Iran International
In a Twitter message in Persian, the influential Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has urged Iranian pilgrims to abide by Iraq’s laws and regulations.
“The host must show respect toward the guest, and the guest must be respectful of the hosts habits and traditions,” Sadr said in his message addressed to Iranian pilgrims, adding that they should observe discipline when entering the country for the upcoming, million-strong Arbaeen Walk, have official permits and passports, and respect the country’s officials, security forces, and laws.
The Arbaeen ceremony which falls on September 18 this year marks the end of the 40-day mourning period following Ashura -- the religious ritual for the commemoration of the third Shia Muslim Imam, Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in 680 AD – is the world's largest annual gathering.
Millions of Shia Muslims gather every year to mark Arbaeen in Karbala, Iraq, where the imam is buried. Many walk long distances, even hundreds of kilometres, to the shrine of the Imam.
Iranian authorities deploy all religious entities and media to encourage pilgrimage to Karbala. Government organisations and the state affiliated charities as well as municipalities and city councils often allocate considerable budgets to organize the Arbaeen Walk and offer various services, including free Wi-Fi, along the way and in Karbala. Last year Tehran City Council approved two urgent bills to allocate a budget of 60 billion rials for holding the Jim ceremonies.
Sadr pointed out in his message that Iraq is not obliged to accept more pilgrims than it can handle and urged Iraqi authorities not to entrust the security of the ceremonies to anyone other than the country’s own security forces. He was referring to armed militia groups affiliated with the Islamic Republic and others.
Sadr also urged Iraqis to show self-restraint and avoid any kind of conflict with pilgrims, cooperate with security forces in maintaining the security of pilgrims and holy sites, and avoid divisive slogans.
Relative calm was restored in Iraq after Sadr urged all his supporters to leave the streets following recent clashes between his supporters and pro-Iranian militias that killed about 30 people.
Violence erupted in Iraq on August 29 when Sadr -- who seeks to curb the influence of the Islamic Republic in Iraqi politics -- announced that he was quitting politics because his followers were not getting a fair share in the political structure of the country.
As violence intensified, Iranian media reported that all air and land borders with Iraq were closed and that the Iranian embassy in Baghdad and other diplomatic missions faced attacks by Sadrists.
Political rivalry between Sadr’s followers and Iran-aligned parties and paramilitary groups, mainly militias of the Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq group, has left Iraq without a government since the parliamentary elections of October 2021 in which Sadrists won the most seats.
Clashes between Sadr’s followers and Iranian-backed militias in the end of August in the Iraqi capital, Basra, and other major cities have left over a dozen dead.
Apparently referring to the recent violence, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei blamed the United States for accusations that Iran meddles in the affairs of other nations in a speech Saturday and said Iran’s encouragement of other nations “to stand up against world powers’ bullying” is the main reason for tensions with the Islamic Republic.
Rouhani talked with US President Barack Obama over the phone in September 2013. Obama initiated the call when the Iranian president was on his way to the airport to fly back to Iran after attending the UN General Assembly meeting.
Aftab News website in Iran on September 4, quoted one of the three authors of a book about Rouhani's presidency as saying that "although tensions between Tehran and Washington rose to an unprecedented high level during Donald Trump's Presidency, Rouhani was only one step short of meeting with Trump in 2019."
The meeting, which was well publicized at the time, did not take place, but Rouhani has spoken about the chance to shake hands with Trump in a recent meeting with a circle of insiders including the three authors of "A War with No Fire or Smoke" Behran Mehrju, Vali Khalili and Arash Pourebrahimi. However, Aftab News did not reveal which of the trio disclosed Rouhani's remarks.
"If Obama was in office as US President rather than Trump, I would have definitely gone to meet with him," the author quoted Rouhani. The remark reminded the author of a statement made by Rouhani in 2013 before becoming Iran's President. Rouhani had said pointing at his chest: "My heart is full of secrets, but I will speak only when someone challenges and provokes me."
Three chances for peace
Rouhani said that Iran had three chances to make peace with America and end the US sanctions. "In the first occasion Europeans led by French President Emmanuel Macron tried to mediate between Tehran and Washington. The second occasion was former Japanese Prime Minister,” who took the lead as mediator. And the third one came up during his visit to New York in September 2019.
"The P5+1 members also came there. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkle who rarely went to New York also showed up. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also came although he was in the middle of a domestic political tempest. Russia and China's foreign ministers also extended their visit to New York. Mediators were trying to solve the problems between Iran and America, and everything was prepared for direct talks."
Who takes credit?
But there was a problem. Rouhani recalled: "Trump insisted that he should break out the news about the meeting. But I knew he was an actor. He was not an ordinary man. He was acting all the time. A good actor. I was worried that he might announce the meeting and then disrupt the game."
Rouhani was even ready to take part in the meeting on the condition that the news of the meeting would be released while the meeting was taking place. "But at the last minute, we decided that there was no chance for an honest dialogue with Trump on equal footing. And others knew about it."
What about Khamenei?
Rouhani’s account of the events in 2019 should be considered from another angel. No one knows for sure whether Rouhani contacted Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the meantime, but based on previous experience, Khamenei most likely intervened at the last moment and cancelled the meeting. Knowing Khamenei and Rouhani, it is unconceivable to think that Rouhani would have met Trump without first seeking Khamenei's permission.
At the same time in Tehran, -then- government spokesman Ali Rabiei said Rouhani was not slated to meet with Trump and that no conditions have been set for such a meeting. "There is no reason for a meeting between Rouhani and an economic terrorist," said Rabiei.
Nonetheless, later in October Rouhani blamed Trump for the failure of the talks in which he said Macron was also slated to take part. He was probably referring to the fact that Trump imposed a new set of sanctions on Iran on 24 September 2019 after he realized that a meeting with Rouhani was not going to take place.
In a thread of tweets on Friday, Ardeshir Motahari, a lawmaker accused Rostam Ghasemi, the minister of roads and urban development, of taking advantage of his hospitalization as an excuse not to provide any response regarding the arrest of his adviser by intelligence ministry’s agents "exactly on the date he arranged to receive a bribe in euros."
Ghasem Makarem Shirazi, the adviser, is the grandson or nephew of – according to different reports – of Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, a well-known hardliner Shiite leader who is a close ally and staunch supporter of Ali Khamenei. In the latest parliamentary election, the accused ran for office from the city of Shiraz but failed to garner enough votes. He has held several positions during his career and has always been close to Ghasemi.
"Since the arrest of his advisor and special inspector, instead of answering questions, he has been lying on the bed,” Motahari said.
He also implicitly accused the road minister’s son of collaborating with his father’s detained adviser, and mentioned some other names and a corruption case about a land grab in the district of Boumehen (Bumehen) west of the capital Tehran.
Last week, the administration of Ebrahim Raisi confirmed reports about Makarem Shirazi’s arrest, but said the minister is in hospital for a spinal surgery.
Relatives of top figures in the Islamic Republic are often appointed to jobs unrelated to their education and expertise and many of them take advantage of their connections to circumvent regulations to make profit or receive bribes.
In an address to the 7th Summit of Ahlul Bayt, a religious organization of his own creation, in Tehran on Saturday, Khamenei accused Western powers, which he usually refers to as ‘arrogant powers’, of trying to sow discord in the Muslim world. The aging cleric said the “Great Satan”, the United States, orchestrates plans for war and conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims, Arabs and non-Arabs, among Shias, and among Sunnis.
In his speech Khamenei also claimed that the Islamic Republic is not biased in matters such as the differences between the Shia and Sunni and Arab and non-Arab and seeks the unity of all Islamic countries.
Sunnis in the region would take issue with Khamenei’s claim, as they Iran creates and arms Shiite militant groups in Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon to expand its power and influence.
Iran’s ruler said Shia Muslims take great pride in standing up against “the seven headed monster of arrogance” (Western world powers), and defeating their plans, adding that they “interfere in the affairs of other countries, governments, and nations in a cruel and tyrannical manner.”
However, Khamenei did not comment on ongoing nuclear talks with the US. He has been silent on the topic for the past few months as negotiations have continued and reached a sensitive stage.
The Islamic Republic from its inception in 1979 has been led by anti-Western clerics, somewhat supported by leftist and pro-Russian political elements, who in the very first year took dozens of US embassy staff hostage for 444 days. Khamenei has faithfully continued this policy calling for the demise of Israel, the United States and Western Europe.
Iran’s encouragement of other nations “to stand up against world powers’ bullying” is the main reason for tensions with the Islamic Republic. “Neutralizing the criminal plots of the United States in other countries, of which the creation of Daesh (ISIS) is an example, has triggered an intense Iranophobia and Shiaphobia campaigns and accusations that Iran meddles in the affairs of other nations,” he said while denying any such interference by the Islamic Republic.
Describing the flag of the Islamic Republic as the “same flag as the flag of Ahl-ul-Bayt and prophets”, Khamenei also told the participants that the Islamic Republic has “hoisted the banner of justice and spirituality” and is the standard bearer in the war against “arrogance and dominion [of Western powers]”.
The website of Ahlul Bayt World Assembly which was founded in 1990 by Khameneiclaims it is “an international non-governmental organization (NGO)” established by “a group of Shiite elites under the supervision of the great Islamic authority of the Shiites in 1990” to identify, organize, educate and support the followers of Ahlul Bayt (those who believe in Prophet Muhammed and his household). “It is natural that the arrogant powers will oppose such a system,” he said.
Like several other entities often referred to as nongovernmental organizations and charities which are under Khamenei’s supervision and control, the Assembly is generally known as a propaganda arm of the regime and supporter of militant groups in the region, for its anti-Israeli campaigns, as well as activities aimed at exporting Iran’s Islamic revolution.
The summit of the assembly is being held in Tehran and northeastern religious city of Mashhad. According to the event’s organizers. Guests from more than 110 countries have attended the summit.