Iran sees record divorce rates as couples blame economic hardships

Iran's embattled Vice President for Strategic Affairs and former foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, authored an article in Foreign Affairs titled "How Iran Sees the Path to Peace," stating, "The Islamic Republic is open to negotiations – including with America."

Zarif added: "Instead of increasing pressure on Iran, the West should pursue positive-sum solutions. The nuclear deal provides a unique example, and the West should look to revive it. But to do so, it must take concrete and practical actions—including political, legislative, and mutually beneficial investment measures—to make sure Iran can benefit economically from the agreement, as was promised. Should Trump decide to take such steps, then Iran is willing to have a dialogue that would benefit both Tehran and Washington."

While Zarif talked about "reviving" the 2015 nuclear deal, the United States clearly wants a totally new deal covering matters beyond the nuclear issue, including Iran's regional ambitions and its missile program which happens to be a source of concern for Iran's neighbors and European states.

Despite Zarif's overture, hardliner analyst Foad Izadi who is characterized by the Iranian state television as an expert on the United States, told conservative Nameh News website in Tehran: "We cannot say with a one hundred percent assurance whether negotiating with the United States is good or bad for Iran as we do not have access to confidential information."

Expressing distrust of the United States, Izadi accused the US, along with Turkey, of involvement in the Syrian insurgents' surprise attack on government forces allied with Iran. As evidence for his claim, he cited Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who remarked that "the United States was not surprised" by the attack on Aleppo, despite Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main insurgent group, being designated as a terrorist organization by the US.

Izadi further alleged, "If the Americans did not design the attack, they were at least aware of it—and they are undoubtedly pleased with what is happening in Syria." He added, "The United States' plan is to settle scores with the Islamic Republic within the next four years, as beyond that, it will be unable to act due to Iran's membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS agreements."

He further charged that Iranian supporters of negotiations with the United States are not aware that the other sides use negotiations only “to buy time, to confuse Iranian officials and to wage a psychological war on Iranians."

Iran should negotiate with the United States only when the officials can say with a high degree of certainty that the country is going to be better off after the talks, Izadi said.

Former head of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Relations Committee, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, told the Khabar Online website in Tehran that China and Russia favor Trump's "maximum pressure" policy against Iran. He added that Russia is also wary of any potential agreement between Iran and Europe. However, he noted that Europe’s primary goal in its negotiations with Tehran is to address its own concerns.

Falahatpisheh emphasized that the United States remains the primary actor in negotiations with Iran. He argued that Iran's best course of action is to persuade Europe not to allow itself to be leveraged by the US to trigger the 2015 nuclear deal’s snapback mechanism against Iran.

He concluded, "Trump will never engage in negotiations that do not advance the interests of the United States."

Javad Ghaffari, a senior figure in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was reported to have arrived in Damascus on Sunday, Iran's state-run Al-Alam news website reported, hours after Iran’s foreign minister said Iranian forces could be deployed to Syria if requested by Assad.

Ghaffari was sanctioned by the United States in September 2024 for his role in “targeting critics of the Iranian regime abroad” as head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization’s Special Operations Division.

Previously, Ghaffari spent a several years in Syria leading forces, including Hezbollah fighters and the Afghan Fatemiyoun militia in campaigns to reclaim key central and Eastern cities Palmyra, Deir ez-Zor, and Al-Bukamal from opposition groups.

He was dubbed Butcher of Aleppo by his foes following the bloody battle over Syria’s second largest city, where thousands were killed and injured.

Despite his military successes, Ghaffari had to leave Syria in 2021, according to Times of Israel, after his actions — including attacking American forces and deploying Iranian weapons to unauthorized locations — were deemed by Damascus to have contravened Syrian sovereignty. The report was not independently confirmed.

His re-emergence underscores Iran’s enduring influence in Syria and Assad’s precarious situation following the recent advances of his adversaries.

Armed groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a significant offensive last week, violating a four-year-old truce and seizing substantial portions of Aleppo and its suburbs, as well as areas around the northwestern city of Idlib.

The Syrian army has responded by retreating from key positions in Aleppo to regroup in northern Hama. Reinforcements and equipment are arriving in the area, with preparations for a large-scale counteroffensive underway to reclaim lost territories.

Ghaffari’s presence signals both a renewed Iranian commitment to Assad’s survival and the high stakes of the ongoing conflict.

“There are too many questions about the execution [of the hijab law] for me who must implement it… Will society accept this? … We must not do something that will cause discontent among others [for offering services to unveiled women],” Pezeshkian said in his second televised interview with state television since taking office.

According to political analysts, Pezeshkian is facing immense pressure from his supporters to resist pressure from ultra-hardline factions urging him to sign the finalized law.

“An unjust law will not be enforced, and if it is, it will create discontent,” Pezeshkian said in the interview, later adding that he was consulting with other authorities to seek a resolution to the current impasse.

He also suggested that ultra-hardliners had tried to cause a challenge to his newly formed government by demanding the enforcement of the hijab law as soon as he took office.

In response to the interview, conservative politician and journalist Mohammad Mohajeri posted on X, saying “Pezeshkian announced in the televised interview, correctly, that the hijab law is not implementable and will bear no outcome other than discontent in the society.”

“This law will not only not encourage anyone to wear the hijab but will also create new challenges with an unpredictable outcome in the difficult current circumstances. The solution is to be reasonable,” Mohajeri added.

During his presidential campaign, Pezeshkian pledged to end hijab patrols and violence against women for dress code violations. Now, his supporters and some reformist-aligned media are openly calling on him to honor that commitment.

Sazandegi newspaper printed an image of Pezeshkian’s tweet during the campaign on its front page on Monday with the headline “A Promise Should Be Fulfilled” across the top in prominently large letters.

At the time, several high-profile politicians backed Pezeshkian’s promise by declaring that they guaranteed that Pezeshkian would not keep his promises – including current Vice President for strategic affairs Javad Zarif.

Mandatory hijab regulations were first introduced in 1981, following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and formally enforced in 1983.

The details of the new hijab law, unveiled by domestic media on Saturday, including stricter measures and the potential rise of vigilantism, have deeply unsettled many Iranians.

In response to a solicitation for audience opinions, many citizens told Iran International this week that they fear the new law will be used as a tool for state-driven financial exploitation.

They expressed concerns that, rather than relying on the morality police, the government might enforce hijab rules through cash fines, prison sentences, and measures like denying women access to social rights and services.

The ultra-hardliner Kayhan newspaper, unexpectedly, on Monday criticized the new hijab law from a different perspective and accused reformists of using the controversies over it to “oppose the hijab as a principle”.

Kayhan contended that there was no need for a new hijab law and argued that insistence on new methods of enforcement instead of the so-called morality police patrols has resulted in a “several-fold increase in the foul and destructive spectacle of unveiling.”

In the recent interview, Pezeshkian also insisted that the enforcement of the hijab law will affect not only the women who have chosen to be unveiled but also others because it threatens to penalize restaurants and drivers of ride-hailing services for not refusing service or reporting them to authorities.

"They want to penalize Snapp drivers for unveiling their passengers. This causes discontent. What does [the unveiling of the passenger] have to do with him?" he asked.

Impasse over hijab law amid government infighting

The ultra-hardline-dominated Guardian Council gave its final approval to the hijab law in mid-September.

Typically, the president officially communicates such legislation to all government agencies within a few days for implementation.

The law has been in limbo, however, since then due to Pezeshkian's refusal to take the required step. Pezeshkian is not the first president to refuse to take responsibility for legislation they opposed. In a few instances in the past, former Presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hassan Rouhani took the path of shifting the responsibility to the speaker.

If Pezeshkian continues to refuse to communicate the law, the onus to give the hijab law official status will be on Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf.

Pezeshkian and Ghalibaf's fraught relationship has recently worsened, over another government bill aimed at preventing Vice President Zarif's exclusion from the government over his son's American citizenship.

Last week, Ghalibaf signaled a shift by aligning with ultra-hardline factions, declaring Zarif's appointment illegal and asserting the hijab law would become official by 13 December, though he did not clarify who would authorize its communication.

Since Pezeshkian’s appointment, the enforcement of the state’s existing hijab regulations has continued and intensified. Several high-profile cases underscore the authorities' ongoing focus on forcibly regulating women’s public behavior.

The ongoing standoff arises amid continued societal backlash against the enforcement of the hijab, compounded by years of dissent and protests.

The profits come from sales abroad to mostly Asian markets as well as diversion to Iraqi asphalt plants at government-subsidized prices, the news agency reported citing sources and Western intelligence reports.

They estimated that the proceeds from the illicit trade ranged from $1 billion to over $3 billion annually.

Energy-rich Iran faces obstacles to getting its crude oil and fuel to the global market and has for years used complex routes and shadow fleets to disguise its flows and skirt mostly Western sanctions.

Iraq's leadership is composed mostly of Iran's co-religionists from the preponderant Shia community, and the ascendant political parties are supported by Iraqi armed groups funded and armed by Tehran.

One of those militias, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, is a key backer of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and according to the Reuters report is central to the smuggling operation.

Some of the asphalt plants the report said were involved are under the control of the group and another militia Kataib Hezbollah, which is more directly backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“The Islamic Republic neither commands resistance groups in Arab countries nor maintains organizational ties with them but supports their cause and, if needed, provides assistance.” Abbas Araghchi was quoted as saying by the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed website on Tuesday.

The remarks come as Syria's stalemated civil war was suddenly jolted last week as rebels led by hardline Islamists launched an offensive which captured Aleppo, the second biggest city, in a setback to a key regional ally of the Islamic Republic.

Araghchi revealed his intention to visit Russia for discussions on Syria, emphasizing the need to calm the conflict and present initiatives for a long-term resolution.

“We have made extensive preparations to calm the situation in Syria and create opportunities for presenting initiatives and establishing a permanent solution,” he added.

Araghchi also addressed Syria’s demands for a Turkish withdrawal as a prerequisite for renewed ties between Damascus and Ankara, calling it a logical condition.

He further criticized Turkey’s support for armed groups opposing Assad, warning that the expansion of activities by terrorist groups—a term Araghchi attributed to certain opposition factions—poses a greater threat to regional neighbors than to Iran.

“We are always seeking consultation and dialogue with Turkey regarding our differences,” he said.

Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Tuesday that the foreign minister conveyed the country's policy opposing what he described as terrorism during recent visits to Syria and Turkey.

“Terrorism is a contagious disease that does not stop in one place. If countries do not cooperate in combating this problem, all nations will undoubtedly be affected,” he said at an economic conference in Mashhad.

Fighting intensifies in Syria

Meanwhile, northeast Syria has seen renewed combat as US-backed Kurdish forces clashed with Assad’s troops.

Airstrikes targeted Iranian-backed militias in the Deir al-Zor region, with Syrian and security sources attributing the attacks to the US-led coalition.

The coalition has not commented, and there was no independent confirmation of the strikes.

The conflict poses a significant challenge for Assad, whose forces are grappling with rebel advances near Aleppo and Hama.

Syrian state media reported intensified Russian and Syrian airstrikes in response, while rescue workers reported civilian casualties from hospital bombings in Aleppo and Idlib.

These developments complicate an already volatile regional landscape, with conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon still rumbling despite a fresh ceasefire aimed at ending the war between Hezbollah and Israel.

Analysts warn that escalation in Syria could spill over into neighboring countries, deepening instability across the Middle East.

As Iran positions itself as a key player in Syria’s future, Araghchi’s remarks highlight Tehran’s dual strategy: supporting Assad militarily while pursuing diplomatic engagement with Turkey and Russia.