Haft-Sin Spread Adorns International Space Station To Celebrate Norouz

Reacting to a UN Security Council briefing on the Yemen crisis, Amir Saeid Iravani dismissed statements made by the US and UK as "baseless allegations”.

Since November, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. They proclaim that these attacks will persist until Israel halts its operations in Gaza. The attacks began after Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Muslims to blockade Israel.

In response, the US and UK have carried out several rounds of strikes against an array of Houthi targets in Yemen.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran categorically rejects these baseless allegations, considering them as a pretext utilized by the United States and the United Kingdom to advance their short-sighted political agenda as well as to justify and validate their ongoing unlawful actions and military aggression against Yemen,” the Iranian envoy said in a letter to the president of the UN security council.

While Iran’s military support for the Houthi rebels goes back to at least 2009, Tehran often claims it merely offers political support to the group.

As experts note, the growing Houthi-Iran “integration” has allowed the Houthis to turn from a local guerrilla group to a more sophisticated armed force able to strike ground and maritime targets throughout the region.

Early this year, American forces intercepted an Iranian shipment, carrying military aid to the Houthis – including drone parts, missile warheads, and anti-tank missile units.

UK, US call for UN action on Iran's Yemen missiles

During the security council meeting, the US and UK urged UN intervention through its maritime inspectorate to prevent more Iranian missiles from reaching Houthi-controlled ports in western Yemen.

Reports of Iranian ships circumventing these inspections are therefore extremely concerning. The UK calls on Iran to cease its unlawful support for the Houthis. All ships entering Hudaydah must comply and report to UNVIM for inspection,” James Kariuki, the UK ambassador to the UN said.

Originally established in 2016, the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) is a framework established to inspect commercial shipping bound for Yemen, aiming to prevent the smuggling of weapons and illicit goods into the country.

During the briefing, a missile reportedly launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia struck a vessel near the southern city of Aden, resulting in no damage. Concurrently, US forces launched missiles at Hodeidah international airport.

Meanwhile, Chinese and Russian envoys argued that the US and UK lacked UN authorization for their repeated attacks on Houthi missile sites.

The urgency of the talks surged following a weekend directive instructing US forces to leave the country.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, currently navigating international waters in the Philippines, highlighted American apprehensions regarding Niger's stance while emphasizing ongoing dialogues with the country's leadership.

"In terms of Niger, we made clear... that we had a number of very real concerns... We remain in touch with the CNSP (National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland) and we're discussing with them a path forward," Blinken asserted.

Niger's decision to terminate its counterterrorism pact with the US reverberated globally as suspicions of clandestine dealings with Iran regarding access to uranium reserves surfaced. Recent intelligence underscores Niger's junta engaging in advanced discussions with Iran, sparking concerns over potential disruptions to international security dynamics.

The cessation of military cooperation dealt a significant setback to the Biden administration's initiatives in the Sahel region. Just last week, a US delegation, comprising prominent figures such as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee and Gen. Michael Langley of US Africa Command, convened with Niger's military junta in a bid to salvage relations.

Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon's deputy press secretary, divulged that discussions were driven not solely by worries about Niger's entanglements with Iran but also by suspicions of potential ties to Russia. The intricate geopolitical landscape illuminates the formidable challenges confronting US endeavors to counter Islamist insurgency in the region.

Yashar Soltani, a renowned journalist and whistle-blower, recently disclosed that a substantial plot of land valued at around $20 million in a prime location in northern Tehran was transferred to a company owned by Kazem Sedighi, Tehran's ultra-hardliner interim Friday prayer imam, along with his two sons and daughter-in-law.

Official documents reveal that the company was registered as a non-profit organization just four months ago, with Sedighi and his sons holding a 60 percent ownership stake.

The plot in question was originally part of an aging cherry orchard owned by the Tehran Municipality. In 2003, during the tenure of the current speaker, Mohammad Ghalibaf, Sedighi was granted a 99-year lease to establish a religious seminary on the land. Additional parcels of land used for seminary expansion were acquired over the years, with much of the surrounding property owned by other state entities, including the religious endowments organization.

With the municipality's approval, long-standing fruit trees were uprooted to make way for the construction of the seminary (highlighted in orange) and in the neighboring orchard (highlighted in red).

Additionally, Soltani released documents on Sunday revealing that approximately $20,000 in monthly rent from one of the seminary's assets, a hotel in Mashhad, was directly deposited into the personal account of Sedighi and his son, Mohammad-Mehdi.

Pejam Mousavi, journalist, in a tweet posted photos of a luxury gym and swimming pool built in the lower ground of the seminary and asked for clarification about its revenues and their expenditure. There are now also demands for the disclosure of the lease agreement between Bank Mellat, owner of the hotel paying rent to Sedighi, and him.

Sedighi remained silent about the initial allegations for a few days but when he eventually spoke about the matter, he angered the public even more as he claimed that had had no knowledge of a company being established in his name, accused “a formerly trusted person” of forging his signature, and said he would sue “the person referred to and others involved in the matter.”

“They don’t want to destroy me, they have targeted the youth’s belief [in the Islamic regime],’ Sedighi said in an in interview with the state broadcaster (IRIB).

“I keep thinking what it would be like if I had someone to betray my confidence and transfer the ownership of a 4,000 square meter orchard to me [without my knowledge]!”, Vahid Ashtari, a member of Justice Seekers, a student activists group loyal to Khamenei, sarcastically tweeted.

“Will he remain silent? Will he offer an explanation to the public? Or will he return the orchard? It doesn’t matter at all,” he said in another tweet, pointing out that Sedighi of the Islamic Republic’s headquarters for enforcing hijab and morality.

Sedighi is not the only person trusted by Khamenei to be involved in corruption cases in recent years. Whistle-blowers have made highly damaging allegations of against several others, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf who is involved in Sadighi’s case and Ayatollah Ahmad Alamolhoda, his representative in Khorasan Razavi Province who also serves as the custodian of a shrine revered by Shiites, and is also father-in-law to President Ebrahim Raisi.

Sedighi has also come under fire from some fellow clergymen who fear the revelation of his corruption will seriously damage the reputation of clerics. Critics also demand Khamenei to be accountable for the deeds of those he has shown trust in and appointed to high positions, and also the entities under his control.

“On what grounds has the endowments organization given 6,112 square meters of land to Kazem Sadighi? Release the documents for the allocation of the endowed land to Azgol Seminary. Why do the entities under the supervision of Supreme Leader do whatever they want and are not accountable to anyone? Why is the Supreme Leader not responding to the public’s questions?”, Abolfazl Najafi-Tehrani, a cleric himself, asked in a tweet.

Reformist politician and commentator Abbas Abdi in a tweet criticized the state broadcaster, IRIB, which is also headed by a Khamenei-appointee, for giving airtime to Sedighi to defend himself in an interview at the cost of its own further loss of credibility.

Calling the revelation of Sedighi’s corruption “a fatal blow” to the public’s trust in the regime, prominent lawyer Ali Mojtahedzadeh said in a tweet “a hasty legal complaint and a few-minutes long, one-sided TV interview” would not resolve the issue. “There is a simple and clear way if there is really a will to be transparent: holding a public trial.”

The influential hardliner cleric serves as Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative in a significant Shiite center located in the city of Mashhad. He oversees extensive religious endowments and rigorously prohibits concerts and similar activities that he deems incompatible with Islam.

Alamolhoda, as quoted by IRGC's Tasnim news agency, stated that those who did not heed Khamenei's call to participate in the elections are regarded as the "disobedient and rebellious" majority, and compared to the devout minority, they are considered negligible.

Iran’s March 1 parliamentary and the Assembly of Experts elections had the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s 45-year history, with the government announcing that 59 percent of the 61 million eligible voters did not participate. Some pundits believe that participation was even lower, in addition to million of people casting blank or invalid ballots.

The low turnout was attributed to the regime's dwindling legitimacy, as many held the government responsible for harshly quelling the 2022-2023 protests, mishandling the economy, and disqualifying even numerous regime insiders from participating in the elections. Even former President Hassan Rouhani was disqualified by the Guardian Council that vets the candidates.

Another former President, Mohammad Khatami, boycotted the elections and did not vote, as many critics blamed Khamenei for the election debacle.

Alamolhoda clearly defined the politically relevant strata of society as those who follow the clerical regime. "In Islam, the majority is not automatically accepted," he said and continued: "By majority, it is meant the majority who are religious and obedient, not the majority who are disobedient and rebellious."

"As you celebrate Nowruz, we look forward to the day when the people of Iran have a government that works for them," US Deputy Special Envoy to Iran Abram Paley conveyed in his message, emphasizing a hopeful vision for improved governance in the nation.

"Today, on behalf of the US government, I want to wish the people of Iran a happy Nowruz. Nowruz should be a time to celebrate – to celebrate the new year, to reflect on the year that has passed, and to honor Persian history and culture. And, indeed, the Iranian people have much to be proud of, and they have untold potential."

Norouz marks the beginning of spring and is celebrated by millions in Iran, Afghanistan, parts of Central Asia and worldwide.

Paley added, "Iran has been blessed with tremendous natural resources and human talent -- educated, ambitious, intelligent young people -- but unfortunately the Iranian regime continues to squander this human potential through corruption and mismanagement."

"As you celebrate Nowruz and the coming of spring, we look forward to the day when the people of Iran have a government that works for them. In the meantime, the United States will continue to support you in your aspirations for a free and democratic Iran."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also congratulated the Persian new year, saying, “Happy Nowruz to all celebrating the arrival of spring and new beginnings. May we cherish the bonds of family and the promise of a brighter tomorrow.”

Last year, US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted a ceremony at the White House for the occasion of Norouz and issued a statement that acknowledged Iranians' revolt for freedom.

Exactly at 6:36 Tehran time on March 20, the new year begins in Iran.