Iftar In Tehran Sheds Light On Who Is Still Welcome By Khamenei
Iranian pundits and critics have been busy reviewing two Ramadan gatherings this week in Tehran to read into politics and politicians in the Islamic Republic.
Iranian pundits and critics have been busy reviewing two Ramadan gatherings this week in Tehran to read into politics and politicians in the Islamic Republic.
An April 12 iftar (Ramadan fast breaking) at the Islamic Republic Leader Ali Khamenei's house and a similar party at the office of the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on April 10, attracted a lot of media attention for the wrong reasons.
Such banquets are annual traditions of the Leader and President's office during Ramadan. For the hosts, it is a show of their grandeur and their support base among the elite. For the guests it is an opportunity to show off their connections with men of power. For the privileged photographers it is a chance to highlight anything that is odd, interesting, or out of the ordinary.
The meeting with Khamenei turned out to be controversial the following day as his office corrected part of his speech in which he had praised "the progress in the nuclear negotiations." The correction changed it to "progress in Iran's diplomacy" in general.
Other than that, the most important thing about the meeting at Khamenei's house was the photographs that could provide ammunition for analysts whose work is based on the cold war model of Kremlinology, that is playing with the slightest nuance and body language that could mean something consequential.
The photographs showed, among others, former president Hassan Rouhani and former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Many hardliners would have preferred not to see them again anywhere near Khamenei. One social media user opined that their presence was like bathing them with water and soap and cleansing them of the charges that could have landed them in jail.
This was a reference to the fact that hardliners who blame Rouhani for all the failures of the regime, have been calling for his prosecution. Others assumed that Zarif's statement in a leaked audio last year in which he said the IRGC carried out Russia's orders, would permanently kick him out of the elite Khamenei accepts.
Others seen in photographs included former Majles Speaker Ali Larijani and his brother Former Judiciary Chief Sadeq Amoli Larijani. The former was believed not to be an insider any longer following his disqualification as a candidate in the 2021 presidential election and the latter was accused of financial corruption.
It was significant that Rouhani and Amoli Larijani were sitting in the first row in front of the Supreme Leader. Everyone had assumed that both had been banished by Khamenei for the foreseeable future.
Another notable point about Rouhani was that he was the only former president at the meeting. Reformist Mohammad Khatami and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were nowhere to be seen.
Like this meeting, which was attended by almost everyone who is anyone in Iran, the April 11 meeting at Raisi's office was attended by hardliners as well as pro-reform media and political figures. The juxtaposition was best highlighted by the pictures that showed pro-reform editor of Sazandegi newspaper Mohammad Ghoochani in friendly scenes with hardliner Kayhan newspaper's firebrand editor Hossein Shariatmadari.
This probably showed a high-level decision not to ignore the so-called reformists who have lost a lot of popularity. The result was to see characters like the two editors under one roof. Many social media users pointed out the fact that these characters with their “sham conflicts” in their papers and their friendly gestures in the photos are “birds of the same feather” and it is meaningless to talk about them as representing diagonally opposing political factions in the Islamic Republic.
Grenell, who was also a White House Advisor, told Iran International’s Fardad Farahzad on Wednesday that he is not surprised by the Iranian regime’s move, adding that “we know that they deny systemically, every single day, basic human rights for women, for gays and lesbians, for the general population”.
Grenell, a strong supporter of former president Donald Trump, who also tweeted similar remarks in Persian earlier in the day, said, “I’m not surprised that they see my work in Farsi and Arabic languages to push human rights as a threat. I am absolutely not surprised that they don’t want me to be speaking about these issues and try to silence me.”
Insisting that the Tehran does not sanction Democrats because they “are darting towards the Iranian regime,” he said, and added, “The Biden administration is filled with total hypocrisy. They pretend to talk about human rights, but it doesn't come into their calculus… they're talking about giving money to the Iranian regime, they dropped the sanctions on the Iranian regime.”
Grenell, who also served as the acting director of national intelligence in the Trump administration, found himself on Iran's list of sanctioned individuals this week, joined by 24 other former Trump administration officials who were officially sanctioned due to what Iran called “terrorist activity and human rights violations".
“I would just note that on the Iranians' list of sanctions, of who they're concerned about, who they want to silence, there are no Democrats, there are no progressives on that list. They're just Republicans” he added.
He said, “I find it as a point of pride when your enemies publicly say that you are a threat to them it just means that you are really doing good work”.
He defended his efforts for the rights of the LGBTQ community, saying that “I believe that if you are an international diplomat and you are working to criminalize homosexuality, then you should not get a visa. Your kids should not get a visa to come to the US. There needs to be consequences for individuals who criminalize homosexuality and push that issue in their country”.
Grenell added that the Iranian regime is terrified of the right-wing LGBTQ campaigns in the Middle East, noting that there is no such fear from the activities of left-wing organizations
There is no fear of the activities of Hollywood types and Disney-type left-wing organizations, he said. “I think the Iranian regime is very pleased that the gay left has never taken this fight to Iran or to the Middle East. I think it’s shocking that the gay left will continue partnering with the Palestinian Authority knowing that the gay pride parade in Tel Aviv is literally a beacon of hope in the entire Middle East,” the Republican campaigner said.
Confirming the plans, Mohammad Aghamiri told Didehban-e Iran website on Saturday that there are "men who are not family members and young [unmarried] men" in parks so it is to women's own benefit to keep men out from where they play with their children. He also claimed that creation of a separate area for women and their children was based on "popular demand".
Those who advocate allocation of a different section of parks and other public areas such as playgrounds to women claim that this will help guard women's privacy and separation from men according to Islamic values.
Limitations for women have always existed since the 1979 Islamic Revolution under the pretext of protecting them, Niki Mahjoub, journalist, told Iran International TV, adding that segregation laws have steadily increased, particularly in the past few years.
Some fear that religious hardliners might be aiming at more segregation in parks and other public places.
Addressing a Tehran City Council meeting on Sunday, Aghamiri claimed that Didehban-e Iran had misrepresented his remarks and that he had not meant complete segregation of parks but meant only allocation of a special place for women and their children to play together.
He insisted that the plan ensures "women's safety" and giving them peace of mind that their children would not be "abducted". He went on to claim that women are far less likely to abduct children than men.
"There are special parks for children in all countries but now that this is being done in Tehran those who are hostile [to Islamic values] are painting a dark picture and saying parks are going to be segregated," he said.
Aghamiri added that mother and child parks will help make families happier and healthier. "Men are at work during the day. Mothers who have more free time can go to these parks and spend time with their children," he said.
Tehran has over 2,500 large and small parks and neighborhood playgrounds including nine parks that are for women only. Aghamiri said on Sunday that the number of all-female parks is going to increase to forty soon.
The first of all-female parks opened in Tehran was inaugurated by the city's conservative mayor, Mohammad Ghalibaf, in 2008. Some women at the time welcomed the idea because in this park they did not have to wear the compulsory hijab and could dress or exercise as they wished, as even gardeners were female. Others, however, said they feared this was a prelude to greater gender segregation in the city.
Since 2008 all-female parks have also been established in other cities and towns.
On Saturday a video was posted on social media showing tall concrete walls built around a park by the municipality in Bojnord in northern Iran. The mayor of Bojonord has said that the walls have been built not to segregate men and women, but to provide "a safe space" for women.
The Islamic Republic enforces complete segregation of men and women in many public spaces including schools, public transportation, gyms, swimming pools, and beaches. Women are allowed at some athletic events such as volleyball games, in a separate part of the stadium, but unofficially banned from others such as football stadiums, men's wrestling competitions and boxing matches.