Iran Digest Week of March 31- April 7
/AIC’s Iran digest project covers the latest developments and news stories published in Iranian and international media outlets. This weekly digest is compiled by associate Samuel Howell. Please note that the news and views expressed in the articles below do not necessarily reflect those of AIC.
US-Iran Relations
Iran says it warned off US Navy aircraft close to Gulf of Oman
The Iranian navy said it identified and warned off a U.S. reconnaissance plane near the Gulf of Oman on Sunday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
"After the warning, the plane was prevented from entering the country's skies without authorization," said the report, identifying the plane as a U.S. Navy EP-3E.
While the opening line of the Tasnim report said the aircraft had crossed into Iranian airspace, the same report also said the aircraft had not entered Iranian skies and had left after the warning.
(Reuters)
Nuclear Accord
Scoop: U.S. discussing freeze-for-freeze approach to Iran nuclear program
The Biden administration discussed with its European and Israeli partners in recent weeks a proposal for an interim agreement with Iran that would include some sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran freezing parts of its nuclear program, according to 10 Israeli officials, Western diplomats and U.S. experts with knowledge of the proposal.
Why it matters: The new approach by the Biden administration shows just how concerned the U.S. is about recent advances in Iran's nuclear program. The U.S. has not ruled out diplomacy on reaching an agreement to return to the 2015 nuclear agreement but did take it off the agenda last year over Iran's military assistance to Russia and Tehran's crackdown on anti-government protests.
Iran has amassed 87.5 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium, according to an International Atomic Energy Agency report from late February. Experts say that if that uranium is enriched to 90% weapons grade, it would be a sufficient quantity to produce at least one nuclear bomb.
(Axios)
Women of Iran
Iran finds new ways to crack down on women not wearing hijab
In the small Iranian city of Shandiz, near the religious city of Mashhad, known as a stronghold for principlists, a man entered a shop saw two women not wearing the hijab. Angered by the sight of the women not abiding by the Islamic dress code, the man threw yoghurt at them, leaving them in shock.
Hours later, it was revealed that the attacker was a religious eulogist.
The incident, which took place on 31 March, is the latest in a series of developments that have once again raised tensions in Iran regarding the issue of the mandatory hijab, as many young women continue to defy the country's Islamic law.
Health
Iran's Government Says No Services For Students Without Hijab
Iran’s health and education ministries say their educational centers will not be providing services to students who do not observe the mandatory hijab.
In a message to congratulate the opening of universities in the new Iranian year on Monday, Deputy Health Minister Abbas Shirojan thanked the students who comply with dress code, and announced the universities of the health ministry will not provide services to students without hijab.
Meanwhile, the education ministry in a separate statement announced that women who do not comply with the compulsory hijab will not be allowed to attend classes.
Economy
Iran’s New Restriction On Supply Of US Dollars Creates Chaos In Market
Chaos has ensued in Iran’s financial and currency markets as the government tries to restrict the sale of cash US dollars.
The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) issued a new directive in March to stop cash dollar sales by forex dealers and instead required people to open dollar accounts to deposit their foreign currencies.
Buying dollars had become a critical means of Iranians securing what money they have amidst biting sanctions and a plummeting local currency.
Inside Iran
How Sanctions Hurt Iran’s Protesters
The deeply suspicious death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September 2022—which came after she was arrested and allegedly beaten by the morality police—was a pivotal moment for the people of Iran. The incident unleashed a wave of outrage that fueled protests throughout the country. The demonstrations were remarkable for displays of bravery, especially from Iranian women, as well as for the solidarity shown across ethnic and class lines. In the first few weeks, protesters snarled traffic and shut down university campuses in dozens of cities. Many observers believed the demonstrations were even the initial stages of a revolution.
Regional Politics
Azerbaijan expels four Iranian diplomats amid rising tensions
Azerbaijan said it would expel four Iranian diplomats over “provocative actions” in the latest deterioration of relations between the neighbours.
The move on Thursday came hours after Baku said it arrested six men, who it claimed were linked to Iranian secret services and were plotting a coup in the Caspian nation.
Relations between the neighbours have long been strained, with Azerbaijan being a close ally of Iran’s historical rival Turkey. Baku has also deepened relations in recent years with Iran’s regional rival Israel.
Israeli strikes on Syria intensify, raise tensions with Iran
Suspected Israeli airstrikes in Syria in recent weeks have killed two Iranian military advisers, temporarily put the country’s two largest airports out of service, and raised fears of regional escalation.
While Israel has fought a shadow war with Iran in Syria for years, it has intensified recently, with near-daily airstrikes attributed to Israel by Syrian officials over the past week.
The escalation of attacks comes after what appears to be a rare infiltration by an armed man from Lebanon into Israel and Iran’s reconciliation with regional rival Saudi Arabia last month. It also comes against the backdrop of a major domestic crisis in Israel over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government plan to overhaul the judiciary.
(AP News)
Global Relations
Top Iranian, Saudi envoys meet in China in restoration of diplomatic ties
The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia met in Beijing on Thursday for the first formal gathering of their top diplomats in more than seven years, after China brokered a deal to restore relations between the top regional powers.
After years of hostility that fuelled conflicts across the Middle East, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to end their diplomatic rift and reopen diplomatic missions in a significant deal facilitated by China last month.
In brief footage broadcast on Iranian state TV, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, greeted each other before sitting down side by side.
(Reuters)
Analysis
Saudi-Iranian ties: A history of ups and downs
By: Michael Georgy
The Iran policy debate in Washington suffers from a poverty of ideas.
The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia met in China for the first formal meeting of their most senior diplomats in more than seven years, Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya television said, under a deal to revive ties between the regional superpowers.
After years of hostility that fuelled conflicts across the Middle East, Tehran and Riyadh agreed to end their diplomatic rift and re-open embassies in a major deal facilitated by China last month.
Beijing's secret role in the breakthrough between Tehran and Riyadh shook up dynamics in the Middle East, where the United States was for decades the main mediator, flexing its security and diplomatic muscles.
