Iran FM Says Entire Region Will Benefit From Renewed Nuclear Deal
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister, has said the whole Middle East would benefit from a renewed nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister, has said the whole Middle East would benefit from a renewed nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
But during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati Thursday evening, Amir-Abdollahian said “we’ve not reached the final point on lifting sanctions yet.”
Opponents of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal and lifting US sanctions say that giving Iran tens of billions of dollars will enable it to finance its allies and militant proxies in the region.
The foreign minister continuing his trip on Friday, met political leaders from all Lebanese sects, including President Michel Aoun, a Maronite Christian, and the heads of the two main Shia parties, house speaker Nabih Berri of Amal, and Hassan Nasrallah, general secretary of Hezbollah.
In a news conference after meeting with his counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib, Amir-Abdollahian said Iran wanted “a good, strong and lasting agreement, but not at the cost of crossing its red lines.” The foreign minister said United States sanctions should be removed “in the maximum way.”
A recurrent theme of Amir-Abdollahian’s visit has been the need for detente with Saudi Arabia in line with President Ebrahim Raisi’s commitment to improved relations with Iran’s neighbors.
The Lebanese foreign minister welcomed détente between Iran and Saudi Arabia, according to a readout of the meeting provided by Iran’s Foreign Ministry. Saudi-Iran tensions have often played out in Lebanon, which has a substantial population of both Sunni and Shia Muslims. Riyadh in October broke off diplomatic relations with Beirut, and its influence has also diminished with the withdrawal from politics of Saad Hariri, leader of the Sunni Mustaqbal party and a Saudi citizen, in January.
Keeping Doors Open
Bou Habib, according to a readout from the Lebanese foreign ministry, said not only Lebanon would benefit from an improvement in Tehran-Riyadh relations, which would also “provide an opportunity to help advance intra-Yemeni dialogue and resolve the crisis in that country.”
In an interview with Al Mayadeen television Friday, Amir-Abdollahian reiterated that Iran was ready for a fifth round of talks with Saudi Arabis and was “working hard to keep the doors of dialogue open between the two countries.” Earlier this month Iran suspended bilateral contacts, facilitated by Iraq, after Saudi Arabia beheaded 81 men − including 41 Shia Saudi Shia, seven Yemenis and a Syrian − for “heinous crimes.”
In a meeting with cultural and political scholars and figures Friday, the Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was “ready to help Lebanon with medical services, medicine and medical equipment and other basic needs.” Amir-Abdollahian said Thursday Iran had offered to establish two 1,000-megawatt power stations in Lebanon to help with its chronic power crisis and connect its energy grid to Lebanon through Syria and Iraq.
Much of Lebanon has zero mains electricity, following decades of corruption and a financial crisis that erupted in late 2020, plunging 80 percent of the population into poverty. The crash followed the failure of post-war governments to control a spiraling debt financed by expatriate deposits in the Lebanese banking sector.
But the Iranian foreign minister’s offer of assistance comes as Tehran has often complained about shortage of medicine and medical supplies because of US sanctions. It also suffers from chronic electricity shortages partly because the capacity of its power stations is inadequate.
Iranian government-controlled media reporting on Amir-Abdollahian's meetings did not mention his offer of assistance, possibly because of popular resentment toward Islamic Republic's long-standing policy of providing financial and military resources to allies and proxies in the region.
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As Iranian cleric Seyyed Ahmad Batha'i has observed, "Generally speaking, there are two types of clerics in Iran: Those who are good speakers, and those who are not, regardless of the level of their knowledge."
A good cleric should have a good voice, be a good storyteller and be capable of grabbing and keeping the attention of audiences. They should also know a little about classical Persian music, dastgahs, so that they could sing the dramatic bits of religious stories. Some clerics do it very well. Some don't.
Former President Hassan Rouhani was definitely a bad singer according to his friends and foes. Every Muharram, he used to eulogize and sing during the cabinet meetings to pay tribute to the martyrs of Karbala including Imam Hussain. But as most Iranians have seen on state TV, his singing was awful. Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri reminisced in his memoires that former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was not a good singer either and while his eulogy was meant to make the listeners cry, it made them laugh. "I had to beg him to stop singing," says Montazeri.
Any good cleric knows that singing and eulogizing are the peak points of the religious performance art. Although being a cleric is not totally about singing or speaking, these are essential tools of the trade. In Qom, many clerics prefer riding motorcycles rather than driving or walking. They usually sing while riding. A motorcycle travels fast and puts a distance between them and people who like to tease clerics. And the people in Qom are really good in the art of teasing.
The traffic department in Qom in the 1980s exempted cleric motorcyclists from putting on a helmet, arguing that a turban was enough to protect the clerics' head in case of an accident.
Mehdi Parnian, a cleric born in 1975, who has studied at the Qom Seminary and later continued his academic studies for an MA degree in communication, is now the head of the seminary's "Humor Office." Parnian has collected the forms of address and titles of Iranian clerics in a brief lexicon.
Sheikh or Shaykh as the word is pronounced in Iran, was a title and form of address in the old times for respectable elderly clerics and tribal leaders. However, in modern Persian, shaykh is the lowest rank for a cleric. These are the ones who may have even not been to a seminary. Some people call them Ashaykh, meaning Mr. Shaykh.
Seyyed, which was previously used for clerics who were the descendants of the holy prophet, is currently being used equally for all the descendant of the prophet even if they are not clerics.
Mullah or molla, in the past meant a literate person. Later it was used for clerics. According to Parnian, nowadays, it is a word with a lot of negative connotations just one step short of a swear word. Among the traditional intellectuals, it means a well-educated person.
Akhund, literally means cleric and is the most popular Persian word that describes a cleric. In the old times, an Akhund was someone who ran a religious school or madrassah.
Seqat ul-Eslam literally means someone who is trusted by Islam. It was a highly respectful form of address in the past. In the modern world, the term has lost its true meaning. Any cleric may be called a seqat ul-Eslam regardless of his real rank.
Talabeh, is a student of divinity or religious knowledge. Although it is a plural world it is used for a single cleric, the new plural is Tollab. These are newly coined words. They did not exist in old Persian. They come from the same root as Taliban, or students of religion.
Hojjat ul-Eslam, means the reason and a guide for Islam. It was not a popular word in the past but when it was used, it was for prominent clerics, short of an Ayatollah. Nowadays, any cleric, even at the lowest level can use the title.
Hojjat ul-Eslam val Muslemin, is the same as Hojjat ul-Eslam and means a reason and a guide for Islam and Muslims.
Ayatollah, is the sign of God. The term became popular after the 13the century. These are high-ranking clerics who can make religious and Sharia interpretations by referring to the Koran or the stories about the holy prophet and the Imams.
Ayatollah ul-Uzma, is a big sign of God or a grand ayatollah. This is a new term that was used first in 1961 for Grand Ayatollah Boroujedri.
Allamah, or as it is pronounced in modern Persian Allameh, means a highly educated multi-disciplinary scholar. This title is used very rarely and is not part of the official titles used in the seminaries.
Despite all the labels and ranks, today's Iranian clerics are divided into two broad groups: A minority who are senior state or religious officials and the rest who make a living as clerics, or maybe have some regular job like a teacher or a low-ranking bureaucrat.