The Farda Briefing

Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter.

I'm senior correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what I've been following and what I'm watching out for in the days ahead.

The Big Issue

Russia successfully launched an Iranian satellite into space on August 9, in a move that has raised concerns in the West. U.S. officials fear that the satellite could be used by Moscow to boost its intelligence capabilities in Ukraine, which it invaded in February. There are also worries that the satellite will provide Iran "unprecedented capabilities" to monitor potential military targets in Israel, its archenemy, and other countries in the wider Middle East region.

Tehran has rejected those claims, saying Iran will have full control and operation over the satellite "from day one." Iran has said the remote-sensing satellite will only be used for civilian purposes, including monitoring border areas, surveying water resources, and managing natural disasters.

Why It Matters: The satellite launch is the latest sign of the deepening ties between Iran and Russia. It came just weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Tehran, where he and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pledged to work together against the West.

Both countries have been hit by Western sanctions and international isolation. Yuri Borisov, head of Russia's state space corporation Roskosmos, hailed the launch as an “important landmark" in cooperation between Moscow and Tehran. Iran’s Telecommunications Minister Issa Zarepour, who attended the launch in Kazakhstan, praised it as “historic” and "a turning point” in space cooperation between the countries.

The satellite launch has also put a spotlight on Iran’s space program. In recent years, Tehran has launched several satellites into low Earth orbit and announced plans to send astronauts into space. But Iran has also seen a succession of accidents and failed satellite launches in recent years.

John Krzyzaniak, a research analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said in June that Iranian satellites do not have advanced capabilities, but they represent “stepping stones to more sophisticated satellites that will be more useful and remain in orbit for longer periods.”

What's Next: Russia’s successful launch of the Khayyam satellite, named after the 11th-century Persian poet and philosopher Omar Khayyam, could worsen tensions with the United States. Just last month, Washington claimed that Tehran was preparing to deliver hundreds of combat drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.

"Russia deepening an alliance with Iran is something that the whole world should look at and see as a profound threat,” a State Department spokesperson was quoted as saying on August 9.

The United States has long expressed concerns over Iran’s space program, which has both a civilian and military component. The United States fears that Tehran could use the program to enhance its ballistic-missile capabilities.

Stories You May Have Missed

• A group of 70 political and civic activists, university professors, and artists from Iran and abroad condemned in a joint statement the Islamic republic's treatment of the Baha'i community. The statement follows a spike in restrictions and pressure on members of the religious community.

Baha'is -- who number some 300,000 in Iran -- say they face systematic persecution in Iran, where their faith is not officially recognized. Iranian security forces have arrested dozens of Baha'i followers in recent weeks and raided the homes of hundreds of others. Among the signatories of the statement were Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi and former political prisoner Atena Daemi.

• The wife of a jailed Iranian filmmaker and activist says her husband was taken to the hospital after contracting COVID-19 but was returned to prison without receiving treatment.

Tahereh Saeedi, Jafar Panahi's wife, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that after her husband was transferred to a hospital in Tehran, where he was expected to spend the quarantine period, security agents suddenly removed his IV and took him back to prison.

"He has not had any contact with us since then, and it is very unlike Jafar. It is not a good sign, and I am very worried," Saeedi said.

Panah Panahi, Panahi's son, said on Instagram on August 7 that his father's transfer to the hospital was just for show.

Panahi, 62, was arrested in early July as part of a renewed crackdown by the Iranian authorities on dissent as antiestablishment sentiment and near daily protests across the Islamic republic rattle the government.

What We're Watching

U.S. and Iranian negotiators held a new round of talks in Vienna last week in a bid to salvage the landmark 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers. Days later, the European Union submitted what it said was the “final text.” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that “what can be negotiated has been negotiated.”

The bloc, which has been mediating indirect talks between Iran and the United States, has warned that the sides only have a few weeks to sign the deal. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Washington was ready to “quickly conclude a deal” based on the EU text. Iran has disputed that the EU text is final and nonnegotiable.

Why It Matters: It is unclear if Iran will agree to the EU text. But Tehran is under mounting pressure, with Western patience running thin after more than a year of grueling negotiations. There appears to be only one outstanding issue to resolve. Reports suggest that Iran wants the UN nuclear agency to drop its probe into the origins of nuclear material found at three undeclared Iranian sites. Tehran also faces pressure at home, where there have been months of protests over a deteriorating economy that has been crippled by U.S. sanctions.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have to newsletters@rferl.org.

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your in-box every Wednesday.

Until next time,

Golnaz Esfandiari

Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter.

I'm Mehrdad Mirdamadi, a senior editor and journalist at RFE/RL's Radio Farda. Here's what I've been following and what I'm watching out for in the days ahead.

The Big Issue

In a break with policy, Iranian officials have started talking publicly about the possibility of the country building a nuclear bomb.

After Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, against nuclear weapons in 2005, officials were adamant that Tehran’s nuclear program was strictly for civilian purposes. But the rhetoric has shifted in recent weeks.

Kamal Kharazi, a senior adviser to Khamenei, suggested on July 17 that the country was capable of making a nuclear weapon but that a decision on whether to do so had not yet been made. A video posted on a Telegram channel affiliated with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on July 29 asked the audience, “When will Iran’s sleeping nuclear bomb wake up?”

The channel claimed that the underground Fordow enrichment facility was able to produce enough highly enriched uranium for one nuclear weapon. Those claims were echoed on August 1 by Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran's atomic energy organization.

Why It Matters: The recent statements are unprecedented. It could be an attempt by Iran to gain leverage and concessions at the negotiating table. Protracted talks aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers have been deadlocked for months. On the other hand, Iran could simply be revealing its intentions to become a nuclear power.

When discussing the nuclear issue, Iranian officials in recent years have cited the Islamic notion of taqiya, in which believers can conceal their faith in the face of persecution. In other words, you can achieve your original purpose in secret.

What's Next: It is hard to believe that these statements were made without the consent of Khamenei, who has the final say on all important state matters. The supreme leader’s aim could be to restore public faith and pride in the country’s nuclear program and showcase the Islamic republic’s resolve. In this way, if Iran does agree to recommit to the nuclear deal, Khamenei can save face.

When the original agreement was signed in 2015, he hailed the country’s “heroic flexibility.” Since then-U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the deal in 2018, the agreement has been on life support. This time, Khamenei has resorted to what some have described as “defiant perversity” in his dealings with the West.

The hardening rhetoric that has emerged in recent weeks is likely to continue. On August 2, lawmaker Mohammadreza Sabaghiyan openly threatened that if “bullying from the enemy continues, we will ask our leader to change his fatwa in favor of making a bomb.”

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• Iranian authorities amputated the fingers of a man convicted of theft using a guillotine machine. Amnesty International called it an "unspeakably cruel punishment." Puya Torabi had fingers cut off on July 27 inside Tehran's notorious Evin prison.

In May, authorities amputated the fingers of another convict, Sayed Barat Hosseini, without giving him anesthetic, Amnesty said, revealing that at least eight other prisoners in Iran were at risk of having fingers amputated. Finger amputation as punishment for theft has reemerged recently amid a rise in petty crime and worsening economic conditions.

• Iranian security agents halted a music concert in Tehran while the musicians were on stage playing, in another sign of the crackdown authorities are waging against events they deem contrary to Islamic values.

According to a video published on social media on July 29, the members of the band Kamakan were performing when a security guard suddenly came on stage and told the band's singer: "Stop! We were ordered to stop this!”

Following a recent uptick in social protests, dozens of concerts and cultural performances have been abruptly called off.

What We're Watching

Iran’s judiciary and prison authorities are depriving inmates of access to proper medical care to put more pressure on them. Among those targeted recently have been several prisoners of conscience. Rights activists have said the move is a form of additional punishment.

Last month, female prisoner Sa’da Khadirzadeh was denied postnatal and postsurgical care after she gave birth through a caesarean section. Khadirzadeh’s postoperative bleeding and her infant’s poor health were ignored by prison authorities for days.

Nargess Mohammadi, the jailed human rights activist and lawyer who suffers from heart and lung conditions, has been denied specialized medical care.

Meanwhile, journalist Abbas Dehghan, who had contracted COVID-19, was also denied proper treatment, putting his life in danger.

Why It Matters: Depriving prisoners of adequate medical care will increase the number of preventable deaths that occur in Iran’s prison. According to rights activists, nearly 100 prisoners died between 2010 and 2021 because they did not receive medical attention. Iran has consistently come under criticism from rights watchdogs for overcrowding and unsanitary conditions at its prisons.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your in-box every Wednesday.

Until next time,

Mehrdad Mirdamadi