Iran, Russia Sign MOU For Cooperation Against Protests

“With the expiration of the six-month period for the Islamic Republic of Iran to submit to binding arbitration for the downing of Flight PS752, it is anticipated that the case will be referred to the International Court of Justice in The Hague after June 28,” read a Wednesday statement by the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims. 

Pinning hope on the International Coordination and Response Group for the victims -- comprised of Canada, Ukraine, Britain, and Sweden – the victims’ families said that “‎If the affected countries follow through as expected, it will mark the first time in history that the Islamic Republic will face an international tribunal for one of the thousands of crimes it has committed.”

In a statement issued on December 28, 2022, the International Coordination and Response Group called on Iran to submit to “binding arbitration of the dispute related to the downing of Flight PS752 by 2 surface-to-air missiles launched unlawfully and intentionally by members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air defense unit...”

The victims’ families also organized a forum to discuss the issue and a rally in Toronto on July 5 to raise awareness about the tragic accident. 

In September, lawyers representing the families submitted an Article 15 Communication to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, providing information and evidence about crimes that occurred when Iranian missiles brought down the international flight.

The request was submitted in accordance with Article 15 of the Rome Statute, alleging that perpetrators have committed certain war crimes and crimes against humanity against the passengers and crew of flight PS752 and their surviving family members, including the war crimes of willful killing, intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population or civilian objects, as well as other inhumane acts.

‎The airliner was shot down by the IRGC on January 8, 2020, as it took off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport. Only hours earlier, the IRGC had fired more than a dozen missiles at Iraqi bases hosting US and coalition troops in retaliation for the killing of the IRGC Qods Force Commander Ghasem Soleimani who was killed in Baghdad by a US drone strike just five days earlier. All 176 passengers and crew, including 63 Canadians as well as 82 Iranian citizens died in the disaster.

‎The Wednesday call to prosecute the perpetrators at the International Court of Justice came as the UN's top court said that the Islamic Republic has taken Canada to the ICJ for allegedly breaching Tehran's state immunity by designating it a sponsor of terrorism. 

Canada listed Tehran as a terror sponsor in 2012 and severed diplomatic ties as relations frayed over Tehran's support for Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, its nuclear program, and threats against Israel. In 2016, a Canadian judge ordered Iran's non-diplomatic land and bank accounts in Canada to be handed over to victims of attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah.

Iran launched legal proceedings against Canada on Tuesday "concerning alleged violations of its immunities" as a sovereign state, the Hague-based ICJ said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Canada has adopted and implemented a series of legislative, executive, and judicial measures against Iran and its property in breach of its international obligations," Iran said in its filing to the court.

Iran has demanded compensation from Canada for the "violation of its international obligations,” and asked the ICJ to tell Ottawa to overrule any judgments against Tehran in Canadian courts.

The case is similar to the Iranian regime’s long-running claim at the ICJ against the United States for billions of dollars of assets frozen by US court rulings.

Following the resumption of diplomatic ties, Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Tehran earlier this month and immediately held a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. 

At the press conference which followed, the top Saudi diplomat realized he was standing in front of a picture of IRGC general Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s architect of proxy wars in the Middle East, including arming Yemen’s Houthis against Saudi Arabia.

Prince Faisal immediately requested the venue of the press conference to be changed and the Iranian side complied in a bid not to tarnish the newly revived relations between the two countries after years of tension which isolated the Iranian régime in the region.

Ten days after the debacle, Mehdi Honardoust has been replaced by Mohsen Mortezaiefar, son of Mahmoud Mortezaiefar, the former presenter of Friday prayers.

Soleimani was killed in an air strike in January 2020 ordered by former US President Donald Trump - a victory for many in the region who saw themselves as victims of his reign of terror.

An informed source told Iran International that the IRGC intelligence forces on Monday raided the house of Bita Shafiei Rad in Esfahan (Isfahan) to arrest her without a warrant, but as she was not home, they arrested her mother Maryam Abbasi Nikou.

Eight IRGC officers were involved, including two women who damaged goods in the home and confiscated the father's cell phone.

Abbasi Nikou, 42, has not contacted her family since her arrest, and the family is unaware of her condition and whereabouts.

Bita Shafiei Rad was arrested and temporarily released during a student gathering in April to protest chemical attacks on schools.

In the video message she published after her release, Bita said she is "seeking Iran's freedom".

"If you won’t be the voice of those who are in prison, they can do whatever they want. We should not be afraid of them, because our fear gives them strength," she added.

In mid-April, riot police in Shahinshar, central Iran, attacked a large crowd of people with tear gas and shotguns who were protesting ongoing gas attacks on schoolgirls.

Parents and students who gathered spontaneously outside the education department of Shahin-Shahr chanted anti-government slogans like “We don’t want a child-killing government.”

Chemical attacks on schools and poisoning of thousands of students in Iran continued for more than five months.

During this period, the Islamic Republic never accepted any responsibility for the attack claiming "collective fear" was the cause of the students’ sickness.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen consulted over issues of Iran and “Israel’s integration into the region,” a possible reference to US efforts to expand the Abraham Accords by convincing Saudi Arabia to establish relations with Israel.

An announcement by State Department also said that “Secretary Blinken conveyed concern over the recent escalation of violence, which has directly affected US citizens in the West Bank, and underscored the need for parties to work further to further de-escalate the situation.”

Israeli media reported on Tuesday thatthe Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)is buying weapons and loyalty in the West Bank using Iranian money. 

The PIJ has established several armed cells and recruited dozens of gunmen in the northern West Bank, specifically in Jenin and Nablus. “The PIJ has become a dominant force in the northern West Bank, largely thanks to the financial aid it receives from Iran," a source told Israel's Jerusalem Post.

Since March, the Iranian regime has intensified its support to Palestinian militant groups and has publicly urged them to attack targets in Israel. Tehran officials expressed gratification at a serious flare-up of violence in April and pledged more support.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced Tuesday that Israel seized millions of dollars’ worth of digital funds intended for use by Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah and the Quds Force arm of the Revolutionary Guards.

According to local sources close to the prominent Sunni cleric, among those arrested is Abdol-Nasir Shahbakhsh, his grandson whom security agents arrested "violently" on the street and took him to an unknown location.

Shahbaksh works for the Makki Mosque, where Abdolhamid delivers his speeches. He was recently summoned by interrogated by the intelligence ministry in Zahedan, a Baluch-majority city and capital of southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province.

The Makki mosque in Zahedan has been a center of resistance to the government since popular protests began in September 2022. This is where Abdolhamid delivers his weekly sermons, openly criticizing the regime headed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Haalvsh website, which covers developments in Sistan-Baluchestan, said that two other people who were arrested on Tuesday were cameramen of the mosque, identifying them as Osameh Shahbakhsh and Hamed Mohammadi-Nik.

Security agents also raided Osameh Shahbakhsh’s home, assaulted members of his family and confiscated his electronic devices.

On Saturday, June 24, a member of the mosque’s security personnel, Abdolvahed Shahlibar, was also summoned by the judiciary and was arrested afterwards.

Shir-Ahmad Shirani, the chief editor of Haalvsh, told Radio Farda that the arrests seem to be the regime’s reactions to the news of a botched assassination attempt against Abdolhamid. He added that several other people have been called in by the authorities or arrested over the publication of the report. 

The arrests came a few days after reports surfaced that the Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence arm had assigned a hitman to poison and kill the vocal Sunni cleric of Zahedan. The security guards at Makki Mosque arrested a man pretending to be a religious student who allegedly wanted to assassinate the Sunni leader.

According to the report, the suspect admitted that he received a salary of 150 million rials ($300) per week since the beginning of his operation.

Officially known as Sheikh Abdolhamdid Esmailzehi, the Sunni cleric is widely popular because of his willingness to challenge Khamenei’s absolute authority. In addition, the country's Sunni minority are heavily persecuted and the cleric has long been an advocate of minority rights, to the ire of the regime.

The prominent religious leader has been relentless, making fiery speeches against the heavy crackdown and killing of protesters, and calling government actions "felony".

In November, the outspoken Sunni Imam said women, ethnic and religious groups, and minorities have faced discrimination after the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979. He also called for an internationally monitored referendum in Iran, arguing that by killing and repression the government cannot push back a nation.

Abdolhamid also said earlier that officials should not be clerics, noting that not all Iranian people are "religious" and as such do not accept religious authority.

Last Friday, June 23, was the 38th consecutive week that people of the province held demonstrations against the government following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in September, but the rallies were significantly larger following calls for protests by Sunni clerics and activist groups as the regime seems to have intensified its campaign against their religious leader Mowlavi Abdolhamid.

On Sunday, local media revealed the identities of at least 14 Baluch citizens arrested by the security forces, including four children.

Earlier in the month, the office of the outspoken Sunni leader of Sistan and Baluchestan province said the Ministry of Intelligence prevented him from attending Hajj pilgrimage.