Iran Says It Arrested Senior UK Diplomat On 'Espionage' Charges

In a lengthy policy paper, titled ‘Countering Iran’s regional strategy,’ published on Tuesday by the Washington Institute, the candidate to replace IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi said regional states must weaken IRGC “in every dimension and use every means possible to exert pressure on it,” because Iran’s threat is “the central threat to the national security of these nations and is the glue – the shared interest – holding the Sunni-Israeli camp together.”

“IRGC is the backbone of the regime and the main means by which it seeks to dominate the region,” he said, adding, “The IRGC is responsible for most covert activity, subversion of other governments, terrorist acts, and political assassinations in the Middle East and around the world, as well as maintaining contact with its regional and global partners,” he said. 

Soleimani model targeted killings -- like the attack that killed IRGC’s Quds Force commander in 2020, targeting IRGC’s leadership, commanders and key operatives behind the planning and execution of terror attacks, as well as issuing international arrest warrants for designated individuals are among the means Zamir suggested for weakening IRGC.

“Damage the IRGC’s operational center of gravity — its long-range strike capabilities such as rockets, missiles, and drones — by covert action against manufacturing plants and missile and UAV main operating and forward bases, while preparing a plan of action to damage Iran’s defensive system,” he added. 

Belgium’s Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne said on Wednesday the treaty between Iran and Belgium stipulating the exchange of convicts is an attempt to build trust between the two countries, adding that the assessment of the Belgian security service was that the failure to pass the bill would increase security threats.

“Contrary to what you [opposition representatives] say, this treaty will not open the door to hostage-taking and will not provide immunity for criminals,” he said.

Critics say that the agreement with Iran will result in sending back Assadollah Assadi, a convicted terrorist to Tehran and that can encourage the Islamic Republic in taking more Western hostages.

In response to questions about the possibility of an exchange to secure the release of a Belgian man jailed in Iran since February and Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali, he noted that the Belgian national recently detained by the Islamic Republic has not been convicted yet, therefore the prisoner swap treaty would not apply to him, but Djalali has been sentenced to death and this treaty can help Brussels in that regard.

Van Quickenborne Tuesday confirmed Tuesday that Iran has been holding a Belgian man for the past four months under “espionage” charges, saying his detention is illegal.

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On Monday, Iran International broke the news that Tehran has detained a Belgian aid worker, identified as Olivier Vandecasteele, another example of the often-used Iranian tactic of imprisoning foreigners as hostages to exchange them with certain Iranians jailed in Western countries.

But Iran arrested the 41-year-old aid worker just when it was negotiating the treaty in question and shows its lack of good will.

In the past years, 49 European citizens have been arrested in Iran. Eighteen of them are still in prison, including the Belgian citizens. Two of them have been killed: one has been executed and one died due to lack of medical access, Van Quickenborne claimed on Wednesday.

He said Belgium cannot submit to the request of a few American congresspeople while the United States negotiates and deals with Iran for the release and exchange of prisoners.

On Tuesday, 13 members of the US House of Representatives wrote to Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, urging Brussels to reject any deal with the Islamic Republic that would repatriate Assadi.

“We applaud the heroism and ingenuity of the Belgian government, first, in preventing a heinous tragedy, and subsequently, in holding to account the reprehensible perpetrators of this dastardly plot executed under the cover of diplomatic immunity -- as a testament to the rule of law and a commitment to ridding the world of the scourge of terrorism. Therefore, we implore you to uphold these precious principles and reject any cynical ploy by Iran’s current 'diplomats' to trade terrorists for dubiously detained Belgians,” their statement read.

The chairman of US Senate Foreign Relations Committee also tweeted on Tuesday that the Belgium-Iran treaty “must uphold Belgium’s international obligations and cannot grant impunity to Assadollah Assadi or any other actor responsible for human rights violations and heinous acts of terrorism.”

“Iran must be held to account for backing terrorism and taking hostages for leverage,” Senator Bob Menendez added.

Numerous people and groups from around the world have warned about the imminent perilous consequences of the prisoner exchange treaty, calling it “the green light to state terrorism” that only emboldens the Islamic Republic.

Tehran’s representative at the parliament Mohammad Esmail Kosari -- who is a former commander of the IRGC’s Sarallah (Sar-Allah) Headquarters tasked with the capital’s security – tried to make the incident look unimportant in his remarks, saying the blasts were the result of “two very weak improvised explosive devices.” 

Kosari did not mention possible injuries and casualties in the explosions, and Iranian official media and websites affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard have remained silent on the incident.

In a statement, the exiled Iranian opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) claimed the attack was carried out by “revolutionary cells”, a term it often uses to characterize anti-regime acts and protests in Iran. 

"They [the MEK] use their local agents with promises. Anyway, it was Friday, which is a day off, they came at 9:00 p.m., made use of the darkness, carried out the act and took a video."

Videos surfaced on social media on Friday night showing fire and smoke billowing from the Malek Ashtar base of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard’s paramilitary force Basij militia. 

Since May, there have been several attacks and mysterious incidents against Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) officers. One key commander was assassinated in Tehran on May 22 in broad daylight, while another was said to have fallen from the roof of his house and died a few days later. Iran has blamed Israel, in what has damaged the reputation of Iran’s intelligence and security organizations.

In a meeting with officials on Wednesday Raisi called lack of compliance with hijab rules “an organized promotion of [moral] corruption in Islamic society.” Going a step further he said that this has been organized “by world arrogance”, a reference to the United States.

Harsher than usual enforcement of the Islamic dress code (hijab) this summer has raised protests from many in Iran including some moderate religious and political figures.

Raisi went on to put a further ideological spin on the issue: “The enemies of Iran and Islam using extensive satellite TV and social media networks have targeted society’s cultural backbone and foundations of its religious values.”

There is little evidence of any foreign conspiracy, except some Iranian activists in the West campaigning against compulsory hijab. One such activist in the United States was even reportedly targeted for kidnapping by Islamic Republic agents.

Street patrols by ‘hijab police’ or ‘chastity police’ have intensified in recent weeks with women with loose headscarves being subjected not only to verbal harassment but also physical force.

Some Iranian officials have recently issued strict orders for enforcing what they call proper hijab among female government employees and others by restricting service to those who do not abide by the prescribed rules.

The hijab required in the Islamic Republic consists of a long and loose dress in muted colors worn over trousers with a similarly plain headscarf that covers all hair and shoulders. Authorities including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei say wearing a long black veil (chador in Persian) that covers from head to toe is the ‘optimal hijab’.

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The headscarf version is acceptable in most places while the chador is a requirement in many government offices, higher education facilities, and meetings with high-ranking officials including Khamenei.

While most Iranian women wear the headscarf version of hijab, willingly or unwillingly, only a small minority willingly wear the chador.

In the jargon of religious and political hardliners women who are unwilling to wear the hijab and display their displeasure by wearing small and colorful headscarves with tight-fitting, short dresses are called ‘bad-hijab’ ones. Authorities sometimes take harsh measures against ‘bad-hijab’ women. Punishments include arrest, prison, cash fines, and even lashing but have not always been meted out to the same degree.

Esmail Rahmani, deputy public prosecutor of the religious city of Mashhad has recently ordered the municipality to prevent ‘bad-hijab’ women from using public transportation including the metro and threatened to take legal action against such officials for failing to do so. He has also ordered the governor to ban services in banks and government offices to ‘bad-hijab’ women.

The governor of Fars Province, Mohammad-Hadi Imanieh, has also issued an ultimatum to heads of government organizations to enforce the acceptable forms of hijab. Imanieh has said that government employees who are not willing to abide by the rules should take leave without pay and only return to work “when they can respect the law”.

Mohsen Borhani, a professor of law at Tehran University with a religious seminary education background, in a tweet Monday protested against enforcing the hijab through restricting service to ‘bad-hijab’ women. According to Iran’s own Islamic Penal Code, he argued restricting personal freedoms of citizens by any official of the government or state is punishable by law, he argued.

Sometimes authorities shift the burden of enforcement of hijab to businesses, such as food joints and cafes and shopping malls, to deny service to ‘bad-hijab’ women and shut down their businesses if they do not comply. This year pressure has increased on businesses.

Most Iranians, whether they are religious or not, do not agree with compulsory hijab while many view its enforcement by the state as a violation of human rights.

Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, a cleric who served as vice president under reformist Mohammad Khatami, called the crackdown for hijab “an insult to Iranian women and an insult to all of Iran” in a commentary carried by conservative Khabar Online news website Monday.

At the Annual Economist Government Roundtable in Greece on Tuesday, Benny Gantz unveiled recent satellite images showing four Iranian military ships in the Red Sea, adding that the Islamic Republic has been “unusually” patrolling the region with its military ships.

The four military ships in the Red Sea were a Hengam-class landing ship, two Bandar Abbas-class replenishment ships – which are auxiliary fleet supply vessels – and a Mowj-class light frigate. 

“Today, we can confirm that Iran is methodically basing itself in the Red Sea, with warships patrolling the southern region,” he noted. 

Describing the Iranian presence as a direct threat to trade, energy and the global economy, Gantz said, “The presence of Iran's military forces in the Red Sea in recent months is the most significant in a decade.”

Referring to the recent test launch of a satellite carrier rocket, whose “technology could be used to develop a long-range intercontinental missile with a range of thousands of kilometers that could also threaten Central Europe,” he said, “Iran is a prime example of a widespread regional and global threat.”

The United States Naval Institute said last week that satellite imagery shows Iran is constructing a new stealth missile boat on the island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. The unidentified catamaran is similar to another new multi-hulled missile watercraft -- a Shahid Soleimani-class missile corvette -- but is noticeably smaller.