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🚨 GOING FORWARD, OUR NEWSLETTER WILL BE PUBLISHED ON WEDNESDAYS
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[FROM THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL]
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[FOREIGN AFFAIRS + SECURITY]
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UNGA on Zoom. On September 22, Iran’s president delivered a pre-recorded speech at the annual United Nations General Assembly (Al Jazeera). Rouhani used his speech to denounce the “harshest sanctions in history” and that “the reward of fighting extremism is not terror,” eluding to Iran taking part in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Rouhani explained, “The US can neither impose negotiations on us, nor war. Living with sanctions is difficult, but more difficult is living without independence.” He added that Iran can’t be used as a “bargaining chip” for the November US presidential election (Al-Monitor). On September 23, Saudi Arabia’s king delivered his first UNGA speech, in which he singled out Iran as “the forces of extremism and chaos” in the Middle East (New York Times). King Salman said, “The Kingdom’s hands were extended to Iran in peace with a positive and open attitude over the past decades, but to no avail.” He added, “Our experience with the Iranian regime has taught us that partial solutions and appeasement did not stop its threats to international peace and security.” On September 24, the spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry called Saudi Arabia the “main financial and logistical supporter of terrorism in the region.” (Al Jazeera). Saeed Khatibzadeh added, “Constant ground and political defeats in Yemen have made Saudi Arabia turn to delirious talk and they want to get away from the responsibility of their war crimes.” On the same day, US President Donald Trump delivered his UNGA speech, in which he singled out Iran as “the greatest security threats facing peace-loving nations today.” (White House). Trump said that “all nations have a duty to act” and that “no responsible government should subsidize Iran’s bloodlust.”
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Iran-Iraq ties. Last week marked the fortieth anniversary of the beginning of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) (Al Jazeera). On September 26, the Trump administration told Iraq’s prime minister that they are planning a full withdrawal from the US embassy in Baghdad unless the Iraqi government takes more robust action against Iran-backed Shia militias (Washington Post). Attacks by Shia militias such as Kaitab Hezbollah on US personnel have intensified after the US drone strike on Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on January 3. On the same day, Iraq’s foreign minister visited Iran for a two-day visit on bilateral talks (AP). It was Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein’s first visit to Tehran. His Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, visited Baghdad in July. The two countries committed to increasing trade and improving border cooperation (Reuters). The coronavirus had led to numerous disruptions in trade and border closures. President Rouhani told Iraq’s foreign minister that US troops in the region are “detrimental to security and stability” (Al Jazeera). He added that it’s not just the responsibility of Iran, but any country with US troops on its soil to try to end their presence there—emphasizing Tehran’s support of the Iraqi parliament’s vote to expel US troops. Meanwhile, on September 27, the US granted Iraq a 60-day sanctions waiver to import Iranian gas for its power grids (AFP).
Iran’s shadow looms large over southeastern Iraqi Kurdistan (Al-Monitor).
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Terror cell in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia said it dismantled a terrorist cell with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) (Wall Street Journal). On September 23, Saudi security forces seized weapons and explosives and arrested ten people, including three who “received military and field training, including on how to make explosives, inside [IRGC] sites in Iran” for several weeks in late 2017. On September 29, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson called the accusations “an old and worthless scenario” that was in line with similar Saudi claims against Tehran in recent years (Al-Monitor).
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More sanctions on Iran. On September 21, the US imposed new sanctions on Iran’s defense ministry (Reuters). The new sanctions targeted 27 Iranian entities and individuals in its nuclear program and missile and conventional arms sectors. According to Reuters, the new sanctions were imposed “to support the US assertion that all UN sanctions against Tehran are now restored.” Last week, the Trump administration snapped back UN sanctions on Iran, a move that was largely brushed off by the international community. On September 24, the US blacklisted several Iranian officials for gross human rights violations, including a judge involved in the case of a recently executed wrestler (AP). The spokesman for the Guardian Council, a vetting body, criticized the move on social media (Reuters). Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei tweeted, “Would the Iranian judiciary be able to impose similar sanctions on the killers of blacks in that country who torture them upon arrest and kill them without trial?” On September 26, President Rouhani accused the US of “savagery” for sanctions costing $150 billion in damage to Iran (Reuters).
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Oil numbers up. Iranian oil exports have jumped in September despite US sanctions (Reuters). According to TankerTrackers, exports are close to 1.5 million bpd—numbers not seen in over a year and a half. Meanwhile, on September 29, an Iranian tanker reached the coast of Venezuela, despite US efforts to stop such transfers (Al-Monitor). There are other Iranian ships that may also be en route to Venezuela, all of which sailed west around the southern tip of Africa toward South America.
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Coronavirus updates. As of September 30, Iran’s official death toll from the coronavirus is 25,986 with at least 453,637 cases of infections (WorldoMeter). On September 29, Iran's new coronavirus cases exceeded 450,000 (Reuters). Iran is now on the verge of a third wave of the coronavirus, with most provinces classified as severe cases (Al Jazeera). On September 26, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani authorized provinces to impose lockdowns if needed (Reuters). He said that the coronavirus task force offices around the country would provide recommendations on restrictions and whether to impose one-week lockdowns. Rouhani also introduced fines for violating restrictions (Hindustan Times). Hospitals in many cities, including Tehran, have reached capacity (Al-Monitor). Meanwhile, the Russian sovereign wealth fund is in talks with several countries, including Iran, about the possibility of joint producing a coronavirus vaccine (Reuters). The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) wants to produce the Sputnik-V vaccine abroad and already signed a deal to manufacture 300 million doses in India. The Iranian ambassador to Moscow said that Tehran has agreed to cooperate in several areas, including joint production.
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Human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and Farhad Meysami, a human rights defender, protest the suspension of Sotoudeh's law license in front of the Tehran bar association in Tehran, February 2015. (Courtesy of Human Rights Watch)
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Nasrin Sotoudeh unwell. On September 26, imprisoned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh broke her hunger strike because her health was severely deteriorating (CHRI). She was hospitalized on September 19 after being “severely weakened” from her 40-day hunger strike. She was returned to prison on September 23, despite an international outcry and concerns over her health. Sotoudeh was on hunger strike since August 11 to push for the release of prisoners that contracted the coronavirus. At least a dozen prisoners in Tehran’s Evin Prison have contracted COVID-19. Iran’s political prisoners were mostly left out of a mass furlough in March due to the outbreak. Last week, Britain, France, and Germany—also known as the E3—summoned Iranian ambassadors in a coordinated diplomatic protest against Tehran’s treatment of political prisoners and detention of dual nationals (The Guardian). On September 28, Iran’s foreign minister slammed the E3 in a speech (Al Jazeera). Mohammad Javad Zarif said, “Chemical weapons from Germany and Netherlands were given to Saddam [Hussein] to use against the Iranian people. And now you claim to be civilized?” He added, “History has not forgotten your crimes… You participated in crimes against the Iranian nation and now you claim [to be championing] human rights? You committed crimes against humanity."
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[OTHER NEWS THAT MADE HEADLINES]
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