Iranian Minister Defends Violent Arrest by Morality Police

Addressing the media, Gholamreza Soleimani claimed that "the awakenings we are witnessing today in America, Canada, and Japan all originate from Islamic awakenings and are derived from the culture of Islamic resistance."

Soleimani's remarks followed comments from Ahmad Alamolhoda, a senior Iranian cleric and father-in-law to Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, who attributed the mobilization of the student protests to the influence of letters from Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

This contrasts sharply with the Iranian regime's harsh treatment of domestic dissent, particularly among its own student activists, who face severe penalties for similar protest activities. The discrepancy has drawn criticism from within Iran, with many pointing out the regime’s apparent hypocrisy.

The Iranian leadership, including Khamenei, has portrayed the student protests as a victory for pro-Palestinian sentiments among Western youth, interpreting it as a sign of growing global sensitivity towards the Palestinian issue. The more the world aligns with Palestine, the greater the victory Tehran feels against its archenemy Israel.

Throughout his leadership, Khamenei has maintained a strong anti-Israel and anti-West stance, supporting groups like terror group Hamas. His policy has contributed to Iran's isolation from the global economy, exacerbating existing economic challenges such as a shrinking GDP and soaring inflation rates.

The leveraging of anti-Israeli and anti-Western sentiments on international stages is seen as part of Iran's strategy to assert the legitimacy and righteousness of its political stance in the face of domestic and international pressures.

His official Telegram channel did not disclose his destination but reassured followers of his good health.

Haalvash, a human rights organization that focuses on Sistan-Baluchestan, reported that Abdolhamid has traveled to Tehran on Wednesday before heading to Turkey for treatment.

There are some unverified reports that he is suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

The trip comes amidst a backdrop of increased scrutiny from Iranian authorities in f the outspoken cleric who has openly criticized the government’s persecution of the Sunni minority. In June, reports surfaced that the Ministry of Intelligence had banned him from making his pilgrimage to Hajj, citing ‘security concerns’.

The Sunni cleric, 77 has been a vocal critic of the Iranian regime, particularly following the violent events of September 30, 2022, in Zahedan, which saw nearly a hundred citizens killed by government forces amid the nationwide uprising dubbed Women, Life, Freedom.

The incident was the bloodiest during the nationwide uprising triggered by the death in morality-police custody of Mahsa Amini in 2022.

The cleric has boldly opposed the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s policies in the wake of the uprising which has seen thousands of protesters arrested on trumped up charges and multiple executions. He has demanded the repeal of execution and decrees against protesters.

His criticisms have put him in danger and drawn sharp rebuke from conservative elements within Iran, with Kayhan newspaper—a media outlet closely aligned with Khamenei—accusing him of serving the enemies of Islam.

“All criminals should know that their actions and crimes have been recorded. France, Germany, and England should not think that that night [April 13] they came, brought their planes, and left, the matter was over and done with. Yes, that night ended, but their accountability remains.,” Qaani said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a commemoration of one of the commanders killed during an attack on Iran’s consulate in Syria by an alleged Israeli air strike earlier in April, which triggered Iran’s unprecedented aerial bombardment of Israel, Qaani said: “The American president, who is devoted to defending the Zionist regime, officially announced to the Israelis; ‘I will not enter the conflict.’”

Asserting that the US used "the maximum defense power" to protect Israel from Iran, he warned that regional leaders "who rely on America" should be "more sensible." "Is America going to defend them more than the Zionist regime?"

Critics in the US have warned that President Joe Biden's policies to pressure Israel in the Gaza war will send the wrong signal to allies in the Middle East and elsewhere.

In its first direct attack on Israeli territory, Iran launched over 350 drones, missiles and ballistic missiles on April 13, Most of the attack was intercepted by Israel and a US-led coalition.

US President Joe Biden said US forces "helped Israel take down nearly all" drones and missiles launched by Iran, and the US Central Command (Centcom) reported destroying more than 80 drones and six ballistic missiles.

The White House later said they would not take part in any further retaliatory action against Iran, a stance that Qaani referred to in his speech as a means to threaten regional Arab countries and European powers.

“The victory is not about the missiles and drones that reached the occupied land. Many secrets are hidden within this operation, which will take a long time to unravel,” Qaani said of the air attack as the regime plays down its failings.

As part of his threat against Western countries for supporting Israel, Iran’s archenemy, Qaani included Germany in his threat. While Germany did not take part, it condemned Iran’s attack, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz branding it “unjustifiable and highly irresponsible”, stressing that “Germany stands by Israel.”

President Biden's Iran policy in general has been widely criticized for being too soft. By reversing Trump's maximum-pressure policy in pursuit of a nuclear agreement, Biden and his team did not enforce oil export sanctions imposed in 2018. Also, prisoner swaps and waivers have freed $16 billion in previously frozen Iranian funds, which pumped tens of billions of dollars into the regime's coffers.

As part of the Biden administration's sanctions waiver in 2023, Iran gained access to upwards of $10 billion in electricity revenues previously held in escrow in Iraq—also, the US made a deal to swap prisoners detained by Tehran in exchange for the transfer of $6 billion in Iranian funds that had been frozen in South Korea.

In a recent television interview, Mike Lawler attributed the increase to what he perceives as a weak stance on Iran by the current US administration.

“His [Biden’s] appeasement of Iran is extremely dangerous… You look at the unholy alliance between China, Russia and Iran, and you see that they are seeking to undermine and destabilize the free world,” he stated.

Lawler championed the SHIP Act, a legislative measure aimed at curbing the illicit petroleum trade that allegedly funds Iranian-supported terror activities.

“I fought to get the SHIP Act passed and signed into law so we can finally crack down on the illicit petroleum trade funding Iranian terror. This Administration must hold Iran accountable,” he wrote on X.

The issue of Iranian oil revenue has become a hot topic, with reports indicating a substantial increase in the past year.

In 2023, Iran has been exporting approximately 1.4 million barrels of oil daily, with a significant portion being purchased by China, according to tanker shipment tracking firms. Although the exports would value around $41 billion at Brent crude prices, it is likely that Iran is selling at a lower rate.

Lawler's comments reflect a growing unease among US lawmakers who are pushing for immediate action to prevent Iran from accessing additional financial resources that could be used to support terrorism. More than 60 House members in January called on the President to reverse the current policy and take a tougher stance against Iran.

According to the report, Iran is actively transforming the murder-for-hire industry across the US and Europe, contracting out killings to avoid direct involvement.

The Spectator's investigation indicates that Iran employs the same covert tactics abroad that it uses to manage proxy forces like Hezbollah and militia groups across the Middle East, outsourcing murder plots through proxies or criminal gangs.

“There appear to be no set rules for the methods Iran uses to find the criminals to do its work abroad, except to avoid the obvious. Biker gangs and people-traffickers are better able to operate away from the gaze of counter-terrorism police than politically motivated ideologues,” wrote the Spectator.

Plots have reached the highest levels of state. Two years ago, the US charged an Iranian man with attempting to hire a hitman to kill John Bolton, a former national security adviser in the Trump administration, for a lucratively tempting $300,000.

The report highlights the activities of Unit 840, a secretive branch of Iran’s IRGC Quds Force, which orchestrates the operations. One of the thwarted plans involved the attempted assassination of Sima Sabet and Fardad Farahzad, two presenters for Iran International TV. While the US has proscribed the IRGC, other nations have as yet failed to make the designation.

Last year the US named Iran the number one state sponsor of terror and countries such as the UK have named it as a leading foreign threat on British soil. Israel’s spy chief last year said dozens of plots against Jewish and Israeli targets abroad had also been foiled.