Iran Leads Global Surge in Recorded Executions in 2023, says Amnesty

Safi Al-Din, who had nine children, is related to prominent figures within Iran's militant networks. Her cousin is the father-in-law of Zainab, the daughter of the late Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC Quds Force.

Nasrallah did not attend his mother's funeral south of Beirut on Monday due to security concerns and the need to avoid exposure. Instead, his close associate and potential successor, Hashem Safi al-Din, who is the Chairman of the Hezbollah Executive Council, was present.

Iran's support for Hezbollah, its biggest and most powerful proxy, has been a key element of its foreign policy and regional strategy since the group's inception in the early 1980s. Tehran provides Hezbollah with extensive financial aid, estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars annually, in addition to advanced military equipment and training. 

The backing has transformed Hezbollah from a local militia into a formidable political and military entity in Lebanon, significantly influencing the country's political landscape and security situation. 

"We have no such thing as a file in the nuclear discussion. Nuclear activities continue within the framework of the system's policies under the supervision of the Supreme National Security Council," Bagheri Kani stated.

The acting foreign minister emphasized that nuclear activities are managed under the Supreme National Security Council, despite unofficial reports suggesting Shamkhani took over the management of the nuclear file. 

Shamkhani, who oversaw nuclear talks during former President Hassan Rouhani's tenure, served as Secretary General of the Supreme National Security Council for a decade.

On Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani responded ambiguously to questions about Shamkhani’s alleged new role, saying, "I have no specific comment on this matter." His vague response has been interpreted by many domestic media outlets as a tacit confirmation of the reports.

Bagheri Kani also addressed journalists about the ongoing indirect negotiations and message exchanges between Iran and the United States, stating, "Message exchanges continue as before, and there has been no interruption in the process."

Reports of Ali Shamkhani's appointment come in the wake of an Axios news article revealing that indirect negotiations took place on May 18 between Iranian and US officials in Muscat. According to informed sources quoted by Axios, this round of talks was the first since January and included Brett McGurk, advisor to the US President for Middle East affairs, and Abram Paley, the US special envoy to Iran.

The website did not disclose the identities of the Iranian officials involved in the discussions, which focused on addressing US concerns about the status of Iran's nuclear program.

The missile, described as the first Iranian anti-ship ballistic missile, is now in the hands of Yemeni fighters, enhancing their capability to target maritime vessels.

The revelation is significant as it confirms that Tehran has been arming its proxy forces in Yemen with advanced ballistic missiles.

This follows a pattern of Iran's military support to its allies in the region, further destabilizing the Middle East.

Tasnim's report also highlighted the history of the anti-ship ballistic missile's development, pointing out that Iran needs to be able to threaten US and other foreign navies in the broader Middle East.

In March, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps accused Iran of supplying ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine, highlighting Tehran's expanding role in global conflicts.

Since November, the Houthis have been using Iranian-supplied missiles and drones to attack commercial ships in the Red Sea, a critical global trade route. The attacks were initially a response to the Israeli military offensive in Gaza but have since severely disrupted maritime trade in the region.

The Houthi campaign in the Red Sea began after Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Muslim nations to blockade Israeli trade.

Despite US and British military strikes on Houthi targets starting in January aimed at degrading their arsenal, the group’s attacks have continued.

The situation has been exacerbated by the expiration of UN Security Council restrictions on Iran's export of certain missiles, drones, and related technologies in October. However, the United States and European Union have maintained sanctions on Iran's ballistic missile program, citing persistent concerns over the proliferation of Iranian weaponry to proxies in the Middle East and to Russia.

This ongoing transfer of advanced military technology to the Houthis underscores the Iranian regime's commitment to extending its influence and military capabilities through proxy warfare, posing a significant threat to regional and global stability.

This follows Khamenei's recent emphasis on encouraging political activities among pilgrims during this year's Hajj, raising concerns about the Islamic Republic's efforts to spread its propaganda.

Iranian media reported that the individuals were detained while filming a program in Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, a holy site in Saudi Arabia where political activities are strictly prohibited. They were dispatched by an office controlled by Khamenei that deals with Hajj affairs.

The group were detained in Saudi Arabia for a week before being released and sent back to Iran, according to Iranian media reports.

The group, which includes former director of IRGC-linked Ofogh TV Salim Ghafouri, Shafi' Sho'lekar, Mehdi Mo'ayedi, Mehdi Amiri, Pouria Soleimanzadeh, and Alireza Taban, were reportedly sent to Dubai on Tuesday evening and arrived in Iran the following day.

The head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) personally welcomed the team at Tehran’s airport and confirmed that the six members were sent back to Iran following the intervention of Saudi authorities.

Jebelli said he was unaware of the reason for the arrests, but noted that the group had been expelled from Saudi Arabia without performing the Hajj pilgrimage.

He also stated that Iranian authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Supreme Leader's Representative for Hajj Affairs, and the Iranian Embassy in Saudi Arabia, had been following up on the matter.

He emphasized that Iranian media personnel are regularly sent to perform the Hajj pilgrimage legally and that this incident was unprecedented.

In November, Saudi Arabia temporarily barred Iranian propagandist Ali-Akbar Raefipour from leaving the country as he tried to return to Iran after Hajj pilgrimage. Hardliner Raefipour who promotes apocalyptic views based on Shiite eschatology and the coming of promised savior Mahdi is known for his conspiracy theories.

According to IRIB News, Saudi police also arrested two more Iranian journalists, one from Al-Alam News Network and the other from IRIB News Agency, two days after detaining the first group.

The journalists were reportedly arrested "without cause" as they were getting out of their car to attend a Du'a' Kumayl ceremony, a mainly Shiite supplication, at the Iranian pilgrims' hotel.

IRIB did not provide any information on the whereabouts or condition of the two detained journalists.

Also on Wednesday, Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, reported that other Iranian journalists reporting on the Hajj pilgrimage remain in Saudi Arabia and have not faced any issues.

Iran has traditionally tried to politicize the hajj pilgrimage by organizing marches, chanting and demonstrations by pilgrims.

Earlier in May, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivered yet another anti-US and anti-Israeli speech, implicitly also attacking Saudi Arabia, saying that "Anyone who extends a hand of friendship to America and Israel is an oppressor."

The May 6 speech that was meant to be a guide for Iranians planning to go to Hajj pilgrimage turned out to be mainly about regional issues linked to the possible rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Referring to a term coined by his predecessor Ruhollah Khomeini, "Distancing from the infidels," which strained ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia and resulted in the death and injury of tens of pilgrims due to the chaos caused by Iranian government agents in Mecca during the Haj pilgrimage in 1987, Khamenei described this year's Haj agenda for Iranian pilgrims as "distancing from the criminal Zionist enemy and its supporters."

This marked a return to the hostile rhetoric that was softened by Khamenei when Iran resumed its ties with Saudi Arabia in early 2023 after seven years, in a China brokered deal between the two countries.

The relatives of Cecile Kohler, Jacques Paris, and Louis Arnaud, alongside their legal representatives, made a plea for their release outside the UN office in Geneva on Monday.

Noemi Koehler, the sister of Cecile Kohler, expressed deep concern over the deteriorating health of her sister and her partner, Jacques Paris, who have been detained for over two years.

"Today is an absolute emergency, their health is deteriorating, and it is time for this nightmare to end," she told AFP, emphasizing the urgent need for their release.

The French government has previously condemned Iran's use of foreign citizens and dual nationals as political pawns, criticizing Iran for adopting a policy of "state hostage-taking" and "blackmail". However, Tehran has dismissed these accusations as "interventionist and inappropriate."

Sylvie Arnoud, the mother of Louis Arnoud, echoed this urgency. "It is very important and necessary for us that their situation and arbitrary detention be recognized and that they be released as soon as possible," she said.

Arnoud, a banking consultant, was sentenced to five years in prison by an Iranian court last November. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the sentence as "unacceptable," citing a lack of legal representation for Arnoud during the proceedings.

Kohler, a teacher of contemporary French literature, was arbitrarily detained along with her partner Paris during a trip to Iran on charges of “espionage”. The families argue that these charges are baseless and politically motivated, part of what they describe as Iran's "hostage policy" to exert pressure on Western governments.

Both Paris and Kohler were subject to inhumane detention conditions including forced false confessions on state TV - a tactic commonly employed by the Iranian intelligence ministry. In 2020, a study by rights groups focused on human rights in Iran revealed that Iran’s state TV had aired over 350 forced confessions in the last decade on behalf of Iran’s security services.

In addition to Kohler, Paris, and Arnoud, another French citizen, known only as Olivier, is also imprisoned in Iran. His full identity remains undisclosed.

The families, accompanied by their lawyers, met with members of the UN's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, an independent panel mandated by the UN Human Rights Council.

Martin Pradel, one of the lawyers, argued that the detentions violate international conventions that Iran is party to, deeming the arrests arbitrary.

"We are in a hurry because we know that the conditions of their detention are very difficult," Pradel stated, hoping for a swift and decisive response from the UN working group by summer. Pradel further wrote on X that “Iran must stop its 'hostage diplomacy.'”

Louis Arnaud Support Committee - Arnaud’s loved ones' online petition to free Arnaud has gained 130,000 signatures so far. Marking Arnaud’s 607th day in detention, the Committee urged the public “to continue the chain of solidarity” by signing the petition, tagging French President Emmanuel Macron.

Noemie Kohler has also petitioned to Macron for help in bringing back her sister and Jacques home, calling on “France to do everything possible to obtain their release as a matter of urgency”. The petition further adds that during the entire two years of detention which included several months of solitary confinement, the Iranian authorities “only granted them three brief consular visits” and denied legal representation.

"We want the French President to understand that he needs to get angry and simply say that this situation is unacceptable," Pradel emphasized.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron raised eyebrows again on Tuesday when he expressed sympathy and condolences to the relatives of the man known as Tehran’s Butcher, the late Ebrahim Raisi. Raisi served as Iran’s President when the French citizens were arbitrarily detained and tortured.