Iran Looks For Its Lost Billions In Syria

Former Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani has been making controversial comments about state affairs, primarily through a couple of interviews with online media sources or in meetings with entrepreneurs in Iran during the past few days.

Hardline daily Khorasan explained Larijani’s behavior as a signal to indicate that he is willing to play a part in the upcoming parliamentary elections although it is clear that he is not a candidate for the March 2024 polls.

Khorasan wrote that Larijani ignored the Interior Ministry’s call for pre-registration, a process that is not part of the formal procedure for announcing one’s candidacy. However, he told likeminded politicians to register their candidacy and run for the parliament.

The daily, which is affiliated to the administration of the holy shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad and is funded by Khamenei’s office, opined that Larijani will support the candidacy of several moderate conservative politicians and former lawmakers such as his brother-in-law Ali Motahari, as well as others including Mansoor Haqiqatpoor and Ezattollah Yousefian Molla.

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As per Rouydad24, Larijani has recently criticized Iran’s foreign policy by saying that these gentlemen [presumably Iran’s top diplomats, or Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who determines the country’s foreign policy] think it is important to have influence in some foreign capitals. However, he emphasized that our paramount objective should be to ensure our citizens lead stable lives and can chart their future with confidence.

Meanwhile, he cautioned the government against embracing the Marxist notion that nations are merely workers requiring governance by the authorities.

Highlighting that liberalism surpasses Marxism as a governing approach, offering citizens an abundance of choices in various scenarios, Larijani noted the presence of a third path – the Islamic approach. In this path, the government facilitates the populace's productive endeavors, an approach he described as empowering the people. According to him, this strategy holds the potential to propel the nation's progress.

Clearly criticizing Khamenei without naming him, Larijani said: "It is not enough to say where we want to be in 20 years. We need to have a reasonable development plan."

Meanwhile, in a meeting with a group of entrepreneurs over the weekend , Larijani said: "Some politicians define social justice as giving cash handouts to the people. But the main responsibility of the government is bringing about sustainable development." He was clearly referring to populist politicians such as President Ebrahim Raisi and his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who in the absence of satisfactory economic growth offer small monthly cash payments to all or part of the citizens. 

Larijani added that sustainable development also ensures better outcomes for economic, social, political and security issues of the country.

Larijani who started his political career in early 1990s as a hardliner coming from the ranks of the revolutionary guards (IRGC), gradually changed into a moderate conservative politician during the past decade, and aligned his political affiliation with politicians such as former President Hassan Rouhani.

In another development, Aftab News quoted Larijani as saying that "Some people have mistaken political power with the use of force."

According to Aftab News, criticizing the government's harsh treatment of artists with a lifestyle different from what hardliners propagate, Larijani said: "What do artists want? They want a [normal] life and the freedom for artistic creation. The government needs to reach a common understanding with Iranian artists."

The latest statistics from the 'Arbaeen Headquarters' indicate that only 1,335,000 individuals have applied for special passports for the religious ceremony, approximately one-third of the number of participants in the previous year. 

Arbaeen (literally meaning fortieth) is a Shiite religious observance that occurs forty days after the Day of Ashura, when according to religious legend Husayn (Hussain) ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad was killed on the 10th day of the month of Muharram in 680 AD.

The number of pilgrims will increase as there are about two weeks until the Arbaeen ceremony, which falls on September 6 this year, but even if the country keeps issuing passports with its maximum capacity, the number will end up significantly lower than previous years. 

Brig. Gen. Mohammad Sharafi, a police commander in charge of the Arbaeen Headquarters, said Tuesday, “We received approximately 1,335,000 applications for passports, and so far, 640,000 passports have been delivered. We are currently printing 100,000 passports daily after tripling our capacity.”

The Islamic Republic regime views the event as a show of influence in the region, encouraging high participation via numerous perks, including providing free medical services and rest stops along the way, free internet on the road and inside Iraq, offering interest-free loans and granting 200,000 Iraqi dinars ($153) to pilgrim as well as special passports with less bureaucratic requirements. The ration of cheap foreign currency – which used to be dollars or euros until this year – will be paid from Iran's frozen funds in Iraq, about to be released as part of a prisoner swap deal with the United States. 

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Millions of Shiite Muslims travel to the Iraqi city of Karbala, the site of the Shiite Imam’s shrine for Arbaeen. A large number of the pilgrims start their journey from other religious cities – such as Najaf and Kadhimiya in Iraq -- and walk on foot for days – sometimes hundreds of kilometers -- to reach Karbala. There are no reliable methods for tallying the number of visitors to Iraqi holy Shia sites during Arbaeen. In 2019, before the pandemic, an estimated 15 million people from various countries attended the ceremonies.

The route from Najaf to Karbala is the most popular one and the Islamic Republic has set up dozens of stations providing free food and refreshments as well as rest areas on the way. 

Aref Norouzi, a senior official at the Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order’ (Setad), claims that the "largest and most well-equipped mobile hospital in the Middle East" will be established by the organization along the route from Najaf to Karbala. 

Despite reports of shortages of medicines and medical staff in a lot of regions across the country, the regime has dispatched 22,000 medical personnel and emergency responders for the event. At least seven field hospitals have been set up and two helicopter ambulances and more than 100 regular ambulances have been stationed just at the Khosravi border crossing, one of several main crossings between Iran and Iraq. 

More than 4,000 physicians, along with approximately 400 tons of medication and equipment, are prepared for Arbaeen pilgrims, Iran’s Red Crescent Society said. 

According to Iran’s Customs Administration, more than 30,500 tons of foodstuffs and 800,000 liters of gasoline are to be transferred to Iraq for Arbaeen. This comes as Iran is struggling to supply its daily needs of fuel that has led to long lines of cars at gas stations and a gasoline black market. Providing food is also among the grievances of Iranian households as the prices jumped in the past year. 

In addition to medical and healthcare personnel, municipal, road maintenance, and transportation workers have also been deployed, including only 4,000 Tehran municipality employees. 

Majid Mirahmadi, a deputy interior minister and the head of Iran's taskforce for Arbaeen pilgrimage, had predicted that this year more than four million Iranian pilgrims will travel to Iraq. The figure is a speculation based on the number of pilgrims in the previous years but this year the annual Shiite mourning ceremonies took an unprecedented anti-regime tone as people chanted religious verses that were critical of the regime and its repressive actions. 

Despite government efforts to mitigate economic and other challenges faced by pilgrims it appears that people are becoming more distant from the pilgrimage due to its association with the Islamic Republic and its policies.

Ashtiani’s remarks come after President Ebrahim Raisi underlined the importance of automobiles during the Defense Capability Exhibition. In response, Ashtiani said that if called upon, the ministry is ready to engage in the automotive field.

During a TV program interview, Ashtiani elaborated on the country's defense advances and outlined the responsibilities of the Ministry of Defense. While primarily charged with equipping and arming the armed forces, he explained that the ministry also performs secondary missions. Ashtiani also praised the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for projecting “authority in encounters with foreign vessels” in the Persian Gulf.

Iran’s military might was further displayed on Tuesday when it unveiled a new drone, the Mohajer-10, with enhanced capabilities and increased flight duration

Official statements from Iranian media revealed that the homemade UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), has an operational range of 2,000 km and can fly for up to 24 hours.

Reports indicate that the drone is equipped to carry missiles, bombs, and hand grenades. It is also outfitted with electronic warfare and reconnaissance systems.

Rising tensions in the region continue to draw global attention. Iran's attempt to seize two commercial vessels in early July was met with a resolute response from the United States, prompting Iran to withdraw, as confirmed by the Pentagon. Over the past two years, Tehran has reportedly harassed or seized more than 15 commercial ships in the broader Persian Gulf region.

"Our current crude oil production is 3.3 million barrels per day and by the end of September this amount will increase to 3.4 million," Javad Owji said.

The increase in crude production coincides with a steady rise in Iran’s exports. TankerTrackers.com that monitors global oil shipments, reported Monday that in the initial 20 days of August, Iran dispatched an average of over two million barrels of oil daily, marking a more than 30-percent surge compared to the past few months.

In 2018, then-US President Donald Trump exited the JCPOA nuclear agreement and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran, whose crude oil output dropped to 2.4 million barrels per day on average in 2021.

However, Iranian oil shipments began to pick up toward the end of 2020, as candidate Joe Biden announced in September of that year his intention to revive the 2015 JCPOA. During 18 months of talks with Iran in 2021 and 2022, Tehran steadily increased its oil shipments and uranium enrichment.

The latest boost in production and exports also coincides with an agreement announced in mid-August that the United States allowed the release of $6 billion of Iran’s money frozen in South Korean banks in exchange for five American hostages. Some believe that a larger secret deal exists with Tehran over its nuclear program and the Biden administration is not enforcing sanctions.

Earlier this month, Iran announced its oil exports had surpassed 1.4 million barrels per day, primarily driven by sales to China.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul have written to Biden accusing him of breaking a 2015 law by negotiating a secret nuclear “understanding” with Iran and hiding it from Congress.

Any negotiations and agreements with Iran must go through the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, which clearly states that within five days after reaching any agreement with Iran regarding Iran's nuclear program, the President must relay to Congress several issues for approval.

These include “the text of the agreement and all related materials and annexes; a related verification assessment report of the Secretary of State; a certification that the agreement includes the appropriate terms, conditions, and duration of the agreement's requirements concerning Iran's nuclear activities, and provisions describing any sanctions to be waived, suspended, or otherwise reduced by the United States and any other nation or entity, including the United Nations”.

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The three Republicans wrote to Biden of their “significant concern” that the administration is pursuing a nuclear understanding with Iran alongside a hostage release deal. Earlier this month, five dual US-Iranian citizens held in Iran were released in return for the unfreezing of $6bn of Iranian funds in South Korea, a move which experts said only compound Iran’s policy of hostage taking for gaining leverage against the West.

The letter, dated August 21, stated “any such deal or understanding with Iran that does not permanently and completely halt Iran’s nuclear enrichment raises concerns that your Administration is entrenching an Iranian nuclear program that threatens US national security”, detailing the rapidly increasing levels of uranium enrichment revealed this year.

“Reducing the rate at which Iran is stockpiling 60% enriched uranium does not significantly change this threat, particularly as Iran continues to install advanced centrifuges,” the trio said, reiterating Iran’s cessation to comply with the JCPOA nuclear agreement and its continued refusal to fully cooperate with an ongoing International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) investigation.

Referring to last week’s deal, the group stressed that the hostage-taking policy of the regime, which has been going on for years, is the Iranian Republic’s “negotiating tactic and funding mechanism”, all of which puts US security and the security of its citizens at greater risk.

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Just last week, Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former White House National Security Council director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction, raised the matter of Biden’s skirting the legal obligations. “Emergency hearings cannot be held. Resolutions of disapproval cannot be fast-tracked. President Biden has successfully evaded the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, which requires him to notify Congress of any agreement with Iran related to its nuclear program before lifting sanctions,” he said.

The Republicans warned Biden that if “the Administration continue to ignore US law and flout congressional oversight, we will use all the tools at our disposal to bring transparency and accountability to the American people and return to a policy of maximum pressure that reverses Iran’s nuclear advancements and deters its targeting of American citizens and service members, support for terrorism and other malign activities”.

The controversy continues alongside allegations that the reasons for the suspension of Iran envoy Robert Malley have been hidden from Congress for several months. While the news of his suspension over what was called suspected security breaches was announced in June, it is believed that it had happened as early as April, which was revealed by an Iranian government newspaper.

In spite of multiple investigations going on side by side, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Malley suspected of mishandling confidential security documents, he has landed faculty positions at Yale’s Jackson School and Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs.