Detention Of Iranian Propagandist Shows Cracks In Saudi Relations

In an article entitled "Ambassadorial positions under the hammer," Entekhab news website cited the recent appointment of midwife and city councilwoman Massoumeh Abad as Iran's ambassador to Finland as an example.

Entekhab stated that Abad's appointment undermined the long-standing principles observed in ambassadorial appointments. Many former diplomats and media outlets as well as social media users have lashed out at the Iranian Foreign Ministry for appointing a midwife as an ambassador. 

According to Entekhab, the appointment disregarded the Foreign Ministry's stated policy of promoting "economic diplomacy," which aimed to send diplomats capable of expanding Iran's economic relations with other countries. Despite the sanctions imposed on Iran, the country is seeking ways to circumvent them and improve its struggling economy by expanding trade.

This situation is exacerbated by the fact that Tehran currently lacks ambassadors in major European capitals, including London, Paris, Berlin, and Stockholm. Entekhab highlighted this as evidence of the Foreign Ministry's lack of understanding regarding the importance of ambassadors during this critical period. Alternatively, it may reflect conflicts among different power centers and political factions in Iran, all vying for a share of influence, including control over Iran's embassies abroad.

The website argued that President Ebrahim Raisi's pledge to boost economic diplomacy could only be achieved by sending qualified diplomats abroad, well-versed in diplomatic knowledge and economic expertise. However, the reality has contradicted Raisi's declared ideals. 

For over a year, President Raisi has faced extensive criticism for his handling of the economy, which has plunged further into crisis. He has been accused of mismanagement, appointing inappropriate individuals to top positions, and relying on false promises to buy himself more time.

For over a year, President Raisi has faced extensive criticism for his handling of the economy, which has plunged further into crisis. He has been accused of mismanagement, appointing inappropriate individuals to top positions, and relying on false promises to buy himself more time.

Mohsen Bakhtiar, Iran's new ambassador to Beijing, previously held a position in the Ministry of Energy, unrelated to diplomacy. The website also criticized Bakhtiar for lacking the necessary linguistic and diplomatic expertise required for such a significant role in a key country. His knowledge of foreign relations and ability to employ appropriate diplomatic tools are also questionable.

Entekhab further highlighted the appointment of former Central Bank Governor Ali Salehabadi as ambassador to Qatar, which was deemed even more perplexing than the other two appointments. This move seemed to be a mere face-saving measure for the former banking official who lost his position due to Raisi's impromptu decision. Raisi believed that replacing the central bank governor would solve Iran's economic problems.

By appointing an inexperienced individual as ambassador to a crucial region where diplomatic relations have recently gained momentum, the Foreign Ministry demonstrated a lack of understanding regarding Doha's significance in the nuclear negotiations and the restoration of Tehran's ties with Arab capitals.

Moreover, the absence of ambassadors in major European capitals indicates that the government fails to grasp the importance of those countries. Relations with European nations deteriorated during the recent nationwide protests in Iran, further isolating the Islamic Republic. Entekhab argued that by not dispatching ambassadors to these countries, Tehran has deprived itself of the leverage necessary to counter diplomatic and political pressures.

According to Entekhab, the failure to appoint chief diplomats to these European capitals has significantly diminished Iran's bargaining power in international relations.

Sudani said Iran had cut gas exports to Iraq by more than 50% as of July 1 after Baghdad failed to secure US approval to disburse owed funds, but Tehran had now agreed to resume gas exports in exchange for crude oil.

The deal was reached during talks with an Iranian delegation that was in Baghdad since Saturday, Sudani said in a televised speech.

Iraq imports electricity and gas from Iran that total between a third and 40% of its power supply, especially crucial in sweltering summer months when temperatures can top 50 Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) and power consumption peaks.

Iraq has had trouble paying for those imports. It owes Iran around 11 billion euros ($12.1 billion) in outstanding debts, Sudani said, and struggles to pay due to US sanctions that only allow Iran to access funds to buy non-sanctioned goods, such as food and medicine.

Even those procedures are complicated, and "contribute to unwanted delays in making the payments, and subsequently the funds are not paid to the Iranians", Farhad Alaaldin, foreign affairs adviser to the prime minister, told Reuters.

The United States agreed to the release of more than $2.7 of Iran’s funds in early June to be used for purchasing food and medicine. “Iran can only access its funds held in accounts for Iraq for humanitarian and other non-sanctionable transactions,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed on June 13.

By trading Iraqi crude for Iranian gas, Sudani said, Iraq would avoid rolling power cuts every summer while working to complete gas capture and extraction projects that would help make the country self-sufficient.

"We can't for the next two or three years come to citizens every summer and tell them: 'They stopped the gas, they started the gas'," he said.

A State Department spokesperson declined comment on the reported barter deal between Iraq and Iran and did not address whether such an arrangement might violate US sanctions.

"There has been no change in US policy towards Iran or Iraq, and the Biden Administration continues to implement all US sanctions on Iran," the spokesperson said, adding that Washington "strongly supports Iraq's path to energy autonomy."

Henry Rome, an analyst with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy think tank, said a barter pact was unlikely to stop Iran from continuing to seek hard currency from Iraq.

"I am not convinced that a pure barter arrangement as described by Sudani is satisfactory for Iran, given its need for hard currency," he said. "Even if this arrangement is implemented, it would likely not obviate Iran’s pursuit of the billions of dollars still held in Iraqi accounts."

Iran is also under US oil export sanctions and although it ships around 1.5 million barrels mostly to China by illicit channels, it already does have close to 50 million barrels in storage that it must dispose of. Selling more oil will not be easy for Tehran and because it offers huge discounts, it might lose money if Iraq delivers the oil according to market prices.

The United States has pushed Iraq, OPEC second-largest producer, to cut its reliance on Iranian gas.

Iraq spends roughly $4 billion per year on imports of Iranian gas and power while burning massive quantities of natural gas as a byproduct of its hydrocarbons sector.

It has taken steps to change course. On Monday Iraq signed a massive deal with French oil major TotalEnergies that includes plans to capture gas from oilfields in the southern Basra region.

With reporting by Reuters

According to Iran’s National Tax Administration, it has spotted 555 bloggers, among whom, 123 have a total income of 23,000 billion rials (over 45 million dollars). It is likely the influencers are using the platform under a VPN since the networks have been blocked by the regime.

In an interview with state affiliated ISNA, Mehdi Mowahed, the Spokesperson of the Tax Administration said "these people have income and should pay taxes for it." It is normal practice globally for bloggers and influencers to pay tax on income accordingly.

The tax administration has predicted that about 5,000 billion rials (10 million dollars) or more will be collected from Instagram influencers this year.

In March 2020, Iran’s parliament approved a law to collect taxes from users with more than 500,000 followers on social networks; a law that has many ambiguities regarding the way people are identified, the platform they work on, and many other things.

Last year, after the blocking of Instagram and WhatsApp, the Ministry of Communications announced a support plan for tax exemption for active users on platforms approved by the regime like Rubika, and iGap.

Despite large investment in domestic platforms, these services could not win the trust of ordinary citizens.

Experts have warned that domestic apps are very vulnerable to government intrusion and there are serious safety and privacy concerns including the fear that security services could be able to spy on people through them.

Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House of Representatives committee on foreign affairs, wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on June 30 seeking "a full and transparent accounting" about why Malley was suspended and was under investigation.

Malley’s suspension was first reported by Iran International June 29, and formally announced the following day by Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the US State Department, calling it "a leave of absence”, adding that his duties would be temporarily assumed by his deputy, Abram Paley. However, it is believed he had been suspended as early as April.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a US official said Malley was put on unpaid leave on June 29 after news broke that his security clearance was under review.

In a response made public by McCaul's office, Naz Durakoglu the assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs, said the agency had a "thorough and comprehensive process" to assess an individual's eligibility to access classified information.

"Consistent with longstanding Executive Branch and Department of State policies and practices, the Department is not in a position to provide further documents or information related to this personnel-security clearance matter," she said.

McCaul, in a brief statement, said: "This is an absolutely unacceptable response."

"Congress deserves to know exactly why the US Special Envoy (for) Iran had his security clearance suspended, was then suspended from his position, and now, according to news reports, is being investigated by the FBI," McCaul added, saying he would ask the agency for a classified briefing next week.

Former State Department Advisor on Iran Gabriel Noronha tweeted that the administration failed to clarify the nature of Malley’s security infractions and “they contemptuously refer Congress to the Foreign Affairs Manual.”

When news that his security clearance was under review broke on June 29, Malley said: "I have been informed that my security clearance is under review. I have not been provided any further information, but I expect the investigation to be resolved favorably and soon. In the meantime, I am on leave."

In a regular briefing on Tuesday, State Department spokesman Matt Miller said Malley "stopped performing the duties" of special envoy for Iran on June 29 and "went on leave "several weeks before that," but he declined to provide further details.

In fact, Malley was absent from a Congressional briefing in May, when the State Department said he could not attend because of a family health emergency.

Three other Republican senators spoke with Iran International on Tuesday, criticizing the Biden administration for its Iran policy and Malley’s security investigation.

Appointed soon after Democratic President Joe Biden took office in 2021, Malley had the task of trying to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Then-President Donald Trump, a Republican, had abandoned the pact in 2018 and reimposed U.S. sanctions on Iran.

But Iranians opposed to the Islamic Republic never trusted Malley, who they believed was inclined not to be tough with the regime and played down popular sentiments to replace the clerical regime with a secular and democratic government. Some US lawmakers have also hinted that they share the distrust.

Having failed to revive the deal, the United States has held talks with Iran to try to ease tensions by sketching out steps that could limit the Iranian nuclear program, release some detained U.S. citizens and unfreeze some Iranian assets abroad, Iranian and Western officials said in June.

With reporting by Reuters

Senator Scott of Florida told Iran International’s Arash Alaei, "I was just in the Middle East, and all I heard about was the menace of Iran."

"While in Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE, all of them were concerned about Iran's actions. I was there when Israel had to eliminate terrorists in Jenin... and when Iranian ships attempted to halt two tankers, but the US Navy intervened. Iran is a threat to the world," he added.

He also criticized the performance of US envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, stating that the last thing the US wants is another nuclear deal with the regime.

Reacting to the controversy surrounding Malley's secret leave of absence and the FBI's investigation into his mishandling of classified information, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) stated that it reflects the entire administration's policy toward Iran, which he believes makes no sense and is nothing short of disastrous.

Malley’s suspension was first reported by Iran International June 29, and formally announced the following day by Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the US State Department, calling it "a leave of absence”, adding that his duties would be temporarily assumed by his deputy, Abram Paley. However, it is believed he had been suspended as early as April.

Senator Hawley described the administration's policy on Iran as a "disaster" from day one and said, "The more we know, the worse it gets."

He expressed outrage at the administration's lack of transparency regarding Malley and his efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear accord. Referring to an article by Tehran Times, a publication controlled by the Iranian regime that provided astonishing details about Malley's situation, Senator Hawley criticized the government for not being forthcoming. He said, "You have a totalitarian regime publishing all this information and knowing it, yet your own government won't be honest with us about it." He further stated, "It's ridiculous."

"I feel like I've been lied to... They (the administration) lie to us all the time on various issues, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, China... It's a pattern in this administration."

Republican and sone Democrats have been opposed to President Joe Biden's policy of negotiating with the Islamic Republic to revive the 2015 JCPOA agreement that former President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018. The talks came to a deadlock in September 2022, after 18 months of multilateral diplomacy.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) also criticized Malley for his handling of Iran-related issues, stating, "I don't know the specific details, but I have always believed he was a terrible negotiator... I have never been a fan of his negotiations or their outcomes."

CBS News also confirmed Monday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating Robert Malley, although the matter is not considered criminal.

According to the Tehran Times, Malley was informed by the Diplomatic Security Department on April 21 that his security clearance had been suspended due to his failure to maintain classified documents accurately.