Iran

[phkrause]

What’s next for Iran’s government after death of its president in helicopter crash?

JERUSALEM (AP) — The death of Iran’s president is unlikely to lead to any immediate changes in Iran’s ruling system or to its overarching policies, which are decided by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-government-future-raisi-khamenei-succession-mojtaba-6d3b970bce0c6d436b25b550d887ceaf?

Iran's president killed in helicopter crash after "technical failure": report

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and several others were killed in a helicopter crash in the country's East Azerbaijan province on Sunday, officials announced.

https://www.axios.com/2024/05/19/iran-president-helicopter-crash-ebrahim-raisi?

[phkrause]

At a moment of high tensions in the Middle East, mourners begin days of funerals for Iran’s president and others killed in helicopter crash Mourners in black began gathering Tuesday for days of funerals and processions for Iran’s late president, foreign minister and others killed in a helicopter crash, a government-led series of ceremonies aimed at both honoring the dead and projecting strength. The deaths have left the Islamic Republic without two key leaders as extraordinary tensions grip the wider Middle East. Read more.

Why this matters: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the business of Iran’s government would continue no matter what — but Raisi’s death raised questions about what will happen after the 85-year-old supreme leader either resigns or dies. Raisi was seen as a prime candidate to succeed the supreme leader, and his death makes it more likely that the job could eventually go to Khamenei’s son. A hereditary succession could pose a crisis of legitimacy for the Islamic Republic, which was established as an alternative to monarchy but which many Iranians already see as a corrupt and dictatorial regime.   Raisi’s death may make the transition to a new supreme leader trickier, and it could spark more unrest. The deaths stunned Iranians, but many have been ground down by the collapse of the country’s currency, the harsh enforcement of Islamic rule, and worries about regional conflicts with Israel and Pakistan spinning out of control.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Crowd of mourners surround truck carrying the remains of Iran president and other officials   Who is Mohammad Mokhber, appointed Iran’s acting president after a helicopter crash?   Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claim they shot down another US drone

[phkrause]

Iran inters its late president at holiest Shiite site in nation after fatal helicopter crash

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran interred President Ebrahim Raisi at the nation’s holiest Shiite shrine Thursday, days after he was killed in a helicopter crash that added to the woes of a country already beset by international sanctions, internal unrest and tensions abroad.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-president-raisi-helicopter-crash-funerals-aa975288bab8a63af93c8c5f9a31a615?

[phkrause]

? Iran nuke scoop

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies are looking into new information about computer modeling by Iranian scientists that could be used for research and development of nuclear weapons, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. Why it matters: The purpose of the modeling is unclear. Some U.S. and Israeli officials said the intelligence is a worrying signal about Iran's nuclear ambitions. Other officials on both sides say it's a "blip" that doesn't represent a shift in Iranian policy. Iran denies wanting nuclear weapons. ? What's next: Senior U.S. and Israeli officials will meet at the White House on Thursday for the U.S.-Israel strategic consultative group (SCG) to discuss the state of the Iranian nuclear program and other issues. It's the first high-level and in-depth discussion between the U.S and Israel about the Iranian nuclear program since March 2023. Keep reading.

[phkrause]

‘Hamster’ crypto craze has taken Iran. It highlights economic malaise ahead of presidential election

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Cab drivers and bikers tap away furiously on their mobile phones as they wait at red lights in the Iranian capital during an early June heatwave. Some pedestrians in Tehran are doing the same. They all believe they could get rich.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-presidential-election-bitcoin-hamster-kombat-934a398a0d2074c04bbf0112d701086f?

[phkrause]

The race is on for Iran’s next president Iran’s theocracy has approved six candidates to run in Friday’s presidential election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash with several other officials in May. Read more.

Why this matters: Heart surgeon Masoud Pezeshkian is the only reformist candidate in the race, while the others are more skewed toward hard-liners who back Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei without question. Pezeshkian’s campaign has focused on renegotiation with the West, the youth vote, women and Iran’s ethnic minorities.   On Tuesday, Khamenei called for “maximum” voter turnout in the election, which analysts say could actually support the reformist candidate.   If previous elections are a guide to Iranian politics, several candidates could drop out in the final days before the vote to coalesce around a unity candidate.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Two candidates drop out of Iran presidential election, due to take place Friday amid voter apathy   Analysis: No matter who wins Iran’s presidential election, much may hinge on the ‘Great Satan’ US   As Iran’s presidential vote looms, tensions boil over renewed headscarf crackdown

[phkrause]

Reformist Pezeshkian beats hard-liner to win Iran presidential election, promising outreach to West

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian won Iran’s runoff presidential election Saturday, besting hard-liner Saeed Jalili by promising to reach out to the West and ease enforcement on the country’s mandatory headscarf law after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-presidential-election-runoff-jalili-pezeshkian-results-8a10c940adc1259566791b549828a3fd?

[phkrause]

Tehran police close Turkish Airlines office after its employees defy Iran’s headscarf law

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Police in Iran shut down the Turkish Airlines office in the capital of Tehran, Iranian media reported Tuesday, after female employees there apparently refused to wear the mandatory headscarf, or hijab, in an act of defiance of the country’s law.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-turkish-airlines-office-closed-hijab-6a41719d8f744d63da221b4a7b0dbdce?

[phkrause]

U.S. prepares to counter Iranian attack on Israel within days, U.S. officials say

The Biden administration is convinced Iran is going to attack Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this week and is preparing to counter it, three U.S. officials told Axios.

https://www.axios.com/2024/08/01/us-iran-israel-attack-preparation?

[phkrause]

hran, the regional militias that the Islamic Republic has armed for decades could play a role in any attack. Read more.

What to know: What could happen if Iran attacks Israel? Iran could launch a similar assault to that seen in April following an Israeli attack on the Iranian Embassy compound in Syria. Iran had launched 170 bomb-carrying drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and over 120 ballistic missiles toward Israel. But this time Hezbollah may get involved, straining Israeli air defenses and raising the risk of casualties.   Why has Iran armed proxy forces? Iran’s policy of arming militias took root in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. International sanctions on Iran, including over its nuclear program, have kept it from receiving new arms. Iran does not have access to the sophisticated weapons received by nations allied with the U.S. Therefore, it relies on militias as an asymmetric threat to squeeze both Israel and the United States.   Who are Iran’s regional allies? The militias in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” include Iraqi militias, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Palestinian militant forces and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Hamas names Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, as its new leader in show of defiance   US leaders call for calm in the Middle East, even as more American forces head to the region   In Israel and Lebanon, life goes on even as the region teeters on the edge of all-out war

[phkrause]

Iran appears to target the US election with accelerating cyber activity, Microsoft says The findings in Microsoft’s newest threat intelligence report show how Iran, which has been active in recent U.S. campaign cycles, is evolving its cyber activity and tactics. The report also goes a step beyond anything U.S. intelligence officials have disclosed, revealing how Russia and China are exploiting U.S. political polarization to advance their own divisive messaging in a consequential election year. Read more.

Why this matters: Iranian actors have spent recent months creating fake news sites and impersonating activists, laying the groundwork to stoke division and potentially sway American voters this fall, especially in swing states, the technology giant found. In one case, Iran targeted a presidential campaign with an email phishing attack, Microsoft said Friday.   The report doesn’t specify Iran’s intentions besides sowing chaos in the United States, though U.S. officials have previously hinted that Iran particularly opposes former President Donald Trump. U.S. officials also have expressed alarm about Tehran’s efforts to seek retaliation for a 2020 strike on an Iranian general that was ordered by Trump.   Microsoft said it has continued to monitor how foreign foes are using generative AI technology. The increasingly cheap and easy-to-access tools can generate lifelike fake images, photos and videos in seconds, prompting concern among some experts that they will be weaponized to mislead voters this election cycle.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Iranian brothers charged in alleged smuggling operation that led to deaths of 2 Navy SEALs   Israeli troops launch a new assault into Gaza’s Khan Younis as mediators push for cease-fire talks   Three suspected Houthi attacks target a ship off Yemen, authorities say   ? Iranian hackers targeted '24 campaign     Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   Iran-backed hackers targeted a high-ranking official at an unidentified U.S. presidential campaign in a June spear-phishing attack, Microsoft says in a report out this morning. Why it matters: Iranian groups have launched aggressive disinformation and hacking campaigns to influence this year's elections, following in the footsteps of Russia, Axios cybersecurity reporter Sam Sabin writes. The U.S. intelligence community assessed last week that Iran is using covert influence to undermine the Trump campaign. Read Microsoft's blog post ... Read the nine-page report.

[phkrause]

Iran police shot a woman while trying to seize her car over hijab law violation, activists say

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — On a darkened road beside the Caspian Sea, Iranian police officers opened fire last month on a 31-year-old woman who had tried to speed away likely knowing they wanted to seize her vehicle.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-hijab-protests-mahsa-amini-shooting-unrest-ebe1ef96e33293fe19c66dd317e229c6?

[phkrause]

Iran’s supreme leader opens door to negotiations with US over Tehran’s nuclear program

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s supreme leader opened the door Tuesday to renewed negotiations with the United States over his country’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, telling its civilian government there was “no harm” in engaging with its “enemy.”

https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-deal-khamenei-us-tensions-bc11763f45041ac84171ebc3866f1273?

[phkrause]

Women in Iran are going without hijabs as the 2nd anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death approaches

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — On the streets of Iranian cities, it’s becoming more common to see a woman passing by without a mandatory headscarf, or hijab, as the second anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini and the mass protests it sparked approaches.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-hijab-protests-mahsa-amini-anniversary-59641e9254eea45c069b54d590c7e818?

[phkrause]

? Iran sent Biden camp stolen Trump info

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Iranian "malicious cyber actors" sent unsolicited emails to President Biden's re-election campaign with information stolen from the Trump campaign over the summer, the FBI and other federal agencies said yesterday. "There is currently no information indicating those recipients replied," the agencies added. Why it matters: Iran has rapidly become one of the biggest foreign threats to the presidential election. Trump ended a nuclear deal with Iran, reimposed sanctions and ordered the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. The incidents occurred in late June and early July — before Biden suspended his campaign, Axios' Rebecca Falconer writes. Read the statement ...

[phkrause]

Analysis: Iran reluctant so far to retaliate against Israel after airstrike kills Hezbollah leader

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran lost its most reliable ally in the Middle East when an Israeli airstrike killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. But Iran isn’t leading the charge to retaliate.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-israel-mideast-tensions-hezbollah-lebanon-analysis-5020aeed3c88790d5483fdf40c9ba392?

[phkrause]

What to know about Iran’s missile attack and Israel’s operations in Lebanon and Gaza

Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel caused few casualties and little damage, but it marked a further escalation of tensions in the Middle East as Israeli forces battle Tehran’s militant allies in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-what-to-know-hezbollah-incursion-c44358cb4c70db69bdab4b254cb2ed76?

Israel's payback plans

Israeli authorities inspect a crater left by an exploded projectile at a heavily damaged school building in the southern city of Gedera yesterday. Photo: Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images Israeli officials staring down all-out regional war tell us they'll launch a "significant retaliation" to yesterday's massive missile attack within days, targeting oil production facilities inside Iran and other strategic sites, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. Why it matters: Israel and Iran have never been closer to opening up a new and far more dangerous front in the war that has engulfed the Middle East. ?️ The big picture: Iran threatened that if Israel responds with force to the nearly 200 missiles it launched yesterday, it will attack again. If that happens, Israeli officials say all options will be on the table — including strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. "We have a big question mark about how the Iranians are going to respond to an attack," an Israeli official said. "But we take into consideration the possibility that they would go all in, which will be a whole different ball game." Many Israeli officials point to Iran's oil facilities as a likely target. But some say targeted assassinations and taking out Iran's air defense systems are also possibilities. The Israeli response could include airstrikes from fighter jets — as well as clandestine operations similar to the one that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran two months ago. President Biden and Vice President Harris in the Situation Room yesterday. Photo: The White House ? Zoom in: The Israeli security cabinet convened at an underground government bunker inside a mountain near Jerusalem just as the first wave of Iranian ballistic missiles made its way toward Israel. Many of the missiles were intercepted by Israeli and U.S. missile defense systems. Those that weren't intercepted mostly hit open areas near an air force base in southern Israel, the Mossad headquarters and a military intelligence base north of Tel Aviv. At the top of the security cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled Israel's next move. "The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies," Netanyahu said. "They will understand. We will stand by the rule we established: Whoever attacks us, we will attack him." ? Behind the scenes: A senior Israeli official told Axios one reason a decision wasn't reached at the cabinet meeting was that Israeli officials wanted to consult with the Biden administration. Another Iranian attack in response to an Israeli retaliation would require defensive cooperation with U.S. Central Command, more munitions for the Israeli air force and potentially other kinds of U.S. operational support, the Israeli official said. Iran missile attack   Iran launched its largest-ever attack on Israel Tuesday, firing 200 ballistic missiles in an unprecedented barrage that appears to have been mostly blunted by Israeli defenses with the help of the US and its allies. Israel has vowed to retaliate, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Iran had made a "big mistake" and "will pay" as fears grow of a wider all-out war between the two regional powers. One person was killed in the attack and the extent of the damage remains unclear. Many of the Iranian missiles fell at, or near, the headquarters of Israeli intelligence service Mossad and two air bases, according to a CNN analysis. Iran's military chief later warned of broader strikes if Israel responds.

[phkrause]

Biden won’t support a strike on Iran nuclear sites as Israel weighs response to Iran missile attack

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday he will not support an Israeli strike on sites related to Tehran’s nuclear program in response to Iran’s missile attack on Israel.

https://apnews.com/article/biden-israel-iran-hezbollah-nuclear-sites-846c8779b2b95a3bebcf955c4e69cf6c?

[phkrause]

? How Israel stopped Iran's missiles

People examine remains of a ballistic missile lying in the desert yesterday near the southern city of Arad, Israel. Photo: Amir Cohen/Reuters Israel's Arrow system — which helped knock down almost all of the 180 rockets Iran fired into Israel on Tuesday — is one of the most sophisticated air defense systems in the world, Axios Future of Defense author Colin Demarest reports. It uses an advanced radar system to detect incoming projectiles and supersonic interceptors to knock them down. ⚓️ A pair of U.S. warships also fired a dozen anti-missile munitions to help repel Iran's attack. Go deeper.

[phkrause]

Iranian hackers

Iranian government-linked hackers have researched and probed election-related websites in multiple US swing states in a possible effort to discover vulnerabilities that could be used to influence the presidential election, Microsoft said in a report released Wednesday. The hackers also "conducted reconnaissance of major US media outlets" in May, according to Microsoft. Officials from multiple federal agencies are looking closely at the Iranian activity, a US official told CNN. US intelligence agencies have assessed that Iran has tried to stoke discord during the 2024 election, in part through hacking activity targeting the Trump campaign and in part by encouraging protests of US policy towards Israel.

[phkrause]

Locked in Mideast wars and battered by sanctions, Iran is wary over US presidential election

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — America’s presidential election next week comes just after Iran marks the 45th anniversary of the 1979 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis — and for many, tensions between Tehran and Washington feel just as high as they did then.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-election-mideast-wars-israel-nuclear-deal-2d749543470a5cd7df6c6ece863b4732?

[phkrause]

Iran

A female student stripped to her underwear outside her university in Iran over the weekend in what some student and rights groups say was a protest against the country’s strict Islamic dress code. A video circulating on social media and shared by the rights group Amnesty International shows the woman sitting outside the university in her underwear and with her hair uncovered. Another video shows her walking down a road, still undressed, before a group of men surround her, bundle her into a car, and drive away. Iranian women can be subjected to harsh punishment even for minor infractions. Protests erupted across Iran in 2022 against the dress code following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in the custody of the morality police after being arrested for allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly.

[phkrause]

Iran’s vast collection of Western art, much long hidden, re-emerges despite high tensions with US

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — As Iran faces increasing tensions with the West and turmoil at home, a new exhibition at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is displaying Western artwork including pieces not seen by the public in at least a decade.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-western-art-museum-us-tensions-17f83f693abfe9a95747a199754bb7b0?

[phkrause]

? Spotted: Iran's drone ship

Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies The Iranian navy appears to be conducting the first sea trials for a new ship designed to serve as a launching pad for drones. Satellite images from space-tech company Maxar show the newly completed ship anchored in the Persian Gulf. It left the shipyard just last month. ? The vessel was originally a commercial container ship, which was then modified with a ramp and angled flight deck, among other changes, so it could be used to launch and recover drones, according to Maxar. Talker: Drones over N.J.

[phkrause]

Iran pauses the process to implement a new, stricter headscarf law for women, official says Iran has paused the process of implementing a new, stricter law on mandatory headscarves, or hijabs, for women an official said — a bill that many believe could have reignited the protests that engulfed the Islamic Republic after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, which killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained. Read more.

What to know: The controversial law, which levies harsher punishments for women who refuse to wear the hijab and for businesses that serve them and was approved by the parliament in September 2023, will not be sent to the government as planned this week, according to one of the country’s vice presidents. The development effectively means that Iran has halted enacting the legislation.    Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian previously rejected the penalties of the law as he attempted to restart talks with the West over sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program. Had the bill passed to the government, Iran’s president would have had little room to maneuver. By law, he’s required to endorse the bill within five days, after which it would have taken effect in 15 days. The president has no authority to veto it.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Iran’s rial hits a record low, battered by regional tensions and an energy crisis   Iran sentences an Iranian-American journalist to 10 years in prison   YouTube singer arrested in Iran after performing an online concert while not wearing a hijab