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If any one man is to blame for gleeful Iranian crowing over the attack on Salman Rushdie, it is the countrys 83-year-old supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. The black-turbaned ayatollahs bigoted, blinkered outlook has been poisoning the well of Iranian politics and society since he first took power in 1989.

Kayhan newspaper, known as Khameneis mouthpiece, praised Rushdies assailant, saying his hands should be showered with kisses. A jubilant headline declared: Devils neck under the sword. While Iran denies responsibility for the attack, Khamenei has repeatedly endorsed the late Ruhollah Khomeinis fatwa ordering Rushdies murder.

Such callous gloating reveals a country whose leadership has wholly lost its way, the promise of the 1979 revolution despoiled by a ruling elites reactionary and avaricious incompetence. The question now, as the US and Europe contemplate a revived nuclear deal with Tehran and an end to sanctions, is can this rotten regime be trusted to keep its word?

Khameneis harshly anti-western, anti-American stance, rooted in questionable theology (scholars dispute his religious credentials), deep paranoia and profound personal ignorance of the world, is Tehrans dominant political brand. No matter, apparently, that it impoverishes and isolates Iranians while endangering their neighbours.

After last years rigged presidential election, won on a record low turnout by Khameneis hardline stooge Ebrahim Raisi, lingering hopes of reform evaporated. Internal repression is terrifying. Political dissidents, womens rights activists, ethnic minorities, dual nationals and Bahs are persecuted mercilessly.

Irans economy, plagued by endemic corruption and sanctions, is in a shocking state. While oil and gas export earnings have risen, officials, clergy and other groups linked to the regime, such as the Revolutionary Guards and Basij militia, are the main beneficiaries. Its a mullahs version of trickle-down economics, without the trickle.

Year-on-year inflation reached 52.5% in June. Reduced food subsidies are hurting badly. At least 30% of Iranians live below the official poverty line. Strikes are commonplace. But few have forgotten 2019s nationwide Bloody November anti-regime protests, when many hundreds were gunned down. Only 28% think Raisi does a good job.

The policies that ... Khamenei has championed for three decades have pushed Iran to the brink of total economic and ecological collapse and, despite staging brutal crackdowns, the country is wallowing in social unrest ... By celebrating the assault on Rushdie, the clerical establishment seems to be saving face at home, commentator Sayeh Isfahani wrote.

Externally, Iran sides ever-more closely with Russia and China. Hosting Vladimir Putin in Tehran last month, Khamenei claimed that, just as with Iran, the west and Nato opposed a strong, independent Russia. Like Putin, he is delusional about his countrys global standing and scorns the US as a declining power. Iran is reportedly supplying drones to help Russia attack Ukraine.

China is Irans biggest energy customer, with Beijing now importing more oil than before US sanctions were imposed. The two countries are also pursuing strategic defence cooperation after Raisi told visiting Chinese officials that Iran sought a united front against the west. Like Russia, China has taken Irans side on disputed UN nuclear inspections.

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Donald Trumps idiotic decision to trash the 2015 nuclear pact led, predictably, to a rapid acceleration in Irans programme. It now says it can build a bomb within months but has no plans to do so. Short of time, the Biden administration may soon agree a revised pact yet deal or no deal, the regimes behaviour seems unlikely to alter radically.

Theres little sign, for example, of a reining-in of its regional ambitions. Khamenei personally commands the Quds Force, Irans extraterritorial military arm, which operates via proxies in Yemen, Lebanon and Palestine. Israels hopes that, through currying favour with Putin by soft-pedalling over Ukraine, it could shatter the Russia-Iran axis in Syria have been dashed.

Most disruptive right now is the huge instability rocking Iraq, caused by rivalry between Tehran-backed Shia parties and militias and the popular, anti-Iranian, anti-American nationalist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Irans self-interested attempts to mediate have got nowhere.

Israeli leaders are sceptical that so malign and shambolic an adversary will stick to any nuclear agreement. Israel opposes a new deal and warns of military action at any time. If its rightwing former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu regains power in elections this autumn, fears of direct confrontation will increase.

Analysts in Israel question US president Joe Bidens motives. Is he too keen to score a big foreign policy success before Novembers midterm elections? Is it all about confounding Trump? Haaretzs Amos Harel wondered why the US is ignoring what he termed recent Iranian aggression.

Just this last week, a Revolutionary Guards conspiracy to assassinate two very senior Trump administration officials, former national security adviser John Bolton and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, was exposed, Harel noted. Then came the Rushdie horror and the Iranian medias macabre triumphalism.

Americans, too, should be deeply suspicious of Tehrans intentions, suggested Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour because Khameneis grip on power, and that of the illegitimate elite surrounding him, pivots on unceasing confrontation with the Great Satan. US-Iran normalisation could prove deeply destabilising to a theocratic government whose organising principle has been premised on fighting American imperialism, Sadjadpour wrote. Irans leaders, he argued, couldnt change even if they wanted to. Even if the nuclear deal is revived, Tehrans worldview will endure.

Its plain Khamenei needs the American enemy. But is the converse also true? For the Republican right, Iran has long been a useful bogeyman to frighten the voters, corral Gulf Arab allies and rally support for Israel. So can Iran trust the US to honour the terms of any reworked nuclear pact?

Whatever the White House says now, its by no means certain Bidens eventual successor will do so.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk

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Iran gloats, America plots, but even a nuclear deal will not tame Tehran - The Guardian

TEHRANOn Monday, Iran unveiled a handwoven carpet it is going to present to the FIFA Museum in the near future.

The carpet, which bears depictions of various national flags as well as iconic monuments, was unveiled at an exhibition dedicated to handwoven rugs and carpets in Tehran, ISNA reported.

Two different versions of the rug are right now being woven in Tabriz, which has long been a thriving hub for handwoven carpets. According to experts, they are sought after internationally for their delicate designs and high quality.

One of the carpets will be presented to the emir of Qatar while the third one will be kept in the Islamic Republic, the report said.

Moreover, an exhibition of Iranian handicrafts and hand-woven carpets is planned to be held on the sidelines of the Qatar World Cup, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade said last week.

Doha will also host five more Iranian exhibitions in the fields of food, furniture and chandeliers, decoration, construction materials, clothing, Islamic fashion, hotel and catering, and technical and engineering services, the official added.

Back in May, Irans Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Minister Ezzatollah Zarghami and Qatars Minister of Culture and Sports Abdulrahman bin Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani met in Tehran, exchanging views on how to facilitate tourism during the major event.

Zarghami says the country must take the immense opportunity to introduce the county to the international spectators of the major event. A significant number of travelers, mostly young people, would arrive in Qatar to attend the World Cup It provides an exceptional opportunity for us to promote tourist attractions of the country.

Head of the Iranian Tour Operators Ebrahim Pourfaraj believes the World Cup should be a turning point in Irans tourism industry. By attracting World Cup spectators to Iran, the Iranian tourism industry could secure a brighter future. There is also a need for the Iranian southern islands of Kish and Qeshm to re-affirm their accommodation centers capacity to receive foreign travelers, he noted.

Iran football team became the 14th team to book their place in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Moreover, the Persian Leopards became the first Asian team to book their place in a major competition.

AM

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2022 World Cup: Iran unveils carpet to be presented to FIFA Museum - Tehran Times

Israel will work to bring down the forthcoming Iran nuclear deal, the countrys Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Benny Gantz said on Monday. His warning comes as indirect US-Iranian negotiations to revive the 2015 deal which aims to stop Tehran building nukes remain ongoing as both sides weigh up a final text presented to them by EU mediators. The revival talks follow the US withdrawal from the landmark accord abandoned by Washington in 2018 under which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

As Washington and Tehran mull their next steps, leading Iran expert, Andrea Stricker, from the Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD) think tank, has warned of the consequences if the two sides fail to agree on how to revive the deal.

The expert warned that a breakdown of the talks may lead to Iran developing a nuclear deterrent it could use to threaten Israel and arm its militias in the Middle East.

Speaking to Express.co.uk about a nuclear-armed Iran, she said: I think it would give them cover to expand their malign activities in the region.

They would be able to do more to threaten Israel. They would do more to arm their proxies and militias and interfere in the affairs of other countries in the region for sure.

We see what is happening with Russia when they invaded Ukraine.

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They have the nuclear deterrent to prevent NATO from interfering in the country or doing more as far as putting boots on the ground or directly engaging with the Russians.

So, I think we can see very clearly that it gives countries the ability to carry out nefarious aims free of more interference.

Iran has consistently warned of its abilities to develop nuclear weapons in recent years, and during the latest weeks of negotiations.

However, Tehran has consistently denied that it would take such a step, insisting that its nuclear programme is purely for the nations energy needs.

Despite claiming innocent motives, Tehran has enriched uranium to 60 percent, a relatively short step away from the 90 percent purity needed for weapons-grade uranium.

Against the backdrop of the recent negotiations, Israeli officials have vowed in private that Israel will bar Iran from developing nuclear weapon capabilities.

They have said that all options including military action are on the table to prevent Iran getting nuclear weapons if diplomacy fails.

The officials warlike rhetoric has drawn a strong response from Tehran, which has vowed a crushing response to any Israeli attack.

Asked if the efforts to stop Iran building nukes are effectively to prevent a new potential conflict, Ms Stricker said: That is one way to look at it.

She continued: I think the closer that Iran gets to nuclear weapons, the greater the chances are for conflict.

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Particularly Israel, because they may feel compelled to act preemptively.

Josep Borrell, who has been coordinating the US-Iranian talks, said he hoped for a US response this week.

The EUs foreign policy chief said on Monday that Iran had already given a reasonable response to the negotiations.

In recent days US President Joe Biden has discussed the negotiations with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose nations were all signatories to the original 2015 accord.

Ms Stricker said she thought that Tehran could still accept a deal if the UNs nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) halts its investigation into Iran.

She said: I think there still is a possibility that Iran will accept the deal that is on the table.

If the world powers agree to close the IAEAs investigation as they did in 2015.

So, there is that possibility that the Supreme Leader will simply say that until the leadership in the US changes back to Republican, they may as well take financial windfall and enjoy a few years of sanctions relief.

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World War 3 fears explode over Israel as Iran to arm militias in chilling nuclear plot - Express

TEHRANA total of 23 tourism-related projects are scheduled to be inaugurated in the northern province of Golestan on the occasion of Government Week (August 24-30), the provincial tourism chief has said.

A budget of 506 billion rials ($1.7 million) has been channeled into the projects, Rahman Farmani explained on Monday.

The projects include an eco-lodge unit, apartment hotel, travel agency, and tourism farm in different cities across the province, the official added.

Some 130 job opportunities are estimated to be generated upon the inauguration of the projects, he noted.

Back in May, the official announced that the Iranian government has allocated some 1.1 trillion rials ($3.7 million) to the tourism and handicrafts sectors of the province.

This budget is set aside for 55 projects in the areas of tourism, cultural heritage, and handicrafts, he mentioned.

Golestan is reportedly embracing some 2,500 historical and natural sites, with UNESCO-registered Gonbad-e Qabus a one-millennium-old brick tower amongst its most famous.

Narratives say the tower has influenced various subsequent designers of tomb towers and other cylindrical commemorative structures both in the region and beyond. The UNESCO comments that the tower bears testimony to the cultural exchange between Central Asian nomads and the ancient civilization of Iran.

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Tourism projects to come on stream in northern Iran - Tehran Times

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Theworlds leading state-sponsor of terrorism the Islamic Republic of Iran is behind Palestinian Islamic Jihad's firing of over 600 rockets at communities in Israel over the weekend, according to top military experts.

Brig. Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi, a formerdeputy commander of theIsrael Defense ForcesGaza Division,told Fox News Digital that there is "more than a slight possibility that Iran ordered [PIJ attacks] or it was supported by Iran."

Israel launched a preemptive missionOperation Breaking Dawnon Friday to stop "PIJ from firing anti-tank missiles from northern Gaza into Israel," said Avivi.

Avivi stressed the importance of connecting the dots between Irans regime and its proxies in the region. "It was no accident that thePIJ [attacks] happened as the secretary-general of PIJ, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, was meeting with [the Islamic Republics President Ebrahim] Raisi in Iran."

IRANIAN OFFICIALS OPENLY DISCUSS COUNTRY'S ABILITY TO MAKE NUCLEAR WEAPON

Raisi, who was sanctioned by the Trump administration for his role in the massacre of Iranian dissidents and protestors, said regarding the current violence that Israel has "once again showed its occupying and aggressive nature to the world."

Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, the head of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was quoted by the Sepah News website as saying on Saturday: "Today, all the anti-Zionist jihadi capabilities are on the scene in a united formation working to liberate Jerusalem and uphold the rights of the Palestinian people."

The Trump administration designated the IRGC a foreign terrorist organization. The IRGC and its militias in the Middle East are responsible for the murder of over 600 American service personnel.

President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing with the coronavirus task force, in the Brady press briefing room at the White House, Monday, March 16, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Avivi said that he sees a connection among Irans aggressive posture at the nuclear talks in Vienna; the hostile statements of the pro-Iran regime leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, against a Lebanon-Israel maritime deal; and the PIJ jingoism.

"This is an indication of Irans regional tentacles and how dangerous they are and how they can destabilize the area. Israel needs to remain strong and resolute to deter Irans advance," Avivi said.

Both Republican and Democratic administrations have classified Irans regime as the worlds worst state-sponsor of terrorism.

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"As the nuclear negotiations were going on in Vienna, PIJs leader was meeting with the Iranian president, the head of the IRGC and others in Tehran, taking orders for terrorist attacks against Israel," Col. (ret.) Richard Kemp, who commanded the British troops in Afghanistan, told Fox News Digital. "PIJ is an Iranian proxy and is funded by Iran to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. Instead of discussing sanctions relief and normalization with Iran, the West should be doing everything it can to cut off the cash flow to all its terrorist proxies."

If, as the Biden White House desires, a renewed nuclear deal is reached, the administration is slated, according to media reports, to deliver over $100 billion to the Islamic Republic as part of sanctions relief in exchange for temporary restrictions on Irans nuclear program.

This image taken from video footage aired by Iranian state television on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, shows the launch of a rocket by Iran's Revolutionary Guard carrying a Noor-2 satellite in northeastern Shahroud Desert, Iran. (Iranian state television via AP)

The theocratic state declared last week that it can develop atomic weapons.

Kemp continued, "The scandal of the negotiations with Iran is summed up by the fact that the representative of Russia, which is assaulting Ukraine while threatening the world with nuclear attack, and the representative of Iran, whose proxy is viciously attacking Israel, have been meeting with British, EU and other world powers, with American endorsement, as though none of this is happening. Such immoral behavior might be excusable if these negotiations could lead to prevention of Irans nuclear capability. But even in the best case they can only achieve the opposite: paving the way to Iran becoming a legitimate nuclear armed state while also enabling Iranian terrorist aggression across the region."

"The decision making of the PIJ changed and deviated from the rules of engagement," Avivi, who serves as the CEO of the Israel Defense and Security Forum, said. "The IDF did not really do anything different. The IDF has [long] been conducting arrests [of terrorists] in Judea of Samaria."

IRANIAN OFFICIALS OPENLY DISCUSS COUNTRY'S ABILITY TO MAKE NUCLEAR WEAPON

Based on IDF intelligence, the Islamic Jihad deviated from the standard rules of engagement because it was set to fire anti-tank missiles into Israel. "This was the first time that PIJ planned to take action [in reaction] to something that happened in Judea and Samaria," a reference to Israels arrest of the head of Islamic Jihad in the West Bank last Monday.

The former British commander, Kemp,said Israels attack to knock out the PIJ leadership is justified.

"Israel had no choice other than to launch a preemptive strike against PIJ to prevent an imminent lethal attack on Israeli civilians. Their initial military operation and subsequent strikes to stop terrorist rocket fire were lawful, necessary and proportionate. Israel operates within international law at all times, while every rocket launch by PIJ is a double war crime, attacking from behind human shields and firing indiscriminately at civilians," Kemp said.

In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a meeting with Iranian officials, participants of the 31st International Islamic Unity Conference and ambassadors from Islamic countries, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

The IDF on Saturday tweeted video footage of PIJ misfiring missiles into a Palestinian civilian area in the Gaza Strip. "Watch this failed rocket launch which killed children in Gaza," the IDF wrote. "This barrage of rockets was fired by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in Gaza last night. The rocket in the red circle misfired, killing Palestinian civiliansincluding childrenin Jabaliya in northern Gaza."

The Gaza Strip is controlled by Hamas, which the U.S. and the European Union have designated a terrorist organization. Similarly, the U.S. and EU classify PIJ as a terrorist entity. Irans chief strategic partner in Lebanon, Hezbollah, is also a US-designated terrorist organization.

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PIJ rockets on Sunday caused warning sirens to sound for the first time in the current round of violence in the capital of Israel, Jerusalem.

Israels government said 450-470 rockets fired by PIJ entered Israel and 120 failed in their mission and crashed into the Gaza Strip.

Israels sophisticated Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted 97% of the PIJ rockets heading toward civilian population centers.

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According to the Eshkol Regional Council, a PIJ missile struck a home in a community under its jurisdiction near the southern Gaza Strip. The family was in a bomb shelter at the time.

Benjamin Weinthalreports on Middle East affairs. You can follow Benjamin Weinthal on Twitter @BenWeinthal.

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Palestinian Islamic Jihads rocket barrages on Israel trace back to 'Iran's regional tentacles,' experts say - Fox News