Iranian Lawyers Protest Controversial Parliamentary Resolution

"A specific time frame has been announced by relevant authorities, and it will take a maximum of two months for this process to take place," Kanaani said.

Earlier this month, Tehran and Washington reached an agreement whereby five US citizens held hostage in Iran would be freed while $6bn of Iranian assets frozen in South Korea would be released. 

Iranian assets that had been frozen in South Korea were transferred to Switzerland's central bank last week for exchange and transfer to Iranian bank accounts in Qatar, South Korean media reported on Monday.

The deal foresees the funds remaining in Qatar to be spent on Iranian imports of food, medicine and other “non-sanctionable” goods. The US insists it will have oversight to make sure that the funds are not used for other purposes, however, Iran has said it has full control over the money.

Washington would also release some Iranians from US prisons, Iran said.

Iran allowed four detained US citizens to move into house arrest from Tehran's Evin prison, a lawyer for one said. A fifth was already under home confinement.

The deal has led to criticism in the United States by those who say the $6 billion is essentially a ransom paid for the hostages and it will only encourage Iran and other actors to detain Americans and demand money or concessions. Twenty-six Republican Senators have written to President Joe Biden demanding clarifications. Critics also argue that the money will provide Iran with the ability to spread its terror activities and other malign acts.

The statement, released on Monday, referenced a telephone conversation between China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, discussing the ongoing efforts to foster better relations. Wang Yi underscored China's unwavering support for Tehran's core interests, leading to what he termed a "wave of reconciliation" in the Middle East.

The mediation by China resulted in a notable détente between Iran and Saudi Arabia earlier this year. Wang Yi commended Iran's initiatives in fortifying its relationship with Saudi Arabia, which included a significant meeting between Amir-Abdollahian and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah.

"China appreciates the correct decision made by the Iranian side," Minister Wang Yi noted, reaffirming China's steadfast commitment to encouraging diplomacy in the region. He also emphasized the urgency of reinstating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to comprehensively address the Iranian nuclear issue.

In recent years, Iran's nuclear program has sparked international debates. While Iranian authorities have expressed a willingness to engage with the West, certain elements within Iran have signaled a more assertive stance. A report released in March, suggests that Iran has been producing uranium enriched to 60% purity — a level for which experts say Tehran has no civilian use.

Negotiations to revive the JCPOA commenced in 2022 and have faced several obstacles. Despite international diplomatic efforts, Iran continued to augment its enriched uranium stockpile, raising concerns over its nuclear ambitions and its capability to weaponize nuclear materials.

In a recent interview with Etemad daily, Mohammad Masoud Zahedian said abuse cases of Captagon, a synthetic amphetamine-type stimulant known by its trademark name, have spiked in recent monthys, since the discovery of an illegal production center in Iraq.

Zahedian expressed the necessity for heightened vigilance in response to this concerning trend, saying that the wave of Captagon consumption has only just begun.

Speaking about the local drug landscape, Zahedian pointed out that while affluent individuals in Tehran are known to consume cocaine, the overall prevalence of cocaine consumption in Iran is limited due to the high associated costs.

He further noted that whilst Captagon consumption is widespread in Arab and African nations, the narcotic is now more widely used in Iran.

Current statistics from 2021 report that Iran has over 12 million drug abusers, with 4.5 million classed as permanent users. Among these, 10% are women and a significant number are children.

Iran, long recognized as a major global conduit for drug trafficking to European markets, allegedly facilitated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

One of the key reasons for the Iranian government's opposition to the ratification of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) bills is its reluctance to open itself up to international audit regarding the role of the IRGC in drug trafficking and the potential laundering of illicit proceeds.

The Swiss National Bank plans to exchange its $6 billion holdings in won for dollars and then euros in the currency market, converting about 300 billion won ($223.85 million) to 400 billion each day for next five weeks, Yonhap Infomax reported, citing an unnamed currency market source.

An official at South Korea's finance ministry declined to confirm the report, citing the legal and diplomatic sensitivity of the matter.

Iran and the United States recently reached an agreement in which five US citizens held hostage in Iran would be released while Iranian assets in South Korea would be unfrozen and sent to an account in Qatar that Iran could access. The Biden administration insists that the funds can only be used by Iran to purchase food, medicine and other humanitarian needs, but the Iranian foreign ministry and officials have insisted there would be no restrictions on the funds.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said last week that the released assets would be used to enhance domestic production.

The deal has led to a lot of criticism in the United States by those who say the $6 billion is essentially a ransom paid for five hostages and it will only encourage Iran and other actors to detain Americans and demand money or concessions. Twenty-six Republican Senators have written to President Joe Biden demanding clarifications. Critics also argue that the money will provide Iran with the ability to spread its terror activities and other malign acts.

In a letter from prison addressed to a top reformist politician, Hossein Marashi, she criticized him for urging the people to vote in the upcoming March parliamentary elections. "Our weapon is our refusal, and testing the proven is a mistake," Hashemi said referring to a widespread belief in Iran that it matters little which regime faction wins elections. Marashi happens to be Hashemi’s maternal uncle.

In July, Marashi had expressed deep pessimism about regime politicians but nevertheless urged the people to vote. "I have no hope in Iranian politicians. The elites in the society should come forward with determination and make their point, and whatever they need to do. I have hope that the people will change the scene."

He was reacting to an earlier letter from Hashemi urging voters to boycott the elections on the same grounds that all previous elections, whether won by conservatives or reformists did not alter the regime’s core domestic and foreign policies.

Hashemi, daughter of late President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was arrested in September 2022, days after nationwide anti-regime protests broke out, as the government tried to control the situation by detaining well-known critics and many journalists. She was sentenced to a five-year prison term in January.

Faezeh’s father was the second most powerful man in the Islamic regime in the 1990s and early 2000s, when he served as president (1989-1997) and held influence and key positions, until Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei gradually pushed him aside. Rafsanjani was the key cleric who helped Khamenei succeed the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ruhollah Khomeini when he died in 1989, although he did not have the required clerical rank and credentials for the post.

Khamenei’s men continued to persecute members of the Hashemi clan, who had become affluent and had legal vulnerabilities that could be exploited by Khamenei’s courts and intelligence services. Faezeh Hashemi who served as a member of parliament, became increasingly estranged from the regime and began defending women’s rights and hurling criticism at the regime that indirectly targeted Khamenei. She was tip-toeing on dangerous ground, and the regime could not take a risk once angry protesters poured into the streets after Mahsa Amini died in hijab police custody last September, and she was jailed.

Hashemi lashed out at the regime in her letter: "Issues like absolute power [of Supreme Leader], the complete dominance of the IRGC in all areas, aggressive foreign policy, the shameful economic situation, lawlessness, deceit and hypocrisy, manipulation, disregard for national interests and public demands, lack of a national perspective, security-driven control over all matters, lack of rationality and strategy in governing the country, extensive and systemic corruption and destruction, severe suppression of any criticism and unjust judicial verdicts, general disillusionment and public hatred of the situation..."

In another part of her letter, Hashemi considered the people's solution to be "engaging in civil disobedience," "ignoring the demands [of officials]," and "increasing pressure and pushing them into a corner."

Hashemi also called her father’s death in January 2017 a “martyrdom”, referring to suspicions that he was killed by regime agents. Rafsanjani died at 82 while enjoying himself in a swimming pool where there were no witnesses. The family called his death “suspicious”but did not take any legal action, which would hardly achieve any results given the total submission of courts and police to the Revolutionary Guard and intelligence agencies ultimately controlled by Khamenei.