Iran Arrests Journalists During Presidential Campaign

Nonetheless, the latest polls in Iran show that some 60 percent of eligible voters are still adamant not to take part in the June 28 election. Also, a new survey conducted by one of the country's most reliable polling agencies ISPA, resulted in total embarrassment for the government as it showed that more than 73 percent of Iranian chose not to watch the televised debates between the candidates.

Voter turnout began to decline in the 2020 parliamentary elections, when hundreds of insider politicians who did not belong to the hardliner camp were barred. The same politically motivated vetting by the un-elected Guardian Council was repeated in the 2021 presidential and the March 2024 parliamentary elections. From a high of 70% in 2017, turnout has declined to around 40%.

The government has tried many tricks and techniques to grab TV viewers' attention including a sneak preview of candidates' family life by bringing the daughters of the candidates to the studios to talk about their father and other matters. Massoud Pezeshkian, Mostafa Pourmohammadi and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf sent their daughters to state TV studios.

Pourmohammadi's daughter Monireh, outshined the other two as a Ph.D. candidate in Economics who explained her father's economic policies.

In an odd behavior, Saeed Jalili sent his likeminded former chief of staff at the Supreme Council of National Security, Amir Hossein Sabeti, now one of the new "revolutionary" lawmakers, instead of his daughter. Persian social media burst into all kinds of jokes and ironies about the episode.

In another possibly pre-planned show one of the "experts" interviewing Pezeshkian traded insults and verbal attack with one of Pezeshkian's advisers, renowned sociologist Mohammad Fazeli, who subsequently dashed out of the studio in protest after the TV host cut his microphone off.

Even more significant than the fight is the fact that the hardliner-dominated state TV, where Jalili's brother happens to be in charge, allowed a personae non grata like Fazeli to enter its live TV studios.

Pezeshkian's campaign subsequently posted a meme on the social media platform X that showed other than Jalili's brother, several other individuals linked to Jalili controlled the state TV.

If this seems odd, consider that selected intellectuals and commentators are now being allowed to give interviews to Persian-speaking satellite channels outside Iran about the elections. Previously, they were warned that speaking to those channels was illegal and could land them in jail.

One well-known outspoken commentator told Iran International that authorities approached him, saying it was now permissible to talk with foreign-based television channels. He agreed to do so only if they provided a written guarantee that he would not be punished or criticized for it after the election. Unsurprisingly, the guarantee never materialized.

Another commentator, a leading reformist figure, told a London-based channel that the government gave the commentators the go ahead to talk to the foreign-based channels to prepare the mood for a high turnout in the election.

Despite all this and more, the Iranian state TV cannot be certain by any means that it can help attract more attention to the election and encourage voters to go to the polls. The 73 percent that did not watch the first debate on TV are only some of the viewers who do not trust the broadcaster. The state TV's viewership has been constantly declining during recent years.

The Al-Tanf base, located within a 55-kilometer exclusion zone at the convergence of the Syrian, Jordanian, and Iraqi borders, engaged its air defenses after the drone ventured in from the east, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday.

The incident occurred less than 24 hours after airstrikes that hit an Iranian-backed militia in the Al Bukamal area near the Syrian-Iraqi border, reportedly killing one and injuring two militants.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the drone attack on the US base, such assaults are typically claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Tehran-backed militants.

The ongoing strikes underscore the escalating tension between US forces and Iranian-supported groups in the region.

The groups have been criticized for their recklessness, which led to a regional flare-up in January when a drone strike by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq killed three US troops in a US base in Jordan, close to the one in Al-Tanf.

The breach of several regional and US red lines prompted a response involving a series of US airstrikes across Iraq and Syria.

The risk of escalation became so serious that the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force made a trip to Baghdad to instruct the factions to reduce their attacks, according to Iranian and Iraqi sources who spoke to Reuters.

Following the intervention, there was a temporary cessation of attacks on US forces. However, after a brief period of calm, the focus of the attacks shifted towards Israel.

A US official told Reuters that the claim by the rebel group is false, and no such attack has been carried out.

On Saturday, the Yemeni Houthi group announced that its forces had launched attacks on the US aircraft carrier Eisenhower in the Red Sea and the "Israeli-linked" Transworld Navigator ship in the Arabian Sea.

The exact timing of the attacks was not specified.

According to a statement from the Houthis, the Transworld Navigator was struck directly by a missile.

The group also declared that the operation targeting the Eisenhower had successfully met its objectives, though further details were not provided.

The Houthis' claim comes on the same day as the US Central Command has announced the return of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKE CSG) to the United States.

"After flying over 30,000 hours and sailing more than 55,000 miles, the IKE CSG has shown our dedication to regional stability and safeguarded freedom of navigation across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," the command stated in a tweet on Saturday.

The Houthis have increased their maritime assaults, including the recent sinking of the ship Tutor, marking a new phase in their strategy against international shipping routes since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

The attacks began after Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Muslim nations in early November to blockade Israeli trade in the wake of the Gaza war.

The Houthis claim over 60 targeted attacks on vessels and numerous other missile and drone launches since November, leading to the deaths of four sailors and the capture or sinking of several ships.

Despite Houthi claims of targeting vessels connected to Israel, the US, or Britain, many of the attacked ships reportedly have minimal or no links to the Israel-Hamas war. In response, a US-led airstrike campaign has been targeting Houthi positions since January.

The decision, first reported by the Voice of America, has sparked outrage among critics who view it as legitimizing the Islamic Republic’s "authoritarian rule".

Alireza Mahmoudi, an official from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, earlier confirmed plans to set up 30 voting locations, including at venues such as the Iranian Interests Section at the Pakistani embassy in Washington DC and a location in New York.

The move comes despite the US State Department’s acknowledgment that Iran’s elections are "neither free nor fair", as it only allows candidates loyal to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to run.

"Preposterous. The concept of a free and fair election under the Islamic Republic is a fallacy," said Iranian-British activist and actress Nazanin Boniadi.

"While regime opponents are advocating for a boycott, the US inexplicably permits absentee ballots for this farce?" she added in reaction to the Biden administration's decision.

The locations for these ballot stations have raised further concerns. In 2021, several US and British hotel properties and Islamic centers were used as polling stations, though there is no confirmation if these venues will be used again.

Critics, including Cameron Khansarinia, vice president of the National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI), argue that those participating in and operating these stations should be “publicly shamed” for their role in supporting what many consider a “sham election”.

In the statement the signatories asserted: "Participation in the elections, even under the assumption of a victory by a reformist candidate, is futile, offering no resolution to ongoing issues. Moreover, it risks bolstering [government's] legitimacy and intensifying suppression of dissent and protest. Therefore, we declare our refusal to partake in the presidential elections."

Six hand-picked insider politicians have been allowed to compete in the presidential vote. The president does not full power over many institutions and in key decisions, which are shaped by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The growing chorus of voices condemning the upcoming June 28 snap presidential election in Iran includes high-profile figures. Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has labeled it as a facade orchestrated by an oppressive regime.

From Evin Prison in Tehran, Mohammadi declared on Saturday, “I will not participate in the illegal elections of the oppressive and illegitimate government.”

Iranian female Islamic scholar Sedigheh Vasmaghi has separately announced that participating in the upcoming snap presidential elections would bolster the Islamic Republic's legitimacy.

In a statement on her Instagram account on Friday, Vasmaghi asserted, “When voter turnout is low, the ruling factions lose confidence, but high turnout empowers and validates them.”

“I consider the people's vote to be a valuable social and national asset that should not be squandered or used to benefit those responsible for current issues,” she added.

Other political activists and former prisoners, including Hossein Razzagh and Mehdi Mahmoudian, have also declared their intention to abstain from participating in the elections.

Mahmoudian argued that "the possibility of change through the ballot boxes has been stripped from the people."

Political analysts within Iran suggest a potential low voter turnout. Iranian journalist and political activist Abbas Abdi observed that many Iranians are disenchanted with the political system and are unlikely to participate in the snap presidential elections.

In an op-ed in Etemad newspaper, Abdi remarked, "The atmosphere of boycotting the elections has not yet begun to thaw."

Meanwhile, the televised presidential debates, once regarded as the "government's propaganda machine that effectively energized the election," as described by analysts, have shown little to no impact this time.

Recent surveys indicate a notable lack of voter engagement leading up to Iran's June 28 snap presidential election, contrasting sharply with the 2009 elections, in which 85% of eligible voters participated.

Some survey results indicate that a majority of eligible voters most likely will stay away from polling stations.

According to a survey conducted by the Iranian Students Polling Agency (ISPA), 73% of respondents reported not watching the first presidential debate on June 17.

This can be attributed partly to the constraints placed on TV hosts and candidates, preventing substantive challenges that could expose corruption within the clerical establishment.

In a Saturday meeting with the judicial branch officials, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reiterated that "The debates of the election candidates should not be a platform for a candidate to gain an advantage over others by uttering statements that please our enemies." He further emphasized, "It is unacceptable to speak in ways that favor the enemy." In Khamenei's political jargon, enemies are the United States, Israel and their allies.

Furthermore, Iran's Minister of Intelligence had stated that his agency was rigorously monitoring the conduct of presidential candidates and their supporters, cautioning that individuals promoting "subversive" narratives will face legal consequences.

Additionally, the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) had warned presidential candidates, admonishing them against portraying Iran unfavorably in their campaign broadcasts and threatening to prevent such broadcasts from airing.