Latest news with #IranianConstitution
Shafaq News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iran formally suspends IAEA cooperation
Shafaq News – Tehran Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian officially notified the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran that cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be suspended, local media outlets reported on Wednesday. Mehr news agency conveyed that Pezeshkian sent an official letter to the Atomic Energy Organization, the Foreign Ministry, and the Supreme National Security Council, invoking a recently enacted law that mandates the Iranian government to halt collaboration with the IAEA. The legislation, grounded in Articles 123 and 85 of the Iranian Constitution, gained approval from the Guardian Council following its passage during a public session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly last week. This development follows rising tensions between Iranian authorities and IAEA Director Rafael Grossi. Iran's Foreign Ministry representative Esmaeil Baqaei emphasized that Grossi must explain how Iran can maintain cooperation while its nuclear facilities suffer attacks, stressing that 'The agency cannot expect Iran, as a Non-Proliferation Treaty signatory, to participate while it ignores or even justifies strikes on our sites.' Moreover, Iran's judiciary announced intentions to pursue legal action against Grossi over accusations of issuing 'misleading and falsified' reports that allegedly facilitated US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. According to Iranian media, the Deputy Head of Judicial Affairs asserted that Grossi 'must be held accountable for his deception,' highlighting that Iran's International Legal Department is compiling evidence of these 'crimes' and preparing to submit legal claims before international bodies, seeking compensation for material and moral damages resulting from the attacks. These moves come amid a series of US airstrikes targeting key Iranian nuclear facilities, including Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later confirmed that the attacks inflicted ''significant damage on the sites.'' Speaking with CBS News, Araghchi further emphasized that Iran's uranium enrichment program will remain ''peaceful without question,' noting that despite years of sanctions, assassinations, and sabotage attempts, Iran has continued its enrichment activities within the peaceful limits. Describing the nuclear program as a source of national pride, Araghchi cautioned that, "After a 12-day war, no one can abandon this industry, and we will certainly work to protect it."
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First Post
22-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Iran's Khamenei picks potential successors to ensure smooth transition in case he dies: Report
Khamenei is believed to have taken extraordinary security measures, largely isolating himself in his fortified compound in central Tehran read more Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly named three potential successors to avoid an immediate leadership vacuum if Israeli or American forces take him out. The New York Times has reported that Khamenei aims to ensure a swift transition upon his death, especially in the wake of ongoing Israeli attacks. The report said, citing sources, that the supreme leader has taken a host of measures to preserve the Islamic Republic since the conflict began earlier this month. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Contrary to earlier speculations, the report said Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, a cleric closely aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and long rumoured to be a front-runner, is not among the three people nominated for the top position. What does Iran's Constitution say? According to Iranian Constitution, the death of the supreme leader prompts a selection process by the Assembly of Experts. This committee consists of 88 members, mostly clerics. The process has only been used once since the establishment of the theocratic regime in Iran following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when Khamenei himself was appointed for the role in 1989. Khamenei remains largely secluded Khamenei is believed to have taken extraordinary security measures, largely isolating himself in his fortified compound in central Tehran, known as the 'Beit Rahbari' or Leader's House. He has issued only two pre-recorded public messages, condemning what he termed a 'forced war' and pledging Iran's resolve against surrender. Khamenei has mostly stopped using electronic communications to speak with his commanders, relying instead on a trusted aide. Assassination threat looms Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel's primary military goal is to dismantle Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, but the campaign could also 'create conditions' for regime change in Iran. When asked if this includes targeting Iran's Supreme Leader, Netanyahu responded, 'No one is immune.'
The Age
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Iran ruler's iron grip has lasted almost four decades. Who is the man Israel wants to kill?
Khomeini abolished the monarchy in favour of an Islamic republic system he had devised and was soon embroiled in hostilities with the US. The era of the ayatollahs (high-ranking Shiite Muslim religious scholars) began. For years, Khamenei served as Iran's president under Khomeini, until the first supreme leader's death in 1989. Khamenei was then appointed leader, a role in which he has served for nearly four decades. 'That was somewhat controversial at the time because the Iranian Constitution stipulated the education requirements that the supreme leader needed to be a top Islamic scholar,' said Dara Conduit, a University of Melbourne research fellow specialising in Iran and the Middle East. How much control does he wield? Because Khamenei was appointed controversially, he was viewed as weak and lacking credibility at the beginning of his rule. But, said Conduit, he shed that label and has become immensely powerful. Loading Khamenei holds ultimate authority over all branches of government, the military and the judiciary. While elected officials manage day-to-day affairs, no major policy – especially one involving the United States – proceeds without his explicit approval. Iran's hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the paramilitary Basij answer directly to Khamenei. He exercises control of the Setad, the clandestine state-owned financial enterprise worth tens of billions of dollars. How has he remained in power? His leadership style has blended ideological rigidity with strategic pragmatism. He is deeply sceptical of the West, particularly the US, which he accuses of seeking regime change. Yet he has shown a willingness to bend when the survival of the Islamic republic is at stake. In 2013, Khamenei first mentioned the concept of 'heroic flexibility', which permits tactical compromises to advance his goals. His cautious endorsement of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with six countries, including the US, was an example of this. Loading He has maintained his concrete grip on power despite disdain from many of his own citizens, according to the Group for Analysing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran, a Dutch independent research group. When Iran president Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash last year, many Iranians celebrated. And when Israel attacked Tehran last week, some locals partied, chanting 'death to Khamenei'. But he has quelled internal protests by deploying his Revolutionary Guard, notably against the huge 2009 Green Movement protests regarding the disputed re-election of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Then in 2022, Khamenei arrested, imprisoned and sometimes executed protesters enraged by the death of young Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.
Shafaq News
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iran: 167 academics call for Kurdish Language Law
Shafaq News/ A group of 167 professors and faculty members from the University of Kurdistan in Sanandaj, Iran, has issued an official letter to President Massoud Pezeshkian, calling for the drafting of a law that guarantees the right to read and write in one's native language. The professors requested that the proposed legislation be submitted to the Islamic Consultative Assembly for final approval. In their letter, the academics referenced Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Iran ratified in 1966. This article mandates that states with linguistic groups must allow those groups to practice their language freely. The professors also cited Article 15 of the Iranian Constitution, which grants the right to use regional languages in media and education alongside Persian. They argued that addressing the needs of linguistic and cultural groups in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country like Iran would not threaten national security. On the contrary, they said it would promote national unity and reduce social divisions. This request is part of a recurring annual demand, amidst increasing political and cultural discussions in Iran about identity and the linguistic rights of minorities, particularly the Kurds, who have yet to secure the right to study in their native language. Estimates suggest that the Kurdish population in Iran ranges from 8 to 10 million, constituting about 10% of the country's total population, although these figures vary due to the lack of official demographic data on ethnic distribution.
LBCI
23-02-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun champions sovereignty in key Iranian discussions — The details
Report by Toni Mrad, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian Between November 2024 and February 2025, the Middle East region underwent major changes, most notably the fall of the Assad regime, Iran's key ally, and the election of Joseph Aoun as Lebanon's president. Amid a crisis over Iranian flight operations in Lebanon, a high-level Iranian delegation arrived in Beirut. While the visit coincided with the funeral ceremony of former Hezbollah secretaries-general Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, it also served as an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations and other pressing issues under the principle of respecting national sovereignty. President Aoun reaffirmed this stance during his meeting with the Iranian delegation, citing Article 9 of the Iranian Constitution, which underscores the country's freedom, independence, and territorial integrity. The article explicitly states that no individual or group has the right to undermine the country's political, cultural, economic, or military independence. In response, the Iranian delegation affirmed its support for any decision Lebanon makes, emphasizing noninterference in its internal affairs. Building on Lebanon-Iran ties, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf expressed Iran's readiness to cooperate with Arab and Islamic nations, in coordination with the Lebanese government, to rebuild areas destroyed by Israeli military actions. The Palestinian issue was also a key topic in the discussions. President Aoun made Lebanon's stance clear, stating that the country has paid a heavy price for the Palestinian cause and has grown weary of others' wars. He stressed that a two-state solution is the only viable resolution to the conflict and reiterated that the Palestinian Authority is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. This position reflects the approach of Lebanon's new leadership, aligning with broader Arab perspectives. President Aoun is expected to reiterate this stance at the upcoming Arab Summit in Egypt early next month, where discussions will focus on the Palestinian issue, particularly a proposed alternative to U.S. President Donald Trump's plan that called for the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan.
