2016 has been a big year for news from Iran, and it hasn’t even been a month yet. Naturally, there is both good news and bad; Iran is ever a source of controversy.
Increased Tensions with Saudi Arabia
In the New Year, Saudi Arabia executed 47 people on charges of terrorism. One of those executed was Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was well-known for speaking against the (Sunni) Saudi monarchy. Many believed that this was the reason for his execution. The news of his execution was met with outrage from many quarters, particularly from Shia-majority Iran. The Saudi embassy in Tehran was attacked by an angry mob of protesters, who damaged the building and attempted to burn it down. They were stopped by riot police, who made numerous arrests. Thankfully, there were no casualties; the attacks took place when the building was empty. The protests were condemned officially by Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, who strongly denounced the execution of al-Nimr, but said, regarding the attack on the Saudi embassy, “In no way is this justifiable.”
Saudi Arabia was outraged by the attack on the embassy; the two regional powers have long been at odds, and since last year have been involved in something of a proxy war in Yemen, with Saudi Arabia backing government forces, and Iran backing Shiite Houthi rebels. In the aftermath of the attack, Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic and economic ties with Iran. In response, Iran banned the import of products from Saudi Arabia, and placed a moratorium on pilgrimages to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina (Saudi Arabia makes billions of dollars every year from these pilgrimages). Meanwhile, the Iranian embassy in Sanaa—the capital of Yemen—was damaged by a Saudi airstrike; many suspect that this was no accident.
The tensions have spread beyond those two countries; Bahrain, Sudan, Djibouti, and Somalia have also cut ties with Iran. Kuwait and Qatar have recalled their ambassadors to Iran, and the United Arab Emirates has also cooled its Iranian relations. There are fears that this will further destabilize the Middle East, which is already torn by conflict in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and beyond.
Iran Captures and Releases Trespassing Sailors
In early January, two small American navy boats en route from Bahrain to Kuwait strayed into Iranian territorial waters near Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf, where the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has a naval base. While at the time of writing it is unclear exactly how the boats ended up in Iranian waters – there were early reports of engine problems, but evidence now seems to point to a navigational failure—the United States insisted that it had been an accidental incursion. Iran boarded the vessels and took the crew into custody. After searching the boats and questioning the sailors, Iran came to the same conclusion—it was unintentional. The ten sailors were released unharmed the next morning, and the Iranians towed the American boats back into international waters.
While the outcome was thus peaceable, the incident started a firestorm of controversy. In the first place, the Iranian military took photographs and video footage of the captured sailors. One depicts the sailors surrendering, kneeling with their hands behind their head; the other shows them in a holding room, with one, identified as their commander, apologizing for the intrusion and thanking the Iranians for their hospitality. There was a great deal of debate over the videos. Many, particularly those with right-wing and generally anti-Iran views, argue that the video was taken for propaganda purposes and meant to humiliate America. These people point to the kneeling posture of the soldiers, as well as to the fact that the female member of the crew was apparently wearing a headscarf. There are suggestions that the apology in the video was given under coercion. However, there is no evidence that this was the case; others point out that the video also depicts the Americans being held all together in reasonably comfortable conditions and being served food. Furthermore, the argument that Iran was acting aggressively and attempting to humiliate America tend to gloss over the fact that members of the U.S. military had unquestionably entered into Iranian territory without permission.
While the details of the story are still not well known, it has caused heavily partisan debate in the United States. The incident took place mere hours before President Obama’s State of the Union Address; however, Obama made no mention of it during his speech. For this reason, he has come under fire from Republicans, who accuse him of weakness and working to placate Iran. His defenders, on the other hand, argue that the government was already working to secure the release of the sailors, and that addressing it publicly so soon might have jeopardized a sensitive negotiation. On the Republican side, this was a very key point during the recent primary debate, with the top two Republican front-runners Donald Trump and Ted Cruz both referring to the issue in their closing statements. Trump, in his usual bombastic style, declared that he had been with a large group of construction workers when the news of the sailors’ detention broke, and that the shock and horror had made half of them cry. In general, Obama’s critics accused him of being far too soft on Iran and failing to show strength; when the sailors were released, they attributed it to the fact that Iran was due to receive $150 billion when the nuclear deal was implemented. Meanwhile, the Obama government describes the story as a success; the sailors were released quickly, and an international incident was avoided. Furthermore, the speedy resolution was at least partially due to the administration’s policy of negotiation with Iran; there is now a certain amount of communication between Iranian and American diplomats, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was able to discuss the matter directly with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Up until quite recently, this would not have been possible.
Nuclear Deal Implemented, Sanctions Lifted
The long-negotiated and highly controversial nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany) was implemented on January 16. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has now complied with the standards agreed upon in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action which was agreed upon last year. There were four major requirements that Iran had to fulfill: they shipped 25,000 pounds of enriched uranium to Russia, they dismantled two thirds of their centrifuges, they removed the reactor core of the IR-40 heavy water reactor at Arak and filled it with concrete, and they allowed access of nuclear facilities and their supply chains to IAEA inspectors.
The agreement was highly controversial in both Iran and the United States, with conservatives in both countries arguing that the deal meant their own country’s capitulation and a victory for the other side. However, it appears that a majority, although not necessarily an overwhelming majority, in both countries support the deal.
As the deal is implemented, Iran is now due to receive around $150 billion in sanctions relief. Contrary to some claims, it is not being “given” to Iran; it is from Iranian assets that were frozen due to sanctions. Allowing for settling debts, the actual amount of money that Iran receives will be closer to $55 billion. As Iran faces economic difficulty and high inflation, this is important for Iran’s economy. The deal is also expected to affect the world’s economy by causing oil prices to drop significantly. Iran’s oil exports are expected to double in the future.
However, there are still a number of sanctions against Iran for different reasons; only the nuclear-related sanctions have been lifted. Sanctions relating to missiles and other weapons, sponsorship of terror, human rights, and destabilizing activities still remain. Furthermore, very soon after the implementation of the nuclear deal, America placed several new sanctions against Iran. This was partially due to an Iranian missile test last year, which many saw as threatening; America claims that it would be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and is thus forbidden. Iran denies this. Foreign Minister Zarif, opposing the new sanctions, describes America as having an “addiction”. The new sanctions are against eleven organizations—five individuals and several companies—who are associated with the Iranian missile program; they are now barred from using the U.S. banking system.
Prisoner Exchange
At nearly the same time as the implementation of the nuclear deal, Iran released four Americans imprisoned in Iran in exchange for seven Iranian prisoners in America. Those prisoners have been a source of public concern for some time.
Of the four prisoners, the most high-profile is reporter Jason Rezaian, a dual American-Iranian citizen and bureau chief for The Washington Post in Tehran. He was arrested in July 2014 on several charges, with the main one being espionage. His family and The Washington Post vehemently denied this. Late last year, he was tried behind closed doors; not even the nature or length of his sentence was released to the public. His family also grew worried about his health, as he suffered from high blood pressure and other health issues and was not given adequate treatment. Fortunately, he was released on the 17th and flew to America with his mother and his Iranian wife. At the last moment, it seemed that Iran was unwilling to allow said family members to accompany him, but the issue was sorted out by Kerry and Zarif.
Another released prisoner is Saeed Abedini, a Christian convert and pastor who was arrested for organizing Bible classes in Iran. Christianity is not illegal in Iran, and there is a sizeable Christian population as well as government representation of the Christian community. However, it is illegal for Muslims to convert to other religions or to encourage other Muslims to do so.
Amir Hekmati was a former U.S. Marine who was arrested and charged with spying in August 2011, after he visited Iran to see his grandmother. After confessing to spying, seemingly under coercion, Hekmati was sentenced to death in 2012. However, the Iranian Supreme Court overturned the death sentence. He was instead sentenced to ten years in prison, and according to his family, he was tortured and kept in inhumane conditions.
*The fourth prisoner who was released as part of the exchange was Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari. There is very little information available about him. Before the announcement of his release, it was not even known that he was imprisoned, or for that matter, that he existed. While the other prisoners left Iran almost immediately, Khosravi-Roodsari chose to remain in Iran. Neither government will release any details, though the U.S. states that he had been wrongfully detained.
A fifth prisoner, Matthew Trevithick, was also released, although he was not part of the prisoner exchange. He was a student studying in Iran, who had been arrested fairly recently.
The seven Iranian prisoners who were released from American prison were all charged with violating sanctions. Like Iran’s prisoners, most held dual Iranian-American citizenship. According to the BBC, their names are Nader Modanlo, Bahram Mechanic, Khosrow Afghani, Arash Ghahreman, Tooraj Faridi, Nima Golestaneh, and Ali Saboun.
These prisoners and their situation had been a large source of political debate in the United States. Many Republicans, in particular front-runner Donald Trump, have criticized the Obama administration for not working hard enough to get the prisoners released. Trump, after their release, took some credit for the accomplishment on the grounds that he had been raising the issue, despite the fact that their repatriation was achieved through diplomatic overtures to Iran that he has consistently opposed. Furthermore, the negotiation to release the prisoners had been going on for more than a year.
Iran remains a source of division in the West. Some hail the current American government’s slow and cautious build-up of relations with Iran as a tremendous step forward and an achievement; others insist that it is a mistake that will be a source of regret in the future. On the other hand, Iran is just as factionalized as America, and negotiations are equally controversial in Iran.
Here’s to hoping that the two countries can, at the very least, agree to disagree.
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