Saudi Arabia Urges Iran To Strive For Regional De-Escalation

Jan 20, 2024, 09:02 GMT

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud

The Saudi Foreign Minister has called on Tehran for collective efforts to bring peace to the region amid the war in Gaza and attacks in the Red Sea.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud emphasized the crucial need for de-escalation and conveyed a message to all regional actors.

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US Continues To Hit Back At Houthis As They Launch More Attacks

Jan 20, 2024, 07:40 GMT

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Iran International Newsroom

The United States hit more Houthi targets on Friday, one day after President Joe Biden admitted that the strikes weren’t effective in stopping the Iran-backed group.

This has been the sixth US attack on Houthi military sites in Yemen in about a week, bidding to ‘degenerate’ their capability to attack vessels in the Red Sea, as Biden stated at the start of the campaign against the group.

Biden also said at the start of the offensive last week that it was a “message” delivered to Iran, implying that he expected a change of course from Tehran. But the message seems to have been lost in translation –or not received at all. If anything, Iran and its proxies have become more aggressive.

The Houthi attacks on on international shipping began in mid-November after Iran's ruler Ali Khamenei called for blockading Israeli trade.

Iran’s IRGC launched missiles at three neighboring countries in 24 hours this week, claiming to be hitting terrorists or Israeli “spy centers” to avenge the killing of Iran’s top man in Syria and those Iranians who were killed in the twin bombings in Kerman on 3 January. The last target was in Pakistan, a nuclear power.

Then the Houthis on Friday launched their third attack in three days –targeting a US-owned Greek operated tanker, according to the US Central Command. “The crew observed the missiles impact the water near the ship. There were no reported injuries or damage to the ship,” CENTCOM announced on X.

Hours before the CENTCOM announcement, White House chief spokesperson John Kirby was asked why he thinks the airstrikes have failed to stop the attacks and why the Houthis aren’t afraid of the US.

“You’d have to ask the Houthis what’s in their mindset,” he joked away the question, “I’m not going to get in between the ears of the Houthi leaders.” Except that he –or someone in the Biden administration– needs to do exactly do that to understand what is required to end the disruption of global shipping in the Red Sea.

Then there’s Iran’s proxies in Iraq and Syria.

On Thursday, a $30 million US MQ-9 drone –used for surveillance or strikes– crashed near Balad airbase in Iraq. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-linked armed groups that oppose US support for Israel claimed credit.

Iran proxies in Iraq and Syria have launched about 140 attacks on US interests and troops since mid-October, according to the Pentagon. The US has responded with airstrikes from time to time, but attacks against its forces have not stopped.

Then there’s Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The strongest of Iran proxies has been engaged in a low-profile war with the Israeli army since Israel began its onslaught on Gaza last October. Cross-border fire has become a daily routine on both sides.

On Friday, a leader of Hezbollah warned Israel of harsh response, after the Israeli army announced it had destroyed three Hezbollah-linked buildings completely.

“If Israel decides to expand its aggression, it will receive a real slap in the face,” Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s number two said in a statement.”

More than a hundred days after the Hamas rampage of Israel and the subsequent Israeli onslaught on Gaza –which according to Hamas officials has killed at least 25,000 Palestinians– fears of an all-out regional war persist. The Biden administration has managed to avoid direct confrontation with Iran, which many believe is the administration’s main objective. But it has failed to stop Iran’s proxies attacking US interests.

“America’s enemies think Joe Biden is a complete joke,” Congressman Wesley Hunt wrote on X. “This is the weakest President in history, and because of him, the world has never been less safe in our lifetime.”

Rising Suicide Rate Among Iran’s Young Physicians

Jan 19, 2024, 20:48 GMT

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Iran International Newsroom

An official with the Medical Council of Iran confirmed that 16 cases of suicide have been reported among resident physicians over the past nine months.

Three of the cases happened last week, Babak Shekarchi, Deputy Director of Research and Education in the Medical Council of Iran, told Etemad daily on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Etemad released disturbing information which suggests that the real number of resident physicians committing suicide in Iran could be higher than the number reported.

According to the newspaper, just over the past four months, there have been 14 reports of “early death and suspected suicide” among the young physicians who start their training immediately after graduation.

The Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, which operates as part of the judiciary, refuses to reveal the exact cause of the suspicious deaths of young doctors.

Shekarchi warned that the young trainee doctors who receive low wages are far from financially secure.

In August, Ali Selahshour, representative of the young trainees in Iran’s Medical Council, said those who work in the public health sector receive a monthly payment of at most $280. This can be even less for those who are not married, he added.

As part of the regulations set by Iran’s Ministry of Health, physician residents are also obligated to provide heavy legal collateral.

It is contended that this measure is taken by the ministry in an attempt to prevent young doctors from quitting the residency program and leaving the country for the sake of migration.

Over recent months and following the worsening economic and socio-political conditions in Iran, there have been alarming reports regarding the exodus of healthcare professionals, including doctors.

Back in October, Masoud Pezeshkian, a member of the Iranian parliament, warned of the growing migration of healthcare professionals, adding that this phenomenon could leave the country in a dire shortage.

“Those who have remained are often constrained by low salaries, making it increasingly challenging to maintain their quality of life. With a monthly income equivalent to $200 to $300, many healthcare professionals find it difficult to afford housing and their children's education,” he said.

On December 14, Mohammad Raeeszadeh, the head of Iran’s Medical Council, stressed that healthcare professionals should not “be allowed to leave the country easily.”

“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,” he went on to say.

This is while Iran's government severely represses any union protests, including those of medical professionals. Mohammad Sharifi Moghadam, the Secretary-General of the Nursing Association, announced on Thursday that nurses who took part in union protests have received heavy sentences, with some being suspended from their work for as long as six months.

Pakistan Restores Diplomatic Ties With Iran After Cross-Border Attacks

Jan 19, 2024, 18:22 GMT

Two days after its retaliatory strikes inside Iran, Pakistan decided to end its standoff with the Islamic Republic, allowing Tehran’s ambassador to return to Islamabad.

Pakistan's cabinet, headed by caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar, endorsed a move to re-establish full diplomatic relations with Iran, broadcaster Geo TV reported on Friday citing sources.

Islamabad had recalled its ambassador and asked Iran's envoy to stay in Tehran after the IRGC hit targets that it said were positions of Jaish al-Adl militant group inside the Pakistani territory with missiles and drones. Almost immediately, Pakistan responded with air attacks on several targets in Iran, killing and injuring civilians.

Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office on Friday said Islamabad and Tehran could mutually overcome minor irritants through dialogue and diplomacy, after both countries exchanged drone and missile strikes on militant bases on each other's territory.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani also invited his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, to visit Islamabad, said the director-general of the Iranian Foreign Ministry's South Asia Department.

In a statement, Jilani also stressed that respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty must underpin the cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad.

During a phone call, the two foreign ministers agreed that working-level cooperation and close coordination on counter-terrorism and other aspects of mutual concern should be strengthened.

Iran said Thursday's strikes killed nine people in a border village on its territory, including four children. Pakistan said the Iranian attack on Tuesday killed two children.

Sunni Leader Warns Of Mideast War After Cross-Border Strikes

Jan 19, 2024, 16:20 GMT

In the wake of reciprocal missile strikes between Iran and Pakistan, Iran's top Sunni cleric Mowlavi Abdolhamid says that the Middle East is moving towards war.

The top religious leader of Iran's largely Sunni Baluch (Baloch) population emphasized in his Friday prayer sermons that cross-border fire exchanges do not benefit any nation or government, calling for the resolution of issues through dialogue.

Abdolhamid is the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan in Sistan-Baluchestan province, where Islamabad says it hit bases of the separatist Baloch Liberation Front and Baloch Liberation Army on January 17. One day earlier, Tehran said its drones and missiles struck militants from the Jaish al Adl (JAA) group, another Baluch armed group. The militant groups operate in an area that includes Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan and Iran's southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province. Both are restive, mineral-rich and largely underdeveloped.

Addressing the loss of lives, including children and women, in both countries due to the attacks, Abdolhamid called on Iranian and Pakistani authorities to listen to the grievances of those who have fled from both nations.

He warned that discontented individuals might cross the border from Pakistan to Iran or vice versa, urging the governments to engage with such dissidents and ensure they are not exploited in the hands of others.

A Baluch human rights group reported heightened military presence around Zahedan’s Makki Mosque during the first Friday prayers following the attacks. Video footage showed protesters expressing discontent with Pakistan, the Iranian government, and the Revolutionary Guard, condemning what they called "Baluch genocide."

Iranian Student Unions Decry Death Sentences Of Protesters

Jan 19, 2024, 16:16 GMT

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Iran International Newsroom

Seventeen student groups across Iran have issued a joint statement against death sentences for several political prisoners, labeling them "state-sponsored murder."

In a joint statement released Thursday, the student activists asserted their refusal to remain silent under any circumstances, stating, "We will not tolerate executions, and we will obliterate the executioner government."

The signatories, who identified themselves as "fighters and revolutionaries of Women, Life, Freedom,” also urged nationwide protest rallies against the recent surge in executions throughout the country.

A recent report by the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) group disclosed a shocking 33-percent increase in executions in Iran last year, with at least 791 individuals put to death. Over one-fifth of those executed belonged to the predominantly Sunni Baluch community, indicating a disproportionate impact on ethnic minorities. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 12 prisoners in Iran charged with political or security-related offenses now face death sentences.

The student unions further vowed support for people currently facing execution, including Reza (Gholamreza) Rasaei, Mojahed (Abbas) Kourkour, Mansour Dahmardeh, Farshid Hossein-Zehi, Vafa Azarbar, Mohammad Faramarzi, Pejman Fatehi, and Mohsen Mazloum, eight political prisoners condemned to death by Iran's Supreme Court.

Among them, Mohsen Mazloum, Pejman Fatehi, Vafa Azarbar, and Hojir Faramarzi are Kurdish political prisoners sentenced to death by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.

Kourkour is among the detainees of the nationwide uprising in Izeh, arrested on December 20, 2022 during an armed attack by security and law enforcement forces on a village near Izeh. The judiciary identifies him as the "main suspect" in the killing of 10-year-old Kian Pirfalak, but Kian's family steadfastly maintains that the perpetrators were government forces. The situation has raised international concern over the due process and human rights in Iran.

Rasaei faces accusations of "murder" in connection with the death of Nader Beirami, the head of intelligence in Sanandaj, during a protest in the city on November 17, 2022. According to the human rights group Amnesty International, Rasaei was subjected to an "unfair trial" on October 7 in Kermanshah province with his forced confessions under torture. His mother, Azardokht Haqjouyan has said her son's extensive 1,500-page case file had been reviewed within a week.

Rasaei hails from Iran's marginalized Kurdish and Yarsan ethnic and religious minorities. The Yarsan faith, also known as Ahl-e Haqq, is among the oldest Middle Eastern religious traditions, with an estimated three million followers in Iran, primarily in the western Kurdish regions, and an additional 120,000 to 150,000 in Iraq, known as Kaka'i. Yarsan adherents have encountered various challenges, including difficulties in registering their children as Yarsan at birth, restrictions on constructing places of worship, and the constant fear of persecution for printing their holy book.

According to the signatories of the statement, "The government, through creating fear and terror by issuing and implementing execution orders, is seeking an escape from the escalating political, cultural, economic, and international crises." They claimed that the Islamic Republic believes that by executing protesters and dissidents, it can intimidate society, suppress the revolution, and quell protests. The student organizations, however, denounced such a belief as a delusion and emphasized their commitment to the destruction of the Islamic Republic.