{"id":7351,"date":"2020-01-16T16:04:34","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T13:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/?p=7351"},"modified":"2020-01-16T16:04:37","modified_gmt":"2020-01-16T13:04:37","slug":"karroubi-khamenei-is-not-qualified-for-leadership-reza-pahlavi-downing-the-passenger-plane-is-a-crime-against-humanity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/monitoring-and-translation\/iran-in-a-week\/karroubi-khamenei-is-not-qualified-for-leadership-reza-pahlavi-downing-the-passenger-plane-is-a-crime-against-humanity\/","title":{"rendered":"Karroubi: Khamenei is not Qualified for Leadership; Reza Pahlavi: Downing the Passenger Plane is a Crime Against Humanity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why Iranians Believe\nThat Officials are Liars, and not Honest<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The editorial of Jahan Sanat discusses the lies told to the\nIranian people by officials and how they have ruined people\u2019s trust in them. In\nthe most recent case, the IRGC downed a passenger flight and killed 176 people,\nbut for three days, all Iranian officials lied about it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iranian government spokesperson Ali Rabiee said in a press\nconference: \u201cWe are accused of lying and secrecy, but that is not true.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He and other officials must ask themselves why the public widely\nbelieves that they are liars and not honest. The answer to this question must\nbe found in their own reactions, particularly in how they reacted to the recent\ncase, and other previous cases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They shouldn\u2019t forget that society is sensitive to lies and\nthat it is a part of Iranian culture. Perhaps, people themselves tell lies, but\nthey will not accept blatant lies \u2013 especially if the lies affect national\ninterests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It must be noted that in today\u2019s world, lying is not\nacceptable. In many countries, presidents and prime ministers  resign for a simple lie. But even though such\na serious incident took place in Iran, no one has resigned! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government spokesperson, as well as military and\nnon-military officials, denied the news related to this incident, arguing that\nthe airplane crashed due to technical issues. People see such secrecy as\ndishonesty, and society will naturally react to it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lying has become the norm in Iran, and in other cases too,\nbig lies have been told to the Iranian people. For example, we have not\nforgotten that in the case of nuclear scientists being assassinated, some were\nput on trial and their TV confessions were broadcast. But a few years later, it\nbecame clear that those arrested had nothing to do with these assassinations\nand it was just a fabrication. With regard to this issue, security and\nnon-security officials, as well as Iranian state TV, told lies to the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result of the series of lies told to the people,\nsociety more readily believes that officials are lying. Such lies have\ndestroyed people\u2019s trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jahan Sanat<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Qatar\u2019s Emir Carrying\na US Message for Iran?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The editorial of Arman Melli deals with the trip of Qatar\u2019s\nEmir to Tehran suggesting that the visit aims to contain the growing tensions\nbetween Iran and America.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nowadays there are serious efforts in the world to de-escalate\ntensions in the Middle East. This region cannot tolerate more tensions; any\nsmall or big incident can ignite a new war in the region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In light of what happened recently,  the visit of Mohammad bin Abulrahman bin al\nThani, Qatar\u2019s foreign minister, to Iran one day after the killing of Qassem\nSoleimani in Baghdad, and the recent trip of Qatar\u2019s Emir to Tehran and his\nmeeting with the Iranian president can be viewed in the context of the problems\nbetween Iran and the United States and controlling tensions in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naturally, issues regarding joint cooperation were raised,\nbut the talks between Hassan Rouhani and Tamim bin Hamad al Thani centered on\nregional issues, the Iran-US relationship, and curbing tensions in the region.\nRegional countries seek to reduce tensions, as the consequences of a new war or\neven a limited military conflict in the Middle East will affect them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As regional countries don\u2019t want to be affected directly or\nindirectly by any possible conflict between Iran and America, they are trying to\nde-escalate tensions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soleimani\u2019s assassination by the United States and Iran\u2019s\nretaliatory measures have changed the situation in the region. What is now\nevident is that Iran and America have adopted a more suitable way to control\ntensions. Following the killing of Soleimani, both countries are trying to\ncontrol tensions and go back to working within the framework of international\nlaw. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neither America nor Iran want to worsen the situation as\nthey do not want it to get out of control. Meanwhile, some mediators have tried\nto contain tensions between Iran and America, so that any possible confrontation  does not result in an uncontrollable crisis\nin the region. The status quo is desirable for Trump; Iran too is not\ninterested in engaging in a war with the United States. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arman Melli<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another Blow to Public\nTrust<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The editorial of Ebtekar deals with how the news of the\ndowning a Ukrainian plane  was announced\nby Iranian officials and covered by Iran\u2019s state media, the way it was handled\nwas just another blow to public trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human error is possible in any accident; even when an\nairplane is downed, it can be due to a human error. So disregarding how painful\nsuch an accident is, it is not impossible. But a human error becomes an\nunacceptable mistake when the way it is dealt with pushes public opinion\ntowards anger and distrust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undoubtedly, when such an incident occurred, the cause\nshould have been announced after thorough investigations. And if people were\ninformed of the truth of the matter, perhaps the sadness resulting from this\nincident wouldn\u2019t have deepened. As a matter of fact, officials denying and\nholding back the news of a missile striking the Ukrainian airplane weakened\npublic trust in state officials. The government mishandling issues such as\ntripling the gasoline price and similar problems had already undermined public\ntrust in state officials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other loser of this incident was the media whose\nauthority was questioned. These media outlets must report facts in society; now\nthey are conveying false news to the people because of unwise decisions by\nIran\u2019s officials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The downing of the Ukrainian airplane and the way this\ncrisis was handled by Iranian officials and media will impact future scenarios as\nthey unfold as public trust has been damaged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, despite officials apologizing, such\nregret is only meaningful if done properly and at the right time. It must be\nnoted that a succession of lies have been told to the Iranian public in recent\nmonths. People need honesty which will allow the media and society to deal with\nall issues comprehensively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ebtekar<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials Must be Present\nWhere a Natural Disaster has Taken Place<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The editorial of Afrinesh emphasizes that Iranian officials\nneed to help the people harmed by natural disasters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has been a while since Iran has been engaged in domestic\nand international issues, and the country\u2019s national interests mandate that\nofficials should prioritize and deal with them. But meanwhile, Iran has been\nrecently dealing with natural problems and disasters: earthquakes in Hormuzgan,\nIlam, Khorasan provinces.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The earthquakes didn\u2019t result in any fatalities, but they\nled to financial damage, including the destruction of homes requiring urgent\nrepair before the onset of cold weather. In addition to the earthquakes, one\nshould add the floods in Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island that have created many\nproblems for Iranians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running the country means officials who have accepted the\nresponsibility of dealing with problems must be present at the site of natural\ndisasters. But it has been a while since officials have honored this\nresponsibility as problems caused by natural disasters are no longer a priority\nfor Iranian officials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natural disasters have become so routine that we don\u2019t even\nsee them any longer. But they exist and create problems for the people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials in provincial and municipal offices as well as the\nRed Crescent deal with problems resulting from natural disasters and try to\nhelp those affected as soon as possible and provide them with lodging, food,\nand clothes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some officials focus on political issues and international disputes\nthat are not within their expertise while ignoring public wellbeing, peace and\nsecurity.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Per news reports, Iranian officials deal with natural\ndisasters, but during the past years, we have seen that efforts take place only\nin the immediate aftermath of the disaster, and the problems arising from\nnatural disasters are later forgotten. Those who experienced earthquakes and\nfloods two years ago are still living and studying in tents!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afrinesh<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Trigger Mechanism\nin the Nuclear Deal Activated <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Britain, France, and Germany issued a statement on Tuesday\nannouncing the activation of the mechanism for resolving disputes within the\nnuclear deal (JCPOA) \u2013 called the \u2018trigger mechanism.\u2019 The statement reads: \u201cWe\nhave been left with no choice, given Iran\u2019s reaction, but to register today our\nconcerns that Iran is not meeting its commitments.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These countries added that the nuclear issue is now referred\nto the joint commission for resolving disputes, in accordance with Paragraph 36\nwithin the JCPOA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the biggest measure taken by the Europeans in\nresponse to Iran reducing its nuclear commitments under the JCPOA. These\ncountries, however, have said that this measure doesn\u2019t mean joining the US\nmaximum pressure campaign against Iran. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Union Minister for Foreign Affairs Joseph Borrell\nhas said that the European Union considers itself as still committed to the\nJCPOA, and will support any efforts by Iran to return to the deal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement was issued 10 days after Iran took its fifth\nand final step in breaching its commitments under the JCPOA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Paragraph 37 of the deal, the mechanism for\nresolving disputes can automatically activate all international sanctions\nagainst Iran. Europeans have warned Iran several times that if it persists in\nreducing its nuclear obligations, they will have to pull out of the nuclear\ndeal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran reacted to the statement by threatening that any\n\u2018unconstructive\u2019 measure in this regard will be responded to \u2018seriously and\ndecisively.\u2019 Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry\u2019s spokesman said in this regard that this\nmeasure is completely passive and taken from a \u2018weak position.\u2019   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with recent tensions between the Islamic Republic and\nthe United States, the US administration put sanctions on the steel industry\nand some of the Islamic Republic\u2019s officials, following the IRGC\u2019s attack on\ntwo US bases in Iraq. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran Farda<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran International<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karroubi: Khamenei is not Qualified for Leadership<\/strong> Reza Pahlavi: Downing the Passenger Plane is a Crime Against Humanity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An IRGC missile downing a Ukrainian passenger plane and\nofficials failing to take responsibility for it provoked harsh reaction against\nthe Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mehdi Karroubi, one of the leaders of the protests in 2008,\nwrote a letter to Ali Khamenei, saying either he was aware of the downing of\nthe Ukrainian flight and had allowed the Iranian people to be deceived, or was\nunaware; in both cases, Khamenei doesn\u2019t have the qualifications to lead the\npeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karroubi wrote that Khamenei as \u201ccommander-in-chief\u201d has\ndirect responsibility in this regard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For three days Iranian officials did not announce that the\nUkrainian flight was downed by a missile fired by the  IRGC, blaming it on technical problems.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karroubi blames Khamenei for other \u2018scandals\u2019 during his\nleadership, saying the supreme leader is responsible for not investigating the\nissue of the chain murders, rigged elections and the violent suppression of\nprotests in 2009,  and 2017, and finally\nnot investigating the suppression of protesters in 2019 who protested against\nthe price of gasoline being tripled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karroubi has been under house arrest since 2011, almost a\ndecade, as he contested the results of the presidential elections in 2009. He believes\nthat they were rigged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi also reacted strongly\nto the downing of the Ukrainian passenger plane by an IRGC missile, calling it\nnot a human error, but a crime against humanity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a tweet in this regard, Reza Pahlavi said: \u201cThis is not\nhuman error; it is a crime against humanity. And the leader who gives the order\nof \u2018fire at will\u2019 is directly responsible for it. Enough is enough. Khamenei\nand his regime must go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, in an audio file, Faezeh Hashemi too\ncalled for the resignation of Ali Khamenei, while asking people to keep\nprotesting against the government in Iran. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faezeh Hashemi, daughter of the late\nAkbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, has strongly criticized the way the country is run\ncalling for the resignation of Iran\u2019s supreme leader. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

BBC Persian <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Independent Persian<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BBC Persian<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iranian Lawmakers\nBack the IRGC After Downing the Ukrainian Flight <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a statement, Iranian lawmakers announced that downing the\nUkrainian passenger jet by an IRGC missile was a \u201cmistake made by a family\nmember\u201d and they won\u2019t allow \u201cthe enemies to take advantage of this issue.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement signed by 186 lawmakers, the IRGC\u2019s missile\nstrikes against the US bases in Iraq were extensively praised. The lawmakers\nhave also thanked the IRGC for admitting to shooting down the airplane, commending\nthe IRGC and its commander for their \u201cfull honesty\u201d in this regard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Ali Khamenei\u2019s representative in the IRGC\u2019s Quds\nForce, Ali Shirazi, reacted to a new wave of anti-establishment protests in\nIran by threatening the protesters and blaming the protests on America and\nIsrael. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the official confirmation of the downing of the\nUkrainian airliner with an IRGC\u2019s air defense missile and killing 176 people, a\nnew wave of protests have been sparked in Tehran and other cities of Iran\nagainst secrecy and deception by the Islamic Republic\u2019s officials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pointing to the IRGC\u2019s downing of the Ukrainian passenger\nflight, Shirazi said: \u201cWe will not allow the enemies of our nation \u2013\nimperialistic America, Zionist regime, and their pawns \u2013 to take vengeance on\nIranian people under the pretext of shooting down the airplane.\u201d He added that\nthe Iranian people will not turn their back on the IRGC for \u201cone mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The protesters have been chanting slogans against Khamenei,\nthe Islamic Republic, and the IRGC. Again and again the Islamic Republic\u2019s\nofficials have cracked down on peaceful protests under the pretext of providing\nsecurity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radio Farda<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran International<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rouhani: Iran and\nQatar to Form a Joint Committee<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced the formation of\nan annual joint committee with Qatar. In a joint press conference with Tamim\nbin Hamad al Thani, Qatar\u2019s Emir, Rouhani said that this committee\u2019s activities\nwill include economic, scientific and cultural relations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Iranian president also announced increasing consultation\nbetween the two countries regarding security in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz,\nand the Sea of Oman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Qatar\u2019s Emir too talked of growing cooperation between the\ntwo countries in tourism and trade, emphasizing that when Qatar was under\n\u201csiege,\u201d Iran provided many facilities for the country and \u201csome services\ncannot be forgotten.\u201d He also asserted that his trip is at a very \u201csensitive\ntime,\u201d stressing that dialogue is the only way to resolve disputes in the\nregion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier, there were reports regarding Qatar\u2019s Emir possibly\nmediating between Iran and America. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Qatar has good relations with both Iran and America and has\nencouraged both countries to negotiate to lessen the tensions in the region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radio Farda<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Floods hit Sistan and\nBaluchistan; Hundreds of Villages Under Water or Surrounded by Flood Water<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Following the devastating floods in Sistan and Baluchistan\nprovince, eastern Iran, hundreds of villages still suffer from a shortage of\nwater, lack of electricity, disconnection from roads, and telephone outages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several  villages are\nunder water and there is no road connection to some of them, which has turned\nthem into islands surrounded by water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 20,000 people in the villages of this province\nhave completely lost their homes. And in recent days, the water for 245\nvillages was cut off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The areas hit by floods are facing a shortage of medicine,\nand people are now in danger of catching the flu due to the cold weather. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, three people have been killed due to the recent\nfloods in the provinces of Sistan and Baluchistan, Hormuzgan, and Kerman. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran International<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BBC Persian <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why Iranians Believe That Officials are Liars, and not Honest The editorial of Jahan Sanat discusses the lies told to the Iranian people by officials and how they have ruined people\u2019s trust in them. In the most recent case, the IRGC downed a passenger flight and killed 176 people, but for three days, all Iranian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":6281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[3017,1637,456,386,1863,708,26,3936,3337,38,3937],"class_list":["post-7351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-iran-in-a-week","tag-floods","tag-iran-in-a-week","tag-karroubi","tag-khamenei","tag-lawmakers","tag-nuclear-deal","tag-qatar","tag-ranian-lawmakers","tag-reza-pahlavi","tag-rouhani","tag-ukrainian-flight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7351"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7357,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7351\/revisions\/7357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}