Iranian intelligence expands spy network in Germany – Die Welt

The over 3,000-page $900 billion plus National Defense Authorization Act outlines US military priorities around the globe. A compromise version of the proposed legislation emerged on Sunday.

It contains provisions to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMFs) against Iraq passed by Congress to confront US foe Saddam Hussein, in a win for the legislative branch's powers to declare war which remain a flashpoint.

According to the text, no more than half of the funds allocated for Iraq's military can be delivered until the Secretary of Defense submits to Congress a verification that Baghdad has implemented "credible steps" to rein in Tehran-backed militias.

These include steps "to reduce the operational capacity of Iran-aligned militia groups not integrated into the Iraqi Security Forces," moves to strengthen the authority of the Iraqi Prime Minister as commander in chief of the security forces.

It further requires Iraq to "investigate and hold accountable members of militias or members of security forces operating outside the formal chain of command who engage in attacks on United States or Iraqi personnel or otherwise act in an illegal or destabilizing manner."

The NDAA allows for a waiver of 180 days if the Secretary of Defense invokes national security reasons.

Recent elections

Emerging from years of civil war which followed a US invasion in 2003, Baghdad is caught between the competing influence of Tehran and Washington.

Tehran-aligned groups such as the Popular Mobilization Forces and Kata’ib Hezbollah fielded candidates in parliamentary polls last month, rebranding themselves as civilian organizations even as their armed presence persists.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who has plied a middle course between the two foreign rivals vying over the future of the war-battered Arab nation, looks set to stay in office after months of bargaining wraps up.

He has taken few steps to defang the armed groups even as overall security nationwide has improved, earning criticism from hawks in Washington.

'Make Iraq Great Again'

"It does not matter who wins elections or forms a government, as the entire country is deeply infiltrated by Iran," Republican Congressman Joe Wilson said on Tuesday.

"Congress will not continue to issue blank checks forever," he added in the post on X. Baghdad, he said, "should take sovereign decisions on behalf of their own people rather than obeying the dictates of Iran and its puppet militias and kleptocrats."

The administration of US President Donald Trump has stepped up sanctions on Iraqi people and entities it accuses of helping enrich Tehran, and his special envoy to Baghdad Mark Savaya has vowed to "Make Iraq Great Again."

Hamstrung by US and international sanctions, Iran shares long historical and religious ties with parts of Iraq and views it as a valuable conduit for conducting international business.

Tehran armed and funded the militias which helped the country defeat Islamic State militants but which lingered after their defeat and continue to exert a strong influence over the security forces and government.

The forces were part of the IRGC’s Quds Base unit and were killed during what authorities described as an encounter with armed militant groups near the border in Sistan-Baluchestan province.

State media said pursuit operations were under way, but added that few details had been released so far.

Iran’s southeast, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been a focus of unrest and armed violence. The mainly Sunni Baluch region has seen repeated attacks on security forces, courts and government buildings by militant groups.

The incident follows a deadly attack earlier this year on a courthouse in Zahedan in which nine people, including three assailants, were killed, according to state media. Militants opened fire inside the building before shooting at civilians outside.

Jaish al-Adl, a Baluch Sunni militant group, later said it carried out the courthouse attack. The group has staged previous assaults on Iranian security forces and is designated a terrorist organization by both Iran and the United States.

Staff from the State Welfare Organization said their salaries do not meet living costs despite long years of experience. Some told ILNA news agency that wide pay gaps between provincial workers and central office staff have fueled anger. Protesters voiced frustration over rising expenses and what they described as stalled government promises.

Oil, gas and power-sector contract workers joined the protest, urging lawmakers to remove intermediary contractors and implement legislation intended to shift temporary workers into permanent roles. They said the lack of progress has left many without stable income or benefits.

The protests come as Iran faces rising inflation and a sharp fall in its currency. This week, the rial slid to a new record low, with the US dollar trading at about 1.26 million rials, while gold prices also hit record levels.

Finance Minister Ali Madanizadeh has said the currency slide reflects the impact of a brief war with Israel earlier this year, while economists point to long-standing economic problems and renewed UN sanctions as key drivers of inflation.

Wednesday’s rally followed one of the largest labor actions in years at the South Pars gas hub in Asaluyeh, where at least 5,000 contract workers stopped work on Tuesday over wages and job security.

Labor unrest has increased across Iran as rising prices and currency volatility strain households, with rights groups reporting thousands of labor protests and strikes across the country over the past year.

Israel mauled the group at the tail end of a year-long war which ended in November of last year, after which the Lebanese government tasked the army with confiscating Hezbollah's arsenal by 2026.

Iran has resisted the initiative to defang the group which it founded in 1982, saying continued Israeli attacks justify what it calls Hezbollah's resistance.

In a written reply published by Lebanon’s foreign ministry on X, Raji said not accepting the visit “does not mean rejecting discussion,” adding that “the favorable conditions are not available.”

He renewed an invitation to Araghchi to meet in “a neutral third country to be agreed upon.”

Raji said Lebanon was ready to establish “a new phase of constructive relations” with Iran, but only if ties were based “exclusively on mutual respect and absolute respect for the independence and sovereignty of each country and non-interference in internal affairs under any pretext.”

“Building any strong state cannot happen unless the state alone, through its national army, holds the exclusive right to carry arms and the sole authority over decisions of war and peace,” he added, saying Araghchi was welcome to visit Lebanon.

Iran invitation amid Hezbollah debate

Iran invited Raji to Tehran earlier this month to discuss bilateral ties, according to Iran’s foreign ministry, amid growing debate in Lebanon over the future of the Iran-aligned Hezbollah group and calls for state control over weapons.

The exchange followed criticism in Beirut of comments by Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, who said Hezbollah’s existence was more important than “bread and water” for Lebanon.

Responding at the time, Raji wrote on X: “What is more important than bread and water for us is our sovereignty, freedom and independent decision-making,” rejecting what he described as outside interference.

Lebanon’s stance comes as Israel and Lebanon expand contacts through a committee monitoring their 2024 ceasefire, with Beirut saying the group could verify Israeli accusations that Hezbollah is re-arming.

Israel continues to occupy outposts on Lebanese territory and has launched a series of deadly attacks which it says targets Hezbollah militants despite the ceasefire.

“Iranian authorities are relentlessly persecuting Baha’is, depriving them of the most basic human rights in what amounts to ongoing crimes against humanity – solely because of their faith,” said Human Rights Watch Iran researcher Bahar Saba, quoted in the statement.

The groups said the crackdown intensified after the Israel-Iran war in June and involved arrests, interrogations, unfair trials and asset confiscation.

Between June and November, the Baha’i International Community recorded more than 750 cases of harassment across Iran, three times the number in the same period last year. The incidents included more than 200 raids on homes and businesses and the arrest of at least 110 Baha’is. Courts issued prison sentences of between two and ten years, including against mothers separated from young children.

“A justice system that should deliver fairness and neutrality instead serves as a weapon of persecution,” said Simin Fahandej, the Baha’i International Community’s representative to the UN in Geneva.

EU pressure builds over Iran record

The statements follow moves in Europe to raise pressure on Tehran. In April, the EU imposed sanctions on parts of Iran’s judiciary and several judges and prosecutors over human rights violations, including the persecution of Baha’is.

Last month, the European Parliament adopted a resolution urging EU governments to sanction Iranian officials involved in abuses against the Baha’i community and to press for the release of those jailed for their beliefs.

Iran does not recognize the Baha’i faith, the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority, which rights groups say has faced sustained repression since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.