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 during the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead.

The Big Issue

Iranian police on April 15 began to enforce new measures to identify and punish women who fail to comply with the Islamic dress code, including the mandatory hijab.

Police said surveillance cameras will be used to monitor public spaces for women not wearing the head scarf, and offenders will receive a warning via SMS. Repeated offenders could face hefty fines and lose access to mobile-phone and Internet services, the authorities said.

Police say they have sent thousands of text messages in recent days to alleged offenders, including to business and car owners. Drivers have been warned that they could have their vehicles seized if they or any passengers violate the hijab law.

Why It Matters: In response to the new measures, some Iranian women have posted photos and videos of themselves in public without the hijab, in a direct challenge to the authorities.

The authorities have intensified efforts to enforce the hijab as more women flout the law. Women have been emboldened by the nationwide antiestablishment protests that erupted in September following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini soon after she was arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating the hijab law. During the demonstrations, women and girls removed and burned their head scarves.

"Good morning to everyone, except [police chief Ahmadreza Radan] and his cameras," a young woman wrote on Twitter on April 15, posting a selfie without the hijab.

Atash Shakarami, the aunt of Nika Shakarami, a teenage girl who was killed in the deadly crackdown on the protests, also posted a photo of herself without a head scarf.

What's Next: The hijab law is likely to remain a source of tension between the clerical establishment and women who are fed up with state interference in their daily lives.

Despite renewed warnings and fresh measures by the authorities, women have continued to defy the hijab law. Even a small number of men have flouted the Islamic dress code by appearing in public in shorts.

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An association representing the families of those killed in Iran's downing of a Ukrainian commercial plane over Tehran in 2020 has criticized the verdicts issued by the Iranian judiciary against the alleged perpetrators as a "show trial." On April 16, Iran said it had sentenced 10 members of the armed forces to prison on charges of involvement in the downing of flight PS752. In a statement, the association of the victims' families said the Iranian judiciary did not pursue the main perpetrators and commanders of the crime.

An Iranian academic group said more than 400 students had been suspended or expelled in the wake of recent antiestablishment protests. The Union Council of Iranian Students said on April 13 that 435 students had been hit with disciplinary measures that were carried out through an illegal and security-driven process. In recent weeks, there have also been several reports of university professors being fired or suspended for accompanying protesting students.

What We're Watching

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi threatened Israel with destruction during a ceremony marking Army Day on April 18.

His comments came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran "must be prevented from arming itself with nuclear weapons," in reference to Western fears that Tehran is building an atomic weapon.

Why It Matters: Raisi's warning comes as tensions between Iran and Israel have spiked in recent weeks.

Suspected Israeli air strikes in Syria killed two members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on March 31. Tehran vowed to avenge their deaths.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal on April 14 reported that Ismail Qaani, the commander of the Quds Force, the IRGC's overseas operations arm, held a series of clandestine meetings with the leaders of Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanon's Hizballah to coordinate attacks against Israel.

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

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

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.”

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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

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.