Iran-Russia Culture Deal ‘Excludes Education’ Despite Putin School Plan

Ahmad Alamolhoda, who is the father-in-law of President Ebrahim Raisi, said during his Friday prayer sermon that Iran should cut off all ties with the United States and Western countries, including in the areas of technological innovation and economic development.

In his remarks, the ultraconservative loyalist of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei lauded the government's “recently developed economic ties with the East.”

Khamenei has been a staunch opponent of the West during his 34-year rule and since 2018 has proclaimed a policy of establishing closer ties with Russia and China.

Official propaganda by the regime heralds the ultimate weakening of the US and the downfall of the West.

There has been exponential growth in the Iran-Russia alliance since Moscow invaded Ukraine. Iran supplied hundreds of Kamikaze drones to Russia during the conflict to inflict massive damage on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilian targets.

On Monday the EU brought sanctions against Iranians involved in the manufacture of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used by Russia in Ukraine.

Iran and Russia are strengthening their relationship at a time when the conflict in Gaza is likely to divert international attention from the war in Ukraine while at the same time weakening the military assistance provided by Western countries to Kyiv.

Last week during a meeting in the Kremlin Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin celebrated the "start of a new chapter" in their bilateral relationship.

The remarks by Dr. Mohammad Raeeszadeh follow repeated warnings from many figures in Iran, including lawmakers, that the ever-increasing desire of healthcare professionals to leave the country will cause the healthcare system to collapse.

“The figures for the immigration of doctors are not publicized because they will be misused. Even the departure of one member of the medical community is a loss for us; because we need their expertise,” Dr Raeeszadeh said.

There are no reliable official figures concerning emigration.

Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), on Tuesday dismissed the alarming reports about the mass emigration of doctors and nurses as “psychological warfare” and "negative propaganda and lies."

Earlier on December 7, Ali Fadavi, Acting IRGC Commander said the wave of migration by doctors and nurses is "planned by the enemy" and emphasized, "We are aware of each and every doctor and nurse who left. We know what hospital they go to and how much they get paid."

An Iranian parliament member, Masoud Pezeshkian, warned of an imminent shortage of healthcare professionals as a result of growing emigration. He emphasized that the primary reason for the exodus is financial.

A report released on Tuesday by Iran Open Data (IOD) revealed that the number of doctors who leave Iran to work in more prosperous countries outweighs the number of new doctors by 30% on an annual basis.
Officials attribute the exodus to poor economic condition, but there is also a political component of lack of freedoms and persecution.

In July, it was reported that Iran's Association of Medical Academic Societies had warned against the recent forced retirement and dismissal of over 100 doctors from residency admissions boards.

Reformist Ham-Mihan newspaper reported in July that most of the doctors who were forced to retire or were removed from boards had signed statements supporting protests.

During the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests last year, doctors and nurses condemned the use of ambulances for the transport of detainees by security forces, as well as their use of shotgun “birdshots” that blinded or injured hundreds of protesters.

Moreover, they stated that they could not comply with authorities' demands to deny services to women who defy hijab restrictions.

Iranian state media and Baluch groups reported that at least 12 police officers and several of the attackers were killed as gunfire continued for hours at the main police headquarters. Seven police officers were injured, with some in critical condition, media in Tehran reported.

The poverty-stricken province bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan has a large Sunni population from the Baluch ethnic group, that has been under pressure by Iran’s Shiite clerical rulers. It has long been the site of frequent clashes between security forces and Sunni militants, as well as drug smugglers.

The militant group Jaish al-Adl, which says it seeks greater rights and better living conditions for ethnic minority Baluchis, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group has launched several attacks in recent years on Iranian security forces in the province.

A police spokesman confirmed the attack and said several assailants and officers have been killed but insisted that the situation in Rask is under control. Jaish al-Adl in a statement said that its forces attacked the police headquarters at 2:00 am Friday.

Baluch human rights monitoring groups reported large explosions and sounds of intense gunfights around the police headquarters. One group said that government surveillance drones were flying over Rask and added that fighting was continuing after five hours. Quoting local sources, the monitoring group said that there is a heavy presence of security forces in Rask and surrounding hills. Internet access is also affected.

The report said that three hours after the attack started, reinforcements that were coming to assist the police station were also targeted by militants.

In July, Jaish al-Adl attacked a police station in Zahedan, the provincial capital. It said that the particular police station was involved in the massacre of around 90 civilians on September 30, 2022, known as “Black Friday.” Worshippers who began anti-government protests after Friday prayers were met with gunfire by security forces. This was when protests were spreading elsewhere in the country following the death of Mahsa Amini in the hands of the hijab police.

Since Black Friday, the people of Zahedan have been protesting every Friday amid tight security and hundreds of arrests by security forces.

The outspoken Sunni cleric in Zahedan, Mowlavi Abolhamid, has repeatedly criticized the Shiite-led government in Iran, asking for tolerance for religious minorities, equal rights for women and an end to repression. During anti-government protests in 2022 and early 2023, Iranian Sunnis suffered more casualties than the Shiite majority, showing harsh methods by security forces in Sunni majority regions. A substantial number of Kurds living in Western Iran are also Sunnis, that are estimated to be 10-15 percent of Iran’s 85-million population.

The new designations mostly include senior commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard extraterritorial Quds (Qods) force (IRGC-QF).

According to a statement released on the British government’s official website, the sanctions target Esmail Qaani, the head of IRGC-QF, Mohammed Saeed Izadi, the head of IRGC-QF Palestine branch, three other IRGC commanders, and two Hamas and Islamic Jihad envoys to Iran. 

IRGC-QF Palestine branch is the only entity mentioned in the list of new bans announced by the British government.

The sanctions will enforce UK travel bans and asset freezes for the targeted individuals and entity over their “hostile” activities, especially those aimed at threatening or destabilizing Israel. 

The British government called IRGC Qods force a “notorious” entity which “leads Iran’s operations outside the country and provides support to regional partners and proxy groups.”

Though the Islamic Republic has avoided any direct military involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the regime has used its allies such as Houthis and proxy groups in Iraq and Syria to attack Israeli and American targets in the region.

The new sanctions will convey the message to the Islamic Republic that it will be held accountable for its “appalling behavior,” British Foreign Secretary David Cameron stressed. A new Iranian sanction regime that gives the UK "extensive new powers" to disrupt Iran’s "hostile activities in the UK and around the world" also took effect Thursday.

"Sanctions will target Iran’s decision makers and those doing its bidding, with the regime also including new restrictions on Iran’s drone programme and shipping," the British Foreign Office said in a statement.

"The behaviour of the Iranian regime poses an unacceptable threat to the UK and our partners," Cameron said, underlining "unprecedented threats" from Tehran to peace in the Middle East and to plots to kill individuals in Britain.

"It continues to threaten people on UK soil and uses its influence to destabilise the Middle East through its support to armed groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)," added Cameron.

Moreover, a number of British sanctions against Tehran which were announced in July came into force on Thursday.

The bans were imposed in response to the “unprecedented threats” from the Islamic Republic, including “plots to kill individuals on UK soil.”

In October, MI5, the UK’s security service, warned that amid the war between Iran-backed Hamas and Israel, Tehran may be exploring new ways to threaten the security of Britain.

Despite a host of old and new sanctions against IRGC commanders, Britain has refused to designate IRGC as a terrorist organization.

In November, 70 lawmakers urged PM Rishi Sunak to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization. While individuals and entities related to the IRGC have been issued with sanctions from Britain, Canada, the US and European Union member states, lawmakers said the bans do not go far enough.

According to the Foreign Office, the UK has more than 350 sanctions designations in place on Iranians and entities.

Mohammadi explained that Ebrahim Raisi had served on a "Death Panel" overseeing the execution of at least two thousand Iranian political prisoners during the 1980s. She stated, "A key member of the 1980s Death Panel, Ebrahim Raisi, now holds the presidency.” She also referred to Hamid Nouri, a former prison official who was arrested in Sweden and convicted for his role in the prison killing. Mohammadi wrote that “Justice cannot be silenced."

Hamid Nouri, 61, was arrested in Sweden in 2019, convicted of crimes against humanity and mass murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment in July 2022. Despite facing international war crime charges, Nouri denies wrongdoing. His appeal proceedings began in January, with a final verdict expected on December 19.

Mohammadi emphasized that "achieving democracy in Iran requires dismantling the oppressive Islamic Republic regime."

Tensions between Iran and Sweden rose with the Iranian government's announcement of the arrest of EU diplomat Johan Floderus, 33, held in Tehran's Evin prison and accused of spying for Israel, which can be punishable by death.

This mirrors a pattern seen during Hamid Nouri's 2022 investigation when Iran announced the imminent execution of Swedish-Iranian researcher Ahmadreza Jalali, also held hostage in Iran on vague security charges.

Majid Nouri, Hamid Nouri's son, said recently that he hopes "Sweden corrects their mistake" with a favorable appeal outcome for his father. He said, "My father's trial was a spectacle; justice was disregarded due to a lack of media attention."

Majid Nouri's comments come amid the backdrop of the Iranian regime's consistent pattern of unjust court proceedings and biased judgments.