Iranian Commander Threatens Military Retaliation Against Israel

The statement signed by Shirin Ebadi, Jody Williams, Tawakkol Karman and Leymah Gbowee, said Iran's regime is using capital punishment as a “political intimidation tool to spread fear, silence opposition and desperately hold on to power.”

They noted that “on average, one person a day is executed in Iran on trumped up drug-related or vague religious infringement charges.”

An average of one execution occurred every five hours over the course of two weeks, between April 16 and April 30, according to data presented by the Iran Human Rights organization (IHR).

Between January and April 2024, 171 people, including six women, were executed.

Since the Women, Life, Freedom protests broke out in 2022, during which over 550 protesters were killed, the Iranian government has increased the pace of executions significantly. In 2023 alone, the country saw at least 834 executions– more than half of which were carried out for drug-related offenses and disproportionately affected minorities such as Kurds.

Amnesty International called the drug-related offenses trials “grossly unfair”. “further entrenching ‎discrimination against marginalized communities” as Iran continues to persecute the country’s minorities.

They also called on the UN Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on Iran, and the investigative fact-finding mission "to prioritize the incorporation of a gender lens in their continuous efforts to accurately reflect the extent of gender persecution and gender apartheid in Iran."

Vahidi argued on Wednesday that the police acted correctly because the woman who was warned: “resisted and stripped herself.” “The officers have acted according to the regulations.”

In the video, the female agents try to drag a woman who does not seem to be wearing a headscarf into a van and are seen throwing a blanket over her as they bundle her into the vehicle.

In an attempt to force her into the police car, they pull her shirt off while she resists, yanking it off with force, in echoes of the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, arrested for not wearing her hijab properly and the trigger for the ongoing uprising.

On Wednesday, Mohsen Borhani, a professor of criminal law at Tehran University, wrote on X: “Whether unfortunate or fortunate, we are not blind. We can differentiate between "being undressed by yourself," "being undressed by someone else," and "being undressed during a conflict." Make the uncut film available for everyone to watch and judge. Also, legally, you cannot prevent people from filming.”

Tehran police on Thursday defected the blame, claiming the woman threw a "cup of hot coffee" at the officers, leading to her violent arrest and blanket smothering.

The police released a video along with their statement claiming that she confessed. The video shows that the woman refused to wear a headscarf even after being arrested.

On Thursday, Ex-MP Ahmad Alirezabeigi criticized the police, saying the “force's resources should be spent on issues that provide the greatest possibility for peace and comfort. In policy-making, the issue of hijab is given priority, not the public's demand. People suffer from economic problems such as inflation, high prices, unemployment, and the frustration of the young generation."

The incident is one in a long line as conditions for women worsen since last month’s new Noor regulations enforced tougher hijab crackdowns, surveillance and more police patrols.

Just days ago, a video surfaced on social media showing a regime's hijab enforcement police officer beating and violently arresting a woman. During the assault, a woman whose face is not visible says, "Let go of me... you've broken my neck."

In addition to 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, the violent crackdowns have seen the death of Armita Geravand, 16, who fell into a coma and later died after an altercation with hijab enforcers in the Tehran subway in October. Reports suggest a female agent pushed her, but details of the incident remain unclear as the regime continues to cover its responsibility.

Iran's crackdown on hijab and oppression of women was branded 'gender apartheid' by the UN, and women's rights groups continue to fight for their rights in a country where laws are being toughened against women and girls as the regime fights for its legitimacy.

Addressing the media, Gholamreza Soleimani claimed that "the awakenings we are witnessing today in America, Canada, and Japan all originate from Islamic awakenings and are derived from the culture of Islamic resistance."

Soleimani's remarks followed comments from Ahmad Alamolhoda, a senior Iranian cleric and father-in-law to Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, who attributed the mobilization of the student protests to the influence of letters from Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

This contrasts sharply with the Iranian regime's harsh treatment of domestic dissent, particularly among its own student activists, who face severe penalties for similar protest activities. The discrepancy has drawn criticism from within Iran, with many pointing out the regime’s apparent hypocrisy.

The Iranian leadership, including Khamenei, has portrayed the student protests as a victory for pro-Palestinian sentiments among Western youth, interpreting it as a sign of growing global sensitivity towards the Palestinian issue. The more the world aligns with Palestine, the greater the victory Tehran feels against its archenemy Israel.

Throughout his leadership, Khamenei has maintained a strong anti-Israel and anti-West stance, supporting groups like terror group Hamas. His policy has contributed to Iran's isolation from the global economy, exacerbating existing economic challenges such as a shrinking GDP and soaring inflation rates.

The leveraging of anti-Israeli and anti-Western sentiments on international stages is seen as part of Iran's strategy to assert the legitimacy and righteousness of its political stance in the face of domestic and international pressures.

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.