Iran Pressuring Filmmakers To Withdraw Anti-Crackdown Statement

The UNU announced on Wednesday that the globally recognized environmental scientist, educator, and activist will take up the post of UNU-INWEH Director as of February 2023.

Madani came to UNU from Yale University in 2021, and has been working as Head of the Nexus Research Program at the Dresden-based UNU Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES). He also serves as a Research Professor at the City University of New York Remote Sensing Earth System Institute. Madani used to be a tenured faculty member of the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London.

“I’m delighted that Prof. Madani will lead UNU-INWEH, after having focused on the nexus between water, waste, and soil at UNU-FLORES. His impressive experience in both academia and public service will help UNU-INWEH bridge the gap between water resources research and the practical needs of decision makers in the Global South”, said UNU Rector David Malone.

“Professor Madani has an impressive range of experience on water issues, both in the research and policy worlds, and at the national and international level,” said Michael Small, the chair of the UNU-INWEH International Advisory Committee. 

Madani served as the deputy head of Iran’s Environment Organization for nearly one year after returning to the country upon an invitation by individuals close to former president Hassan Rouhani. He resigned and left the country after the Revolutionary Guard arrested several of his colleagues, mainly former expats on espionage charges.

Israeli ambassador George Deek released a video on Tuesday, saying that Iran’s ambassador to Azerbaijan Abbas Mousavi recently threatened to kill him. 

“He tweeted that I crossed a red line and that I would be buried by the people of Iran,” the Israeli envoy said, adding that “You can imagine my thoughts when I heard that author Salman Rushdie was stabbed before a speech; Iran also said that he had crossed a red line; Iran also threatened him with death. And the terrorist just tried to murder him in broad daylight.”

He added that “As someone who only weeks ago was directly threatened by an Iranian official, I urge you in the strongest possible terms: Take the threats of this murderous regime seriously.” “Don’t let them intimidate you, but do not dismiss them even for a single second.”

He referred to the Iranian threats to kill atheists, activists, and anyone who disagrees with them. “They threaten to spread terrorism throughout the world. They threaten to destroy Israel, democracy, and our freedom. They mean it; just ask Salman Rushdie,” he noted. 

He called on the international community to make sure the attack on Rushdie was the last stabbing in the name of medieval hatred through confronting the Iranian terrorism. 

Earlier on Tuesday, more than 250 Iranian public figures said in a statement that the United States must release details of the alleged ties between Rushdie’s attacker and the Islamic Republic.

The rial was trading just below 300,000 in Tehran’s unofficial exchange market for the first time since mid-May. The rial had fallen to as low as 330,000 a few weeks ago as hopes for a nuclear agreement with the United States were fading.

Iran responded to a European Union proposal to resolve the nuclear issue on Monday, in what seemed to offer the best chance since March to reach an agreement.

Iran’s currency began falling in early 2018 when signs emerged that former President Donald Trump was planning to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear agreement and possibly impose sanctions on Iran.

Once the US announced its withdrawal and imposed crippling oil export and banking sanctions, the currency gradually fell ninefold by 2021.

The rial has fallen 4,500-fold since the 1979 revolution that toppled the monarch. The currency was trading at 70 against the dollar in 1978 compared with 3,300 in 2017 and around 300,000 now.

Economists in Tehran have said in recent days that even if a nuclear deal is reached, the rial will not recoup most of its losses and will probably trade at around 240,000 to the dollar, because of serious structural economic issues.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic has repeatedly announced its readiness to deal with the issue of prisoners through various channels to the American side. 

“We are ready to implement this agreement so that the innocent Iranians imprisoned in America, who have become victims of the injustice of the judicial system of that country on false charges of violating the cruel and illegal sanctions of the United States, can be released and quickly return to their families,” he added. 

He made the remarks a day after numerous American officials reiterated calls on Iran to release American dual nationals imprisoned in Iran, deploring the detention of Iranian-American Siamak Namazi on his 2500th day in Iran's notorious Evin prison.

Iran, which does not allow consular access for dual nationals, holds citizens of several countries including Germany, Austria, and Sweden, as de facto hostages. There have reportedly been Tehran-Washington contacts aimed at a prisoner exchange that would free Iranians jailed in the US, mainly over breaching American sanctions.

In the past decade, Iran's Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on unproven allegations of espionage in what human rights organizations have said is essentially hostage taking.

The former queen made the remarks in an interview with the Italian newspaper Libero during a recent trip to Egypt to participate in the ceremonies on the death anniversary of her husband, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last king of Iran. 

She referred to popular protests in recent years in which Iranians chanted slogans in support and appreciation of Reza Shah Pahlavi – the founder of the dynasty and father of Mohammad Reza Shah, saying that "It is shocking for me” that after all these years and all the Islamic Republic propaganda against the Pahlavi rule, people and politicians have noticed the Shah's services to the country.”

Reza Shah introduced many social, economic, and political reforms during his reign, ultimately laying the foundation of the modern Iranian state. Therefore, he is regarded as the founder of modern Iran.

Expressing hope that she will return to Iran, Farah Pahlavi added, "The most important issue is freedom of Iran and the freedom of Iranians. If one day I can return to my country, it will be a great joy for me."

Referring to the "severe poverty of the majority of Iranian people", the "mistreatment" of women and the protests by workers and teachers, she said that "most Iranians do not want this theocratic government and many young people are in favor of the monarchy."