“United Nations independent human rights experts on Thursday called on Iran to immediately release Iranian-Swedish academic Ahmadreza Djalali, reported to be in a “near death” condition after months of prolonged solitary confinement.” … “The situation of the arbitrarily detained academic “is truly horrific” and that they are “shocked and distressed by the cruel mistreatment”, the experts said in a news release. There is only one word to describe the severe physical and psychological ill-treatment of Djalali, and that is torture – Rights experts. Mr. Djalali has been held in prolonged solitary confinement for over 100 days with the constant risk of his imminent execution laying over his head, with prison officials shining bright lights in his small cell 24 hours a day, to deprive him of sleep, they added. “Medical issues have prevented him from eating properly, resulting in dramatic weight loss. His situation is so difficult that he reportedly has trouble speaking.” See “Rights experts demand Iran release academic ‘nearing death’ in solitary confinement,” UN News, March 18, 2021.
As the reader can see, there a lot of entries for March 18. Here is another–That the question is being asked shows there is a problem. “Can ships be defended from Iranian attacks in the Gulf?,” Seth Frantzman, Jerusalem Post, March 18, 2021.
“Iran: Nowruz Is A Time For Revitalization And Hope For Better Days,” Cyrus Yaqubi, op-ed, Eurasia Review, March 18, 2021. A long excerpt. The first day of spring is celebrated by Iranians as “Nowruz,” which means New Day. “Iranians celebrate Nowruz with traditional festivals, and it has been a national holiday since the rule of Cyrus the Great (538 BC). Historically, the celebration was to mark the victory of the Zoroastrian God, Ahura Mazda over the evil spirit, Ahriman. Nowruz celebrations include many customs, including spring cleaning, buying new garments and household items, visiting family members and neighbors, as well as setting up a table called “Haftsin” or the table with seven items beginning with the letter ‘S’ in Farsi. The Haftsin table includes hyacinths called ‘sonbol’ in Farsi, wheat, barley or lentin sprouts or ‘sabzeh’, sweet pudding made from wheat germ called ‘samanu’, vinegar or ‘serke’, jujube berries or ‘senjed’, garlic or ‘sir’, apple or ‘sib’ in Persian, and sumac. It also includes a goldfish, a mirror, the holy book, painted eggs, and candles. This year, Iranians are bearing the brunt of a collapsed economy, some paying for bread in installments and standing in long lines for basic food items. However, they will still arrange their Haftsins in hope of a bright future. The holiday custom of spring cleaning usually starts a few days before the New Year. Iranians hope to “spring clean” their country this year by getting rid of the corrupt regime, a clerical rule that has lasted 42 long years. Iran has historically been invaded and occupied in the past 3,000 years by different ethnicities and cultures, but still, the Nowruz celebrations never faded, and the tradition lived on. Another Nowruz custom is the fire festival. The fire festival or ‘Chaharshanbeh Suri’ is held on the last Tuesday of the year, when Iranians jump over small bonfires. The symbolic gesture is meant to purify against evil and misery. Due to the explosive state of the society, the clerical regime fears the traditional fire festival will get out of hand and discourages the celebration. Many are arrested for selling or buying firecrackers. In 2019, Tehran’s Chief of Police announced 280 arrests of “troublemakers” and threatened the public against actions that he deemed as “destructive” in the festival. The first five days of the New Year are considered official holidays. This is when Iranians visit friends and family members by reinstating friendly relations and letting go of past grudges. Iranians welcome their guests and serve them with a variety of traditional Persian sweets, a mixture of nuts and fruit. However, ordinary Iranians have lost most of their purchasing power this year and many say they cannot provide the traditional snacks for Nowruz. They are angry at the damaged economy and systematic corruption of the regime. Due to the high inflation rate in Iran’s crumbling economy, the prices of basic foods have increased and Iranians have to spend up to 40% or more on goods. Another custom of Nowruz includes elders giving gifts or money to the young members of the family. The spirit of Nowruz includes spreading joy, love, and hope, and driving out grief and misery. After the anti-Shah revolution in 1979, Rohullah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic came to power. Khomeini and his clerical rule discouraged Nowruz celebrations, saying it was affiliated with Zoroastrianism, and that it was pagan and anti-Islamic. However, knowing how much most Iranians loved the traditional Nowruz celebrations and rituals, they feared opposition and did not officially prohibit it. Instead, the clerics try to diminish it by encouraging Islamic holidays. After 42 years of theocratic rule, the regime has brought about nothing but misery, poverty, corruption, and death. Over 60 million Iranians live under the poverty line, which accounts for 70% of the population. Many Iranians have not tasted meat and fruit for months and have not been able to make ends meet. A report published by the Statistical Center of Iran in November 2020 said Iranians were not able to buy basic groceries. Average Iranians eat 52% less red meat, while those with lower incomes eat 65% less red meat compared to last year, the report said. Iranians are also eating 34% less rice, the country’s staple food. Workers across the country have not received their wages for months, and there are protests held in several cities by teachers, nurses, and pensioners on a weekly basis.The COVID-19 pandemic aggravated Iran’s economic problems. In addition to the battle with the deadly virus, many workers have lost their jobs, or have not received wages for many months. While regime elites thrive in their luxurious lives, the result of corruption and embezzlement, Iranians can barely afford food for Nowruz. Still, Iranians are determined to celebrate Nowruz and replace the current sorrow and oppression with happiness and hope.”
“The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Iran to stop secretly prosecuting journalists over accusations of spreading fake news.” See “Media watchdog: Iran must end convictions over ‘false news’,” Arab News, March 18, 2021.
“Disclosure of Details of Two Revolutionary Guards Ballistic Missile Sites in Western Iran,” NCRI, March 18, 2021.
“Khamenei may show more ‘heroic flexibility’ after Iranian elections,” IranSource, March 18, 2021.
Released just for Nowruz. “Iran Grants Rights Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh Temporary Leave From Jail,” Asharq Al-Awsat, March 18, 2021.
I bet he didn’t get questions about the Shia Crescent. “Geopolitical order based on occupation cannot continue – Iranian ambassador,” Azernews, March 18, 2021.
“A Hezbollah takeover in Beirut would put Iran on Israel’s doorstep,” Shimon Shapira, op-ed, JNS, March 18, 2021.
“No agreement is better than another bad agreement with Iran,” Yaakov Amidror, op-ed, JNS, March 18, 2021.
The media doesn’t have to simply report what Canada says about the report (“The Canadian government has rejected the report outright, describing it as “incomplete” and devoid of “hard facts or evidence.””)—the media can look at Iran’s report and conclude the same (and then tell readers/listeners the media’s position). See “Iran’s report on shootdown of Flight 752 doesn’t explain why it happened: TSB,” Then Canadian Press. Aldergrove Star, March 18, 2021.
And a similar story, and this one explains the importance of a full investigation, not simply a few statements. “Iran’s Final Report on Ukraine Jet Crash Blames Human Error,” Isabel Debre, Military.com, AP, March 18, 2021. “The country’s long-awaited final report, which foreign governments and victims’ families hoped would shed more light on the mysterious downing, came to the same cryptic conclusion. “The accident aircraft was misidentified by the air defense unit in the suburbs of Tehran and, consequently, two missiles were launched toward it,” the report said. “The operation of aircraft had not imposed any error to the air defense unit.” The 146-page investigation includes details about the timeline of events and analysis of aircraft debris, but does not identify culprits in the shootdown, explain how the chain of command broke down, answer why authorities decided to keep civilian airspace open as regional tensions soared or respond to other key questions. Iran’s official explanation has left investigators and aviation experts unconvinced, with Canada’s special adviser to the prime minister calling Iran’s narrative “difficult to accept” and lacking in proof. Last month, Agnes Callamard, the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, went further. She called the series of alleged mistakes “unreasonable” and said Iran’s “multiple claims and stories create a maximum of confusion.” In her report, the result of a six-month investigation, Callamard said she had not found concrete evidence that Iran had intentionally shot down the plane full of its own citizens. However, she said, the “reckless” nature of the mistakes and “inconsistencies” in Iran’s official explanation “have led many to question whether the downing of Flight PS752 was not intentional.”
Malley’s right. If Zarif and others want JCPOA revival, have the Leader stop the proxies from attacking Americans. “Iranian Proxy Attacks on Americans ‘Not Helping Climate in US’ for Reviving Iran Talks, US Envoy Says,” Guita Aryan and Michael Lipin,” VOA, March 18, 2021.
