Eye on Iran: Iranian Crackdown Ensnares Journalists, Activists and Poets

Join UANI           Top Stories WashPost: "A prominent Iranian recently blasted the symbiotic relationship between state media and security forces, saying he can tell by reading the critical stories who is about to be arrested. That disgruntled Iranian was not some activist for press freedom but Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani. His unusual critique in a speech broadcast on state television last weekend demonstrates how much conflict within the Iranian government has spilled into the open in the wake of the country's nuclear deal with the United States and five other world powers. Rouhani, a pragmatist, has repeatedly pushed back against a crackdown underway from isolationist hard-liners who control the judiciary and intelligence branches and who are working to undermine the nuclear deal. The hard-liners are signaling that Rouhani's attempts to reestablish Iran's place in the world can go only so far. Whichever side prevails in parliamentary elections scheduled for late February could determine the path Iran will take for years to come... 'Ayatollah Khamenei wanted the agreement, but he didn't want an opening,' said Ray Takeyh, a fellow in Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. 'He was concerned about the cultural infiltration that accompanies any potential opening. One way to protect the system and ideology would be to have a crackdown.' ... 'For Iran's deep state, the nuclear deal was merely a tactical, temporary compromise, not a strategic reorientation,' said Karim Sadjadpour, a policy analyst with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 'Khamenei has seemingly given a carte blanche to Iran's repressive apparatus to aggressively counter any political, social and economic change agents.' ... 'They're sending the same message' as in previous crackdowns, said Suzanne Maloney, deputy director of the foreign policy program at the Brookings Institution. 'The Islamic republic isn't going anywhere. The ideology won't be modulated by this particular diplomatic agreement, and anyone who dabbles in building bridges - to the United States in particular - is at risk.'" http://t.uani.com/1QqqHcN NYT: "Tensions between the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, and more conservative authorities over the country's nuclear agreement and its future are turning increasingly bitter, punctuated by public exchanges and growing signs of an anti-American backlash, including arrests. Mr. Rouhani is insisting that the nuclear deal signed in July not only will create the basis for an end to Iran's prolonged economic isolation, but could be the start of new relations with the United States under certain conditions. Yet even his cautious statement of optimism has provoked a stormy reaction... The reaction has been stoked in some ways by Ayatollah Khamenei, who while endorsing the accord has also warned of what he calls an American desire to infiltrate Iran's culture, economics and politics. 'Khamenei is pre-empting any possible attempt to improve the official image of the U.S., which would threaten his and the regime's identity,' said Cliff Kupchan, an Iran specialist and chairman of the Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy in Washington, in an advisory to clients emailed last week. Mr. Kupchan said in the advisory that, at least for the next several months, he expected that 'the surge in arrests, anti-U.S. rhetoric and possible new discrimination against U.S. consumer goods will hurt Iran's investment climate.'" http://t.uani.com/1lrnXza Times of Israel: "Iran is trying to build a Hezbollah-style terror group in the Gaza Strip, Israel's Channel 2 reported Friday night. Al-Sabirin (the name comes from the Arabic word for 'patience') has begun recruiting an intended initial force of 400 fighters, the TV report said, and is directly funded by the regime in Tehran. Because it follows Shi'ite Islam - as does Iran and the Iranian proxy militia Hezbollah in Lebanon - it is having a difficult time gaining recruits among Gaza's Sunni Muslims. Nonetheless, the report said, Iran's Revolutionary Guards is allocating funds to the nascent group, transferred through a charitable organization named after the founder of Iran's Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini. Headed by a former Islamic Jihad leader named Hisham Salem, Al-Sabirin has fired rockets into Israel, and lost one fighter, named in the TV report as Ahmed al-Sirahi, in clashes with Israel forces at the Gaza border last month... Iran's drive to establish its own organization in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip began 18 months ago, the TV report said, and Tehran has now suspended all funding to Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad, in part because of their opposition to the Assad regime that Iran and Hezbollah are supporting in Syria." http://t.uani.com/1HPj4di Nuclear Program & Agreement Times of Israel: "US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif Saturday to discuss sanctions relief related to the landmark nuclear pact, as officials say the landmark deal has begun to be implemented. The three-hour meeting took place on the sidelines of an international summit discussing the Syria crisis, which saw the participation of representatives of nearly 20 nations. Zarif mentioned that the talks had been conducted in a 'serious and expert' manner, and that he expected that the commitments of both sides would be implemented by late December. Kerry reportedly reiterated the US commitment to easing sanctions and mentioned that the US has already begun allaying the concerns of American companies that want to do business with Iran, The Tehran-based Mehr News reported." http://t.uani.com/1STHS4V    Sanctions Relief Reuters: "South Korea's crude oil shipments from Iran rose 83.4 percent in October from a year ago, helping the imports in the first ten months of 2015 up 0.4 percent, although the 10-month purchase still met sanction requirements over Tehran's nuclear programme. The world's fifth-largest crude importer brought 519,620 tonnes of Iranian crude in October, or 122,865 barrels per day (bpd), compared with 283,287 tonnes, a year ago, preliminary data from its customs office showed on Sunday." http://t.uani.com/1NzuoXA Sanctions Enforcement AP: "Republican legislators have introduced a bill that would prohibit the state from investing in companies that do business in or with Iran, saying the measure would help blunt President Barack Obama's nuclear accord with that country. Under the proposal from Rep. Dale Kooyenga and Sen. Leah Vukmir, the state investment board could not put money into any company that owes money to Iran's government, maintains property, personnel or operations in Iran, contracts with the Iranian government or contracts with any company owned or controlled by Iranian officials. The board also would be prohibited from investing in companies that provide goods or services in Iran or sell anything knowing those products will be resold to the Iranian government, companies controlled by the Iranian government or otherwise redistributed in that country. The board would have one year to sell off present holdings that violate the prohibition... More than 1,000 corporations around the world do business in or with Iran, according to a database kept by United Against Nuclear Iran, a nonprofit group working to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. About two dozen states have adopted legislation barring public entities from renewing or entering into contracts with companies operating in Iran or requiring them to divest themselves of holdings in such companies, according to UANI." http://t.uani.com/1kAfF82 Terrorism AFP: "Iran's press on Sunday largely condemned the jihadist attacks that killed 129 people in Paris and expressed sympathy for the victims, but conservative newspapers put the blame on France's policies in Syria. In their first reactions to the events of late Friday, Iranian newspapers reflected the country's divisions between reformists and hardliners fiercely critical of the West. Moderate President Hassan Rouhani had on Saturday condemned the coordinated assaults claimed by the Islamic State group as 'crimes against humanity'... Ultra-conservative newspapers meanwhile suggested the attacks were the consequences of French policies, with some parroting conspiracy theories that claim IS is a creation of the West. On its front page, hardline paper Javan featured an illustration of a masked jihadist with a gun and a machete standing at the top of the Eiffel Tower, waving a mixed flag of the United States and IS. 'Return to home,' its headline said, quoting reports that some 200 French jihadists had returned to the country after fighting with IS abroad. In Kayhan -- Iran's oldest and most-vocal hardline paper -- editor Hossein Shariatmadari repeated a conspiracy theory often cited in Iranian media that IS is a creation of the West and Israel under an operation dubbed 'Hornet's Nest'. 'Now the designers of the Hornet's Nest must await the return of the wasps to the real nest -- wasps that carry automatic rifles and grenades,' Shariatmadari wrote. Another ultra-conservative paper, Vatan-e Emrooz, came under fire on social media after it headlined its story on the attacks 'Dinner is Ready' over a picture of a body covered in a white sheet and empty cafe chairs at one of the restaurants that was attacked. 'The West eventually tasted its own cooking in Syria,' the newspaper wrote, prompting a backlash from Iranians like one Twitter user who wrote: 'Damn the person who wrote the headline for this paper.'" http://t.uani.com/1HTqoiN Syria Conflict AFP: "A top Iranian official said Sunday several countries involved in Syria peace talks had tried to exclude President Bashar al-Assad from future elections but Tehran insisted the demand be withdrawn. The remarks came after officials said agreement was reached on a roadmap to a more inclusive government in Damascus in the next six months aimed at ending Syria's conflict, with polls to follow one year later... A final statement after Saturday's meeting said the goal was to bring Syrian government and opposition representatives together by January 1, but the political process would require a ceasefire. It failed to breach the divide over Assad, however, and Iran's deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian went further by saying only the Syrian president could decide on whether to contest future polls. 'Some participants insisted that the sidelining of Bashar al-Assad be included in the text, but the Islamic Republic of Iran did not allow this issue to be mentioned in the final declaration,' he told state television. 'We have insisted that only Bashar al-Assad may decide to take part or not in the elections and only the Syrian people can vote or not vote for him,' he added." http://t.uani.com/1H4zGxN Human Rights Reuters: "Iranian authorities have arrested administrators of more than 20 groups on the messaging app Telegram for spreading 'immoral content', semi-official Fars news agency reported on Sunday, the latest detentions in a clampdown on freedom of expression. In recent weeks, Iran's powerful hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has rounded up a number of artists, journalists and U.S. citizens, citing fears of Western 'infiltration'... Telegram's Chief Executive Pavel Durov said last month that Iranian authorities had demanded he hand over 'spying and censorship tools', and temporarily blocked the app when he refused. He was later informed by Iran's Ministry of Information that the request was 'not authorized by any higher authorities'. The IRGC announced the Telegram users' arrests last week, saying they had shared images and text 'insulting to Iranian officials' as well as 'satire and sexual advice'... Last year, 11 people were arrested by the IRGC for insulting Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic's founder, on messaging services Whatsapp, Tango, Viber and Telegram." http://t.uani.com/1Nzwirf AFP: "Iranian women who fail to wear the veil when driving will have their cars impounded for a week and are likely to be fined, police warned Sunday. In the past week, about 10,000 motorists have received warnings, with 2,000 facing further action for breaking 'social norms', but the new measure to confiscate cars will come into force nationwide. Deputy police chief Said Montazer-ol-Mehdi said officers had been authorised by prosecutors to take such steps. If traffic police spot an unveiled woman driver or passenger, 'their car will be taken to a police compound for a week', he said, according to the official IRNA news agency. Some owners will be fined but other offenders will be referred to judicial authorities for further investigation, he added. The steps are part of a wider traffic police crackdown that could also see male drivers targeted for bad conduct. Violations could include 'removal of veil inside the car, driving recklessly, parading in the streets and harassing women,' IRNA said." http://t.uani.com/1SwDNTs Foreign Affairs AFP: "Hassan Rouhani on Saturday postponed what would have been the first visit to Europe by an Iranian president in 10 years after attacks in Paris that he described as 'crimes against humanity.' Rouhani had been due to hold talks in Rome on Saturday with Pope Francis as well as Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi before travelling on to the French capital. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who had been due to travel with Rouhani, told state television he would now instead head Iran's delegation to international talks on the Syrian conflict in Vienna. Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian had been due to lead the Iranian team." http://t.uani.com/1LhXfhk           Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) a program of the American Coalition Against Nuclear Iran, Inc., a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Eye on Iran is not intended as a comprehensive media clips summary but rather a selection of media elements with discreet analysis in a PDA friendly format. For more information please email Press@UnitedAgainstNuclearIran.com United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a non-partisan, broad-based coalition that is united in a commitment to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons.  UANI is an issue-based coalition in which each coalition member will have its own interests as well as the collective goal of advancing an Iran free of nuclear weapons.