Iran accuses Kuwait of exploiting disputed offshore field

Though each candidate only briefly touched on Iran, it was enough to reveal their contrasting strategies. Their differing approaches offered a stark choice: a return to Trump’s hardline tactics from his first term, centered on maximum pressure and sanctions, or a continuation of Biden’s strategy, which seeks to balance pressure with diplomatic engagement in managing Tehran.

In the debate, Vice President Harris stressed the importance of remaining vigilant against Iran's destabilizing activities in the region, although she did not clarify her specific position on sanctions against Iran. She reaffirmed her commitment to Israel's security, stating, “I will always give Israel the ability to defend itself, in particular as it relates to Iran and any threat that Iran and its proxies pose to Israel,” when addressing the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Trump, on the other hand, directly linked the improvement in Iran's financial situation and its support for regional terrorism to the Biden administration's decision to be lax about enforcing sanctions. While he did not mention Biden by name, Trump made it clear that he holds the current administration's actions responsible for Iran’s financial comeback. He argued, "Iran was broke under Donald Trump. Now Iran has $300 billion because they took off all the sanctions that I had..."

Though experts largely agree that Trump’s “maximum pressure” strategy significantly weakened Iran's economy and curtailed its ability to fund terrorist groups, his claim that Iran now has $300 billion is widely viewed as a substantial overstatement.

In 2023, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies estimated that Iran’s increase in oil exports since President Biden took office has netted the country an additional $32 billion to $35 billion.

Nonetheless, Trump placed the blame squarely on the Biden administration—and by extension, Harris as Vice President—for the chaos in the region and Iran's renewed ability to fund its proxy militias. He argued that the Biden administration's policies have directly fueled this resurgence. “Iran had no money for Hamas or Hezbollah or any of the 28 different spheres of terror... Now they're a rich nation. And now what they're doing is spreading that money around. Look at what's happening with the Houthis in Yemen. Look at what's going on in the Middle East. This would have never happened,” Trump stated during the debate on Tuesday night.

During Biden's presidency, Iran boosted oil exports to China from a low of 250,000 barrels per day to as high as 1.5 barrels by 2024.

While Trump recently claimed he does not seek outright hostility with Iran, he has made it clear that he will not permit the country to develop nuclear weapons. In an interview with Fox News, Trump warned, "If Iran acquires nuclear weapons, Israel is gone. It will be gone," underscoring the high stakes he attaches to preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power.

Trump and other Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for being too lenient on Iran, allowing it to circumvent US economic sanctions. They argue that this leniency enabled Tehran to arm Hamas, facilitating the October 7 attack on Israel.

During the debate, Trump went – characteristically – on the offensive, accusing Harris of being anti-Israel and pointing to incidents like her alleged refusal to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He painted a dire picture of her leadership, claiming it would spell disaster for Israel and potentially lead to its destruction. Positioning himself as Israel’s unwavering ally, Trump framed Harris and the Biden administration as threats to the nation's security and survival.

In response, Harris firmly rejected Trump’s claims, in turn claiming that she has been a long-standing support for Israel throughout her career and dismissing his accusations as baseless smears designed to deflect from his own foreign policy blunders. She sharply criticized Trump as “weak and wrong on national security and foreign policy,” calling out his admiration for dictators and his inconsistent strategies. "It is very well known that Donald Trump is weak and wrong on national security and foreign policy... And that is why we understand that we have to have a president who is not consistently weak and wrong on national security," Harris asserted.

Harris reinforced her stance by affirming Israel’s right to self-defense while advocating for a more comprehensive peace strategy—one that also recognizes Palestinian security and self-determination through a two-state solution.

The report from Amnesty International says “people in Iran continue to endure the devastating consequences of the authorities’ brutal crackdown on the Woman Life Freedom uprising amid systematic impunity for crimes under international law.”

This is in spite of the likes of the EU, US and UK imposing yet further sanctions on Iran for its rights abuses, alongside those in place for its nuclear program and and support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.

The statement comes on the eve of the two year anniversary of the uprising sparked by the death in morality police custody of Mahsa Amini, arrested for not wearing her Islamic head covering correctly.

It since sparked nationwide protests and the government has imposed even tougher measures against hijab rebellion in addition to a wave of executions.

“No effective, impartial and independent criminal investigations have taken place into the serious human rights violations and crimes under international law by Iranian authorities during and in the aftermath of the nationwide protests of September-December 2022, including security forces’ extensive and unlawful use of force and firearms,” Amnesty said, over 550 civilians killed during the protests by Iran’s security forces.

“Security forces fired assault rifles, shot guns loaded with metal pellets and

teargas canisters, and severely beat protesters with batons, resulting in the unlawful killing of hundreds of protesters and bystanders, including scores of children, and life-changing injuries to many more,” its investigation concluded.

In addition, Amnesty highlighted the crackdown on families of protesters as the authorities have sought to silence relatives seeking truth and justice for the unlawful killings of their loved ones through “arbitrary detention, unjust prosecution, death threats and other relentless harassment”.

Women and girls continue to be violently arrested by morality police, which has seen deaths including 16-year-old Armita Geravand.

“Two years on, the authorities have also further escalated their assault on human

rights, waging a “war on women and girls” through an increasingly violent crackdown on those defying draconian discriminatory compulsory veiling laws and have intensified their use of the death penalty to silence dissent,” the report said.

Amnesty spoke of the Noor Plan launched in April to target mass hijab rebellion. It has seen “a visible increase of security patrols on foot, motorbikes, car and police vans in public spaces to enforce compulsory veiling” by Iran’s security apparatus.

It has also led to “dangerous car chases to stop women drivers on the road, mass confiscation of their vehicles, imprisonment, as well as flogging and other penalties amounting to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” Amnesty noted.

Last month, a video circulated on social media showed multiple agents violently assaulting two 14-year-old girls who had removed their headscarves.

Executions have soared. Last year, it was revealed that Iran executed over 850 people as it cracked down on dissent, with hundreds more killed this year as the authorities “resorted to use of the death penalty as a tool of oppression to terrorize the public”, the report added.

It noted the disproportionate number of executions of Baluchis as the ethnic minority is particularly targeted by the government.

In addition to those killed for protesting, over a dozen people remain at risk of execution or being sentenced to death in connection with the protests.

“Over the past two years, the authorities have continued to deny that officials

subjected those detained during the protests to torture and other ill-treatment,

including rape and other forms of sexual violence,” Amnesty’s report said, including children as young as 12.

In March 2024, the High Council for Human Rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran,

which is not an independent body and sits within the judiciary, responded to Amnesty International’s investigation stating that Iran’s judiciary had investigated complaints and “found that in 28 out of 31 provinces, no complaints were filed under the headings of rape, assault and sexual harassment” as the government continues to deny the gravity of the situation.

In April, the UN Human Rights Council extended the mandate of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran (FFMI) “but Iranian authorities persist in refusing to cooperate with the independent body and deny its members access to the country,” Amnesty wrote.

It had similarly put up obstacles to the UN’s nuclear inspectors as the veil of secrecy continues to shroud Iran, making justice for the country’s people ever more elusive.

Compiled by the Artistic Freedom Initiative (AFI) and Voices Unbound (VU), the 100-page document urges the global community to recognize art as a form of political resistance and to take immediate steps to safeguard artists facing persecution.

Despite condemnation from the international community, the report says dozens of Iranian artists are serving prison terms, and some face execution as a direct result of their creative work.

The protests in Iran, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini in September 2022 after being detained by the so-called morality police for allegedly wearing "improper hijab," quickly escalated into a nationwide uprising.

The "Women, Life, Freedom" movement, as it became known, saw Iranians from across the country calling for regime-change and voicing their opposition to systemic discrimination, repression, and violence by the Iranian state.

Tehran, in turn, responded with a brutal crackdown, imprisoning tens of thousands of protestors on arbitrary grounds to punish them for their participation and discourage them from taking part in future protests. Hundreds were killed in the security apparatus’ efforts to stifle protests.

While several previous publications have documented the widespread human rights abuses committed by Iranian authorities, this new study shifts the focus to the central role of art and artists in political resistance.

Although artists like renowned rapper Toomaj Salehi have long been targets of state persecution, the analysis reveals that the regime has intensified its tactics, imposing severe censorship, imprisonment, and even torture on those who dare to express dissent.

By presenting comprehensive accounts from artists, the document illuminates the critical role many played in amplifying the voices of the 2022-2023 protests through their creative work and exposes the legal mechanisms used by Iran's judicial system to suppress dissent.

While providing new insights into how these legal tools are systematically used to suppress artistic expression and silence opposition, the report also provides a comprehensive analysis of how the Iranian government has systematically targeted artists who supported the movement.

It reveals the various tactics used by the regime, such as censorship, surveillance, arbitrary arrests, forced confessions, travel bans, and extraterritorial repression, to silence these artists. This highlights a pattern of suppression specifically aimed at controlling artistic expression, which the report argues is a form of resistance in Iran's repressive environment.

The report draws on interviews and testimonies of artists like Zhinos Taghizadeh, Nazanin Nourozi, and Yalda Moaiery who have experienced censorship, exile, and prosecution.

Moaiery, a photojournalist, was detained while capturing images at one of the initial Woman, Life, Freedom demonstrations in September 2022.

Moaiery told AFI and VU that she was given no explanation for her arrest. After being identified by police officers while she was in prison, Moaiery was separated from the other women protestors and placed into solitary confinement for extended periods. Moaiery, who is currently in the US, explained that she had been arbitrarily detained and tortured by authorities several times throughout her career prior to this instance, and that the experience of being subjected to solitary confinement continues to weigh heavily on her mental and emotional health.

In urging a redefined understanding of artistic expression as a significant form of political dissent and its critical role in the “Women, Life, Freedom" protest movement, the report and several contributors call on the international community to take urgent action to support Iranian artists under threat.

They call for the provision of more resources for legal aid, creating safe haven and immigration pathways, amplifying their voices globally, and imposing targeted sanctions on those persecuting them.

“The international community must acknowledge the invaluable contributions of Iranian artists as defenders of human rights,” Johanna Bankston, Senior Officer of Human Rights Research & Policy at AFI, said in a press release. “It is imperative to support their courageous efforts and ensure their safety amidst ongoing persecution.”

The report says its recommendations aim to protect artistic freedom and ensure that Iranian artists can continue to resist oppression and share their powerful messages with the world.

According to Tehran’s envoy in Baghdad, Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadegh, President Pezeshkian was invited by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani. In addition to visiting the capital, Baghdad, Pezeshkian will also travel to the Shiite city of Basra and the Kurdish region of Erbil during his official visit.

He met al-Sudani at the airport, where they reviewed a guard of honour. The visit would include the signing of a number of agreements and discussion of the Gaza war and the situation in the Middle East.

"We are planning to sign several agreements," Iran's state media quoted Pezeshkian as saying before his departure.

Pezeshkian also held a meeting with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday that around 15 MoUs would be signed, Iranian state media reported. "We have several cooperation areas, including political, regional ... and security issues," Araqchi said.

The relationship between the Islamic Republic and Iraq is complex, with Tehran wielding significant influence over its Arab neighbor through the Shiite religious, political, and paramilitary groups it supports. However, tensions arise due to the presence of Iranian Kurdish armed groups sheltering in Iraq's Kurdistan region, complicating the dynamic between the two nations.

In March 2023, Iran and Iraq signed a security agreement under which Tehran gave Iraq a deadline of September 19, 2023, to disarm Iranian Kurdish parties based in the Kurdistan region and close their military camps.

Last week, just before Pezeshkian’s scheduled visit, three Iranian Kurdish armed groups were relocated to a "less accessible" camp in Iraqi Kurdistan after months of pressure from Tehran on both the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraq’s central government.

A rare partner of both the United States and Iran, Iraq hosts 2,500 US troops and has Iran-backed militias linked to its security forces. Since 2019, these groups have periodically targeted US military bases in Iraq, occasionally soliciting military responses from the United States. The attacks escalated after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and mostly stopped in February after retaliatory US air strikes on the Iran-backed groups.

"We are planning to sign several agreements," Iran's state media quoted Pezeshkian as saying ahead of the visit. "We will meet senior Iraqi officials in Baghdad."

The United States and Iraq have reached an understanding on plans for the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, say sources familiar with the matter.

Iran has carried out artillery and missile attacks on targets in Iraq Kurdistan in the past, saying it is used as a staging ground for Iranian separatist groups as well as agents of its arch-foe Israel.

"We have several co-operation areas, including political, regional ... and security issues," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said ahead of the president's trip, according to state media.

Iran’s expectations from the Iraqi government, however, go further than simply relocating Kurdish groups they have demanded the extradition of dozens of separatist leaders and the complete disarming of all militias.

Iran exports electricity to Iraq, with US permission despite American sanctions, however recouping the proceeds in hard currency has been an issue for Tehran, because Washington has not waived banking sanctions on Iran. Last year, the Biden administration allowed Iraq to pay $11 billion in accumulated debts to Iran, but only indirectly.

In its latest report, Human Rights Watch said “two years after the outbreak of the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests, Iranian authorities continue to silence and punish family members demanding accountability for violations against their loved ones.”

Among them is Mashallah Karami, father of protester Mohammad, who was executed in January 2023. He has since been sentenced to 8 years and 10 months in prison on fake charges of “participation in money laundering” and “obtaining property through illegitimate means.” Now, he faces a fine and the confiscation of his assets as part of his sentence.

“Iranian authorities are brutalizing people twice over; executing or killing a family member and then arresting their loved ones for demanding accountability,” said Nahid Naghshbandi, acting Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“The Iran judiciary should urgently free unlawfully detained family members and ensure fair trials and a transparent judicial process for anyone accused of a crime.”

Minors have also fallen victim to the crackdown. According to Baluch human rights group Halvash, Faramarz Abil Barahoui, the 15-year-old brother of Esmaeel Abil Barahoui, a victim of the Bloody Friday crackdown on protesters in Zahedan in 2022, has been sentenced to eight months in prison. Halvash reported last year that he was arrested after he visited his brother's grave.

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network also reported that on September 3, security agents raided the home of the family of Zanyar Aboubakri, who was shot and killed during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Mahabad in October 2022, arresting his 16-year-old brother, Ramyer.

It is part of a nationwide crackdown on dissent. “Iranian authorities have a long track record of pressuring families whose loved ones were killed by security forces or executed by Iranian courts”, HRW said, including threatening and pressuring families of victims from the 2019 protests, as well as families of those killed on Flight PS752, a Ukrainian Airlines flight shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard in 2020, to deter them from pursuing accountability.

The report comes while Amnesty International released information regarding the imminent execution of human rights defender Sharifeh Mohammadi. She was sentenced to death in June in relation to her peaceful human rights activities.

A campaigner for women’s and workers’ rights as well as the abolition of the death penalty, she was a member of a legal workers’ committee in Iran until 2011, when independent trade unions were banned. "Her trial was grossly unfair, and her allegations of torture and other ill-treatment were never investigated,” the rights group said.

Amnesty also noted that “in the aftermath of the Woman Life Freedom uprising, Iranian authorities have intensified their use of the death penalty to install fear among the population and tighten their grip on power …. [including] the use of the death penalty against women on politically motivated charges”.

Last year alone, Iran executed more than 850 people. Iran Human Rights reported that Iranian authorities executed 249 people in the first six months of 2024, though under the secrecy of Iran’s government, it is believed the numbers could be higher.