Iranian Sunni Cleric Slams Travel Restrictions On Peers

Rafael Grossi, the Chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stated on Monday that the world must not repeat the mistakes it made with North Korea, where IAEA inspectors were expelled in 2009, leading to the development of nuclear weapons.

The IAEA has had no access to the country since 2009 and has been monitoring its nuclear advancements from a distance, mainly through satellite imagery. While the agency maintains access to Iran's declared nuclear facilities, the recent expulsion of around one third of its inspectors by the Islamic Republic has raised major concerns.

Furthermore, the erosion of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers over the past five years has resulted in the removal of additional monitoring equipment, as requested by Iran. This has also prevented the IAEA from conducting snap inspections at undeclared sites.

Rafael Grossi, addressing an annual US State Department arms control conference via a recorded message, emphasized the critical role of the IAEA as the international community's eyes and ears in Iran. He expressed deep concerns about Iran's nuclear program and stressed the necessity of all possible efforts to prevent a situation similar to that of North Korea. 

"We have to deploy every effort to prevent this problem, this current debate on what is happening and what can be done in Iran [from] becoming a failure on the part of the international community to prevent a country that has capabilities which could potentially lead to the development of nuclear weapons from doing it," he noted. 

In September, Iran revoked the designation of several inspectors responsible for verification activities under the Non-Proliferation Treaty Safeguards Agreement. Grossi strongly condemned Iran's "disproportionate and unprecedented unilateral" decision, acknowledging it as a step in the wrong direction and an unnecessary strain on the relationship between the IAEA and Iran in the implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement.

Grossi's recent quarterly reports on Iran revealed that the Islamic Republic has now enriched enough uranium to approximately 60% purity, for several nuclear warheads. That stockpile can be further enriched to the roughly 90% required for weapons-grade material in a matter of a few weeks, making Iran a 'nuclear threshold state..

The agency is currently facing various standoffs with Iran, including disputes over identifying the origin of uranium particles found at two undeclared sites, the reinstallation of monitoring equipment that has been removed, and Iran's recent "de-designation" of IAEA inspectors.

Iran is has expanded its program significantly since 2018 when the United States unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal – or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Last month, three signatories of the deal, UK, France, Germany (E3) delivered a joint statement at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting in which they condemned Iran’s lack of transparency with regards to its nuclear program.

However, despite their emphasis on Iran’s non-compliance, the E3, much like the US, fell short of introducing measures that would ensure Tehran’s cooperation with the IAEA. On the contrary, just in August, the Biden administration agreed to release $6 billion of Iran’s funds blocked in South Korea due to US sanctions in exchange for five US citizens held hostage in Tehran.

In January, IAEA inspectors at Fordow detected undeclared centrifuge configuration changes as well as particles of uranium enriched up to 83.7%. When Grossi visited in March, he brought back an agreement that was hailed as a breakthrough by both sides but deemed insufficient and non-binding by its critics.

Seven months on, the premise seems to have been shaky at best. According to the IAEA, Iran has accumulated enriched uranium (5-60%) far beyond JCPOA limits that was hailed as a breakthrough by both sides but deemed insufficient and non-binding by its critics. Iran continues enrichment in Fordow, where inspectors detected undeclared particles of uranium enriched at 83.7%.

The most recent case, that of 20-year-old Razieh Hasanvand, has highlighted the pervasive issue, shedding light on the dire consequences of the phenomenon done in the name of Islam.

Razieh Hasanvand had been in a coma since October 14 after being shot, according to a report from the Hengaw Human Rights Organization. The young woman was a mother of one and had previously divorced her husband, who was her cousin, despite facing intense family opposition.

In recent times, Razieh had been under immense pressure from her brother to remarry another man. It was her own brother who shot her, reportedly because she had "left the house," as stated by Hengaw.

The Human Rights Organization emphasized, in another report, that from September 29 to October 16, a total of thirteen women in various Iranian cities have fallen victim to honor killings.

The exact number of such murders in Iran remains unknown, veiled in secrecy, but back in December 2019, the ISNA news agency reported that between 375 and 450 such killings occurred annually throughout the country. Given the lack of transparency of the regime and lack of transparent reporting of such deaths, it is likely to be far higher.

Critics have pointed to the Islamic legal system, as well as Iran's deeply ingrained patriarchal culture and traditions, as factors that perpetuate an environment allowing for such killings to persist.

“Some officials in certain countries, who have spoken with our officials, have protested in defense of the Zionist occupiers as to why Palestinians have killed civilians,” Khamenei stated.

“Firstly, this statement is contrary to the truth. Those who live in [Israeli] settlements are not civilians. They are all armed. Even if we assume they are non-combatants, how many non-combatants have been killed? The regime is now killing hundred times more women, children, the elderly, and the youth non-combatants who are in these buildings in Gaza, not the combatants who are not residing there. The combatants are in their own positions, and they also know this.” Khamenei said.

The Islamic Republic, led by the 83-year-old authoritarian ruler, has been financially and militarily supporting Hamas, the Lebanese Hezbollah and other militant organization designated as terrorist groups by several Western countries. Top Iranian officials and government media rejoiced the news of Hamas’ attack on October 7, after the enormity of civilian massacre has already emerged. The government ordered street celebration and vowed to continue support for Hamas.

Khamenei went on to blame the United States for directing Israeli policies in the past one week, as Israel has been launching devastating air and artillery attacks against northern Gaza. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed and injured, as Hamas tries to prevent the population to move to less dangerous areas.

“They have to be prosecuted. The American government should also recognize its responsibility in this matter,” Khamenei said, and added, “Based on information we have, Americans are charting Israeli policies in the past one week. Americans should take responsibility, they are responsible. The bombings must be immediately stopped. Muslim nations are angry. Very angry. You see the signs of it, demonstrations by groups of people, not only in Islamic countries but also in Los Angeles, in the Netherlands, in France, in European countries, in Western countries. People are gathering, both Muslims and non-Muslims.”

He also warned that Muslims and the “resistance groups” might retaliate if “this crime continues.” It would be hard to prevent retaliation Khamenei said, quipping that in any case, “no matter what the Zionist regime does, it won't be able to compensate for the embarrassing defeat it suffered in this matter.”

Many Islamic republic officials and government entities have been sanctioned by the West over the years for their gross human rights violation against the Iranian population. Since September 2022, when widespread anti-regime protests broke out, security forces have killed well over 500 civilians and severely wounded hundreds. Many young protesters were targeted by shotgun pellets in the face and lost one or both eyes. The regime also arrested 22,000 people, including journalists and hundreds of minors.

At the same time, a deputy commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards was quoted by state media on Tuesday as saying that Israel will face another shockwave by the resistance front if its "atrocities" do not stop in Gaza.

"The resistance front's shocks against the Zionist regimes (Israel) will continue until this 'cancerous tumor' is eradicated from the world map," said Ali Fadavi.

"Another shockwave is on the way, if Israel does not end atrocities in Gaza."

Since the Hamas attack, the Iranian regime has mostly put aside its pretenses, showing clearly that Hamas and Hezbollah are virtually under their command.

The temblor's epicenter was located approximately 61 kilometers north of Bandar Abbas, the provincial capital. The earthquake occurred at a depth of about 10 kilometers below the Earth's surface, according to the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ).

Tremors were felt across a wide region, including most of Hormozgan Province, southeastern Fars, and southwestern Kerman provinces. While there have been no immediate reports of damage or casualties, damage is possible in areas near the epicenter.

Comprehensive damage assessments are expected to take several hours, especially in remote regions. The earthquake serves as a stark reminder of Iran's vulnerability to seismic activity. The country is crisscrossed by major geological fault lines, making it one of the most earthquake-prone nations globally as it lies at the convergence point of the Arabian, Indian, and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Iran has a tragic history of experiencing devastating earthquakes in recent decades, some of which have resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of lives and caused billions of dollars in damages. The 2003 magnitude 6.6 earthquake in Kerman province, for example, claimed the lives of 31,000 people and reduced the ancient city of Bam to rubble.

Based on the information obtained by Iran International, Armita’s parents were recently taken to the office of Delavar Alghasi-Mehr, the police commander of eastern part of Tehran province. There, they were forced to sign documents committing not file complaints against "any individual, organization, or entity."

Aghasi-Mehr, the police chief, was sanctioned in September by the US in connection to the regime’s repression in advance of the death anniversary of Mahsa “Zhina” Amini. Mahsa’s death at the hands of hijab enforcement patrols in mid-September 2022 sparked the Women, Life, Freedom protests.

Circumstances surrounding her case bear uncanny similarities to that of Armita. In both cases the regime has denied any wrongdoing but forced the families not to speak to the media and even broadcast video of the parents confessing on camera that what happened to their daughters had nothing to do with hijab enforcers.

Following the encounter with hijab enforcers, Armita fell into a coma and is kept in a heavily guarded hospital. She reportedly hit her head when she fell to the ground and lost consciousness after being assaulted by hijab enforcers on her way to school in a subway car two weeks ago. Last week, Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported that her medical team has told the family there is no hope for her recovery.

The regime has consistently resorted to a playbook of distorting the truth and intimidating victims’ families whenever its agents are implicated in any significant crime. Similar to the way they handled the situation while Mahsa Amini was hospitalized comatose, authorities have significantly restricted the family's access to Armita. Both the journalist who wanted to cover Armita’s story and Armita’s mother were briefly detained. Two journalists that reported on the case of Mahsa Amini are still in prison in Tehran since her death more than a year ago. The regime also killed more than 500 people and arrested over 22,000 who protested her death during months of rallies and strikes.

The news of Armita being reported as braindead has stirred outrage among many Iranians, who witness more people falling victim to the regime's strict enforcement of hijab that has become increasingly severe by punitive regulations via new hijab laws and modern technology.

People on social media question why authorities can use surveillance cameras to identify women who defy hijab but seem unable to find the truth in such situations. Footage of Armita's presence at the subway station and an audio file of the call made by an employee of the Tehran Metro to the emergency services, which state media have released, have not been able to convince the public that hijab enforcers were not involved in the incident.

In a harshly worded letter addressed to Iran’s ruler Ali Khamenei, daughter of former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani enumerated the names of some of the iconic victims of the regime, asking, “How many Nedas, Navids, Mahsas and Armitas must be sacrificed and how long this destruction must continue until you realize the severity of the situation?"

Female Islamic scholar Sedigheh Vasmaghi also released a video without hijab for the first time last week, saying, "We must not stay silent and witness every day that an Armita, a Mahsa or another beloved child of ours becomes a victim merely for not wearing a headscarf."

The anti-regime movement that began more than a year ago has made it increasingly difficult for the clerical regime to enforce the mandatory Islamic dress code. Since the beginning of the ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ movement, tens of thousands of girls and women have shed their compulsory hijab. The regime seeks to criminalize hijab defiance, but no branch of the government wants to be solely responsible for complications and the risk of social backlash.