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. To subscribe, click here.

I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what I've been following over the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead.

The Big Issue

On January 14, Tehran announced the execution of British-Iranian dual national Alireza Akbari, a deputy defense minister under the current head of Iran's top security body.

Akbari, deputy to Ali Shamkhani during the administration of reformist former President Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005), moved to Britain in 2008 after being detained in Iran. He was arrested upon his return to Tehran in 2019 and was sentenced to death last week for allegedly spying for Britain.

Akbari was also accused of playing a role in the 2020 assassination of Iran's top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, which Tehran has blamed on Israel. Akbari's death was announced just hours after British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly called on Iran not to follow through "with their brutal threat of execution." In an audio message obtained by the BBC, Akbari denied the charges against him and said he had been tortured to confess to unidentified "false and corrupt claims."

Why It Matters: The execution of Akbari is a major escalation by Iran, which has a record of jailing foreigners and dual nationals and using them as pawns in its disputes with Western countries.

The "barbaric act" was swiftly condemned by Britain, France, and the United States. Some observers, however, have suggested Akbari's execution is evidence of factional score-settling within Iran's clerical regime and an attempt to undermine National Security Council head Shamkhani.

By executing Akbari, who was described as "a super spy," Tehran could also be attempting to save face following embarrassing security lapses, including Fakhrizadeh's killing in broad daylight near the Iranian capital.

What's Next: Akbari's hanging has deteriorated already strained ties with Britain, which subsequently recalled its ambassador and blacklisted Iranian Prosecutor-General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri.

The execution also came amid reports that London is reconsidering its support for the 2015 nuclear deal and reviewing whether to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization, a move that could prompt retaliation by Tehran and a further escalation of tensions.

As Iran has continued its brutal crackdown against antiestablishment protests around the country, exiled opposition members and activists have called on Britain and the European Union to follow the example set by the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, which designated the IRGC a foreign terrorist organization in 2019.

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Detained U.S.-Iranian businessman Siamak Namazi has launched a seven-day hunger strike at a Tehran prison, imploring U.S. President Joe Biden to bring him home to the United States.

Namazi was arrested in October 2015 and sentenced to 10 years in prison on spying charges that have been dismissed by Washington as baseless.

"When the Obama administration unconscionably left me in peril and freed the other American citizens Iran held hostage on January 16, 2016, the U.S. government promised my family to have me safely home within weeks," Namazi wrote in an open letter to Biden that was released by his lawyer. "Yet seven years and two presidents later, I remain caged in Tehran's notorious Evin prison."

Iran plans to change the content of textbooks in foreign languages used in private schools. The censorship of content that the authorities deem out of line with the Islamic republic's values follows sharp criticism of such materials by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

What We're Watching

Several days of gas cuts in Torbat-e Jam in northeastern Iran led to a protest in front of the governor's office on January 16, during which angry protesters accused authorities of inefficiency.

Iranians have faced gas shortages during a sharp drop in temperatures that forced the government to briefly close schools and government offices in several cities, including the capital, Tehran, to reduce consumption.

What's Next: The gas shortages in Iran -- a country that boasts the world's second-largest reserves -- could add to public anger against the clerical establishment, which has employed lethal force to contain mass protests against its rule.

Until next time,

Golnaz Esfandiari

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

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

I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what I've been following during the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead.

The Big Issue

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for a tough response to the monthslong protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, accusing street demonstrators who set fire to trash cans of "treason without any doubt" and calling on "the responsible bodies to deal with treason seriously and justly."

Under Islamic laws enforced in Iran, treason is punishable by death.

"They wanted to destroy our strength. Our security. Security is one of the strengths of our country, " Khamenei said, according to a transcript of his January 9 speech posted on his website.

The Iranian leader made the comments two days after appointing Ahmadreza Radan -- blacklisted by the United States for his role in the violent crackdown on mass protests that erupted following the disputed result of the 2009 presidential election -- as the country's police chief.

In his official statement, Khamenei urged Radan -- who is also known for his harsh stance against women, like Amini, who have been accused of violating the country's hijab law -- to protect "security" and improve the police's "capabilities."

Why It Matters: Khamenei's comments appear to signal that Tehran will continue to harshly punish those arrested in connection with the antiestablishment protests, despite criticism and anger inside the country and international condemnation, including by White House national-security adviser Jake Sullivan, who said Tehran will be held accountable for the abuses.

What's Next: Iran has already executed four people in connection with the protests, including two young men who were hanged last weekend after being convicted of killing a member of the Basij militia. Critics have blasted Iran's legal process, during which the accused were denied access to legal counsel of their choice, and which led the New York-Based Center for Human Rights in Iran to describe their executions as lynchings.

Three other Iranians were sentenced to death on January 9, and rights groups have warned that many more could ultimately face the death penalty.

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As one of Iran's largest dam projects nears completion, archaeologists and environmentalists are warning that the Chinese-financed Chamshir Dam will be yet another towering example of the country's destructive history of water mismanagement. While the authorities see the project as an answer to electricity and water shortages in southwestern Iran, critics say the dam is a cultural and environmental threat and will turn agricultural lands into a salty dust bowl.

Iranian women and the movement they launched under the banner of "Women, Life, Freedom" following Amini's death in custody has been awarded the prestigious Simone De Beauvoir Prize for Women's Freedom. The prize recognizes the work and actions of individuals who contribute to the freedom of women around the world.

What We're Watching

The United States has said the Islamic republic may be "contributing to widespread war crimes" in Ukraine by providing Russia with drones to use in its unprovoked war. By selling kamikaze and combat drones, U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on January 9, Iran has chosen "to go down a road where their weapons are being used to kill civilians in Ukraine and to try to plunge cities into cold and darkness, which from our point of view puts Iran in a place where it could potentially be contributing to widespread war crimes."

What's Next: The comments could signal Washington's intention to increase pressure on Tehran over its sale of military drones to Russia and to sanction additional Iranian entities involved in the country's production of drones.

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

Until next time,

Golnaz Esfandiari

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