Economic Strain Leads To Apathy Among Iranian Voters

Princeton University faculty member Hossein Mousavian, who made headlines last year for bragging about the regime’s revenge against American officials over the targeted killing of IRGC's Quds Commander Qasem Soleimani, delivered a speech at the US Strategic Command’s Deterrence Symposium earlier in August. The US and EU-designated Soleimani coordinated Iran's proxy militant groups throughout the region to attack Israeli and US interests.

The Pro-Tehran pundit served as a key figure in Iran’s nuclear negotiations with the international community until 2005 and currently is a Middle East Security and Nuclear Policy Specialist at the Program on Science and Global Security at Princeton. Oddly enough, he used to be the editor-in-chief of the regime-affiliated daily Tehran Times, which recently published a “sensitive” US government memo purportedly sent to US Iran envoy Robert Malley informing him of his security access suspension.

Mousavian’s appearance at the mid-August high-level event, which came to light on Monday, drew criticism from former US officials and Iran analysts as well as Iranian dissidents, who questioned why America’s premier military outfit would host someone who maintains close ties to the Islamic Republic and has even indirectly lauded the regime’s efforts to assassinate American leaders.

In January 2022, his remarks in a documentary made in Iran to mark Qassem Soleimani’s second death anniversary led to controversy when he gloated about how Iran’s threat to avenge Soleimani killing frightened the wife of Brian Hook, Washington’s special envoy for Iran at the time. “An American told me that Brian Hook’s wife had not slept for several days and that she was shaking and crying. That’s how afraid they were” Mousavian said gleefully in the documentary.

Reacting to Mousavian’s presence at the event, Omri Ceren -- a journalist and the national security advisor for US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) -- pointed out that there are many US officials sympathetic to the Iranian regime.

"Mousavian helped lead the murderous Iranian regime’s efforts to obtain nuclear weapons so it could threaten the United States and our allies with annihilation," said Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), a member of the House Armed Services Committee. "Now he’s in semi-retirement at Princeton as a full-time propagandist for the IRGC. Inviting him to spread lies at a US military seminar is insanity."

The former regime official started his speech at STRATCOM’s Deterrence Symposium 2023 noting that he was arrested in 2007 in Iran over charges of espionage for the US and was banned to hold any diplomatic post. However, former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, one of the main architects of the 2015 nuclear deal, described him as an official committed to the regime who "continues to work hard" for Tehran’s interests while working at Princeton.

Mousavian, who traveled to Iran to attend Soleimani's funeral, was Tehran’s ambassador to Germany when four Iranian dissidents were assassinated at Berlin's Mykonos restaurant in 1992. In December 2021, an American academic who was imprisoned in Iran for 1,216 days, said Mousavian is sympathetic to the Iranian regime, claiming that he stymied efforts to free him from prison.

Gabriel Noronha, a former Iran adviser at the State Department, told the Washington Free Beacon, "The decision to invite former Iranian ambassador Mousavian to speak to STRATCOM is unimaginably foolish.

He is a pawn and propaganda agent of the Iranian regime, Noronha added. "Congress should investigate the decision-making process that led to this entirely inappropriate speaking invitation."

Alireza Nader, a US-based Iran scholar, said it is "outrageous and dangerous that US STRATCOM invited a former regime official connected to the assassination of Iranian dissidents to be a speaker at its symposium, providing him access to America’s most senior military officials."

During his remarks at the STRATCOM event, Mousavian thanked Gen. Anthony Cotton – the commander of the US Strategic Command -- for inviting him to the event and said he would present an "Iranian perspective" on the current threat landscape within the Middle East. The United States must "rewrite their policy in the Middle East," he added.

He went on to criticize what he called American acts of aggression towards Iran, highlighting former President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal. What he said was somehow the repetition of his views summarized in an article he penned for the Middle East Eye in 2020: Biden needs to revive the JCPOA, remove Iran’s Revolutionary Guard from the US terror list, and lift the sanctions against regime’s senior officials.

Describing him as “an agent of the Iranian regime,” Advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) called on Princeton last year “to dismiss him from any association or affiliation with the university without delay”, noting that “Mousavian’s affiliation with Princeton is a stain on the university’s reputation and credibility”.

The report, produced by the Center for E-commerce Development, states that since March 2022, the number of transactions has fallen from approximately 3.6 billion to 3 billion transactions, potentially attributed to extensive internet disruptions and outages witnessed across Iran since September.

In June, the Tehran E-commerce Association sounded alarm regarding the "critical state" of internet quality in Iran, identifying the primary obstacle as "widespread and persistent disruptions affecting all IPs and websites."

A separate section of the report, delved into social network and messaging app preferences among e-commerce entities. Instagram emerged as the dominant player, commanding a substantial 55% usage share. However, since September, this popular social network has been banned in Iran.

Telegram, subject to filtering in Iran since 2019, secured the runner-up position with 41% of usage, while WhatsApp, also blocked since 2022, accounted for a 37% share.

This disruption comes in the wake of protests that began last year and are set to rise again on the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in detention of the morality police.

Furthermore, amidst the backdrop of nationwide protests, a significant "80% of users within the country" have said they have to use VPN or proxy services to access social networks.

In a detailed statement, the ministry disclosed that they have identified and arrested 14 individuals suspected of being linked to an "expansive terrorist-Zionist network." in the provinces of Khuzestan, Mazandaran, Kermanshah, and Sistan and Baluchestan. In the same operation, officials have reported the discovery and seizure of 43 potentially explosive devices.

The ministry's statement alleged that the dismantled network had ties to individuals located in the Netherlands and Denmark. They also named the suspects as Shahin Zahmatkesh, known as Shahin Lou, a member of the TM Bax music group in in Denmark, and Siamak Tadayyon Tahmasbi, an artist based in the Netherlands.

The ministry also pointed to the role of social media networks and foreign television outlets, suggesting that these platforms aided disseminating of information related to the network's activities.

Furthermore, the statement suggested that members of the disrupted network harbored intentions to assasinate notable personality. This aligns with previous claims made by Iranian authorities regarding external threats to the nation's stability.

There have been numerous instances of sabotage and infiltration in Iran in recent years, with serious clandestine attacks on nuclear, military and important economic targets. Iranian intelligence was badly discredited when two large sabotage attacks took place in 2020 and 2021 against its most important nuclear facility in Natanz. A few key military and intelligence officials have also been assassinated. The incidents are largely attributed to Israel, although Israeli officials have never officially taken responsibility.

“Efforts and negotiations are currently in progress to lift the sanctions, which are proceeding properly as they should. However, it is equally important to simultaneously pursue the path of neutralizing sanctions, with the most crucial indicator being the reduction of inflation,” Khamenei maintained.

‘Neutralizing sanctions’ is the terminology used by the Islamic Republic for referring to evading restrictions, for example by illicit oil exports or conducting banking transactions through front companies and intermediaries.

Khamenei’s reference to ongoing talks follows a deal announced earlier this month, whereby the United States agreed to unblock $6 billion of frozen in South Korea in exchange for the eventual release of five US citizens held hostage in Tehran. In June, the US had also agreed to release $2.7 billion from Iraqi banks.

Many observers suspect that the Biden administration has reached an unofficial, partial deal with the Islamic Republic to release nearly $20 billion in total and not enforce oil export sanctions if Tehran stops its uranium enrichment at 60 percent, which is just short of weapons-grade material.

This in effect leaves Iran in a stronger position, able to extract more concessions by threatening to breach an unwritten deal in the future.

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Having endorsed the ongoing talks, Khamenei immediately cautioned against a pro-Western outlook, saying those who see interaction with the world in “warm and intimate relations with a few Western countries” are making a mistake. “This outlook is wrong and relates to 100 years ago when a few European states controlled the world. Today, we should dispose of this old and reactionary outlook and understand that having global ties means relations with Africa, Latin America and Asia who have immense natural and human resources.”

Interestingly, Khamenei did not repeat his “Looking East” catchphrase, which means close ties with China and Russia with referring to Latin America and Africa. Sensing that amid sanctions and international economic isolation, Iranians blame the regime for their hardships, Khamenei and his subordinates claim that they are ready to extend a hand of friendship to many countries, with a few exceptions – namely Israel and the United States.

In fact, Khamenei praised the administration of President Ebrahim Raisi for having made progress in forging better ties with neighboring countries. In March, apparently urged by China, the Islamic Republic restored ties with Saudi Arabia after a seven-year hiatus.

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What the aging Iranian ruler seems not to understand is that most wealthy and technologically advanced countries and large corporations take the US sanctions and Iran’s authoritarian political and economic conditions into account when making major trade or investment decisions. 

Iran’s close allies are Syria and Venezuela, which rely on Tehran’s assistance, and Russia which itself is under heavy sanctions.

Khamenei also tried to defend the Raisi administration’s record, by praising the government’s rosy economic statistics and “successes” that most experts and many regime politicians in Iran reject as political propaganda. Even many loyalist conservatives dispute the administration’s claims of having reduced inflation and boosted production, as annual inflation is well over 50 percent and the national currency is near its all-time lows, trading around 500,000 rials per US dollar.

Sajjad Anoushiravani, the head of the Weightlifting Federation announced on Tuesday that Rajai has been banned from the sport for life after the podium photo was published. Simultaneously, Anoushiravani made the decision to dissolve the veterans' committee of the federation.

Anoushiravani said, "Upon becoming aware of this inexcusable incident, stringent actions were taken against those involved. The athlete responsible has received a lifetime ban, and upon conducting thorough investigations, resolute measures will be taken against all individuals implicated. Furthermore, effective immediately, all operations of the veteran athletes' committee will be terminated."

The Islamic Republic's anti-Israel policy has driven a significant number of Iranian athletes to refrain from competing against Israeli counterparts, often citing various pretexts. This stance has consequently led to the defection of numerous Iranian athletes seeking asylum in other countries.

While no official legislation prohibits Iranian athletes from playing against Israelis, pressure from federation officials often coerces athletes into intentionally losing matches, forfeiting games, or claiming injuries to evade encounters with Israeli competitors. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has consistently applauded Iranian athletes who opt out of competing against Israelis. In September 2021, he explicitly encouraged them to continue this stance even in the face of potential sanctions from international sports bodies.

Over the past few years, approximately 30 Iranian athletes have defected from national teams and sought asylum in foreign nations. Notable examples include Judo champion Saeid Mollaei and Greco-Roman wrestler Ali Arsalan.