SOLEIMANI ASSASSINATION

'Clerics get lost!': Iran protests rage on for a third day

Crowds in Iran call on leadership to quit after Tehran admitted it mistakenly shot down plane with 176 people on board.

Recent weeks marked the most serious escalation between

 the US and Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution 

[File: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA]

Protesters denouncing Iran's clerical rulers took to the streets and riot police deployed to face them in a third day of demonstrations after authorities acknowledged shooting down a passenger plane by accident.

Demonstrations, some apparently met by a violent crackdown, were the latest twist in one of the most serious escalations between the United States and Iran since the 1979 Iranian revolution swept the US-backed shah from power.

Video from inside Iran showed students on Monday chanting slogans including "Clerics get lost!" outside universities in the city of Isfahan and in Tehran, where riot police were filmed taking positions on the streets.
More:

US believes Iran accidentally shot down Ukraine plane: Reports

'No survivors': Ukrainian jet crashes in Iran with 176 on board

'Disastrous mistake': Iran admits it shot down Iranian plane

Images from the previous two days of protests showed wounded people being carried and pools of blood on the ground. Gunshots could be heard, although the police denied opening fire.

Video sent to the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran and later verified by The Associated Press showed a crowd of demonstrators near Azadi, or Freedom, Square fleeing as a tear gas canister landed among them.

People coughed and sputtered while trying to escape the fumes, with one woman calling out in Farsi: "They fired tear gas at people! Azadi Square. Death to the dictator!"

Another video showed a woman being carried away in the aftermath as a blood trail was seen on the ground. Those around her cried out that she has been shot by live ammunition in the leg.


Canada grieves for the dead after Iran aircraft tragedy

"Oh my God, she's bleeding nonstop!" one person shouted. Another shouted: "Bandage it!"

A full picture of protests inside Iran is difficult to obtain because of restrictions on independent media. But videos uploaded to the internet showed scores, possibly hundreds, of protesters on Monday at sites in the capital and Isfahan, a major city to the south.
'Don't kill'

US President Donald Trump, who raised the stakes last week by ordering the killing in a drone strike of Iran's most powerful military commander, tweeted to Iran's leaders: "Don't kill your protesters."

Tehran acknowledged shooting down the Ukrainian jetliner by mistake last Wednesday, killing all 176 aboard, hours after it fired at US targets in Iraq to retaliate for the killing on January 3 of General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad.

Iranian public anger, rumbling for days as Iran repeatedly denied it was to blame for the plane crash, erupted into protests on Saturday when the military admitted its role.
'Show restraint'

State-affiliated media has reported protests in Tehran and other cities but has provided few details.

"Police treated people who had gathered with patience and tolerance," Tehran Police Chief Hossein Rahimi said in a statement on state media.

"At protests, police absolutely did not shoot because the capital's police officers have been given orders to show restraint."

Tehran's showdown with Washington has come at a precarious time for the authorities in Iran and the proxy forces they support to wield influence across the Middle East. Sanctions imposed by Trump have hammered the Iranian economy.

Iran's authorities killed hundreds of protesters in November in what appears to have been the bloodiest crackdown on anti-government unrest since 1979. In Iraq and Lebanon, governments supported by Iran-backed armed groups have faced mass protests.

Adding to international pressure on Tehran, five nations, including Canada, Britain and Ukraine, whose citizens died when the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 was shot down, meet in London on Thursday to discuss possible legal action, Ukraine's foreign minister said.

Online protests

Javad Kashi, a professor of politics at Tehran Allameh University, wrote online that people should be allowed to express their anger in public protests. "Buckled under the pressure of humiliation and being ignored, people poured into the streets with so much anger," he wrote. "Let them cry as much as they want."

There has also been a cultural outpouring of grief and anger from Iran's creative community.

Some Iranian artists, including famed director Masoud Kimiai, withdrew from an upcoming international film festival. Two state TV hosts resigned in protest over the false reporting about the cause of the plane crash.

Taraneh Alidoosti, one of Iran's most famous actresses, posted a picture of a black square on Instagram with the caption: "We are not citizens. We are hostages. Millions of hostages."

Saeed Maroof, the captain of Iran's national volleyball team, also wrote on Instagram: "I wish I could be hopeful that this was the last scene of the show of deceit and lack of wisdom of these incompetents but I still know it is not."

He said despite the qualification of Iran's national team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after years of efforts, "there is no energy left in our sad and desperate souls to celebrate".
Escalation

Iran's government spokesman dismissed Trump's comments, saying Iranians were suffering because of his actions and they would remember he ordered the killing of Soleimani.

Trump precipitated the escalation with Iran in 2018 by pulling out of a deal between Tehran and world powers under which sanctions were eased in return for Iran curbing its nuclear programme. The US president said he wants a more stringent pact.

Iran has repeatedly said it will not negotiate as long as US sanctions are in place. It denies seeking nuclear arms.


The recent flare-up began in December when rockets fired at US bases in Iraq killed a US contractor. Washington blamed a pro-Iran militia and launched air strikes that killed at least 25 members of the armed group. After its members and supporters surrounded the US embassy in Baghdad for two days, Trump ordered the strike on Soleimani.

Iran retaliated on Wednesday by firing missiles at Iraqi bases where US troops were stationed, but did not kill any Americans.

The Ukrainian plane, on its way to Kyiv, was shot down shortly afterwards. Most of those killed were Iranians. Dozens were Canadians, many dual nationals who travelled to Iran to visit relatives over the holidays.

After days of denying responsibility, commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps issued profuse apologies. Iran's president called it a "disastrous mistake".

A top commander said he told authorities on the day of the crash the airliner had been shot down, raising questions about why Iran initially denied it.

Iran protesters chant: ‘Death to the liars’

MORE ON IRAN
Explainer: How does Iran nuclear deal's dispute mechanism work?today
France, Germany, UK pull diplomatic trigger on Iran deal disputetoday
Iraq and its revolution after Soleimani's assassinationtoday
Iran announces first arrests in downing of Ukrainian airlinertoday

News|Qatar World Cup 2022

‘Say her name, Mahsa Amini’: Iran protests arrive at World Cup

Iran football fans use the Iran-England match to raise their voices in support of those protesting in their country.

A fan with "Zan, Zindagi, Azadi" (women, life, freedom) written on her hand protests at Khalifa International Stadium where Iran take on England [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]

By Hafsa Adil
Published On 21 Nov 202221 Nov 2022

Doha, Qatar – Chants of “Say her name, Mahsa Amini,” reverberated among protesters outside Khalifa International Stadium ahead of Iran’s first match of the World Cup 2022 against England.

A few dozen men, women and children were seen on Monday wearing t-shirts saying “Zan, Zindagi, Azadi” (women, life, freedom), a famous chant from the protests in Iran.

Protests have been taking place across Iran since mid-September after the death in custody of Amini, a 22-year-old woman from Iran’s Kurdistan province. Amini was arrested by the country’s morality police in the capital Tehran for allegedly not adhering to Iran’s dress code for women.

In the past few days, protests have been most intense in northwestern Kurdish-majority provinces, with videos continuing to come out from several cities, including Mahabad, Bukan and Piranshahr in West Azerbaijan and Javanrud in Kermanshah

.

The Iran protests in Qatar [Hafsa Adil/Al Jazeera]

“My people in Iran are under a lot of pressure and are being killed by the regime, so we want to use this opportunity to raise a voice for them,” Mahmoud Izadi, one of the protest organisers, told Al Jazeera in Qatar’s capital Doha.

The protests started off with claps and chants of “Iran” but soon turned political as a charged-up crowd started waving banners with Amini’s picture on them.

Dressed all in black to register his protest, Izadi said the demonstrators want the world to pay attention to the situation in Iran and are using the World Cup as a platform because their voices are being crushed in their home country.

Once those protesters went quiet, a group of men in Iran football shirts began shouting in support of the team.

“People who are dancing and cheering for Iran have been sent here by the regime to paint a different picture,” Izadi said, adding that he was not there to support the team “because they are not supporting our people”

.

Fans gather outside Khalifa International Stadium [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]

The most vocal protesters seem to be those who have travelled to Qatar from places other than Iran.

Others, who seemed to be based in Iran or will travel there, were simply clapping from the sidelines and steered away from any attention.

A few families and women turned down requests for a comment, saying they wanted to stay away from trouble back home.

Hasti, an Iranian-born American here to watch Iran’s matches, said she does not think a sports tournament is necessarily the best place to register a protest but there are not many options left for the people of her country.

“We are going to use whatever platform we can get to raise the issue and this may not help the people in Iran directly but it will help show the world what’s happening there.”

Amidst the chants, a group of people held up a poster of former Iran footballer Ali Karimi who has been supporting the protests.

Karimi left the country soon after the protests broke out in Iran.

“The regime was after his life and he has been on the run since then,” said Izadi.

Abi Shams, donning a green t-shirt that says “Help free Iran,” has flown in from the US and says his choice of outfit is aimed at attracting attention.

“What we have in Iran is a dictatorship and we, the protesters, are the voice of the Iranian people,” he said.

As the crowd built up outside the stadium entrance, people started making their way through the turnstiles. The protesters, however, stayed behind for one last round of chanting and clapping and say they do not plan on stopping anytime soon.

“We have reached a point of no return and will no longer be suppressed by the regime,” said Izadi, before joining a chant of “zan, zindagi, azadi”.

Barred from stadiums at home, Iran women travel to World Cup


1 of 5

Iranian soccer fans hold up signs reading Woman Life Freedom and Freedom For Iran, prior to the World Cup group B soccer match between England and Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium in in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — To 27-year-old Mariam, the World Cup match ticket was a precious gift. A sports fanatic, she traveled to the World Cup in Qatar from Tehran to catch Iran’s opening game Monday against England, her first live soccer match.

Women are banned from attending men’s matches in Iran.

“I’ve never attended a football match in my life so I had to take this chance,” said Mariam, a student of international relations who like other Iranian women at the match declined to give her last name for fear of government reprisals.

Iran is competing in the World Cup as a major women’s protest movement is roiling the country. Security forces have violently cracked down on demonstrations, killing at least 419 people, according Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that has been monitoring the protests.

The unrest was spurred by the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country’s morality police. It first focused on the state-mandated hijab, or headscarf, for women, but has since morphed into one of the most serious threats to the Islamic Republic since the chaotic years following its founding.

“A big achievement for protesters would be to have the choice to wear the hijab,” said Mariam. Her brown hair draped over her shoulders and ran long down her back. “But after that, women will go for their right to be in stadiums.”
In an effort to restrict large gatherings, Iran has closed all soccer matches to the public since the protests erupted. The reason for authorities’ fear became apparent as fans filtered into the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on Monday. Many Iran fans wore T-shirts or waving signs printed with the mantra of the uprising — “Woman, Life, Freedom.” Others wore T-shirts bearing the names of female protesters killed by Iranian security forces in recent weeks.

In the 22nd minute of the match - a reference to her age when she died - some fans chanted Mahsa Amni’s name, but the chant quickly faded out and was replaced by “Iran.”

The World Cup in Qatar, just a short flight across the Persian Gulf from Iran, has emerged as a rallying point for Iranian political mobilization. Protesters have even called on FIFA, soccer’s governing body, to prohibit Iran from competing in the tournament over restrictions on women in soccer stadiums and the government’s crackdown.

The question of whether to root for the national team has divided Iranians as the team becomes entangled in the country’s combustible politics. Many now view support for the Iranian team as a betrayal of the young women and men who have risked their lives in the streets.

“The protest movement has overshadowed the football,” said Kamran, a linguistics professor who lives in the verdant northern province of Mazandaran. “I want Iran to lose these three games.”

Anusha, a 17-year-old whose Tehran high school has been rocked by protests, said the past few weeks of unrest had changed everything for her.

“A few months ago I would have said of course I want Iran to win against England and America,” she said. “Now, it’s strange. I really don’t care.”

Others insist the national team, which includes players who have spoken out on social media in solidarity with the protests, is representative of the country’s people and not its ruling Shiite clerics. The team’s star forward, Sardar Azmoun, has been vocal about the protests online. Two former soccer stars have even been arrested for backing the movement. Iran’s players didn’t sing along to their national anthem before the match against England.

“At the end of the day, I want the players to achieve their dreams,” said Mariam. “It’s not their fault our society is so polarized.”

The Iranian government, for its part, has tried to encourage citizens to support their team against Iran’s traditional enemies. Iran plays the United States on Nov. 29 — a contentious showdown that last occurred at the 1998 World Cup in France.

Observers note that the players are likely facing government pressure not to side with the protests. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has urged his government to prepare for potential problems. Iran International, the Saudi-financed Farsi news channel that heavily covers the Iranian opposition, reported that Qatari authorities barred its reporters from attending the World Cup under Iranian pressure.

Already, Iranian athletes have drawn enormous scrutiny. When Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi competed in South Korea without wearing her country’s mandatory headscarf, she became a lighting rod of the protest movement.

“We’re waiting for them to show us they’re supporting the people in Iran,” Azi, a 30-year-old Iranian fan living in Ottawa, Canada, said of the national team. “Some kind of sign, by any way they can.”

___

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Iran, US lock horns over sanctions relief, nuclear curbs in Vienna talks

 

Share on TwitteShare on Facebook

• Share via emlShare on RedShare on Linked In

Iran and the United States are displaying little flexibility on core issues in indirect nuclear talks, raising questions about whether a compromise can be found soon to renew a 2015 deal, diplomats say.

EU delegation representatives attending a meeting of the joint commission

 on negotiations aimed at reviving the Iran nuclear deal in Vienna, Austria 

on 27 December, 2021.

 Photo: Handout / various sources / AFP

After eight rounds of talks the thorniest points remain the speed and scope of lifting sanctions on Tehran, including Iran's demand for a US guarantee of no further punitive steps, and how and when to restore curbs on Iran's atomic work.

The nuclear deal limited Iran's uranium enrichment activity to make it harder for it to develop nuclear arms - an ambition Tehran denies - in return for lifting international sanctions.

But former US President Donald Trump ditched the pact in 2018, saying it did not do enough to curb Iran's nuclear activities, ballistic missile program and regional influence, and reimposed sanctions that badly damaged Iran's economy.

After waiting for a year, Iran responded to Trump's pressure by gradually breaching the accord, including rebuilding stockpiles of enriched uranium, refining it to higher fissile purity and installing advanced centrifuges to speed up output.

Following months of stop-start talks that began after Joe Biden replaced Trump in the White House, Western officials now say time is running out to resurrect the pact. But Iranian officials deny they are under time pressure, arguing the economy can survive thanks to oil sales to China.

'We need guarantees' - Iran official

A former Iranian official said Iran's rulers "are certain that their uncompromising, maximalist approach will give results".

France said on Tuesday that despite some progress at the end of December, Iran and world powers were still far away from reviving the deal.

The United States on Wednesday cited "modest progress" in recent weeks, but not enough.

"Modest progress is also not sufficient if we are going to" revive the 2015 deal, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters.

Iran insists on immediate removal of all Trump-era sanctions in a verifiable process. Washington has said it would remove curbs inconsistent with the 2015 pact if Iran resumed compliance with the deal, implying it would leave in place others such as those imposed under terrorism or human rights measures.

"Americans should give assurances that no new sanctions under any label would be imposed on Iran in future. We need guarantees that America will not abandon the deal again," said a senior Iranian official.

Iran's Nournews, a media outlet affiliated to the Supreme National Security Council, reported on Wednesday that Iran's key conditions at the talks "are assurances and verifications."

US officials were not immediately available to comment on the question of guarantees. However, US officials have said Biden cannot promise the US government will not renege on the agreement because the nuclear deal is a non-binding political understanding, not a legally-binding treaty.

Asked to comment on that US constitutional reality, an Iranian official said: "It's their internal problem".

On the issue of obtaining verification that sanctions have been removed - at which point Iran would have to revive curbs on its nuclear programme - the senior Iranian official said Iran and Washington differed over the timetable.

"Iran needs a couple of weeks to verify sanctions removal (before it reverses its nuclear steps). But the other party says a few days would be enough to load oil on a ship, export it and transfer its money through banking system," the official said.

Threats

Shadowing the background of the talks have been threats by Israel, widely believed to have the Middle East's only nuclear weaponry but which sees Iran as a existential threat, to attack Iranian nuclear installations if it deems diplomacy ultimately futile in containing Tehran's atomic abilities and potential.

Iran says it would hit back hard if it were attacked.

A Western diplomat said "early-February is a realistic end-date for Vienna talks" as the longer Iran remains outside the deal, the more nuclear expertise it will gain, shortening the time it might need to race to build a bomb if it chose to.

"Still we are not sure whether Iran really wants a deal," said another Western diplomat.

Iran has ruled out adhering to any "artificial" deadline.

"Several times, they asked Iran to slow down its nuclear work during the talks, and even Americans conveyed messages about an interim deal through other parties," said a second Iranian official, close to Iran's negotiating team.

"It was rejected by Iran."

Asked for comment, a State Department spokesperson who declined to be identified told Reuters: "Of course we - and the whole international community - want Iran to slow down their nuclear program and have communicated that very clearly."

"Beyond that, we don't negotiate the details in public, but these reports are far off."

Other points of contention include Iran's advanced nuclear centrifuges, the machines that purify uranium for use as fuel in atomic power plants or, if purified to a high level, weapons.

"Discussions continue on Iran's demand to store and seal its advanced centrifuges ... They wanted those centrifuges to be dismantled and shipped abroad," the first official said.

Asked to comment on this question, a Western diplomat said: "We are looking for ways to overcome our differences with Iran about verification process".

With Israel and Gaza at war, there’s no smoking gun pointing to Iran yet, but that doesn’t stop some from seeing it

Paolo Confino, Nick Lichtenberg
Wed, October 11, 2023 

Iranian Supreme Leader Press Office/Anadolu/Getty Images


A meticulously planned attack by Hamas on Israeli soil over the weekend left many with a gnawing question: How did it happen? Israel, considered to have some of the best intelligence services in the world, failed to learn about the attack ahead of time. Some have speculated that the level of coordination and deception could have only been possible with state support. For many, that left only one candidate: Iran.

Jacob Helberg has been a geopolitical risk forecaster for major American businesses for over a decade, including a stint at Google from 2016 to 2020 battling disinformation and foreign interference. He told Fortune that one thing is clear: “Hamas would have never been able to carry out an attack of this sophistication by land, air, sea, and cyber, in such a coordinated fashion, without Israeli or U.S. intelligence knowing, if this wasn’t completely orchestrated straight out of Tehran.”

Helberg also leads a group of private individuals who advise Congress on trade with China—the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission—and serves as a senior policy advisor to the CEO of defense contractor Palantir. He’s not alone in his viewpoint. Aaron Pilkington, an Air Force analyst specializing in Iranian studies (not to be confused with the Republican Arkansas state representative of the same name), wrote for Fortune and The Conversation that the current war in Gaza will serve Iran’s regional interests, regardless of whether the country was involved.

And on Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported Iran was in fact directly involved, citing sources in Hamas and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia in Lebanon that the U.S. considers a terrorist organization. The report detailed meetings between the Iranian military and Hamas that started as far back as August, at least two of which were attended by Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The Journal further reported that Iranian security officials helped Hamas plan its surprise attack.

By Wednesday, a separate report from the New York Times cited U.S. intelligence sources who said Iranian officials were caught off guard by the attacks. Those same sources added the caveat that the investigation into Hamas’s attacks was ongoing and could ultimately show Iranian participation.

Iran’s involvement in the attack, some say, was also an effort to stop Israel from negotiating diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia. Iran considers Saudi Arabia a rival, and Israel a sworn enemy, and any close ties between the two could be seen as a threat. For now, any deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia appears to be on hold. The Saudis will likely wait to assess their public’s reaction to Israel’s retaliation, and Israeli foreign policy is focused on the war, rather than diplomatic treaties.

The U.S. and Israeli governments have stopped short of claiming any direct involvement by Iran in the weekend’s attacks. On Sunday, the day after the attacks started, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. did not have evidence of Iranian involvement. A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the same. “We can’t yet say if [Iran] was involved in the planning or training” of the attacks, said Israeli Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.

And yet officials from both Israel and the U.S. have hinted that they suspect Iran, given decades of close ties that the intelligence community sees between Iran and Hamas, Hezbollah, and other proxies around the Arab world. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called for “condemnation of Hamas, its allies, and its backers in Iran” without directly saying the latter had taken part in the weekend’s attacks, while a U.S. National Security Council spokesperson called Iran “complicit” in the attacks.
Iran’s ‘plausible deniability’

Iran has a long history of supporting Hamas, although the exact details of their relationship are of course not publicly known. Israel has previously claimed that Hamas receives $100 million a year from Iran. Additionally, a 2021 State Department report called Iran the “leading state sponsor of terrorism” and claimed that it funded terrorism across the Middle East, including by Hamas.

“The whole benefit for Iran of using Hamas as a surrogate is to try to shield itself from having to bear and absorb the direct cost of waging an attack on Israel,” Helberg says. “They’re using Hamas as a buffer to have plausible deniability so that the response will be against Hamas and not the Iranian state.”

One of America’s top political scientists doesn’t buy it. Ian Bremmer, founder of the geopolitical consulting firm Eurasia Group, told Fortune that despite its alleged links with Hamas, Iran’s recent actions don’t show a desire to further destabilize the region. “Everything Iran has been doing at a high level, strategically, has implied that they are not trying to go to war with Israel,” he said.

He pointed to several examples indicating that Iran is an unlikely candidate to have sponsored the Hamas terrorist attack. The country recently signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia, brokered by China, to restore full diplomatic relations between the historic rivals. Iran also agreed in 2015 to slow the pace of its uranium enrichment and let UN inspectors monitor its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. This openness to engaging with the UN took a turn last month, however, when Iran barred inspectors from accessing certain parts of its nuclear program. The nation also expects to receive $6 billion in previously frozen funds that are supposed to be spent on humanitarian aid, money it is unlikely to jeopardize by being tied to a terrorist attack in Israel.

On Tuesday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Iran was not behind the attacks. He called statements about Iran’s involvement “nonsense comments.” Such remarks were to be expected, Bremmer says, adding they “tell you nothing.”
A new ‘axis’?

Helberg has a wider concern, though, about Iran possibly orchestrating the attack. “Iran, Russia, and China are in a de facto alliance,” Helberg said. “The main organizing principle around that alliance is a combination of anti-Americanism and a protest against the American-led rules-based order.”

Several respected opinion writers have speculated Hamas’s attacks in Israel are a sign of a weakening of the so-called Pax Americana, the relative global peace the U.S. had instilled across the world by deterring other countries from starting wars. For instance, longtime economics blogger Noah Smith wrote on his Substack that the “attack is a demonstration of America’s decreasing ability to deter conflict throughout the world.” Bloomberg Opinion columnist Hal Brands also saw ties between Iran, Russia, and China, which he called “revisionist actors.” Wrote Brands: “Connections between revisionist actors are stronger than at any time in decades.”

Helberg said he sees significant parallels between the military and foreign policy goals of all three countries. “You have Russia waging a campaign in Ukraine,” he said. “Iran effectively waging a campaign against Israel by way of Hamas. And China doing everything it can to prepare a potential campaign against Taiwan.”

There are clear ties between these countries, too. For its war against Ukraine, Russia has relied heavily on Iran for military equipment such as drones and missiles. In August, the U.S. asked Iran to stop selling Russia weapons, as a part of bilateral efforts to de-escalate tensions. Russia, in turn, has lent the Iranians its engineering expertise to help update their manufacturing of military drones, part of a broader information-sharing pact between the two. Foreign policy experts fear that further international condemnation and isolation could push Russia and Iran even closer.

Russia and China have built a close partnership, decades in the making, that is framed, if not exactly in opposition to the U.S., as a partial check on American dominance. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, though, has complicated the relationship. China has been careful about denouncing Russia’s war in Ukraine, despite much of the world doing so. Since the war, the two countries have continued trade relations, with China a major purchaser of the discounted commodities Russia can’t sell elsewhere because of the many sanctions it is under. When delegations from the two countries met in May, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that “pressure of illegitimate sanctions from the collective West” had brought the relationship to “an unprecedented high level.”

China has also developed increasingly closer ties to Iran. In 2021, China signed a massive, 25-year agreement with Iran that was a stepping stone to exerting greater influence in the region. Bremmer says China and Iran, in particular, have more of a transactional economic relationship than a full-fledged alliance, noting that they lack a joint defense agreement. Bremmer also notes that China has been slow-walking implementation of the Iran deal and that China has strong ties with Saudi Arabia, which in March was granted dialogue partner status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

China exerted some of its newfound geopolitical influence in March when it brokered the historic agreement to restore full diplomatic relations between rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, with China casting itself in an unfamiliar, but likely sought after, role of global peacemaker. However, China’s national interests lie with the trade opportunities these agreements represented, according to Bremmer.

“The Chinese follow their economic interests, which right now require them to import huge amounts of oil from the Gulf region,” Bremmer said. “But that need does not discriminate between Iran and Saudi Arabia, historically rivals.”

Bremmer is also not convinced about clear-cut ties between Russia, China, and Iran.

“I don’t really understand people saying that China and Iran are in an alliance,” he says, not referring specifically to Helberg. “That to me speaks about people who don’t know a lot about the region or about China’s relations in the region. That strikes me as an easy shorthand for Americans that put all countries that they don’t like or don’t trust in the same basket.”

The Iran-Russia friendship exists mostly because other countries have shunned them: “They don’t have many countries that like them,” Bremmer concludes.

China and Russia both offered muted statements of support for Israel over the past week. The Chinese statement in particular frustrated American officials. In a rare show of open criticism from high-ranking government officials, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) expressed his disappointment directly to President Xi Jinping during a meeting in Beijing. While Russia, who had already angered Israel because of its continued ties to Iran, said it was “concerned” but offered essentially no condemnation of Hamas. In another statement on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attacks were an example of the U.S.’s “failure” in the Middle East.

The American foreign policy apparatus, also known as “the blob” in D.C., has a long history of angst over Iran, dating back to at least the 1950s, when the CIA backed a coup to overthrow Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and replace him with Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. Pahlavi’s reinstatement laid the groundwork for the Iranian revolution that took place in 1979 and forever after compromised its relationship with the U.S.

More recently, President George W. Bush rattled the American-led international order in 2002 when he declared Iran, along with North Korea and Iraq, to be part of an “Axis of Evil”—a proclamation that presaged two decades of American-led war in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere in the Middle East that only concluded in 2021, when President Joe Biden withdrew the last forces from Afghanistan. Now, just a few years later, the situation is front and center for the blob, once again.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Iran and the ‘Asianisation’ of world politics

17 December 2022

Author: Alam Saleh, ANU

In an era characterised by the conspicuous rise of China and growing Russian aggression, a new post-West world order is taking shape within international politics. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was established to pursue the ‘Asianisation’ of a post-Western and pre-plural world order. China and Russia, in an attempt to undermine US global influence, are seeking to foster cooperation and alliances with strong regional powers. Iran was made a permanent member of the SCO.

Iran’s resurgence as a regional power in the Middle East, fomenting since 2003, has been considered a threat to both its neighbours and to US strategic interests in the region. Tehran’s expansionist policies have coincided with rapid military and nuclear strengthening. The country’s leadership is intent on restoring Iran as a key regional power.

A strengthened and assertive Iran, positioned in the northeast corner of one of the most geostrategically critical regions in the world, is of significant interest to China and Russia. The ostensibly important differences in policy and ideology between the three are overridden by a visceral hostility to US hegemony. Strategic alignment in this respect has led to comprehensive strategic agreements being drawn up with Iran and joint military exercises in the Indian Ocean, indicating a new era of cooperation between the three countries.

These new strategic ties have been particularly important for Iran since former US president Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal with Iran and imposed a policy of maximum pressure, coupled with the international isolation of the country since 2018. Tehran has been left with no other option but to look East for achieving its economic and political objectives and reformulating the geostrategic function of Iran. Beijing and Moscow have welcomed Tehran’s growing tendency to look East — and the SCO is being used as the institutional framework that will protect and align the interests of the three countries.

SCO membership ensures Iran’s economic survival in the face of Western sanctions. Iran’s increased involvement and cooperation with SCO members enables Tehran to undermine US containment policies, aimed at marginalising Iran politically. It enables Iran to engage in security cooperation arrangements that will advance the country’s military prowess. The deepening of relationships with Eastern powers may also enable Iran to further its nuclear program and overcome diplomatic hurdles in the 5+1 nuclear talks. Both Russia and China enjoy UN Security Council veto power, which Iran may require in its ongoing power struggle against the West.

SCO membership will boost Iran’s trade, increase inward investment flows, spur growth in tourism, unlock access to a SWIFT alternative, assist in the state’s fight against terrorism and empower Tehran to counter separatist factions in the country. The vast geographical scope and demographic scale of the SCO bloc will create unprecedented market opportunities for Iranian oil and gas traders, with many of the biggest producers and consumers of energy in the world being members of the SCO.

Iran’s membership in the SCO facilitates Beijing’s expanding economic and political footprint in the Middle East. With US power in the Middle East declining, the integration of Iran into an organisation embedded with Chinese interests will unlock opportunities for China to extend its regional influence. Access to Iran’s oil and gas reserves comprises another important advantage for China as it looks to diversify its energy sources. Iran’s SCO membership will also enhance Chinese access to the strategically critical Persian Gulf — an essential geographical component of the Belt and Road Initiative.

From Russia’s perspective, Iran can function as an instrument for countering NATO power by engaging in geopolitical power struggles in the region and beyond. Tehran may be able to play a decisive role in undermining US interests in the Middle East, particularly in countries where Tehran has significant influence. Just as Tehran dragged Moscow into the war in Syria, so now Russia is pulling Iran into the quagmire of the Ukraine war by using Iran-made drones.

Iran’s SCO membership will connect Tehran with two ambitious global powers, both of which share the Iranian regime’s disgruntlement with US hegemony. SCO membership will likely further Iran’s geopolitical interests in the Middle East, empowering Tehran to undermine US influence in the region. Iran’s membership in other regional organisations, such as the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia and the Caspian Economic Forum, will be exploited in conjunction with SCO membership to serve its political and economic objectives.

In gauging whether the SCO is intended as an ‘anti-Western, Anti-NATO’ bloc for emerging powers in Asia to subvert and replace the old US hegemonic order, the inclusion of Iran as a permanent member should dissuade us from any doubt. It ensures an economic lifeline, political influence and security for Tehran.

Asianisation is a progression towards a so-called ‘Westless’ global order and Iran’s decisive and dogmatic hostility to the West, combined with its geostrategic importance, means that it can play a vital role in the transfer of power to the East if it is consistently supported by Russia and China.

Alam Saleh is Lecturer in Iranian Studies at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, The Australian National University.

CANADA WIDE SOLIDARITY PROTESTS

 'We are here to be their voice': Thousands rally in Toronto in support of Iranian protesters

Thousands attend 'The Time Has Come' rally


Tens of thousands of people gathered in Toronto for a rally in support of Iranian protesters who are facing violent government crackdown.

Toronto rally held in support of Iran protesters


Thousands march through the streets of downtown in solidarity with protesters in Iran demanding human rights and democracy.

CP24.com, Staff
Published Saturday, October 22, 2022 

Thousands of people marched through the streets of downtown Toronto on Saturday afternoon in solidarity with protesters in Iran who have been subjected to a violent government crackdown.

They gathered at Queen's Park at around 2 p.m. and subsequently made their way to Nathan Phillips Square, chanting and carrying flags and signs that included "Stand with the people of Iran," "Say no to dictatorship in Iran," "Say Her Name, Mahsa Amini," and "Women, Life, Freedom."

Called "The Time Has Come," the rally organized by the International Centre for Human Rights is one of the several that took place worldwide on Saturday. Similar demonstrations were held in U.S. and European cities condemning the actions of the Iranian government.

PHOTO

Thousands gather at Queen's Park for 'The Time Has Come' rally in support of Iranian protesters. (Patrick Darrah/CTV News)

Protests have erupted across the Middle Eastern country following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was taken into custody by Iran's morality police after she allegedly wore her mandatory Islamic headscarf too loose.

According to several human rights groups, Iran's security forces have killed 200 people while dispersing demonstrations using live ammunition and tear gas.

"We are here in solidarity with brave Iranian women. They are on the streets and protesting against the regime. We are here to be their voice," said Mehrzad Zarei, one of the organizers of the Toronto rally.

"We are here to say the Islamic regime must go."

Zarei's son was one of the 176 people killed on board the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 when it was struck by surface-to-air missile fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of Iran's military.

He said the thousands who attended the rally are sending a strong message to women back in Iran that they are not alone in their fight.

"We are standing with them. We will do everything in our power to be their voice."

Earlier this month, a similar rally was held in Richmond Hill that approximately more than 50,000 people attended.

The violent crackdown on protesters has prompted Ottawa to bar more than half of the Revolutionary Guard from entering the country and impose restrictions on several Iranian officials.

Kimia Bakhshi echoed the sentiments of many people who attended the rally – she wants to be a voice for the people back in Iran who are dying while fighting for their freedom.

"We escaped our country. We came to a better place to be their voice to fight for them -- people who are suppressed in Iran, people who go to prison, people who die only because they're talking about their rights," Bakhshi said.

Her fellow demonstrator, who has family in Iran and fears for their safety, said she was at the rally to add her voice and help those being persecuted in her country.

"Everyone I love is being killed, slaughtered by the government in the streets… I have to be their voice because I had the chance to escape, but they don't have that chance," she said.

She believes a revolution in Iran is the only way to bring change.

"The government does not have the right to kill our teenagers, our girls, our boys, our kids, everyone," she said.

- with files from The Associated Press      

Thousands march through Toronto for women's rights in Iran

“I say to our politicians: take the side of humanity": demonstrator Reza who hopes Canada further punishes Iran

Author of the article:

Scott Laurie

Publishing date:

Oct 22, 2022  •

Thousands of people took the streets of downtown Toronto to protest the Iranian regime on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. PHOTO BY SCOTT LAURIE /Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Article content

A massive demonstration – appearing to number in the thousands – calling for an end to the Islamic regime in Iran took place in downtown Toronto Saturday.

“We didn’t expect this number of people. But the people are just trying to show to the world their hatred of the Islamic regime in Iran,” said a woman named Marges, who did not wish to share her last name.

She painted her hands red – a symbol, she said, of the blood spilled daily by the Iranian regime.

“The government in Iran is trying to kill and arrest demonstrators unfortunately,” she said, as the crowd chanted for women’s rights and for an end to the Islamic government.

The march from Queen’s Park to Nathan Phillips Square was one of several held around the world – including in Germany and in Iran itself.

Marges painted her hands red, to symbolize the blood spilled daily by the Iranian regime, as she attended a massive rally in downtown Toronto on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. PHOTO BY SCOTT LAURIE /Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network

Anti-government protests were sparked in Iran on Sept. 17 at the funeral of Mahsa Amini, 22, in her Kurdish town of Saqez.

Advertisement 3

Article content

Amini was arrested in Tehran on Sept. 13 by its “morality police” for wearing “inappropriate attire.”

She died three days later at a Tehran hospital.

A state coroner’s report said Amini died from pre-existing medical conditions.

A woman holds a placard with a picture of Iranian Mahsa Amini as she attends a protest against her death, in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. PHOTO BY MARKUS SCHREIBER /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Her family holds the police responsible for her death, saying doctors believe she was beaten while in custody.

The demonstrations have become the biggest challenge to Iran’s clerical leaders in recent years, with protesters calling for the downfall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Toronto friends Reza, from Iran, and Tahra, from Afghanistan, attended Saturday’s rally.

“I came today to support Iranian people because I am from Afghanistan,” said Tahra. “If change comes to Iran, I think it will affect Afghanistan.”

Reza said he was impressed with the turnout and hopes it sends a signal to Western governments to further punish the Iranian government.

“I say to our politicians: take the side of humanity,” said Reza, who has two sisters still living in Iran. “Of course we are all worried about them.”

slaurie@postmedia.com

Images of in Photos Global Day Of Action for Iran Rally in Toronto

bing.com/images

See all images

Global Day of Action for Iran: Rally in Support of Iranian People

 Manitoba

University students in Winnipeg host protest against Iranian regime

Social Sharing

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email
• Reddit
• LinkedIn

Around 100 people gathered at The Forks on Saturday

CBC News · Posted: Oct 22, 2022 

Around 100 people gathered at the Canadian Museum For Human Rights on Saturday as part of ongoing international protests against the Iranian regime. (Donna Lee/CBC)

The University of Manitoba Iranian Students' Association hosted a rally outside the Canadian Museum For Human Rights in Winnipeg on Saturday to protest the current Iranian government regime.

"This movement is not against Islam, this movement is not an Islamophobic movement," said association president Pouya Farokhzad, who was involved in organizing the rally.

"We are against a regime that uses Islam to oppress people."

At least 100 people attended Saturday's rally, which coincided with a similar event in Berlin and rallies elsewhere in Canada and around the world.

The movement was sparked after the in-custody death of 22-year-old Masha Amini, who had been detained in Tehran for allegedly wearing her headscarf inappropriately. 

Head scarves for women in Iran — regardless of creed — have been mandatory as per the country's strict dress code enforced since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

• Protests rage in Iran's southeast, police arrest 57 they describe as 'rioters'

• She was Iran's women's minister before the 1979 revolution. Now she's watching protests in exile

• Iran tries to deflect protests over Mahsa Amini by focusing on Kurds

In Berlin, nearly 40,000 people gathered turned out to show solidarity for the women and activists leading the movement for the past few weeks in Iran.

The protests in Germany's capital, organized by the Woman* Life Freedom Collective, began at the Victory Column in Berlin's Tiergarten park and continued as a march through central Berlin.

Some demonstrators there said they had come from elsewhere in Germany and other European countries to show their support.

Iran's nationwide anti-government protest movement first focused on the country's mandatory hijab covering for women following Amini's death on Sept. 16.

Saturday's rally took place outside the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. (Donna Lee/CBC)

The demonstrations there have since transformed into the greatest challenge to the Islamic Republic since the 2009 Green Movement over disputed elections.

In Tehran on Saturday, more anti-government protests took place at several universities.

Members of the Iranian community in Manitoba have held a number of rallies against the Iranian regime in the weeks following Amini's death.

• Calls for justice grow in Manitoba over in-custody death of Mahsa Amini in Iran

• Iran sees renewed protests over Mahsa Amini death amid 'major' internet disruption

"The thing that we are looking for is a regime change … basically every kind of human rights is under attack right now in Iran," Farokhzad said.

University of Winnipeg student Ershiya Bagheri, who was also involved in organizing Saturday's rally, recently moved to Canada from Iran and has been unable to communicate with friends and family back home as internet services have been disrupted.

Bagheri has found support in Winnipeg's Iranian community, and by getting involved in local protests.

"I was feeling that Iranian diasporas need to do something so that the world outside Iran can also hear us and support us," she said.

"I want to continue fighting so that everyone can hear the women of Iran."

With files from Donna Lee and The Associated Press

PEI

Charlottetown protest shows support for women in Iran

Social Shari

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email
• Reddit
• LinkedIn

Demonstration one of many around the world since death of Mahsa Amini

CBC News · Posted: Oct 22, 2022 

Protesters did not want to go on camera for fear of repercussions in Iran. (Tony Davis/CBC)

Dozens of people gathered in downtown Charlottetown on Saturday to speak out against women's rights issues in Iran.

Protests have been happening in Iran and around following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16. 

Amini died following her arrest by Iran's morality police in Tehran for allegedly wearing her mandatory headscarf too loosely, which would violate the country's strict dress code enforced since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. 

None of the protesters in Charlottetown felt safe to speak to CBC P.E.I. on camera, fearing repercussions for loved ones in Iran. CBC is protecting their identity by not showing photos of their faces.

A poster of Mahsa Amini is seen outside Mackenzie Theatre in Charlottetown. Amini died Sept. 16 while in custody of Iran's morality police. (Tony Davis/CBC)

• Protests rage in Iran's southeast, police arrest 57 they describe as 'rioters'

Protesters held signs with messages of freedom and support for women and people from the LGBTQ community. They said it is their duty to keep the conversation going for those who can't speak out.

A sign at the Charlottetown cenotaph shows a message for women, life and freedom. (Tony Davis/CBC)

‘Say no to gender segregation’: Halifax rally

 held in solidarity with Iranians

By Karla Renić Global News
Posted October 22, 2022 

Nearly 200 people gathered on the Halifax waterfront on Saturday in solidarity with Iranians who are protesting their government regime's ongoing oppression of women.

Nearly 200 people gathered on the Halifax waterfront on Saturday in solidarity with Iranians who are protesting their government regime’s ongoing oppression of women.

Speaker Atefah Tabash said at the rally they ask the Canadian government to ensure that no person affiliated with Iran’s regime benefits from the immigration system.

“We love our Canada, we want it to stay safe,” the speaker said.

“We urge the government to draft practical solutions to this problem, and help the hardworking Iranian community to be safe in Canada.”

It’s been five weeks since the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who was captured for not wearing her hijab properly, as dictated by the country’s regime. She died after falling into a coma while in the custody of Iran’s “morality police” on Sept. 16. Her death has caused many to take to the street as citizens call for democracy and an overthrow of the government.

READ MORE: New protests erupt in Iranian city that was scene of bloody crackdown

Witnesses said antigovernment protests erupted at several universities in Tehran amid heavy security on Saturday as the world observed a Global Day of Action. Protests were held in several cities across Canada.

A rally in solidarity with Iranians was held in Halifax on Oct. 22, 2022.

 Amber Fryday / Global News

Halifax West Member of Parliament Lena Diab also attended Saturday’s rally on the waterfront, saying the federal government supports Iranian protestors.

“My heart is with you, and all of your friends, families and loved ones — especially those who are still in Iran,” said Diab.

“The outrageous violence being perpetrated during this crackdown is disgusting and it must stop.”

Diab said she has heard stories from Iranians across the province and in Ottawa about the brutality towards those who demand basic rights.

“I’ve heard that even in Halifax we must do more to stop the Iranian regime’s global campaign of intimidation,” she said.

Diab said Canada’s government is using its voice on the international stage to ensure countries are in sync with one common goal: “to ban the (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) from coming to Canada and other countries.”

READ MORE: Canada announces new Iran sanctions amid protests over Mahsa Amini death

Canada’s Minister of Immigration and Citizenship Sean Fraser said at the rally there are half a million Iranians in Canada, and “it’s time that we show we’re standing alongside them, not just with our words.”

Fraser said there a number of sanctions have been lobbied against officials within the Iranian regime.

“The immigration measures we put in place do not just apply to the IRGC, but senior officials across every aspect of the regime, who will no longer be able to come to Canada,” Fraser said.

“Those who may enjoy their status here now, we are not afraid to revoke it, to remove them if need be.”

Fraser said the government will do anything it can “to hold the regime accountable,” and will ensure the safety of those who are speaking against it in Canada.

Speaker Flora Riyahi told the Halifax crowd they are gathered there to “say ‘no'” to gender segregation.

“‘No’ to a regime that does not respect the demand of its people; ‘no’ to violently crashing legitimate protests; ‘no’ to unexplained deaths at custody.”

Riyahi said, “‘yes’ to hope.”

— With files from Heidi Lee and The Associated Press.

'Women, life, freedom': Hundreds attend Halifax protest in support of Iranians

Hafsa Arif
CTVNewsAtlantic.ca Video Journalist

Published Oct. 22, 2022 

More than a hundred people gathered at the Halifax waterfront Saturday in part of the many protests happening across Canada in support of Iranians.

Crowds chanted 'women, life, freedom' as they voice concerns for Iranians while also condemning the Iranian government.

"They are chanting down with the dictator, down with the Islamic Republic of Iran. They’re chanting for freedom and democracy. Here in Canada, what we’re trying to do is pressure our elected officials," said Nazanin Afshin-Jam Mackay, who is an advocate.

While the Canadian government has applied sanction against the Iranian regime officials, protestors say they want more.

RELATED STORIES

Hundreds march in solidarity with Iranians protesting woman's death in police custody

A Nova Scotia vigil for Mahsa Amini

"We are asking to add the IRGC entity into the terrorist group and not to let them into the country. For those that are in the country, we want them to get out," said Ateefeh Tabesh, one of the organizers of the protest.

According to Iran’s Human Rights Activist News Agency, 12,000 people have been arrested since the protests began last month. Ottawa says it will be taking action.

"The immigrations measures that we put in place do not just apply to the IRGC, but also the senior officials across every aspect of the regime who will no longer be able to come to Canada. Those who may enjoy the status here now, we are not afraid to revoke it and to removed them if need be," said Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration.

Many protestors say they are risking their safety, as well as the safety of their families back home by attending the protest.

"Their information is being shared with regime officials and from there, these officials harass the families of those that still have family there," said Afshin-Jam Mackay.

A global protest in support of Iranians is scheduled to take place next week.

Protests for women’s right in Iran at Saskatchewan legislature

By Andrew Benson Global News
Updated October 23, 2022


Over 100 community members gathered outside the Saskatchewan Legislative Building Saturday and showed their support for justice and human rights in the Iranian culture.

As protests rage in Iran for women’s rights, Regina residents are doing their part to show support.

Over 100 community members gathered outside the Saskatchewan Legislative Building Saturday to rally for justice, women’s rights and human rights in Iran.

“Our brothers and sisters back home are fighting whole-heartedly with bare hands against the Islamic regime,” said Shiva Souri, an Iranian student who has been living in Canada for the last year and a half.

“This is the only thing we can do as an outside country because we do have the privilege to speak with our voices and talk on their behalf and ask people who have the power to tell the world what is happening in Iran.”

Over a hundred people attended the protest on Saturday, Oct. 22 at the Saskatchewan legislative building. Troy Charles / Global News

Iranians have been actively protesting the Islamic regime for over month now and during this time, the regime has shut down the internet in the entire country, arrested protestors, and killed hundreds of people, some as young as 15-years-old.

“I might put my family in danger because we have attended a protest,” when talking about the hold the regime has not just in Iran, but out of the country as well,” said Souri. “We are under pressure, we are buckled up and under stress every single morning that we wake up.”

While anger against the regime was strong for Souri this weekend, she also feels and immense amount of pride.

“I feel not helpless anymore,” she said. “I feel like I have a mountain behind me and each one of us feels the same. Our voicees will make action.”

For Zahra Mansoureh Darzi, an Iranian woman who has been in Canada for 31 years, it’s hard for people from Canada to fully understand the control the regime has on Iranian people, but protests like today’s start to slowly educate people.

“If you want to take your dog outside, you don’t have that freedom,” Darzi said. “If I want to dance or I want to sing… that is not permitted under the Islamic regime. So many small things beyond our imagination here that we can’t believe.”

Darzi’s husband was executed in 1998 when she was just two months’ pregnant, after he spoke against the regime sending 15-year-olds into war. It is something on the top of her mind throughout the protest.

“He was only asking for freedom and justice. They killed him because they were afraid of the truth coming out. I can’t even express my feeling in that moment.”

For both Darzi and Souri, the final sentiment about what needs to happen was the same.

“The one and only solution is revolution,” Souri said.

'Once people are willing to give up their lives to make change, I think we all need to support that': London rally to support reforms in Iran

Gerry Dewan
CTV News London Reporter
Published Oct. 22, 2022 

Protestors opposing the Iranian government gathered in London’s Victoria Park Saturday afternoon, continuing the calls for reform in the Islamic republic.

Organizers of the rally say it's vital to keep the pressure on the government.

About 300 people gathered at the entrance to park, filling the air with chants, including "women, life, freedom" and "down with dictators."

One organizer expected the gathering to be larger and worries there's a narrative being spread that the protests are opposing Islam.

"This has nothing to do with religion. This has nothing to do with what you believe. This has nothing to with if you want to wear a hijab or if you don't want to wear a hijab," says Sara. Like many demonstrators who have family in Iran, she only uses her first name for fear of reprisals. She says the protests are about basic human rights, "This has more to it. This about that of your part of the LGBTQ community, if you're gay, you're lesbian, you're a bisexual. Like, as a woman, your voice won't count."

Protests started in Iran hours after a 22-year-old woman died after being taken into custody by Iran's so-called morality police.

It's been more than a month since Mahsa Amini lost her life and since that time there have been persistent protests, both in Iran and around the world."

"I have experienced everything there and I can very well feel this could happen to me," says Pari. She left Iran when she was 25. She says Amini's death had a profound effect on her bringing back to mind the fear and anxiety she lived with, "The moment you go out of your house anything could happen to you because of the way you are dressed."

Speaking of her feelings when she thinks of Amini’s death she says, "First you are full of sorrow, but then you are full of rage."

Canadian educator Greg Janes has been to the Middle East but never to Iran. He says watching citizens of that country take a stand against oppression is what brought him out to the demonstration at Victoria Park, "It's been going on for a month and people are still going out. Once people are willing to give up their lives to make change, I think we all need to support that."

London Rally - Saturday October 22, 2022 (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)

Hundreds rally in support of Iranian protesters in downtown Kitchener


Hannah Schmidt
CTV News Kitchener Videographer
Published Oct. 22, 2022 

Iranian-Canadians in Waterloo region are rallying in support of protests in Iran.

The protests were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini while she was detained by the country’s morality police for allegedly wearing her headscarf too loosely.

From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, an event dubbed Freedom Rally For Iran was held in downtown Kitchener. More than 400 people attended.

One speaker said the event is part of an international call to action to bring the community together and show loved ones in Iran they have support.

“Everybody is standing together and stating that they're tired of this oppressive regime. They have not been able to do anything economically or socially for the people of Iran for the past 40 years and they need to go. That's the message," said rally speaker Pooneh Bolourchi.

Bolourchi said there are plans for continued demonstrations of support throughout the region, meant to give a voice to those who may not be able to speak out.

“We're going to continue to support and be the voice of voiceless people in Iran. They're honestly walking on the streets, bare-handed and facing war weapons, and the Islamic regime and their police are just opening fire on people."

Rally participants gathered at Kitchener City Hall and then made their way to Victoria Park in solidarity with those protesting Amini’s death. Rally-goers were seen carrying signs reading “Women, Life, Freedom,” as well as posters of Amini.

Amini died in hospital on Sept. 17 and protests in support of her have followed – first in Iran and then globally.

Around 50,000 people attended a rally in Toronto earlier this month. Another took place in the city Saturday.