Khamenei daily opposes US talks, labels advocates 'naive or insane'

"So far, the impeachment of Mohsen Paknejad, the Minister of Oil, with 23 signatures, and the impeachment of Abdolnaser Hemmati, the Minister of Economy, with over 70 signatures, have been officially registered in the parliament system," Naderi said.

Meanwhile, on the same day, President Masoud Pezeshkian criticized corruption in Iran's economy, which is mostly controlled and regulated by the government.

"In a situation where the allocation of preferential currency rates to certain individuals in both the public and private sectors has turned into quotas and insider privileges, leaving others at a disadvantage, how can such a market be considered competitive? This process certainly needs reform," he said.

Iran is grappling with a dire economic situation, with its currency, the rial, depreciating by over 30% since September. This decline has been driven by regional conflicts and setbacks in Syria and Lebanon.

In late December, business owners and workers in Tehran’s historic bazaar staged a rare strike to protest runaway inflation and soaring foreign currency rates. The strike sparked similar demonstrations in other commercial hubs across the capital.

Unrest in the historic heart of Iran’s commerce reflects the grim state of the country’s economy. In 1979, protests in the bazaar were a precursor to the Islamic Revolution that overthrew the monarchy, underscoring the political significance of such discontent.

The announcement signals a continued emphasis on the administration’s tough approach on Tehran but comes with Trump’s acknowledgment of past tensions with his appointee.

“I am pleased to announce Morgan Ortagus as Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Middle East Peace… Early on Morgan fought me for three years, but hopefully has learned her lesson,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “She will hopefully be an asset to Steve [Witkoff, Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East].”

Ortagus is recognized as a significant figure in US foreign policy, serving as the State Department spokesperson during Trump’s presidency. In this role, she communicated US positions on global issues, often focusing on Iran, China, and the Middle East.

She expressed hope in a tweet after being appointed that under Trump peace and stability will return to the Middle East.

A hardline approach to Iran

Ortagus consistently echoed and defended the Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign against Iran. This policy aimed to isolate Tehran diplomatically and economically following the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement (JCPOA) in 2018.

Ortagus argued that the sanctions undermined Iran’s ability to fund regional proxy groups and its missile development program.

She supported the US exit from the JCPOA, describing the agreement as inadequate in addressing Iran’s regional interventions and nuclear ambitions.

"Under the current trajectory, the Iranian regime will get a nuclear weapon in the next administration unless we have a president with the fortitude to stop it," said Ortagus in an exclusive interview with Iran International in June.

Ortagus highlighted the US’s backing of domestic protests in Iran, attributing the country’s economic and social struggles to the government’s policies.

"Khamenei's thugs killed 1,500 Iranians on the streets of Iran last November,” Ortagus wrote, quoting one of Khamenei's tweets in August 2020. “At least 23 were children. They deserved freedom and a future.”

She was referring to the fall of 2019, when widespread protests broke out across Iran following a sudden threefold increase in gas prices. Thousands of protesters were arrested. Many victims sustained gunshot wounds to the upper chest, indicating that security forces were operating under shoot-to-kill orders.

Ortagus has consistently portrayed Iran’s missile program as a global threat and accused Tehran of supporting militant groups.

Joining a team led by Steve Witkoff, Ortagus’s appointment comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East. Her focus on pressuring Tehran aligns with Trump’s broader foreign policy objectives.

Speaking to the Faraz Daily website in Tehran, Nosratollah Tajik noted that the 2020 killing of IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani remains a significant factor shaping Iran’s adversarial stance. However, he stressed that "Tehran should not allow this issue to harm Iran's national interests." Tajik also highlighted that, unlike Trump’s first term (2017–2021), Iran cannot afford to ignore him once he takes office at the White House.

The most significant point raised by Tajik, one rarely addressed by other Iranian politicians, was his suggestion that President Massoud Pezeshkian appoint a special representative to focus on restoring Iran's ties with the United States and initiating efforts to ease tensions between Tehran and Washington.

Tajik also cautioned the West that Iran retains significant assets in the Middle East despite the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. He pointed out that Iran remains capable of exploiting the fragile situation in eastern Syria to its advantage.

In a controversial statement, Tajik claimed that "the perception that Iran is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons serves as its strongest bargaining chip" in negotiations with the West.

However, he acknowledged that factors such as the prolonged war in Gaza, escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, and Assad's fall have created a highly complex environment for any potential negotiations between Iran and the US.

Tajik remarked, "Trump and Iran are well-acquainted with each other. However, the US President-elect has yet to fully unveil his policies toward Iran for his new term." Reflecting on Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the JCPOA nuclear deal, which severely impacted Iran’s economy, Tajik noted, "The exit also harmed US interests, as Iran significantly scaled back its commitments under the agreement."

He warned that if Trump has learned from that experience, it could reshape future relations between the two countries. "If not, no positive outcome can be expected," Tajik concluded.

In a related development, Eghtesad News in Tehran highlighted remarks from several Iranian politicians regarding the prospects for talks between Iran and the Trump administration. The outlet noted Trump’s recent statement indicating that he does not wish to harm Iran but seeks to contain its nuclear ambitions to prevent Tehran from reaching the point of no return and acquiring nuclear weapons.

Eghtesad News quoted Hamid Aboutalebi, an advisor to former President Hassan Rouhani, who, in an open letter to President Massoud Pezeshkian, urged Iran not to miss what he called a "historic opportunity" to redefine relations with the United States. In the letter, Aboutalebi also suggested that Pezeshkian congratulate Trump on his election victory. The website also pointed out that several Iranian newspapers have recently advocated for improved relations with the United States.

The website also quoted conservative analyst Reza Salehi as saying that "Compared to his Democratic predecessor, Trump can take more positive steps to mend Washington's ties with Iran." Salehi reiterated: "Trump wants to make a deal. He wishes to end wars and prevent any new war."

Eghtesad News then quoted former Vice President Mohamad Ali Abtahi as saying that "Iran needs to benefit from the opportunity as Trump wishes to win the credit for resolving the dispute with Iran.”

Meanwhile, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, the former head of the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign relations committee, stated in a commentary that "Iran is not a priority for Trump." He dismissed Tehran’s efforts to signal readiness for talks with the incoming Trump administration as "futile."

In the past three weeks, at least three well-known female artists have made headlines by unveiling in public as an act of civil disobedience.

On December 30, renowned 62-year-old visual artist Bita Fayazi gained widespread attention on social media when she cut the ribbon to inaugurate a government-sponsored art exhibition with her scarf tied around her neck instead of covering her curly gray hair. Some other female participants at the ceremony, mostly young women, also did not cover their hair.

The Ceramic Art Biennial event was held at Niavaran Cultural Center, a bustling center of cultural activities and exhibitions governed by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in the north of the capital.

There are no reports of ministry officials or others at the event objecting to Fayazi’s unveiling during the ceremony. She has not clarified whether it was a planned protest against compulsory hijab or an impromptu act.

The Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)-linked Fars News Agency slammed the ministry for the incident at the Niavaran Cultural Center which it described as a “de-stigmatization of unveiling”. Similarly, the Mehr News Agency, affiliated with the state-run Islamic Propaganda Organization, labeled Fayazi’s act “limitless norm-breaking”. 

A few days earlier, on December 26, Goli Emami, a prominent author and translator, walked on the stage at an event organized by an Iranian publishing house at Ivan-e Shams Hall in Tehran to receive the IranKetab Literary Award for her lifetime of literary work.

Emami, 82, who received a standing ovation from the audience, was not even wearing a token scarf around her neck when she accepted her award. 

Such defiance of the compulsory hijab, even at government-sponsored events, was unimaginable before the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran's morality police in September 2022.

Amini’s death sparked several months of nationwide protests. The 22-year-old Amini was arrested on the street by morality patrols, not for defiance of hijab, but because some of her hair was showing from under her headscarf.

Since then, the number of women who refuse to wear the compulsory hijab in public has grown significantly. Social media reports indicate that seeing unveiled women, even in very conservative religious cities such as Qom and Mashhad, no longer surprises anyone.

Music and dance have become powerful tools for Iranian women to challenge the Islamic governance that has prohibited solo singing and public dancing by women for over four decades.

The hijab-free concert by singer Parastoo Ahmadi on December 12 at an empty caravansary which she streamed live on YouTube, was as groundbreaking as the one-woman anti-hijab protest of Vida Movahed, a young mother of 32, on Revolution Avenue in Tehran seven years ago, that was the first symbolic act of defiance catching the public's imagination.

At her “virtual concert”, Ahmadi, 27, not only had no head covering but also wore a black gown that revealed her bare shoulders. She was arrested and arraigned but was later freed on bail.

Female actresses have been spearheading the anti-compulsory hijab movement since the Woman, Life, Freedom protests at the cost of imprisonment, being banned from working and losing their passports.

"Simply put, Syria served as a kind of backbone and connector for the axis of resistance, playing an unparalleled role in any potential offensive against the northern front of Palestine. However, within the framework of the strategic ideology, this role has now been transferred to Yemen following the loss of Syria," he said.

Iran-backed militias in the region have become weaker as Israel has launched attacks on Hamas and Hezbollah, both part of what Iran calls the Resistance Axis. Meanwhile, the Houthis in Yemen have escalated their attacks. Since October 7, they have fired drones and missiles almost daily toward Israel, describing these actions as solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. They have also made commercial traffic unsafe in the Red Sea by targeting vessels moving to or from the Suez Canal.

In September, Iran International reported that approximately 300 Palestinian and Yemeni fighters were undergoing military training inside Iran, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Last week, the United Nations Security Council warned Iran against further escalations by the Houthis, the Tehran-allied armed group in Yemen.