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
Iran appears to be making headway toward renewing official ties with Saudi Arabia and Persian Gulf states that in some cases have been publicly avoiding Tehran for decades.
The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia held talks in Beijing on April 6 in a significant step toward restoring diplomatic relations, which were cut in 2016 after protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following Riyadh’s execution of prominent Saudi Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
Iran also accepted an invitation from Saudi King Salman for President Ebrahim Raisi to visit Riyadh, while Tehran said it will send a similar invitation to the Saudi king. Meanwhile, a Saudi delegation traveled to Iran on April 9 to discuss the reopening of the embassy in Tehran and a consulate in Mashhad. The trip came as Iranian media reported on April 8 that a street sign near the Saudi consulate in Mashhad provocatively named after Sheikh al-Nimr had been quietly removed. An Iranian delegation also arrived in Saudi Arabia on April 12 to pave the way for the reopening of Iranian diplomatic missions there.
Iran is meanwhile taking steps to improve ties with other countries in the region, naming an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and working to decrease tensions with Egypt and Bahrain.
Why It Matters: Iran and Saudi Arabia appear to be pursuing implementation of last month’s Chinese-brokered agreement, possibly clearing the way for Tehran to de-escalate tensions with other countries that followed Riyadh’s lead on a rupture seven years ago.
What's Next: Tehran and Riyadh could move surprisingly swiftly toward normalization, but it’s no sure thing. Abdolrasool Divsallar, a visiting professor at the Catholic University of Milan (UCSC), told me that the political environment between the two regional rivals could encourage the start of military and security talks within months.
But Divsallar also warned that opponents at home and abroad could still undermine the agreement. “Hard-liners in Iran may act as a spoiler rather than as a supporter of the deal,” he said, adding that Israel could do the same.
“The regional tensions between Israel and Iran, on one side, and…between Iran, Saudi [Arabia] and the United States, on the other side, are two dynamics that make this process very fragile,” he said.
Divsallar also suggested that any normalization between Iran and countries with “less appetite” for a quick restoration of ties, for instance Bahrain, could take longer.
“They feel more secure under the current status quo rather than immediately normalizing their ties with the Islamic republic and losing their leverage,” he said, adding, “They may wait to see a major change of policies.”
Stories You Might Have Missed
Iran’s civil aviation sector has for years been under Western sanctions that prevent it from purchasing new aircraft or spare parts for repairs. Now, Russia's oldest airline, Aeroflot, has sent one of its passenger planes to Iran for repairs for the first time ever. Aeroflot reportedly ran into obstacles at home stemming from Western sanctions over Russia’s ongoing, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The RBK media group cited an Aeroflot representative and sources close to the company on April 11 as saying that an Airbus A330-300 had been sent to Tehran on April 5 to be repaired by specialists from Iran's Mahan Air.
Iranian pensioners staged protests in more than a dozen cities across Iran, demanding higher pensions amid soaring prices. Protests were reported on April 9 in Tehran, Ahvaz, Mashhad, Isfahan, Arak, Qom, Shush, Tabriz, and several other cities where retirees complained of poor living conditions and chanted anti-government slogans. Labor protests in Iran have swelled as the economy deteriorates following years of mismanagement compounded by crippling U.S. sanctions.
What We're Watching
Prominent Iranian female religious scholar Sedigheh Vasmaghi has challenged Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the Islamic republic’s mandatory hijab law.
In a letter published online, Vasmaghi asked about the reasoning behind Iran’s “strict model” for women’s dress and said the Koran does not specify the need for women to cover their hair in public.
“There is no evidence to show that during the time of the Prophet Muhammad women were harassed and punished for not covering their hair or even their bodies,” Vasmaghi, who has published several books on Islamic jurisprudence, wrote.
Why It Matters: Vasmaghi’s letter is significant for its timing -- just days after Khamenei asserted that the removal of the hijab in public was religiously banned. But it is also important because it comes from a religious woman who wears the veil while opposing the mandatory hijab, which is seemingly being defied by a growing number of women.
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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