Harris is likely to continue Biden's approach, pursuing diplomacy without offering large concessions and remaining wary of doing too much and triggering domestic political backlash,” Brew said.

Experts say the conflict in the Middle East, where Israel is engaged in a war with Iran-backed armed groups in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, could lead to Harris devising a more aggressive policy toward Tehran.

Diplomacy with Tehran will remain an option under a Harris presidency, experts say, but any negotiations would likely be centered on regional affairs rather than Iran’s nuclear program.

Trump To Opt For Dialogue Or Detachment?

During his stint in office from 2017 to 2021, Trump withdrew the United States from the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran, and ordered the killing of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

But it is unclear if Trump would adopt a hawkish policy toward Iran if reelected, experts say, noting the former president’s unpredictability.

Donald Trump pursued a policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran during his time as U.S. president.
Donald Trump pursued a policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran during his time as U.S. president.

During the campaign, Trump suggested without evidence that Iran was involved in recent attempted assassinations against him and threatened to blow the country “to smithereens.”

But Trump has also said on the campaign trail that he is open to talks with Iran, including over the nuclear deal.

Under a Trump presidency, there would likely be less scope for or interest in diplomacy with Tehran, said Brew.

Brew said there is “a greater willingness to tolerate military action against Iran” among Republicans, particularly in the wake of Israel’s first overt attack on Iran on October 26. But the odds of the United States getting involved in a war with Iran remain low.

“It's difficult for me to see a large war being planned at this moment in American history by any American president,” Vatanka said.

Vatanka said Iran could be more willing to talk to Trump because it may “find it easier to deal” with the former president and entice him “by appealing to his ego.”

Overall, American policy toward Iran would be more reflective of “mainstream American thinking and institutional decision-making consensus” under Harris, Vatanka said, whereas under Trump it would be “more of the inkling and the gut feeling of one man.”

Amnesty Calls For Release Of Iranian Woman Who Removed Clothes In Protest

Iranian authorities arrested the female student after she stripped to her underwear on the street outside the university.
Iranian authorities arrested the female student after she stripped to her underwear on the street outside the university.

Amnesty International has called for the immediate release of a young woman who took most of her clothes off during an apparent protest against harassment outside her Tehran university on November 2.

Iranian authorities arrested the female student -- who has not been identified -- after she stripped to her underwear on the street outside the university.

Video footage was first posted by an Iranian student channel, the Amir Kabir newsletter, and then later by the Hengaw rights group, Amnesty International, and others.

Stripping In Protest? Amnesty Calls for Immediate Release Of Iranian Woman (Video)
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“Pending her release, authorities must protect her from torture & other ill-treatment & ensure access to family & lawyer." Amnesty said.

"Allegations of beatings & sexual violence against her during arrest need independent & impartial investigations," it added. "Those responsible must held to account.”

To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.

U.S. Says It's Gathering Information On Imprisoned Ex-RFE/RL Journalist In Iran

Reza Valizadeh, a former journalist with RFE/RL's Radio Farda, has been imprisoned in Iran. (file photo)
Reza Valizadeh, a former journalist with RFE/RL's Radio Farda, has been imprisoned in Iran. (file photo)

The United States says it is gathering information about the case of former Radio Farda journalist Reza Valizadeh, a dual citizen, who has been in prison in Iran for the past weeks.

Valizadeh was arrested in late September in Tehran, a source close to the family told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda last month. Valizadeh left his job as a staff member at Radio Farda in November 2022.

In his last post on X on August 13, Valizadeh said he had traveled to Tehran on March 16. He also said he had “unfinished negotiations” with the intelligence branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). It is not clear under what circumstances he wrote this post.

“We are working with our Swiss partners who serve as the protecting power for the United States in Iran to gather more information about this case,” the State Department told AP. “Iran routinely imprisons U.S. citizens and other countries’ citizens unjustly for political purposes. This practice is cruel and contrary to international law.”

RFE/RL said in a statement that it was aware of Valizadeh’s detention in Iran. “We have had no official confirmation of the charges against him, “the statement said, adding: “We are profoundly concerned about the continued arrest, harassment and threats against media professionals by the Iranian regime.”

Iranian officials have not publicly commented on Valizadeh’s arrest.

Iran is routinely accused of arresting dual nationals and Western citizens on false charges to use them to pressure Western countries. In September 2023, Iran released five Americans jailed in Iran in a prisoner swap.

Valizadeh is the first U.S. citizen known to have been arrested since that deal.

Iran is also among the most repressive countries in terms of freedom of press. Reporters Without Borders ranked Iran 176 out of 180 countries in its 2024 World Press Freedom index. The Paris-based media watchdog says Iran is now also one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists.

Iranian President Says Cease-Fire Could Affect Tehran's Response To Israeli Strike

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian says a cease-fire could "affect the intensity" of any retaliatory strike.
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian says a cease-fire could "affect the intensity" of any retaliatory strike.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian said that if a cease-fire were reached by Israel and Tehran-allied groups in the region, the action "could affect the intensity" of any retaliatory strike by Iran’s military, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained his tough stance during a visit to the Lebanese border on November 3, saying the Hezbollah extremist group must be pushed back beyond the Litani River and be prevented from rearming.

Israel for the past several months has been striking suspected sites of Hezbollah -- which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States while the European Union blacklists its armed wing but not its political party.

Much of Hezbollah’s leadership has been killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and around the capital, Beirut.

The attacks on Hezbollah have intensified since the Israeli Army invaded the Gaza Strip following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack by its Hamas rulers that killed around than 1,200 Israelis and took some 250 hostages. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the EU.

Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets and drones into Israel, saying it will continue its attacks until a cease-fire is reached in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli attacks inside Lebanon have killed nearly 3,000 people, according to officials there, and have destroyed much of Gaza, with a reported death toll of 43,341.

Many leaders in the West and elsewhere have feared a wider war erupting in the Middle East, especially with Israel and Iran trading tit-for-tat air strikes against each other. Many are awaiting Tehran’s next move following Israel’s October 26 strike against military sites inside Iran.

"If they [the Israelis] reconsider their behavior, accept a cease-fire, and stop massacring the oppressed and innocent people of the region, it could affect the intensity and type of our response," Pezeshkian was quoted as saying by the IRNA state news agency.

But he added that Tehran "will not leave unanswered any aggression against its sovereignty and security."

Pezeshkian, who took office in late July, has been labeled a moderate by some Western observers of the Iranian political situation.

A day earlier, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened Israel and the United States with “a teeth-shattering response” to recent Israeli attacks on Iran and its proxy groups – which it referred to as its “resistance front” -- in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu said that "I want to be clear: With or without [a cease-fire] agreement, the key to restoring peace and security in the north, the key to bringing our northern residents back home safely, is first and foremost to push Hezbollah back beyond the Litani River, secondly to target any attempt to rearm, and thirdly to respond firmly to any action taken against us."

Israel "will definitely do everything that should be done…whether in terms of military, weapons, or political work," he said.

The Litani River is some 30 kilometers inside Lebanon from the border and would create a buffer zone between Hezbollah forces and Israeli territory, which Netanyahu has insisted upon.

In a report by Axios on November 2, a U.S. official and a former Israeli official said the U.S. administration had warned Tehran in recent days that it won’t be able to restrain Israel should Iran launch another attack against the U.S. ally.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP

How Iran Is Trying To Interfere In The U.S. Election (Video)

How Iran Is Trying To Interfere In The U.S. Election (Video)
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U.S. experts say Iran is running a preelection disinformation campaign, using websites partially written by ChatGPT to sow discord in society. So what do these websites look like?

U.S. Warns Iran It Can't 'Hold Israel Back' If New Attack Launched, Axios Reports

Amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, people in Tehran walk past a billboard reading in Persian and Hebrew that "another storm is coming."
Amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, people in Tehran walk past a billboard reading in Persian and Hebrew that "another storm is coming."

The U.S. administration has warned Tehran in recent days that it won’t be able to restrain Israel should Iran launch another attack against the U.S. ally, Axios reported on November 2, citing a U.S. official and a former Israeli official briefed on the matter. After Iran attacked Israel on October 1, in response to a string of Israeli assassinations of Iran-linked figures in the Middle East, the Israelis responded by striking military targets in Iran, although they did not hit nuclear or oil production sites as some people had feared. “We told the Iranians: We won't be able to hold Israel back, and we won't be able to make sure that the next attack will be calibrated and targeted as the previous one," the unidentified U.S. official said, according to Axios.

Iran's Khamenei Threatens Israel, U.S. With 'Teeth-Shattering' Response

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (file photo)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (file photo)

Iran's supreme leader has threatened Israel and the United States with “a teeth-shattering response” to recent Israeli attacks on Iran and its proxy groups – which it referred to as its “resistance front” -- in the Middle East. In a speech on November 2 to mark the 45th anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: "We will definitely do everything that should be done…whether in terms of military, weapons, or political work," adding that "the authorities are already doing it." An Israeli air attack on October 26, which targeted military bases and other sites, killed at least five people, according to Iranian officials. Israel said the attacks were in response to a massive Iranian missile and drone attack against Israel on October 1. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.

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