Iran International
The number of HIV infections in Iran contracted via sexual intercourse has more than doubled according to the country's top research body in the field, highlighting the theocracy's strict policy toward contraception.
“HIV transmission through sexual contact has increased, with 28 percent of the 24,760 individuals who tested positive contracting the virus this way," Ladan Abbassian, the head of the country’s AIDS Research Center told IRGC-affiliated Tasnim on Saturday, without specifying a time period.
"This percentage rose to 65 percent in the first six months (of the Iranian calendar starting in mid-March 2024), indicating a shift in infection patterns.”
Women made up 19 percent of the total who tested positive for HIV, a figure that increased to 32 percent from March to August 2024. This shift marks a significant change in transmission patterns, which were previously dominated by men, Abbasian added.
Nearly three-quarters of those diagnosed with HIV are aged 20 to 45. “This age group should be the primary target for awareness and diagnostic efforts,” she said.
Drug users make up 53 percent of HIV cases, with 10 percent of those diagnosed in the first half of this year reporting injection drug use.
Experts have warned that government-imposed restrictions on contraceptive methods and the discontinuing of free distribution of contraceptives in some health centers could lead to a rise in HIV infections.
In 2021, Masoud Mardani, a member of the National HIV/Aids committee and professor at Shahid Beheshti medical university criticized these policies, saying that restrictions on contraceptive use to boost population growth not only risk unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections but could also trigger a wave of HIV cases due to limited access to preventative tools.
In 2014 Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei announced that Iran should aim to increase the population – which is now around 85 million – to 150 million by 2050.
Despite officials’ efforts to implement directives, the population growth strategy has failed, with many attributing this to Iran’s dire economic conditions, as birth rates continue to fall and the population is projected to halve by the end of the century.
The rise in HIV cases among women and young adults in Iran reflects shifting transmission patterns and may underscore the need for stronger prevention strategies and better access to care to curb the virus's spread.
The swift capture of Syria’s second-largest city by opposition groups, including Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has dealt a blow to Iranian-backed forces and raised questions about Tehran’s long-term strategy in the region.
Commander Hossein Daghighi, an advisor to the IRGC, vowed retaliation, saying, "The enemy is incapable of taking any effective action, as the resistance networks have been systematically organized.”
His remarks coincided with reports by opposition forces indicating that Assad's forces and his allies have been in retreat from their position around Aleppo.
“Their attempts to meddle in Syria will result in their hand being decisively severed, leaving a mark on history that will not be forgotten," Daghighi said on Saturday.
Another Iranian official commented, “The enemy has exploited the ceasefire conditions in Lebanon and seeks to plunge Syria into chaos.”
“I assure you that the enemies will fail as they have in the past," Iraj Masjedi, Deputy Coordinator of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard, said on Saturday.
Islamic Republic officials use the term "enemy" to refer to Israel or the United States.
Iranian state media also echoed this defiance, warning of repercussions for what they called a sedition. Despite such declarations, the rapid collapse of pro-Assad forces in Aleppo marks a challenge for Iran's Islamic government.
The fall of Aleppo comes after years of Iranian support for Assad’s military, including financial aid, weapons, and personnel from the IRGC and allied militias such as Hezbollah. These forces have propped up the Syrian regime in its efforts to reclaim territory since the civil war began in 2011. However, the latest rebel offensive has demonstrated the limits of Tehran’s capabilities that have weakened in recent months because of relentless Israel attacks against Hezbollah.
Opposition forces have exploited weaknesses in Assad’s overstretched troops, many of whom rely on Iranian support. Mustafa Abdul Jaber, a commander in the Jaish al-Izza opposition brigade in Syria, told Reuters that Iran’s focus on other fronts, including Gaza and Lebanon, has left gaps in its ability to defend Assad’s forces in Aleppo.
However, Iranian state media have also sought to downplay the implications of Aleppo’s loss, portraying it as part of a broader Western and Israeli plot to destabilize the region.
The Kayhan newspaper accused the US and its allies of reviving “takfiri terrorists” to pressure Iran to resume negotiations with the West over its nuclear dossier and disrupt its regional influence.
It claimed the goal was to sever vital communication links between Iran and its allies in Lebanon and Gaza.
"The Resistance Axes are the arms of Iran, our allies, and our friends. An attack on them is an attack on our capabilities. Over the past couple of days, during the war in Syria and Aleppo, several Iranians have been martyred. Therefore, the ultimate and primary target of this new war and the 'Aleppo sedition' is Iran."
Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, had earlier condemned the rebel offensive as a violation of Syria’s sovereignty.
“According to the existing agreements among the three guarantor countries of the Astana Process (Iran, Turkey, and Russia), the outskirts of Aleppo and Idlib are considered de-escalation zones. Terrorist groups' attacks on these areas constitute a blatant violation of the Astana Process agreements and put the positive achievements of this process at serious risk,” said Baghaei on Thursday.
However, these statements fail to mask the broader setbacks Tehran is facing. The death of senior Iranian IRGC commander General Kioumars Pourhashemi during the Aleppo clashes underscores the high costs of Iran’s involvement in Syria.
Rouydad 24, a moderate Iranian news website, reported that the resurgence of Syria's civil war is linked to recent developments in Gaza and Lebanon.
It that from the perspective of the attackers and their strategists, the ceasefire in Lebanon and Hezbollah's commitment to the agreement, "Hamas's isolation in its uneven war with Israel," and Russia's preoccupation with the war in Ukraine have created an opportunity to corner Bashar al-Assad and his political system.
“If successful, this opportunity could, on the one hand, secure Israel's security interests by limiting the Resistance Axis's ability to support Hezbollah and, consequently, Hamas, while also altering the foreign policy stance of Assad's political regime. On the other hand, it could force Damascus to accept demands pursued by Turkey and the United States through their occupation of parts of Syrian territory,” Jalal Khoshchehreh, an analyst wrote for Rouydad 24.
