MPs chant 'Death to America and Israel' as Iran’s speaker opens ceremony
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, in his opening remarks, said that international observers noted the Islamic Republic did not experience any political tension.
"The tragic death of late President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions presented a renewed test for the Islamic Republic of Iran in the eyes of global analysts. The wise leadership of the Supreme Leader turned this into a symbol of stability in Islamic Iran," he added, as MPs chanted the slogan "Death to America" and "Death to Israel".
He stated, "The Parliament will utilize all available tools to support the government in the challenging path ahead."
Before his swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, media in Tehran were warning President Masoud Pezeshkian of the legislative and financial challenges he will soon face.
On Monday, the Reformist-aligned Etemad newspaper reminded readers that academic Bijan Abdolkarimi and Reform Front head Azar Mansouri have previously stated that Pezeshkian is Iran's last chance to address its longstanding financial, cultural, and foreign policy issues and to correct the direction of governance in Iran.
Etemad further quoted a conservative politician, noting that anyone else elected president instead of Pezeshkian would also be seen as Iran's last chance to resolve its multiple crises.
The newspaper emphasized that Pezeshkian's most pressing challenges include addressing the concerns of the majority who boycotted the election and assuring voters that his promises to end social media filtering and bans, and the violent crackdown on women defying compulsory hijab will be seriously pursued.
However, Etemad pointed out that solving these issues is not entirely within the power of any Iranian president.
The daily added that tactics used by hardliners outside the government regarding the bills on social media and hijab could make Pezeshkian's job even more difficult. It also reminded readers that during his campaign, Pezeshkian "guaranteed to stand against the filtering and Morality Police." This brings Pezeshkian to a tough decision: whether to stand by his promises or to yield to the limitations of Iran's political structure.
One of Pezeshkian's staunch supporters, former Tehran Mayor Gholamhossein Karbaschi has stressed that lifting the ban on social media would be the new President's easiest job and as far as the nation is concerned a test of his reliability to stand by his promises.
The daily observed that solving Iran's foreign policy issues and returning to negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, thereby lifting sanctions and addressing the country's economic problems, will take much longer. While some US officials have occasionally mentioned negotiations with Iran, there is no indication that they are interested in the 2015 deal. Instead, the United States seeks a new comprehensive agreement that would address Iran's regional and international threats and military ambitions and bring its nuclear activities under international control in exchange for easing some sanctions.
Meanwhile, centrist website Entekhab probed into Pezeshkian's ability to confront the upcoming challenges posed by hardliners at the Iranian parliament (Majles) whose vote of confidence to Pezeshkian's cabinet ministers can finally end the saga of forming the new cabinet.
Entekhab wrote that while Pezeshkian is in a hurry to start his work as Iran's President, four conservative groups at the Majles will take their and Pezeshkian's time to review the ministers' credentials.
Despite Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's call for a quick vote of confidence for the president's cabinet, It is unlikely that hardliners would give their vote of confidence to all the ministers without any hassle.
The first group to obstruct an easy vote of confidence are the neocon supporters of the Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. However, according to Entekhab, as their political behavior is not based on ideology, they might approve the ministers' credentials with minimal opposition.
The second group are moderate conservatives coming from various political groups. They have been supporting Pezeshkian during his campaign and they are not likely to create any problem. However, they form a very small fraction of the Majles.
Another group known as "moderates" who are in between the reformists and conservatives, will also support Pezeshkian. A fourth group, the members of the ultra-conservative Paydari, are the troublemakers. The votes given during the election of Speaker of the Majles showed that they are no more than 60 MPs. However,as many of them are avid politicians whose candidate Jalili lost the presidential election, they might be able to garner support from among other groups or the so-called "independents" to block the approval of one or more ministers.
In another report about Pezeshkian's challengesduring his first weeks in office, Rouiydad24 website noted that there is a discrepancy between the Planning and Budget Organization Chief Davud Manzur and the outgoing Economy Minister Ehsan Khandouzi's assessment of the funds available at the treasury as the new government starts its work.
Khandouxzi has said that he will hand over the treasury to his successor with 185 billion rials while Manzur claims that government has 300 billion rials (around $500m) of funds in its treasury at the time of Pezeshkian's inauguration.
The report said that confusion and discrepancy about the extent of the government's debts to the banks and other organizations is another matter that is likely to cause problems for the new government. This comes while some observers and economists in Tehran say no government statistics are reliable.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has declared Iran's opposition to the Zangezur corridor, calling it "detrimental" to Armenia and affirming a "firm stance" on the matter.
Azerbaijan Republic is seeking a land corridor through Armenia to connect with its enclave of Nakhichevan.
"We are strongly committed to developing relations with Armenia, and cooperation between the two countries will continue robustly based on defined interests, without regard for the policies of others," Khamenei added during a meeting with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday.
Last week, Iran International reported that Tehran and Yerevan have signed an arms deal worth $500 million. According to a list seen by Iran International Iran is set to supply to Armenia drones such as Shahed 136, Shahed 129, Shahed 197, and Mohajer, as well as air defense missiles.
Mostly comprised of low-ranking delegations, representatives from Africa, South America, and Asia, arrived in Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
The ceremony, to be held today at the parliament, comes amidst international scrutiny over Iran's controversial policies.
Among the prominent attendees, only Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, and Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan, are present.
Also present are representatives from regional allies such as senior Houthi official and the group's spokesperson Mohammed Abdul-Salam as well as Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
According to IRNA state news agency, the prime minister of Armenia, the special envoy of the president of Kyrgyzstan, the speaker of the parliament of Uzbekistan, the minister of agriculture of Lebanon, the deputy foreign minister of South Korea, the secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the special envoy of the prime minister of Japan, the speaker of the senate of Kazakhstan, the vice president of Brazil, the speaker of the parliament of Mali, the foreign minister of Egypt, the foreign minister of Mauritania, the deputy speaker of the parliament of Sierra Leone, the speaker of the parliament of Burkina Faso, the speaker of the parliament of Senegal, the minister of state for foreign affairs of Qatar, the deputy chairman of the cabinet of ministers of Turkmenistan, the foreign minister of Congo, the minister of transport of India, the minister of state of Jordan, the prime minister of Georgia, the prime minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the speaker of the parliament of Algeria are among the main guests.
Iran is rejecting claims that it is attempting to undermine former US President Donald Trump's campaign, by interfering in the ongoing election.
"Iran has no objective or activity aimed at influencing the American elections. A significant portion of these accusations are psychological operations designed to create false momentum for election campaigns," the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York stated on Monday.
US spy agencies say they observed Iran attempting to influence the 2024 election to prevent former President Trump from securing a second term in the White House.
Notably, the press briefing held by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, suggested a shift in Iran's strategy from previous years.
Instead of merely acting as a "chaos agent," Iran is now spreading “disinformation” through “vast webs of online personas and propaganda mills.” These efforts are in addition to clandestine attempts to influence the campaign in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris.
First reported by the Wall Street Journal, US officials say Iran has accelerated its use of covert social media networks to influence voters in the lead-up of election -- aiming to avoid increased tensions with the US.
Influence by “foreign actors” has been a source of apprehension in recent US elections, especially since 2016, when ‘Russian meddling’ became a major theme, with people on both parties accusing the other of having benefited from it.
Director of the US National Intelligence Avril Haines warned in a statementon July 9 that "Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in their foreign influence efforts, seeking to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions."
In yet another warning on Monday, an unnamed US intelligence official told Reutersthat US foes targeting November's election with influence operations are expected to adapt to presidential contest developments, seemingly alluding to Joe Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race.
The official suggested that US intelligence agencies anticipate foreign actors will redirect their influence operations towards Vice President Kamala Harris. "We expect these actors to adjust to these developments and integrate them into their influence narratives, aiming to undermine democratic institutions."
There seems to be a growing consensus in Washington that the ‘influence’ offensive from the Tehran has to be taken seriously, even though it’s not yet as serious as threats from Moscow and Beijing –and perhaps not on the same global scale.
Russia, China, and Iran deny all such accusations, punching back with allegations of American influence campaigns –and direct interventions– across the world.
The senior intelligence official told Reuters Tehran and Moscow are sticking to their traditional presidential preferences. According to prior intelligence assessments, Iranian operatives are focused on undermining the Republican ticket, while Russia is making efforts to smear the Democrats.
Foreign actors have already used the July 13 attempted assassination of Trump "as part of their narratives," Reuters quoted the US intelligence official as saying.
Another official explained that Russia and Iran have in the past tried employing actual Americans in their operations through false front companies and third-party websites. "Doing so provides them with cover and offers a more authentic voice," the official said.
The Director of US National Intelligence had warned in May that Iran will pose a significant threat to the upcoming US elections, predicting that Tehran will intensify its cyber and influence activities.
"Iran's actions are becoming increasingly aggressive," Haines told the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. She added that Iran seeks to “stoke discord and undermine confidence” in democratic institutions, pointing to their interference in previous election cycles as evidence of this ongoing threat.
In 2021, the US Treasury sanctioned Iranian cyber company Emennet Pasargad formerly known as Net Peygard Samavat Company along with five individuals associated with the company for having "engaged in covert and deceptive activities to disseminate disinformation through websites and social media designed to undermine Americans’ faith in US elections."
Iran International revealed in an investigation with Semafor last year that an Iranian-backed influence network, called the Iran Experts Initiative, sought to build relationships with overseas academics and researchers in the West to affect Washington's foreign policy on Tehran.
