Iranian Officials Hail Regional Military Strikes
Iranian officials continue to laud the missile attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on positions in Pakistan, Iraq, and Syria.
Iranian officials continue to laud the missile attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on positions in Pakistan, Iraq, and Syria.
Ahmad Jannati, Secretary of the Guardian Council, hailed the missile operations, stating, "the recent intelligent and powerful missile operations by the IRGC against terrorist forces once again demonstrate the comprehensive and faith-based prowess of the Islamic Republic."
Vice-President for Parliamentary Affairs, Mohammad Hosseini also said that "the action by the armed forces was very valuable and demonstrated that our words were not merely for appeasing the people."
On Tuesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed a series of missile and drone operations against Iraq, Pakistan, and Syria. They claimed a “spy headquarters” in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, as well as ISIS centers in Syria and Jaish al-Adl militants’ group inside Pakistani territory were targeted.
President Ebrahim Raisi said the attacks were a step towards "tranquility" during the Wednesday cabinet session, though it has inflamed already mounting tensions in the region into new fronts.
The missile strike on Tuesday marked Iran's first significant incursion into Pakistan's sovereign territory. In retaliation for Iran's missile attack, Pakistan targeted several locations inside Iranian territory early on Thursday, resulting in the death of nine, including three women and four children, according to official Iranian news agencies.
On Tuesday, Iran's state broadcaster (IRIB) took an uncommon step by featuring a female presenter wearing an outfit that deviated from the traditional dress code enforced on women in Iran. This attire has historically subjected many Iranian women to various forms of trouble, including being denied entry into government buildings.
Zhila (Jila) Sadeghi who hosted a morning program wore a cream-colored, tailored jacket over a long, frilly black skirt and a patterned headscarf of red, gold and cream, and lots of make-up which made her look very much like hijab-wearing women in some other countries of the region, particularly Turkey and Lebanon. In the past, she had mostly appeared on air wearing a chador.
Most female presenters wear a long black veil (chador) over a lighter colored headscarf that tightly covers their hair and neck. Others wear a less condoned outfit consisting of a long coat (manteau), wide-legged trousers and a large headscarf coming down to the chest to disguise their figures as much as possible. Make-up, particularly lipstick, is not tolerated.
Sadeghi's strikingly different attire, particularly given her reputation as a staunch regime advocate, made significant waves in Iranian media and social media. While the media in Tehran reported on IRIB's new approach without extensive commentary, presumably due to concerns about censorship, it did not escape the notice of social media users.
On social media, many users interpreted this move as a hypocritical attempt to portray a more favorable image of the regime's stance on hijab ahead of the elections, rather than a genuine shift in the regime's approach to the issue. Some pointed out that over the past year, authorities in Iran have shuttered numerous businesses, confiscated many vehicles, and harassed thousands of women over hijab-related issues, leading to the tragic deaths of two young women, Mahsa (Jina) Amini and Armita Geravand, both of whom sustained fatal head injuries from hijab enforcers.
Ali Ahmadnia, journalist, pointed out on Twitter that not long ago a woman wearing the same kind of outfit would be detained by hijab police and accused of being “the enemy’s foot soldier who wants to undermine religious beliefs”. “But now there is a TV host wearing a jacket suit on air. What things we have not witnessed!” he tweeted.
However, some observers stressed that a television host does not have the autonomy to decide her on-air appearance, suggesting that Sadeghi's attire must have been dictated or at least approved by individuals with significant decision-making authority within the organization or even the regime.
Iran is set to hold parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections on March 1, with the latter responsible for appointing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's successor. Authorities, including Khamenei, who have historically argued that high voter turnout is a testament to the regime's legitimacy, appear to be deeply concerned about the possibility of very low turnout in the upcoming elections.
Polls conducted so far indicate that turnout may even be lower than the 2020 parliamentary elections and 2021 presidential elections both of which set the lowest turnout records in the history of the Islamic Republic. Some estimates indicate a turnout as low as 10 percent.
Disillusioned with the regime’s claims of improving ordinary people’s lives, frustrated by lack of social and political freedoms and vast corruption, as well as harsh treatment of critics and dissidents, many Iranians have made up their minds not to vote in any elections again because they don’t expect their votes to change anything.
In his recent speeches Khamenei stressed the collective responsibility to mobilize the electorate.
