Iran News Round Up - February 5, 2018

Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the Supreme Leader Ali Akbar Velayati said on February 1 that Iran’s presence in the Middle East is “inevitable” and will continue. He dismissed recent anti-regime protesters’ criticisms of Iranian involvement in Syria and Gaza as the ignorant remarks of foreign agents. Velayati stated, “Don’t worry about what was instigated by our foreign enemies… Chants like ‘not Gaza, not Lebanon,’ shows their lack of understanding of international affairs…You cannot remain indifferent when your neighbor’s house is on fire.” Velayati also said if Iran were to help in Yemen, “it would be [Iran’s] human duty.” (Reuters) (E) (Fars News Agency)

Iranians from different cities removed their hijabs in a show of solidarity with Vida Movahhed, commonly known as the “Girl of Enghelab St.,” who was arrested for taking off her hijab in Tehran shortly before the recent widespread protests. Images of Movahhed waving her white headscarf on a wooden pole in one Tehran’s busiest thoroughfares went viral on social media before the start of the protests on December 28, 2017. Tehran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) arrested 29 people on February 1 for protesting the mandatory hijab in connection to a campaign called “White Wednesdays,” but also as a show of solidarity with Movahhed. Female Parliamentarian Soheila Jelodar attributed the recent wave of protests against the mandatory hijab as a result of “unnecessary hardships” which then caused the “Girls of Enghelab St. to throw their hijabs in the sewer.” (Radio Farda) (Radio Farda) (Tasnim News Agency)

Interim Tehran Friday Prayer Leader Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami stated that those who “poured into the streets and smashed, killed, and set [property] on fire are outlaws,” and their actions warrant a death sentence according to Islamic jurisprudential law. Khatami stated that it is necessary for the regime to “punish” wrongdoers rather than to “coddle” them. Khatami’s statements follow reports of detained anti-regime protesters being released from prison. (Radio Farda) (ISNA)

Parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy (NSFP) member Alireza Rahimi said that during an official parliamentary visit to Tehran’s Evin Prison, the Prisons Organizations head said that a total of 4,972 people were arrested during the recent protests with 438 individuals still in custody. He also said that the Intelligence Ministry is detaining 55 individuals currently. He added that of the detainees 50 percent were 19 - 25 years old and 27 percent were 25 - 32 years old. He stated that nearly 95 percent of the arrested individuals were men. He also stated that the remaining prisoners are located within Hamedan, Khuzestan, Fars, Esfahan, and Tehran provinces. (Asriran) (ILNA)

• Parliament will visit other prisons besides Evin Prison. Parliament’s Judicial Committee Deputy Chairman Mohammad Kazemi stated that Parliament will send a delegation to prisons in provinces wherein the “number of detainees” from the recent protests is significant. Kazemi did not specify which provinces the delegation would visit. Eleven parliamentarians visited Evin Prison on January 30 after widespread protests took place across Iran and continued protesting outside of Evin prison by detainees’ family members. Radio Farda reported that Kazemi stated that the 11 parliamentarians who visited Evin prison were accompanied by a heavy police presence, and were not permitted to speak with prisoners in private. (Radio Farda) (Radio Farda)

The National Front of Iran requested a permit to hold a demonstration in Tehran on March 5, in a letter to President Hassan Rouhani. The National Front requested Rouhani to order the Interior Ministry to agree to the planned assembly and to ensure the security of the gathering. March 5 is the anniversary of National Front founder and Shah-era Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh’s death. The National Front did not state publicly that their protest was intentionally set for Mosaddegh’s death anniversary. The letter highlighted the Rouhani administration’s previous statements supporting the right to lawful gatherings. Demonstrators must receive a permit from the Interior Ministry in order to assemble legally in the Islamic Republic. (Radio Farda) (Jebhe)

• Interior Ministry official: The right to demonstrate is dependent on the party. Interior Ministry Political Deputy Esmaeil Jabbar Zadeh stated on January 31 that there is a “vacuum” in the laws for issuing permits for gatherings and marches. Jabbar Zadeh also said that “practically, the right to set up a gathering and march has [now] become dependent on the party.” The regime ordered security forces to respond heavily to the recent widespread anti-regime protests, but permitted and promoted pro-government counter-protests. (Hamshahri)

Marie Donovan discusses the political background of Iran’s newly-sanctioned Judiciary Head Sadegh Amoli Larijani in, “Why Did the U.S. Sanction Iran’s Sadegh Amoli Larijani?”

Mike Saidi demonstrates how the recent protests highlighted weaknesses in the readiness of Iranian security forces in a dataset using videos submitted by Iranian protesters. View the dataset here and the graphics here.

Marie Donovan argues that Iran’s hardliners are undermining the regime’s best chance at improving Iran’s economy in the long run in, “Iran’s Hardliners Can Leverage the Post-Protest Space.”