US Deputy Iran Envoy Tours South Caucasus

A report published by the Vokalapress website, a specialized news platform focusing on the legal profession of judicial lawyers in Iran, disclosed a list of lawyers who encountered summonses, arrests, criminal convictions, or prolonged imprisonment over the past year (ending in March).

Notable among the lawyers listed are Nasrin Sotoudeh and Saleh Nikbakht.

Nasrin Sotoudeh, a renowned human rights lawyer in Iran, has represented various opposition activists, politicians, and women arrested for violating Iran's mandatory hijab law.

In 2021, she was recognized as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World. Despite her contributions to human rights advocacy, Sotoudeh has faced harassment and was released on a medical furlough in July 2021.

Saleh Nikbakht, known as the family attorney of Mahsa Amini, received a severe sentence from an Iranian court for allegedly engaging in “propaganda against the regime.”

Amini's case garnered attention after she died from severe head injuries sustained while in detention for a hijab defiance. Nikbakht's summons came six months after Amini's death.

The report emphasizes the precarious position of lawyers, who encounter various risks and dangers, including prosecution, arrest, psychological and physical violence, harassment, and threats against their families.

The government's crackdown on civil, political, and protest activists has intensified following nationwide protests against the regime in September 2022, highlighting the broader context of repression faced by those advocating for human rights and justice in Iran.

In a message released Tuesday, Khamenei said, “The nefarious regime will be punished by our brave men. We will make them regret this crime and other ones like it, by God's will.”

His message came a day after an airstrike leveled Tehran’s consulate, next to the embassy building in Damascus’s Mezzeh district, killing Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Quds Force, the extraterritorial wing of the IRGC. General Mohammad-Hadi Haji-Rahimi, a deputy of Zahedi, and five other officers were also killed. 

Iran's state broadcaster announced that in addition to seven members of the Revolutionary Guards, six Syrians were also killed. At least one member of the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah was also killed in the strike, two security sources in Lebanon told Reuters.

Israel has not commented on the allegations. However, Iran International sources in Israel have revealed that the country has attacked Tehran’s consulate in response to the continuous and repeated attacks by the Islamic Republic and its proxy forces against Israel, including the drone strike on the Eilat naval base.

A drone, apparently launched from Iraq, struck a hangar in a naval base in Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat early Monday morning, the Israel Defense Forces said. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group representing several IRGC-backed factions, said it had struck a “vital target” in Israel “with appropriate weapons,” without elaborating further. Eilat has come under attack by other Iran-backed groups amid the war in the Gaza Strip, including Yemen’s Houthis and a group in Syria linked to Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Last month, a missile fired from Yemen landed outside the southern town of Eilat, penetrating Israel's Iron Dome air defense system which had failed to intercept targets fired to its southern front. 

A senior Israeli government official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said those hit had "been behind many attacks on Israeli and American assets and had plans for additional attacks." The embassy "was not a target", the official said.

The bombing was by all accounts an unprecedented escalation of hostilities that broke out on October 7, when Iran-backed Islamist militia Hamas invaded Israel, killed 1,200 mostly civilians and took 250 hostages. Israeli intelligence analyst, Ronen Solomon, from Intellitimes, says the target was indeed not diplomatic, but says the property was actually used as an IRGC-HQ to host staff members from the Revolutionary Guards.

Conflict has rippled across the Middle East since the start of the Gaza war. Up until now, Tehran has cautiously steered clear of direct confrontation with Israel while supporting allies engaged in attacks on Israeli and US targets.

Khamenei’s threat was echoed by senior Iranian officials, including President Ebrahim Raisi. He called the attack a “flagrant violation of international regulations,” vowing that it “will not go unanswered.” And Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf talked of “severe punishment.”

Khamenei's political advisor Ali Shamkhani, in a post on X, said the United States "remains directly responsible whether or not it was aware of the intention to carry out this attack". According to Axios, the US has told Iran that it "had no involvement" or advanced knowledge of the strike on the diplomatic compound.

On Monday night, Raisi presided over the meeting of the Supreme National Security Council. According to a statement by the council, “appropriate decisions were made” regarding the deadly attack. 

A large number of hardliners are calling for attacks on its embassies. Just last year, an Iran-backed plot to attack the Israeli embassy in Baku was foiled in a joint effort by Israeli and Azeri security.

Iranian officials frequently issue belligerent rhetoric, and chants of "Death to Israel" remain a common feature of state-sponsored events. According to Khamenei’s prophecy, Israel has 17 years left until its downfall.

However, the latest saber-rattling by Khamenei serves as a go-ahead for a direct attack on Israeli targets, exposing decades of animosity that had largely remained in the shadows.

In a report released on Monday, titled 'The Boot on My Neck: Iranian Authorities’ Crime of Persecution Against Baha’is in Iran', it highlights the persistent violations of Baha'is' rights over the past four decades.

According to the report, Iranian authorities have subjected Baha'is to a relentless campaign of harassment and discrimination, impacting every aspect of their lives. This persecution has intensified in recent years, coinciding with widespread protests for political and social change across Iran.

“Human Rights Watch believes that the cumulative impact of authorities’ decades-long systematic repression is an intentional and severe deprivation of Baha’is’ fundamental rights and amounts to the crime against humanity of persecution,” reads the report.

The report documents numerous instances of arbitrary arrests, property confiscation, and discriminatory policies aimed at marginalizing Baha'is in Iranian society. They also list the likes of property confiscation, restricted education and work opportunities and the denial of dignified burials among the list of means the government uses to oppress the Baha'i population.

Iranian courts have routinely targeted Baha'is solely based on their religious affiliation, labeling them as a "deviant cult" and an "illegal group."

According to unofficial estimates, Iran is home to more than 300,000 Baha'i citizens. However, despite their significant presence, the Iranian Constitution officially acknowledges only Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism as recognized religions. The omission renders Baha'is the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran.

While Iran is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Human Rights Watch asserts that the persecution of Baha'is constitutes a crime against humanity under international law, urging for action from the global community.

Hossein Shariatmadari, a hardliner aligned with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and head of the Kayhan Daily in Tehran, said, “The United Nations, which has recognized the Zionist regime, must firstly; respect the provisions of the Vienna Convention and secondly; respect the recognized principle of retaliation in international law and support Iran's attack on the diplomatic centers of the fake Israeli regime".

The suspected Israeli airstrike in Damascus resulted in the death of seven of its military advisers, including three senior commanders including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior leader of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Quds Force. General Mohammad-Hadi Haji-Rahimi, a deputy of Zahedi, was also killed in the strike.

Iran's ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari, confirmed the deaths and vowed a "harsh" response from Tehran.

Meanwhile, Jalal Rashidi Koochi, a senior member of the Iranian parliament, advocated for a “clear and direct” response targeting Israeli diplomatic centers in regional countries, with Azerbaijan suggested as a potential target.

Just last year, an Iran-backed plot to attack the Israeli embassy in Baku was foiled in a joint effort by Israeli and Azeri security. 

Iran's military installations in Syria have long been targeted by alleged Israeli airstrikes, but Monday's attack was the first time the embassy compound was hit.

Israeli intelligence analyst, Ronen Solomon, from Intellitimes, says the target was indeed not diplomatic, but says the property was actually used as an IRGC-HQ to host staff members from the Revolutionary Guards.

The Jewish state has ramped up strikes in Syria in parallel with its campaign against the Iran-backed Palestinian group Hamas, which ignited the Gaza war when on October 7 it invaded Israel, killing around 1,200 mostly civilians and took over 250 hostage.

Israel has not commented on the allegations.

The rial fell to almost 630,000 against the US dollar, a historic low by midday Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the news broke of an airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, the capital of Syria, on Monday. Before the attack the rial was trading at 612,000 against the dollar.

The euro reached 674,000 and the British pound 788,000 rials on Tuesday, leading to a stark outlook for inflation in Iran in the coming months.

The Damascus attack, which Israel has not acknowledged, was the most serious blow to Iran's regional ambitions since the killing of IRGC's Qasem Soleimani by a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020. The generals killed in the attack were all involved in leading Tehran's proxy forces in Lebanon and Syria, coordinating attacks against Israel and US military bases in the region.

Iran immediately accused Israel and vowed revenge, increasing the chances for an escalation of the fighting and simmering tensions in the region, in the wake of Hamas's invasion of Israel on October 7.

Iran's rial has fallen more than 20 percent since January, exceeding a 15-fold depreciation since 2018 when the United States withdrew from the JCPOA nuclear deal and imposed oil export and banking sanctions on Iran.

This has led to five consecutive years of high inflation, between 40 and 50 percent annually, impoverishing tens of millions of Iranians. Food prices have soared by triple digits and housing has become unaffordable for many working class people.