Clerics Criticize Ukraine As Others Blame Russia For Pause In Iran Talks

In a message published Thursday Khatami described Russia’s intervention as “an invasion of a free territory by a foreign power.”

Khatami, reformist president from 1997 to 2005, said that “regardless of the causes of this unfortunate situation… what is happening in Ukraine is…the repression of a nation that has shown, especially in these days, that it wants to live freely and independently.”

Before him, another former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had praised Ukraine’s “unrivalled resistance” and rebuked Iran’s leadership, since Iran − like China, India, and the United Arab Emirates − has abstained in United Nations votes condemning the Russian invasion.

Addressing the “great nation of Ukraine” and its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ahmadinejad said, “Your honorable and almost unrivalled resistance uncovered the Satanic plots of enemies of mankind.” Ahmadinejad, ‘principlist’ president from 2005 until 2013, tweeted: “Trust that the great nation of Iran is standing by you, while admiring this heroic persistence.”

A lively debate about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues in Iran, with divisions reflecting wider disagreements among various factions over foreign policy. While reformists have been more critical of Russia, and many Iranians have condemned Russia, supporters of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei have been sympathetic to Russia’s position and accused the US and NATO for provoking Russia.

“It is not possible to confront these people with the police and weapons,” said Alamolhoda, who is Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative in the shrine city of Mashhad. “If a woman in the street removes her headscarf, she must face the complaints of the people to see that she has no place…In such a case, you can be sure that she will wear even two scarves."

Alamolhoda said that law enforcement forces, including the morality police charged with regulating public behavior including dress codes, were not a solution “and even make the situation worse.”

He cited Kamenei as ordering “to fire at will”, metaphorically giving a green light for religious zealots to confront women in the streets, which sometimes leads to physical attacks.

Despite the cleric’s ruling out “weapons,” at least eight acid attacks in Esfahan in 2014 carried out by vigilantes were blamed by some, including Hadi Ghaemi of the US-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, on calls from conservative figures for more ‘Islamic’ standards in dress codes. Alamolhoda spoke out on the issue in January, suggesting that that loose-fitting hijab should not be accepted in public.

The attack caused a small fire that was controlled and did not result in any injuries or casualties, SPA said citing a statement by an energy ministry official.

"The refinery's operations and supplies of petroleum and its derivatives were not affected," the statement said.

It did not specify where the attack originated from.

The world's top oil exporter has faced frequent missile and drone assaults by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group that has been battling a coalition led by Riyadh for seven years.

The Houthis have not announced any strikes against the kingdom in recent days and the Saudi-led coalition had not issued a statement regarding Thursday's incident.

"These repeated acts of sabotage and terrorism on vital installations and civilian structures ... do not just target the Kingdom but aim to undermine the security and stability of global energy supplies," the statement said.

Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of arming the Houthis and has blamed Tehran for past attacks including a 2019 strike on oil plants. Tehran denies doing so.

The conflict is widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Reuters report

OPEC heavyweights Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which both bear grudges against Washington, have snubbed US pleas to use their spare output capacity to tame rampant crude prices which threaten global recession after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Wednesday's sharp oil price fall, the biggest one-day drop in almost two years, followed comments by the UAE ambassador to Washington, who said his country supported pumping more oil.

Prices rebounded when the UAE energy minister contradicted him and said the Gulf state stuck by an output pact agreed with OPEC+, which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, including Russia.

"This was deliberate," Gulf Research Center Chairman Abdulaziz Sager said of the conflicting UAE comments, adding that the message being sent to Washington was: "You need us, we need you, so let's settle the issues between us."

He said Washington, which flagged Russia's plans to invade Ukraine long before Moscow's troops crossed the border on Feb. 24, should have coordinated more closely with Arab producers in the buildup, rather than turning to them once the crisis hit.

"Gulf states have over many years built a good relationship with Russia, they cannot just overturn things," he said.

The United States wants the Persian Gulf Arab producers to side with the West over the Ukraine crisis but Washington has eroded its political capital with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi by not heeding their concerns about regional rival Iran, ending its support for their war in Yemen and slapping conditions on US weapons sales to them.

REBUILDING TRUST

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was incensed by President Joe Biden's refusal to deal directly with him as the kingdom's de facto ruler because of the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. A US intelligence report implicated the prince, who denies any role.

"There are many problems between the US and its Gulf allies that need to be addressed widely and resolved," said a regional source, saying trust needed to be rebuilt. "It has nothing to do with Russia or the Ukraine war."

The source said Washington should have acted before the Russian invasion. "The US administration knew it was heading towards a crisis. They should have fixed relations with their allies, coordinated and lined them up in advance ... not just expect them to comply and handle oil prices."

Mistrust has built up since the 2011 Arab uprisings when Persian Gulf Arab rulers were shocked at how the administration of President Barack Obama abandoned the late Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak after a 30-year alliance, allowing him to fall and ignoring their concerns over the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Sunni Muslim countries in the region also felt blindsided when Washington reached a nuclear deal with Shi'ite Iran in 2015 that did not tackle Gulf concerns about Tehran's missiles program and regional proxies in Yemen, where the Gulf neighbors have been embroiled in war, and Lebanon, now deep in crisis.

Saudi Arabia felt particularly spurned in 2019 when missile and drone attacks on the kingdom drew a lukewarm US reaction, although Riyadh and Washington both blamed Tehran. Iran denied having a role.

The UAE felt equally frustrated in January when Yemen's Houthis launched attacks on Abu Dhabi. Despite UAE calls for Biden to reinstate a terrorist designation for the Iranian-backed group, Washington has yet to do so.

PHONECALL SNUB

The Gulf source and another source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Biden had irked UAE de facto ruler Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, known as MbZ, by not calling swiftly after the Houthis struck.

"Biden called him three weeks after. MbZ didn't take the call. Your ally comes under a terrorist attack and you wait three weeks to call?" the source said.

White House National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said on Wednesday there had been "no issues with having a call" and Biden would speak with the UAE leader soon. A UAE foreign ministry spokesperson said a call was being scheduled.

Last month, Biden spoke with Saudi's King Salman while the crown prince, known as MbS, was in the room. Sources said Biden had asked to speak with the crown prince but MbS declined because the call had only been scheduled with the king.

The White House and Saudi government did not immediately respond to a Reuters requests for comment on the episode. The White House told a briefing on Monday there were no plans "at this point" for Biden to call MbS.

The Ukraine crisis has erupted as the United States, Russia and other world powers have been in talks to revive the nuclear pact with Iran. But Moscow may have derailed those efforts for now by demanding guarantees from Washington that Western sanctions on Russia do not affect its business with Iran.

Regional Sunni Arab states have long felt their concerns have not been addressed in those talks, fearing a deal will empower Iran and its regional proxies.

Persian Gulf oil producers are still likely to side with the United States, which they depend on for their security, over their ties with Russia that focus on energy and business.

"Ultimately, the US does have clout, but the Saudi and Emirati resistance threshold is particularly high at present, given their deep dissatisfaction with US policy towards them," said Neil Quilliam, associate fellow at Chatham House.

Addressing members of Iran’s Assembly of Experts on Thursday, Khamenei insisted that to retreat in the face of American pressure or any other power for securing protection against sanctions, will deal a blow to the nation's power.

He added that Islamic Republic’s presence in regional countries and its nuclear program are two factors that contribute to the country’s national power, saying, “Regional presence gives us more strategic depth and national strength. Why should we give it up? Scientific nuclear progress is needed for country’s future”.

Khamenei said it is naïve to reduce Iran’s military programs to get concessions from the West, noting that “security” and military power contributes to Iran’s bargaining power “to fulfill national interests at the regional and global front.” He added, “It is vital for any country to have national power”.

Iran has boosted its uranium enrichment since the United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement and continued it support for regional militant groups that act as its proxies in various countries. It has also expanded its missile program that West and several regional countries, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia are concerned about.