Iranian Commander Calls US Student Protests ‘Islamic Awakening’

His official Telegram channel did not disclose his destination but reassured followers of his good health.

Haalvash, a human rights organization that focuses on Sistan-Baluchestan, reported that Abdolhamid has traveled to Tehran on Wednesday before heading to Turkey for treatment.

There are some unverified reports that he is suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

The trip comes amidst a backdrop of increased scrutiny from Iranian authorities in f the outspoken cleric who has openly criticized the government’s persecution of the Sunni minority. In June, reports surfaced that the Ministry of Intelligence had banned him from making his pilgrimage to Hajj, citing ‘security concerns’.

The Sunni cleric, 77 has been a vocal critic of the Iranian regime, particularly following the violent events of September 30, 2022, in Zahedan, which saw nearly a hundred citizens killed by government forces amid the nationwide uprising dubbed Women, Life, Freedom.

The incident was the bloodiest during the nationwide uprising triggered by the death in morality-police custody of Mahsa Amini in 2022.

The cleric has boldly opposed the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s policies in the wake of the uprising which has seen thousands of protesters arrested on trumped up charges and multiple executions. He has demanded the repeal of execution and decrees against protesters.

His criticisms have put him in danger and drawn sharp rebuke from conservative elements within Iran, with Kayhan newspaper—a media outlet closely aligned with Khamenei—accusing him of serving the enemies of Islam.

“All criminals should know that their actions and crimes have been recorded. France, Germany, and England should not think that that night [April 13] they came, brought their planes, and left, the matter was over and done with. Yes, that night ended, but their accountability remains.,” Qaani said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a commemoration of one of the commanders killed during an attack on Iran’s consulate in Syria by an alleged Israeli air strike earlier in April, which triggered Iran’s unprecedented aerial bombardment of Israel, Qaani said: “The American president, who is devoted to defending the Zionist regime, officially announced to the Israelis; ‘I will not enter the conflict.’”

Asserting that the US used "the maximum defense power" to protect Israel from Iran, he warned that regional leaders "who rely on America" should be "more sensible." "Is America going to defend them more than the Zionist regime?"

Critics in the US have warned that President Joe Biden's policies to pressure Israel in the Gaza war will send the wrong signal to allies in the Middle East and elsewhere.

In its first direct attack on Israeli territory, Iran launched over 350 drones, missiles and ballistic missiles on April 13, Most of the attack was intercepted by Israel and a US-led coalition.

US President Joe Biden said US forces "helped Israel take down nearly all" drones and missiles launched by Iran, and the US Central Command (Centcom) reported destroying more than 80 drones and six ballistic missiles.

The White House later said they would not take part in any further retaliatory action against Iran, a stance that Qaani referred to in his speech as a means to threaten regional Arab countries and European powers.

“The victory is not about the missiles and drones that reached the occupied land. Many secrets are hidden within this operation, which will take a long time to unravel,” Qaani said of the air attack as the regime plays down its failings.

As part of his threat against Western countries for supporting Israel, Iran’s archenemy, Qaani included Germany in his threat. While Germany did not take part, it condemned Iran’s attack, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz branding it “unjustifiable and highly irresponsible”, stressing that “Germany stands by Israel.”

President Biden's Iran policy in general has been widely criticized for being too soft. By reversing Trump's maximum-pressure policy in pursuit of a nuclear agreement, Biden and his team did not enforce oil export sanctions imposed in 2018. Also, prisoner swaps and waivers have freed $16 billion in previously frozen Iranian funds, which pumped tens of billions of dollars into the regime's coffers.

As part of the Biden administration's sanctions waiver in 2023, Iran gained access to upwards of $10 billion in electricity revenues previously held in escrow in Iraq—also, the US made a deal to swap prisoners detained by Tehran in exchange for the transfer of $6 billion in Iranian funds that had been frozen in South Korea.

In a recent television interview, Mike Lawler attributed the increase to what he perceives as a weak stance on Iran by the current US administration.

“His [Biden’s] appeasement of Iran is extremely dangerous… You look at the unholy alliance between China, Russia and Iran, and you see that they are seeking to undermine and destabilize the free world,” he stated.

Lawler championed the SHIP Act, a legislative measure aimed at curbing the illicit petroleum trade that allegedly funds Iranian-supported terror activities.

“I fought to get the SHIP Act passed and signed into law so we can finally crack down on the illicit petroleum trade funding Iranian terror. This Administration must hold Iran accountable,” he wrote on X.

The issue of Iranian oil revenue has become a hot topic, with reports indicating a substantial increase in the past year.

In 2023, Iran has been exporting approximately 1.4 million barrels of oil daily, with a significant portion being purchased by China, according to tanker shipment tracking firms. Although the exports would value around $41 billion at Brent crude prices, it is likely that Iran is selling at a lower rate.

Lawler's comments reflect a growing unease among US lawmakers who are pushing for immediate action to prevent Iran from accessing additional financial resources that could be used to support terrorism. More than 60 House members in January called on the President to reverse the current policy and take a tougher stance against Iran.

According to the report, Iran is actively transforming the murder-for-hire industry across the US and Europe, contracting out killings to avoid direct involvement.

The Spectator's investigation indicates that Iran employs the same covert tactics abroad that it uses to manage proxy forces like Hezbollah and militia groups across the Middle East, outsourcing murder plots through proxies or criminal gangs.

“There appear to be no set rules for the methods Iran uses to find the criminals to do its work abroad, except to avoid the obvious. Biker gangs and people-traffickers are better able to operate away from the gaze of counter-terrorism police than politically motivated ideologues,” wrote the Spectator.

Plots have reached the highest levels of state. Two years ago, the US charged an Iranian man with attempting to hire a hitman to kill John Bolton, a former national security adviser in the Trump administration, for a lucratively tempting $300,000.

The report highlights the activities of Unit 840, a secretive branch of Iran’s IRGC Quds Force, which orchestrates the operations. One of the thwarted plans involved the attempted assassination of Sima Sabet and Fardad Farahzad, two presenters for Iran International TV. While the US has proscribed the IRGC, other nations have as yet failed to make the designation.

Last year the US named Iran the number one state sponsor of terror and countries such as the UK have named it as a leading foreign threat on British soil. Israel’s spy chief last year said dozens of plots against Jewish and Israeli targets abroad had also been foiled.

Yet to be approved by the Guardian Council – made up of Islamic clerics – it would usher in changes to the workweek. Fridays and Saturdays would become the official days of rest, and the work week would be reduced to 40 hours from the current 44.

Currently, Friday is the only official day of rest in Iran. However, many government offices and private companies also observe full or partial closures on Thursdays.

The bill cleared its first hurdle, despite facing opposition from hardliners and institutions closely aligned with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who objected to designating Saturdays as the second official day off due to religious and ideological reasons.

Khorasan media outlet, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), emphasized that "the issue is not just a day off; it is the issue of changing the social order.”

"Friday is a symbol of Islam as opposed to Saturday, which is the symbol of Judaism, and Sunday, which is the symbol of Christianity. We ignore the symbolic significance of days…In a society, identity determines your border with others, but neglecting it leads to cultural mixing, de-identification, and lack of individuality," the outlet said.

Both Iran’s parliament and government are dominated by ideological hardliners with anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli views. In the past four decades, the Islamic Republic's ruling regime has spent billions of dollars on anti-Israel groups and campaigns in the region and beyond.

President Ebrahim Raisi's parliamentary deputy Mohammad Hosseini said last week that the government supported Thursday's option instead of Saturday.

At a time when the Iranian regime is experiencing perhaps its lowest popularity since its establishment in 1979, it is grappling with criticism over an economy in decline and escalating inflation.

Since at least the 1990s, Iranian government officials and ruling clerics have been implicated in financial corruption and embezzlement of billions of dollars, intensifying public discontent.

According to official figures released by the interior ministry, around 60% of the 84 million Iranians live under the relative poverty line of whom between 20 to 30 million live in "absolute poverty".

Meanwhile, political supporters of Saturdays argued that cutting economic ties with the world for four consecutive days, potentially from Thursday to Sunday, would severely damage trade and production.

Lawmakers pointed out that other Islamic countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Turkey, and Iraq, also hold weekends on Fridays and Saturdays.

On Wednesday, Mohsen Pirhadi, a lawmaker representing Tehran, said, "Choosing Saturday would be the most economically beneficial and least costly option.”

To clarify that Thursday is not religiously significant or sacred like Friday, the private sector has lobbied top Shia clerics who can provide guidance, to confirm this.

In a letter on April 17, the Iran Chamber of Commerce chairman, Samad Hassanzadeh, appealed to the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, to support the private sector's position.

Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi-Amoli, a "Marja" – a high-ranking religious authority in Shia Islam with many followers—announced on Wednesday that there is no religious barrier to declaring Saturdays a holiday: "The holiday on Saturday is to coordinate with the global economic market and transactions, and it is effective in solving some economic problems and curbing inflation."

Javadi-Amoli, who has been outspoken about the financial hardships many families face, warned in April that unresolved financial difficulties could lead to losing faith in a meeting with the CEO of Iran’s National Bank (Bank Melli Iran).

“Religion will be wrecked if the economy cannot satisfy [the needs of the] people…After religious matters, money and wealth are what matters the most in the country,” he stated.

Furthermore, several top clerics in Iran, typically supportive of the government, have recently expressed concern about high inflation, which surpasses 50%, fluctuating exchange rates, and the impact of sanctions on the economy, blaming the administration.