Mourners In Iran Refuse To Trample On Swedish, American Flags
Shiite mourners in Iran refused to trample on the flags of Sweden and the United States during an Ashura mourning procession.
Shiite mourners in Iran refused to trample on the flags of Sweden and the United States during an Ashura mourning procession.
The incident, captured in a video obtained by Iran International, shows supporters of the oppressive Iranian regime placing the Swedish and US flags on the procession route in an attempt to exploit the religious sentiments of the crowd and encourage further public outrage at the recent Quran burnings.
However, the mourners rejected these attempts, refusing to step on the flags and the propagators of the political agenda, were forced to the flags.
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This incident is not the first time that Iranians have expressed their refusal to disrespect the US flag.
Back in 2020, following the tragic shooting down of a Ukrainian International Airlines passenger jet by the IRGC, people outside Beheshti University in Tehran similarly resisted trampling upon giant American and Israeli flags that had been painted on the ground.
Prominent figures, including Professor Sadegh Zibakalam, an academic and author who is described as reformist and neo-liberal, have also exemplified their commitment to avoiding acts of disrespect towards foreign symbols. In 2016, Zibakalam chose to show his respect for other nations by shuffling along a nearby railing to avoid stepping on flags painted on the ground
Major-General Tomer Bar said his forces needed to remain "vigilant and prepared" after parliament Monday passed the first of Netanyahu's widely contested changes, removing the Supreme Court's authority to void what it deems "unreasonable" decisions by government and ministers.
"It is possible that at a time like this they (Israel's enemies) will try to test the frontiers, our cohesion and our alertness," Bar said in an address to his forces, according to a statement released on Friday. He did not elaborate.
Reuters reported this week that Iran’s IRGC and security officials held a three-hour meeting last week with the Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas to see how they can take advantage of Israel’s internal problems.
The overhaul pursued by Netanyahu and his right-wing government has sparked a seven-month crisis, spurring unprecedented protests, opening up a deep social divide and shaking the commitment to call-up duty of some army reservists.
As the crisis escalated following Monday's vote, Israel's Ynet news said Netanyahu received at least four letters from Military Intelligence warning of serious security ramifications arising from the judicial overhaul.
According to the report, senior intelligence officials said Israel's enemies, particularly Iran and its heavily armed proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, view the crisis as a historic low point in the country's history.
A spokesperson for the prime minister declined comment.
Iranian government media and those of his proxies have been highlighting Israel’s political crisis, claiming that end of the Jewish state is near.
A poll conducted by Maariv, one of Israel's leading newspapers, found that 58 percent of Israelis feared civil war, and 36 percent thought the right thing to do is for government to stop the judiciary legislation immediately, compared to 22 percent who said it should be promoted unilaterally.
Protesters say growing numbers of military reservists have decided to stop serving to express their opposition to the overhaul. The military has acknowledged an increase in requests to abstain from service, and said that damage would be done, gradually, to war-readiness if the no-shows proved protracted.
Netanyahu has argued that the change made this week is “a minor” issue and it is “silly” to say Israel will no longer be a democracy.
Political watchdog groups have appealed to the Supreme Court to strike down the new law, paving the way to a showdown among branches of government when it hears the arguments in September.
The legal tussle could begin next Thursday when the top court will hear an appeal against a coalition bill ratified in March that limited conditions for removing the prime minister from office.
Israel's democratic foundations are relatively fragile, and the Supreme Court is seen as crucial for protecting civil rights and the rule of law. The country has no constitution, the government holds a 64-56 majority in the one-chamber Knesset and the president's office is ceremonial.
Netanyahu says the changes will balance government branches. He casts the protests as a bid to thwart his democratic mandate.
His plans have hit the economy, triggering foreign investor flight. Deepening domestic political uncertainty will reduce economic growth this year, S&P Global Ratings said in a report.
The judicial reform drive, along with an expansion of Jewish settlements on occupied land where Palestinians seek to establish a state, have also weighed on relations with Israel's most important ally the United States.
(With reporting by Reuters)
Following a unanimous approval at US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee in April, Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced the bipartisan legislation to the Senate on Thursday, potentially tightening the noose on top leaders of the regime -- the Supreme Leader and the President as well as their inner circles – over human rights abuses and support for terrorism.
“The Ayatollah’s systematic human rights violations against the Iranian people are barbaric," Rubio said, underlining that “as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, the Iranian regime has actively wreaked havoc against its own people and countless other nations.”
The MAHSA Act – which has 68 Republican and 60 Democrat cosponsors – and is supported by the National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI), United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), was first introduced by Representatives Jim Banks (R-IN) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) during the 117th Congress in January, about four months into pro-democracy and anti-regime protests following the death of 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran's hijab police.
Essentially similar and a companion to the one passed in the House committee, the MAHSA Act will potentially commit the administration to report to Congress in 90 days after the date of the enactment and periodically thereafter, making determinations about whether certain existing sanctions apply to specified persons and impose the applicable sanctions.
“The US must evaluate and re-amp economic pressure against Senior Iranian regime officials who are actively partaking in the crackdown of Iranian protesters and civilians,” Rubio added in a statement.
Senator Padilla said, “Iranian protesters have demonstrated tremendous courage in voicing their outrage toward the Iranian regime after the brutal murder of Mahsa Amini,” noting that “we must do our part to hold Iranian leaders accountable for their violent crackdown of these protests and the regime’s ongoing repression, censorship, and abuse against its people.”
The bipartisan bicameral move requires the executive branch to impose applicable sanctions on Ali Khamenei, his office and his appointees, as well as President Ebrahim Raisi and his cabinet officials, foundations and other entities affiliated with the Supreme Leader under section 105(c) of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, section 7031 (c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2021, and Executive Orders 13876, 13553, 13224, and 13818.
“The Supreme Leader is an institution of the Islamic Republic of Iran...that holds ultimate authority over Iran’s judiciary and security apparatus, including the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, law enforcement forces under the Interior Ministry, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the Basij, a nationwide volunteer paramilitary group, subordinate to the IRGC, all of which have engaged in human rights abuses in Iran,” read a paragraph of the MAHSA Act.
Some lobbyists and a few lawmakers have been seeking to dilute the act, describing it as “Islamophobic” or “not leading to any increased sanctions” because Khamenei and Raisi were already sanctioned by the US. NIAC, advocating non-confrontational policies toward the Islamic Republic, said in a statement that “the bill would make it more difficult for a President to lift sanctions on these officials as part of any diplomatic agreement... This bill does not include a sunset and would target the offices themselves, rather than individuals. As a result, it would remain in effect indefinitely and be applied to any future Supreme Leader or President of Iran until its repeal."
Amini’s death in September 2022 led to the boldest revolt against the clerical regime since its establishment in 1979 in Iran in what became known as the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. More than 500 people have been killed in the nationwide rallies, nearly 20,000 detained, and seven executed on trumped up charges.
