Iran’s president touts civil rights as judiciary cracks down on dissent

Zarif announced his departure from the cabinet on August 11, less than two weeks after his appointment to the specially created position of “strategic deputy”. He further said in a tweet Wednesday that the President had “graciously” phoned him and the two had held a “sincere conversation”, but he fell short of indicating a change in his circumstances.

Twenty-four hours later, the media reported a meeting between the two men and released a short video that showed Zarif leaving the President’s office with a big smile, saying “I have always been, and will be, an admirer of Dr. Pezeshkian.”

Reformists were struck by Zarif’s resignation, which he described as ‘returning to the academia’, and his allusion to Pezeshkian’s controversial choice of a ‘Principlist’ (right-winger) close to Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf as his interior minister, which many supporters have criticized.

Reportedly, Pezeshkian has not yet accepted the resignation

Zarif’s meeting with Pezeshkian Thursday evening has given them hope that he and the former Communications Minister Mohammad-Javad Azari-Jahromi who campaigned tirelessly alongside Zarif for Pezeshkian will return to the cabinet.

Some media outlets in Tehran denied any rift between Pezeshkian and Zarif, attributing the latter’s resignation to his disqualification rather than a personal choice. Despite his carefully worded expression of deep dissatisfaction with the composition of Pezeshkian’s proposed cabinet, Zarif clarified that he was not leaving due to "disillusionment or disappointment."

They argued that Zarif’s appointment had to be annulled based on an “overlooked” law passed in 2022 prohibiting individuals with dual citizenship, or those whose family members are dual citizens, from being appointed to "sensitive" positions.

The ban applies to Zarif because his children were born in the United States when he was a member of the Iranian delegation at the United Nations in New York and had “acquired US citizenship”.

Many among Pezeshkian’s supporters have since appealed to him not to let Zarif go, or have expressed deep disappointment with him for allowing his departure. Others who believe Zarif resigned due to his discontent with Pezeshkian’s cabinet have appealed to him not to leave Pezeshkian alone.

Zarif would have had a very slim chance of getting a vote of confidence from the hardline-dominated Parliament if he had been proposed as foreign minister.

His appointment as deputy, for which the approval of the Parliament is not required, had initially appeared as a great initiative by Pezeshkian to give him a high position in his cabinet until the “overlooked” law came into the picture.

Referring to the obstacles Pezeshkian will be facing in choosing his men, including possible objections of security and intelligence agencies, the reformist Ham-Mihan newspaper said in an editorial Wednesday that the President not only has to lift Internet filtering but also the “filtering of human resources” that can bar his allies from his government.

“Contrary to many people’s beliefs, our governance system is very exact. For instance, it doesn’t matter what Mr. Zarif has done in the highest and most sensitive positions in the foreign ministry and how he has defended national interests in the past 46 years. What matters is what kind of passport his children who were born two decades ago when he served in the United States hold,” prominent reformist pundit Sadegh Zibakalam sarcastically said in a tweet Thursday. 

An online petition addressed to Zarif launched on August 13 urged him to “stay and to steer this storm-wrecked ship to a safe shore, for the sake of the people, for the sake of Dr. Pezeshkian, and for the sake of honoring the promises that you made.” The petition was signed by 13,500 on August 16.

The Argentina Federal Police's Anti-Terrorism Unit arrested seven people linked to the suspected terrorist cell following a report of threats against a Jewish journalist by the Delegation of Argentine Israeli Associations (DAIA).

According to authorities, the suspected cell's activities primarily revolved around disseminating hate speech and plotting attacks via encrypted messaging platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp. The content of these messages revealed the cell’s deeply ingrained anti-Christian and anti-Jewish sentiments, along with ideological affiliations to international terrorist organizations such as ISIS and the Taliban, according to Argentine media.

During the investigation, law enforcement conducted eight raids, seizing firearms of various calibers—including shotguns, rifles, and revolvers—as well as knives, daggers, and katanas from the suspects' residences.

This recent incident comes on the heels of January's arrests of three individuals with Syrian and Lebanese citizenship, suspected of planning a terrorist attack.

Argentina, home to Latin America's largest Jewish population, witnessed an attack on a Jewish community center that killed 85 people in 1994, the deadliest incident of its kind in the country's history, along with the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy that resulted in 22 deaths.

In April, Argentina's highest criminal court attributed the attacks to Iran, asserting that Hezbollah militants executed them in alignment with Tehran's "political and strategic design." Iran has denied playing a role in either attack.

Since Javier Milei assumed Argentina's presidency in December 2023, there has been an intensified focus on national security, particularly concerning potential threats linked to Iran and its alliances with Bolivia and Venezuela.

In July, Milei announced plans to advance legislation enabling the trial of individuals in absentia of severe crimes, a move designed to facilitate the prosecution of Iranian leaders implicated in the attacks.

The operation, known as Storm-2035, was identified as a covert Iranian influence campaign that utilized ChatGPT to produce and disseminate content on various politically sensitive topics.

According to the Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence company, these included commentary on both sides of the US elections, the Israel-Hamas conflict, Israel's participation in the Olympic Games, and issues related to politics in Venezuela.

The content was shared through social media accounts and websites designed to mimic legitimate political news outlets, aiming to sway US voters.

OpenAI reported that the operation seemed to have had minimal impact in terms of audience engagement. The majority of the identified social media posts garnered little to no interaction, with few likes, shares, or comments. Additionally, there was no significant evidence of the associated web articles being circulated on social media platforms.

Earlier in August, a Microsoft threat intelligence report highlighted Storm-2035's activities, among other things, in orchestrating influence campaigns designed to sway voters, particularly in critical swing states.

These operations also included efforts to gather intelligence on political campaigns, potentially laying the foundation for future interference. The report disclosed that Storm-2035 established covert news sites aimed at left-leaning and conservative US voters, utilizing AI to plagiarize content and propagate polarizing political narratives.

Additionally, another group, Sefid Flood, has been preparing since March for potentially extreme influence operations, including intimidation or incitement of violence against political figures, with the intent to create chaos, undermine authority, and erode confidence in the integrity of elections.

Also, in May, OpenAI published an unprecedented report revealing that it had identified and disrupted five online campaigns that sought to deceptively manipulate public opinion and influence geopolitical dynamics. These efforts were orchestrated by state actors and private entities across Russia, China, Israel, and Iran.

This development unfolds against the backdrop of an increasingly competitive race between Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and her Republican opponent Donald Trump, as they approach the pivotal November 5th presidential election.

Last week, Trump disclosed that his campaign had been compromised in a cyberattack, which he attributed to a phishing email orchestrated by an Iranian hacking group.

"I salute the noble spirit of the nation's soldier, Martyr Lieutenant General Soleimani, and Martyr Ismail Haniyeh,” Pezeshkian said, while urging agreement and unity to approve the cabinet proposed earlier this month.

The parliament speaker announced that the vote of confidence will take place on Wednesday, August 21.

Pezeshkian was elected in a low turnout vote as many Iranians have lost hope and confidence that the clerical government can reform itself and address Iran’s multiple crises. However, he and his key supporters, such as former foreign minister Javad Zarif promised that he will act rationally in choosing his ministers and aides to bring about reform.

Pezeshkian repeated the same pledge in parliament. “The oath I took is an opportunity to become aware of the people's living conditions and to hear the voice of the entire nation for transformation and change. It is an opportunity to correct ineffective approaches and create hope and prosperity for the people.”

However, many of the ministers he has nominated are familiar faces, some hailing from the IRGC and others with dubious records from their previous government posts. Criticism about a half of the cabinet has rung out among regime insiders and even local media.

So far, Pezeshkian has taken no steps on two pressing demands of many voters, to put an end to internet censorship and police action on the streets against women for their lack of “appropriate” hijab.

Facing criticism about the composition of his cabinet, Pezeshkian and his allies have been insisting that it is a government of national unity and cooperation between different political factions. However, politicians who are allowed to operate in Iran come from a tiny strata of regime loyalists, and candidates for parliament are strictly vetted. No independent or dissident individual is allowed to have political activities.

Pezeshkian went on to defend his appointments, saying, "The government introduced to the parliament is a government of national unity, one that considers itself the government of all the people of Iran. It is committed to ensuring the civil rights of all Iranians. Adherence to the Constitution, the goals of the Vision Document, the general policies approved by the Supreme Leader…”

However, during the more than two weeks since his oath of office, security agencies and the Judiciary have continued their repressive measures, arrests and even a large of number of executions.

He told the majority-conservative parliament with a large hardliner faction that policies need to change to address the current crises. "The solution lies in mutual understanding and joint action to address the people's demands. If the people's voices are not heard in time, we will witness growing despair. The people are facing difficult economic conditions. We are witnessing injustices in various areas. The current policies and procedures are not capable of resolving these issues."

Pezeshkian also emphasized that people are dissatisfied with the governance of the regime, and added, "The people are dissatisfied with us today. We are the ones to blame. The fault does not lie with the United States or other foreign entities."

Bessami Momani, an international relations expert, told the Eye for Iran podcast that the increased signs of Iranian nuclear weaponization is likely related to the greater tensions between Iran and Israel.

"Its' part of the psychological warfare," she said.

Iran International's exclusive reporting revealed that the Islamic Republic is planning on testing nuclear bomb detonators.

Three independent sources in Iran, who have chosen to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the information, told Iran International that the Iranian government has made significant progress in its nuclear program.

The war of words, and the potential use of nuclear weapons, is part of a conflict where each side pushes the boundaries to the brink of all-out war without ever crossing the threshold, said Momani.

Momani, who is a professor of Political Science at the University of Waterloo in Canada, said Iran and Israel are both engaged in a "game of chicken."

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge against Israel for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Iran-backed Hamas, in Tehran last month.

Haniyeh was in Iran attending the inauguration ceremony of Iran's new president. Israel has not confirmed or denied involvement.

But despite the Islamic Republic's public threats to "punish" Israel, and the updates from Western intelligence, reporting of an 'imminent' direct attack by Iran, nothing of that nature has happened yet.

The first time Iran launched a direct strike on Israeli territory was on April 13 when it fired more than 300 missiles and drones at the Jewish state that were mostly intercepted by Israel and its allies. That attack happened nearly two weeks after a suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran's consulate building in Damascus, Syria, killing seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) officers, including two generals.

Momani said this is the closet we've ever gotten to nuclear warfare in the Middle East, and despite her believing it won't happen, she said the danger lies in radicals on both sides making a 'mistake.'

"Shadow wars can become hot wars very quickly when one little thing goes wrong."

"The fear is not so much that either side wants to completely go into a full out war, but the fear is that there is a mistake," she added.

Momani said Iran and Israel are both "rational" state actors but said both nations have "ideological" and "fanatical" members in government that could jeopardize the situation and turn it into "a hot war."

In this episode of the podcast Eye for Iran, Momani accuses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging out the war against Hamas and continuing a tit-for-tat with Iran to avoid potential prison time on corruption and hold onto power as long as possible.

Find out more about why Momani said Israel and Iran both have a vested interest in continuing what she coined "the game of chicken," and the potential consequences that could hurt innocent people caught in the middle by watching the full episode on YouTube or listening to on Spotify, Apple or Amazon.