Blinken Strongly Condemns Iran's Seizure Of Greek Tankers

The rial has been sliding since mid-March when year-long multi-lateral talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement known as JCPOA came to an abrupt halt. Washington and Tehran apparently were too far apart on some issues, including Iran’s demand that its Revolutionary Guard should be removed from the US list of terrorist organizations.

The rial slid to 310,000 to the US dollar on Monday, while in 2017, before the Trump administration decided to withdraw from the JCPOA it traded at 34,000 to the US dollar, ninefold decline. This was the currency’s lowest point so far in 2022.

The continuing decline of the currency is bad news for the rulers of the Islamic Republic as they already face runaway inflation at above 40 percent. Every percentage point the rial loses in value it translates into higher food prices, because at least half of Iran’s wheat and a large amount of animal feed is imported.

The government’s decision in early May to stop multi-billion-dollar subsidies for food impots resulted in a price shock for ordinary people, with experts predicting even higher inflation.

A report in the Iranian media on Monday said that even bottled drinking water is too expensive for people living on ordinary salaries.

The Statistical Center of Iran (SCI) just last week released its report on prices for the 30-day period of April 21-May 20.

Prices for pasta, which has become a relatively cheap source of calories for wage earners, jumped by 49 percent in one month, and cooking oil by 22.3 percent.

When it comes to chicken, eggs and other food items, what people and media report is astonishing. Chicken prices have doubled in recent weeks and sales declined by 30 percent. The government was forced to lift export restrictions to help producers stay financially solvent, but most have cut back on production, reportedly killing and dumping newly hatched chicks.

SCI reports that price of lemons has risen 11 percent and watermelon by 12.8 percent in one month.

As the government lifted food import subsidies, protests began in dozens of small towns, as large cities, notably the capital Tehran remained mostly quiet. But on May 22, an unexpected disaster sparked new protests.

A 10-story building in the south-Western city of Abadan in the oil-rich |Khuzestan province collapsed, killing more than 30 people and leaving an equal number under the debris. Quickly it became apparent that the newly built building was mired in corruption, as repeated warnings by inspectors were ignored by its well-connected owner. He even received permission to add a few floors to the building.

Iranians on social media often talk of a crisis of legitimacy for the Islamic Republic. Many people have lost all confidence that the authorities can govern even at a minimally acceptable standard.

This, than any particular incident or inflation is the deep rooted cause of protests. A building collapse, such as the incident in Abadan, simply comes to remind citizens that the authoritarian system is corrupt at all levels, and there is no hope for any tangible improvement.

A former deputy minister and political activist Mostafa Tajzadeh tweeted Monday that the government claims to be able to circumvent US sanctions and export oil, yet there is no positive impact on the economy and people continue to suffer.

“The problem with Iran is that it is the number one terrorist propagandist in the world because both Hezbollah and the Islamic Jihad are under its responsibility and threaten Israelis all over the world,” Lapid told Israel’s Army Radio.

Israel's National Security Council also warned its citizens against travel to Turkey Monday, citing Iranian threats of revenge for the assassination last week of Revolutionary Guard colonel Hassan Sayyad-Khodaei.

Tehran has blamed Israel and vowed revenge for the killing of an officer of IRGC’ Quds Force -- responsible for operations outside Iran’s borders -- who was shot dead at the wheel of his car by two people on a motorcycle.

Earlier on Monday, Hossein Salami, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, alleged that Israel was behind the assassination, vowing avenge for the assassination.

Iran’s Fars news agency affiliated with the IRGC published an article on Sunday profiling several Israeli businesspeople and implicitly threatening them and their families.

Lapid also said Israel is coordinating with the United States and Persian Gulf States to normalize its relations with Saudi Arabia, adding, “We believe that it is possible to have a normalization process with Saudi Arabia. It’s in our interest.”

Jerusalem and Riyadh have no official diplomatic ties, but relations have warmed in recent years, apparently against Iranian influence in the region.

On Thursday, the head of Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Ram Ben Barak denied the country took responsibility for Sunday’s killing, following a leak to The New York Times about the assassination. 

In a statement issued on Sunday, the cinema organization of the ministry described the film as a product of the "confused mind" of its Denmark-based Iranian-Canadian director Ali Abbasi and "financed by global arrogance," a term used by the Islamic Republic to refer to the United States.

"It has insulted the beliefs of millions of Muslims and the huge Shiite population of the world," the statement said.

The ministry said the movie follows the path of the likes of ‘The Satanic Verses,’ a novel by British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie that irked many Muslims who accused the author of blasphemy and mocking their faith. The outrage among Muslims prompted Ruhollah Khomeini, then Supreme Leader of Iran, to call for Rushdie's death in February 1989. The result was several failed assassination attempts on Rushdie, who was placed under police protection by the UK government.

Inspired by true events, Holy Spider is a Persian-language crime thriller that tells the story of a journalist in search of a serial killer, Saeed Hanaei, who strangled 16 sex workers in the religious city of Mashhad between 2000-2001, believing he is cleansing the streets of sinners.

In her acceptance speech on Sunday, Zar Amir-Ebrahimi said who won the best actress said, "Although I’m very happy at this moment, part of me is sad for the people of Iran who are grappling with many problems daily. I'm here, but my heart is with the women and men of Iran. My heart is with Abadan."

Teheran has blamed Israel for the killing of Hassan Sayyad-Khodaei, who was shot dead at the wheel of his car by two people on a motorcycle and has vowed retaliation.

Israel's National Security Council said in a statement that Tehran could be looking to harm Israelis in Turkey and classified it as a "high-risk country."

Iran’s Fars news agency affiliated with the IRGC published an article on Sunday profiling several Israeli businesspeople and implicitly threatening them and their families.

Turkey is a popular tourist destination for Israelis and the two countries have been mending their ties after more than a decade of strained relations. Iranian intelligence has networks operating in Turkey with a history of assassinations and kidnappings of opponent who sought refuge in the neighboring country.

Israel has accused Khodaei of plotting attacks against its citizens worldwide.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office, which oversees intelligence agency Mossad, has declined to comment on the assassination but Bennett said on Sunday that Teheran would "pay the full price" for instigating attacks on Israelis.

With reporting by Reuters

In a statement on Sunday, a French foreign ministry spokesperson described the move as "a serious violation of international law."

"France reiterates its commitment to the rules of international law protecting the freedom of navigation and maritime safety. We call on Iran to immediately cease its actions that contravene these rules," the statement added.

The European Union also issued a statement on Sunday to express its serious concern to the Islamic Republic's authorities following the capture of the oil tankers, and called for transparency, de-escalation and a fast resolution of the issue.

Greece has also condemned Tehran's detention of the two ships as "tantamount to acts of piracy" and warned its citizens not to travel to Iran.

On Friday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard seized the tankers in helicopter-launched raids in the Persian Gulf about a week after the confiscation of Iranian oil from a tanker held off the Greek coast and its transfer to the US. 

Iran said on Saturday that the crew of two Greek tankers had not been detained and are on board their vessels.

The Greek tankers are Delta Poseidon and Prudent Warrior, and were captured near Asalouyeh off the coasts of Iran’s Bushehr Province and the Hendurabi island near Bandar Lengeh in Hormozgan province, respectively.