Tehran in Meltdown as Israel Decapitates Hamas and Hezbollah

-
Image
  By Struan Stevenson Conflagration engulfs the Middle East, with the Israel-Hamas war having gone on for more than a year now, and many Israeli hostages are still being held in deplorable conditions by Hamas terrorists. In Northern Israel, constant missile and rocket attacks by Hezbollah led to the mass evacuation of more than 70,000 Israelis from their homes in 2024 and to the inevitable military retaliation by the Israel Defense Forces, as they crossed the border into Southern Lebanon. Israeli missiles are raining down on key Hezbollah targets in Beirut. The assassination of Hezbollah’s terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, a seismic event, shattered his close friend and ally Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader and Hezbollah’s main sponsor. Nasrallah’s successor, Hashem Saffieddine, was also killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut within hours of being nominated for the Hezbollah leadership role and before the funeral of his predecessor had even taken place. Es...
Post a Comment

Pezeshkian vs. Mokhber: Infighting Intensifies Over Last-Minute Appointments in Iran

-

 


Written by Mohammad Sadat Khansari

Three-minute read

Internal conflict within Iran’s clerical regime has escalated as officials in the outgoing Raisi administration attempt to solidify their faction’s influence through a series of last-minute appointments. Despite a formal protest letter from Masoud Pezeshkian and an alleged directive from acting president Mohammad Mokhber to halt all changes before a new government takes office, these actions have persisted, sparking a heated battle with the regime’s president-elect.

State-run outlet Eghtesad News revealed on July 9 that these appointments involve key government positions that are crucial for the operations of the respective ministries. Documents confirm that despite Mokhber’s directive issued on June 1, some executive branches continued to make appointments, violating the interim president’s orders. The appointments in question include significant positions within the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, and the Iranian Airports and Air Navigation Company.

In a letter to Mokhber dated July 8, Pezeshkian requested a halt to all new appointments and contracts within ministries and executive branches, barring unavoidable circumstances. He wrote, “Ensure that no new contracts or appointments are made in any ministry or presidential departments, except for routine operations and necessary payments. In unavoidable cases, obtain written approval from your office.”

Sowlat Mortazavi, the current Minister of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare, dismissed Pezeshkian’s request, arguing that the current administration remains accountable until the end of its term. He stated, “The government is responsible to the people, the parliament, and the president until its last moment in office. Mokhber’s directive applies to administrative bodies, while the appointments made are within companies under public institutions.”

Ali Asghar Anabestani, a member of the eleventh parliament who failed to secure a seat in the twelfth, was controversially appointed to the board of the Steel Workers’ Pension Fund by Mortazavi. Additionally, the General Inspection Organization of Iran has intervened, declaring these appointments in violation of Mokhber’s directive. The head of this organization wrote to Reza Nakhjavani, Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development, stating, “The recent appointments in the Iranian Airports and Air Navigation Company are against the directive issued on July 1.”

On Wednesday, July 10, Ali Bahadori Jahromi, a spokesperson for the Raisi administration, took to social media platform X to address recent controversies surrounding the outgoing administration. He stated, “Following claims of the cabinet’s resignation, accusations emerged that the dams were emptied, which was addressed; subsequently, the debts from the past 10 years and the municipalities’ obligations were falsely attributed to another party.”

Responding to Masoud Pezeshkian, Jahromi explained, “When someone resigns, it is natural that the operations of that department cannot be halted.”

The government spokesman further lamented, “It’s unfortunate that, instead of preparing to serve, you are embroiling the new government in disputes over shares for power so prematurely!”

Despite the turmoil, Pezeshkian’s inauguration is scheduled for August 1, 2024, with his presidency officially beginning on August 2. The power struggle within the regime underscores the deep rifts and the significant infightings inside the regime.

In a post on X, Hamideh Zarabadi, spokesperson for the Election Committee, noted the ongoing violations: “Despite the issuance of directives to all executive bodies to refrain from organizational changes, we continue to receive reports of rampant and unlawful appointments, contrary to the stated guidelines.”

Further complicating the situation, Abbas Abdi, a former deputy prosecutor, weighed in on the controversy, stating, “All last-minute appointments and contracts will be subject to review and presumed invalid unless proven otherwise.”

The Guardian Council spokesperson also entered the fray, criticizing Pezeshkian’s letter for overstepping his bounds and attempting to undermine the current administration’s authority. Tahan Nazif said, “The Vice President, as the manager of the executive branch, holds the responsibilities of the President until the inauguration day. After that, he can continue his duties as Vice President as long as the new President wishes.”

Meanwhile, experts in the aviation industry have voiced concerns about the qualifications of the newly appointed individuals, suggesting, “The recent appointees lack the necessary executive and technical background, which could damage the organization’s professional structure.”

The dispute over these appointments is not just a power struggle but also a significant governance issue, reflecting broader concerns about the stability and functionality of the regime’s political system.

Meanwhile, in the international arena, Pezeshkian reaffirmed his support for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, emphasizing that “Iran’s strategic alliance with Syria” would persist under his administration. In a phone call, Pezeshkian assured Assad that “the policies of the Islamic Republic under the guidance of the Supreme Leader will continue to support the Syrian government as a strategic ally.”

This article was first published by NCR-Iran

Join us on YouTube:

Iran Panorama

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIrWDQd08-2QWsBzWpDo5jA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Countering Iran’s Threat, Strategies for Regional Stability

-
Image
  Written by Mahmoud Hakamian Two-minute read On Sunday morning, April 14, the Iranian regime launched an unprecedented attack against Israel, escalating tensions in the Middle East. Despite military experts’ assessments that the attack failed, it underscores  Iran’s role as a focal point  of regional conflict. The October 7th attack sent shockwaves globally. Despite ample evidence implicating the Iranian regime, Western governments dismissed Tehran’s involvement, adhering to a flawed appeasement policy toward the primary state sponsor of terrorism. They disregarded explicit statements from Revolutionary Guards  (IRGC) commanders boasting  about their direct role in the attack. For decades, the Iranian Resistance has urged the international community to adopt a resolute stance against the Iranian regime’s aggression and terrorism. Despite persistent calls, the failed appeasement policy of the West allowed Tehran to escalate its belligerent activities, including ...
Read more

Iran nuclear deal must be fixed before it is too late

-
Image
By DR. MAJID RAFIZADEH President Donald Trump will make a decision on whether the US will leave or stick with the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, by May 12. It has been almost three years since the nuclear accord was reached between the Islamic Republic and the UN Security Council’s five permanent members — Russia, the UK, China, France, and the US — plus Germany (the P5+1). Since the JCPOA’s implementation day on Jan. 16, 2016, the Iranian regime has been receiving various benefits that can be divided into four categories. Based on the terms of the JCPOA, four rounds of the United Nations Security Council’s economic sanctions against Tehran were  lifted  immediately.  The regime also received  unilateral  sanctions relief from individual countries in exchange for halting its nuclear activities and dismantling some sections of its nuclear program. For instanc...
Read more

General Call for Signing a Statement on the Investigation of Killers of the Massacre of Prisoners

-
Image
Link to call signing: https://www.change.org/p/un-secretary-general-call-for-justice-for-the-1988-iran-massacre Let's move our hands to change our world In the age of consciousness, and in the 21st century, brutality and barbarism must be stopped, this is not worthy of humanity. At the first step, you should be the center of this cruelty and the godfather of crime and murder, terrorism and fundamentalism that nobody is part of Iran's terrorist government. The fact is that the killing and execution of political and conscientious prisoners in public or in prisons is secretly in its astronomical dimensions on the coin of killing innocent people abroad by this regime. The issuance of terrorism and the support of fundamentalist and terrorist groups in this regime is institutionalized and is part of the constitution. The crimes committed by perpetrators and groups affiliated with this corrupt and expansionist state in Syria and Lebanon and Iraq ...
Read more