Sunni Friday Imam Tells Government To Trust Iranian People

Hashemi Rafsanjani is a former Iranian MP turned activist – who was most recently arrested amid the Women, Life, Freedom protests in 2022, after she expressed support for the protests.

Her father, former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, oversaw a long string of terrorist plots during his eight years in office. For almost 30 years he was one of the top decision makers in the Islamic Republic, even playing the key role in installing Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader. He was accused as one of the Iranian leaders responsible for planning a deadly attack on a Jewish community center in Argentina in 1994.

Despite Hashemi Rafsanjani's recent public criticism of the Islamic Republic, Iranian social media users strongly denounced the US State Department's post featuring her – calling her a “reformist” and “regime insider”. Most Iranian dissidents view Iran's Reformists as part of the Islamic Republic and a political group that wants to save the regime.

Tagging the US Envoy for Iran, Abram Paley, social media users from different political backgrounds questioned why the US government would promote her as “the defender of women’s rights across Iran”.

Many users expressed outrage, viewing the post as a direct insult to those battling for freedom in Iran, especially Iranian women.

The State Department's Instagram page, USABehFarsi ("USA in Farsi"), appears to be directed towards Iranians in Iran, as it predominantly posts in Persian.

On Instagram, where the majority of Iranians using social media inside Iran are active, the comments were overwhelmingly negative.

Within just 4 hours of the post being uploaded, nearly 1,500 comments poured in.

Numerous users, labeling Hashemi Rafsanjani as a "fundamentalist reformist," expressed their frustration, asserting that Iranians are not merely seeking reform but rather a complete regime change.

Notably, the State Department restricted comments on its page.

This recent controversy follows days after another contentious moment for the Biden administration, stemming from the President’s New Year message to Iranians, commemorating the ancient spring celebration of Norouz.

President Biden's mention of the Gaza conflict in his statement raised eyebrows and fueled anger, since neither Palestinians nor Arabs celebrate Nouruz. Adding to the outrage, is the fact that Norouz has been celebrated in Iran for over 2,500 years – and is not an Islamic occasion.

Arash Aalaei from Iran International further highlighted that, besides President Biden, the only other world leader to include mention of Palestinians in Norouz greetings to Iranians was Ayatollah Khamenei and the Iranian regime.

"After six months of resistance, the youth of Gaza have shown to the Islamic world that the attachment of the people of Gaza to the Quran is steadfast. The Muslim people of Gaza have demonstrated to the world that adherence to the Quran is a fundamental and vital condition for the advancement of the Islamic society," Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili said at a Quranic session in Tehran on Friday.

The Minister’s praise of the “resistance front” is understood to be in support of militant terrorist Palestinian groups, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad – and other Iran-backed proxies operating along Israel's borders.

His comments come amid escalating tensions in the Middle East – after Hamas and Palestinian armed groups attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

The attack, described as the deadliest for Jews since the Holocaust, resulted in the deaths of 1,200 individuals and left many others wounded. Additionally, 240 individuals were taken hostage during the incident.

While the US has not corroborated the claim, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran was involved in aiding Hamas to orchestrate the attack, with Hamas operatives reportedly receiving training in Iran beforehand.

In line with the clerical regime in Tehran, the Minister echoed an anti-Semitic trope by labeling Israel as "the Zionist regime."

“The heroic resistance of the Palestinians thwarted all the equations sought by the occupying Zionist regime and the United States to normalize the presence of this cancerous gland in the heart of the Islamic world," he said.

“I’m very concerned about this new relationship between Russia, China and Iran. What we see is, Iran is relying on China and Russia is relying on Iran,” the head of the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) told lawmakers.

“Iran is now increasingly working with Russia, Russia is working with China…there is this consortium that has formed in a way that we haven’t seen…,” Democratic leader of the House Armed Services Committee, Adam Smith said in seeming agreement with the General.

General Michael Kurilla specifically highlighted Tehran's sale of 90% of its oil, which is subject to US sanctions, to China.

“So in effect China is funding Iran’s subversive and malign behavior in the region,” General Kurilla said.

When queried about Tehran's ability to sell oil to China, the General explained that the country circumvents sanctions by employing an extensive network of ships known as a "ghost fleet" or "dark fleet" for ship-to-ship transfers.

Republican Rep. Mike Waltz also pointed to Iran's alliance with China, by using a map to illustrate Iran's undisturbed oil sales to China – while pointing out Iran-backed Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea.

“All roads go back to Iran but really it’s Chinese money that is fuelling Iran, that is fuelling terrorism…and yet, all of our policy is focused on the symptoms of the disease,” Waltz said.

In this context, Waltz queried Celeste Wallander, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, about her support for a House-passed bill imposing secondary sanctions on China for accepting Iranian oil shipments at ports.

However, Wallander deferred the matter to the Treasury Department.

Both Iran and China have not publicly disclosed exact figures of their recent oil transactions. Despite reports suggesting Iran sells oil at significant discounts, the precise revenue generated from its oil sales in recent years remains unclear.

General Kurilla also cautioned about the strengthening alliance between Tehran and Moscow, citing an increase in the provision of suicide drones to Russia.

“Iran went from 100s to now 1000s of one-way attack unmanned aerial systems – suicide drones – that they’re providing to Russia,” he said referring to Moscow’s continued war in Ukraine.

Notably, the General did not get into specifics about what Moscow is providing Tehran.

“What I can talk about in a classified setting, is what Russia can provide in return back to Iran which is concerning,” he said.

Deterring Tehran’s ‘Malign’ Behavior

Warning that the Middle East is at its “most volatile” in the past 50 years, General Kurilla pointed to Iran as the region’s “single biggest malign actor”.

Over the past 6 months, he said, every proxy in the Iranian threat network operationalized. In Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, The West Bank and Yemen.

“The ramifications of this partnership have global implications,” the top US general warned.

While he admitted that there had been a period of calm in Iraq and Syria, after the US carried out dozens of air strikes on Iranian proxies – he admitted that “all deterrence is temporal”

“I do believe there has to be cost imposition on Iran for them to be able to cease their malign behavior,” he told lawmakers.

The top General made similar comments in in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month.

Amid ample criticism from fellow lawmakers regarding the Biden administration's handling of Iran, Democratic Rep. Smith argued that reestablishing a peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, alongside a bolstered partnership involving the US, would contribute to stabilizing the region.

In response, Wallander emphasized that the initial step toward this goal is to find a long-term solution to the plight facing the Palestinian people and to revive discussions for a two-state solution.

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said, "It is a segment of the pipeline which is being built inside Pakistani territory. So, we do not believe that at this point there is room for any discussion or waiver from a third party."

The statement comes in response to remarks made by Donald Lu, the US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, during a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday. Lu indicated that the US was monitoring the planned pipeline and highlighted that Pakistan had not requested a sanctions waiver for engaging in gas trade with Iran. "We have also not heard from the government of Pakistan [on a] desire for any waiver for American sanctions that would certainly result from such a project," Lu remarked.

Pakistan's outgoing caretaker government recently granted approval to initiate construction on an 80-kilometer section of the pipeline. The decision was largely motivated by the desire to circumvent substantial penalties owed to Iran due to delays in the $7 billion project, which has been in discussions since the mid-1990s.

The Gas Sales and Purchase Agreement, signed between Pakistan and Iran in June 2009, aimed to address Pakistan's energy shortages by supplying gas from Iran's South Pars Field. However, the project faced numerous suspensions amid fears of incurring US sanctions for energy imports from Iran, which is subjected to US banking sanctions due to its nuclear program.

With Tehran repeatedly warning of international arbitration and imposing hefty penalties nearing $18 billion for breach of contract, Pakistan was under pressure to meet Tehran's deadline of commencing construction by March 2024. It is not clear how Tehran is planning to export more gas while its own consumers suffer from shortages. Lack of technology and investments steadily reduce Iran's gas production.

Beyzai's refusal came in response to a claim by Mohammad Khazaei, Director of the Cinema Organization of Iran who said this week that artists can return to the country "within the framework of the law." The organization is a government-controlled entity and its reference to framework of the law denotes the regime strict censorship practices.

Responding Khazaei's remarks, Beyzai took to Instagram, declaring, "It is due to my and other filmmakers’ existence that you are occupying that seat... You treat us like slaves and expect us to obey orders.”

He further noted that he will not allow Iranian officials to censor him, or force him to self-censor.

The invitation extended to Beyzai comes amidst ongoing cultural restrictions and a tightening of creative freedoms in Iran. Over the years, the Iranian government's censorship policies have led to the exodus of numerous talented people, including renowned artists and filmmakers, seeking greater creative liberty abroad.

Filmmakers, in particular, face challenges navigating the confines of government-approved content, often resorting to self-censorship to avoid repercussions.

The cultural crackdown extends beyond censorship to include harassment, intimidation, and imprisonment of dissenting voices. Notably, director Jafar Panahi's imprisonment in July 2022 following his inquiry about the whereabouts of other detained filmmakers illustrated the risks faced by those who challenge the status quo.

Panahi, a recipient of numerous international awards, including the Golden Bear at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival, was sentenced to a six-year prison term and a 20-year filmmaking and travel ban for his involvement in documenting the 2009 Green Movement protests.