Archive for the ‘Iran’ Category

The terror of the Islamic State comes to Iran – Washington Post

By Marc Martinez By Marc Martinez June 8 at 12:43 PM

Marc Martinez is a senior analyst at the Delma Institute, an international affairs research consultancy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

For the first time since Irans 1979 Islamic revolution, a Sunni extremist group managed to successfully carry out a terrorist attack in Tehran. Iranians sat mesmerized in front of their TV sets, watching the unfolding events in disbelief and waiting for any information on the terrorists, their motivation and their affiliation.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks against two potent symbols of power in Iran, which left at least 12 dead and 42 wounded. By attacking the Imam Khomeini mausoleum, the final resting place of the founder of the Islamic republic, the terrorists targeted the Islamic revolution itself. And by attacking the parliament, they assaulted Irans vibrant yet imperfect democracy. These were attacks on Irans political institutions, not Shiism.

By targeting both the symbols of Iranian democracy and the autocratic system of the velayat-e faqih (governance of the jurist), the terrorists, paradoxically, ended up uniting an Iranian society fractured by the recent presidential campaign that saw Hassan Rouhani get reelected. Reformists, moderates, conservatives and hard-liners are now part of a new sacred union against terrorism that will most likely enable the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to reinforce its involvement in Syria and increase support for its local militias.

The attack will harden nationalist feelings and legitimize the IRGCs rhetoric that such an intervention was necessary to fight terrorists in their locations to avoid having to fight them on the streets of Tehran. In a rare message of national unity, Rouhanis chief of staff for political affairs, Hamid Aboutalebi, encouraged Iranians to applaud the security forces, the IRGC, the Basij militia and police for their power and firmness.

This alliance will, however, only be temporary, as the people will soon increase pressure on their government to focus its attention on Iran and its economic woes rather than distant Syria. Conservatives will also use the tragic event to force political change in the next presidential election in four years.

The next few days are crucial to understanding whether Iranian moderates will be able to rein in the IRGC and its Shiite allies, such as the armed Lebanese group Hezbollah, the Afghan militia Fatemiyoun and the Pakistani Zeynabiyoun brigade which are all doing Irans bidding in the war in Syria. Because the Islamic State did not touch any religious symbols, even though the mausoleum site is sacred for Iranians and many Shiites, the government might be able to control the reaction of the more ideological Iranian forces.

But Iranians are not immune to conspiracy theories and are already questioning the timing of the attack, linking it to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeirs threat a few hours before the attack, whenhe saidthat Iran must be punished for its interference in the region and its support for terrorist organizations.

Soon after the attack, social media in Iran was abuzz with messages on different platforms such as Telegram and Twitter with every detail of the terrorist operation. The military gear one of the attackers was found with eight grenades and 12 AK-47 magazines and the flawless, classical Arabic spoken by one of the attackers have been used to point the finger at Saudi Arabia and raise suspicions about its involvement. Even official confirmation that the attackers were all Sunni Iranians converted by the Islamic State to extremism was met with suspicion.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said: These fireworks have no effect on Iran. They will soon be eliminated They are too small to affect the will of the Iranian nation and its officials. However, the IRGC belligerently and publicly said Saudi Arabia was behind the attack and added that the spilled blood of the innocent will not remain unavenged. At a time when regional tensions are at a historic high with the ongoing Qatar crisis, the prospect of an Iranian retaliation through the IRGC or one of its Shiite allies is petrifying, as the consequences for Iran and the region would be unfathomable.

The terrorist attacks will have serious consequences on foreign direct investments, as international companies and governments were waiting for the first signs of economic improvement to enter the Iranian market. And a retaliation in any form would be catastrophic, as it would most likely trigger new U.S. and, possibly, European sanctions against Iran, and once again brand the country as a state sponsor of terrorism.

If the Iranian authorities not only the government but also the supreme leader are able and willing to control their most extremist forces, they will be able to maintain the moral high ground by taking advantage of the Shiite tradition of victimization.

The Islamic State attacks show that Iran is a de facto part of the international community, as its democratic institutions and existence are a threat to the terrorist group. This will force countries and individuals to review their analyses. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, for example, will no longer be able to question Irans relations with the Islamic State (What is the one country in the Middle East that has not been attacked by ISIS? One, that is Iran. That is more than happenstance, Im sure.) or state that I consider ISIS nothing more than an excuse for Iran to continue its mischief. Iran is not an enemy of ISIS.

But by stating that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote, President Trump proved to many Iranians that their suffering is not considered equal to that of others.

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The terror of the Islamic State comes to Iran - Washington Post

Iran Rounds Up ISIS Suspects Following Deadly Attack in Tehran – Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Iran Rounds Up ISIS Suspects Following Deadly Attack in Tehran
Wall Street Journal (subscription)
Dozens of suspected members of Islamic State were arrested in Iran on Friday as authorities sought to root out the extremist group following this week's deadly attacks in the heart of the Iranian capital. The Intelligence Ministry said 41 suspects were ...

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Iran Rounds Up ISIS Suspects Following Deadly Attack in Tehran - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

The Latest: Australia condemns attacks in Iran – Washington Post

The Islamic State has struck at Iran and its allies for years but always from afar, in places such as Iraq against Tehran-backed militias and in Syria battling government troops aided by Iranian forces.

That appeared to change Wednesday when bloodshed came to Tehran. In a few chaotic hours, Iran endured the kind of deadly rampages so often claimed by the Islamic State elsewhere.

The twin attacks, the first major assaults in Iran claimed by the Islamic State, targeted the heart of Irans political identity and the notion that militants were no match for the security forces zealously guarding Tehran.

At least 12 people were reported killed and 42 wounded in the assaults in the parliament building and outside the tomb of the leader of the nations Islamic revolution. Security forces eventually killed all four assailants, state media reported. Hours later, Tehrans police chief said five suspects had been detained and were being interrogated.

While the attacks showed that the United States and Iran have a shared enemy, they appeared unlikely to reset U.S.-led efforts against the Islamic State or bring Iran more directly into the fight especially since the Trump administration has embraced Irans main regional foe, Saudi Arabia, as a bulwark in fighting Islamist militants and constraining Irans regional influence.

In a White House statement, President Trump said Wednesday: We grieve and pray for the innocent victims of the terrorist attacks in Iran, and for the Iranian people, who are going through such challenging times. We underscore that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote.

The Washington-based National Iranian American Council promptly rebuked what it called Trumps heartless message, saying that presidents who cannot genuinely recognize victims of terrorism are incapable of leading the fight against terror.

Irans powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps took a thinly veiled jab at Saudi Arabia as a source of militant ideology, saying it was meaningful that the attacks occurred less than three weeks after Trump visited Riyadh and asserted strong U.S. support for the Saudis and their allies.

The Revolutionary Guard statement added that the spilled blood of the innocent will not remain unavenged.

[As ISIS loses ground in Syria, a scramble between U.S. and Iran for control]

Iran is predominantly Shiite Muslim and is at odds with Sunni extremist groups such as al- Qaeda and the Islamic State, which view Shiites as heretics and have attacked Shiite targets across the region.

While it is unclear what direct measures Iran could take against the Islamic State, the fallout is certain to deepen regional tensions at a difficult time. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and others have pledged to try to heal an unprecedented diplomatic break in which Saudi Arabia and its allies have severed ties with Qatar, a key U.S. military partner in the Persian Gulf.

The Saudis and their allies accuse Qatar of supporting Islamist militants and oppose its outreach to Iran.

For the Islamic State, striking directly at Iran appears to be part of a wider attempt to stir regional discord.

An attack inside Iran was absolutely the realization of a long-term ideological goal for the Islamic State, said Charlie Winter, a senior research fellow at the International Center for the Study of Radicalization at Kings College in London.

Ideologically, the implications are huge, he said. Attacking Iran is kind of like attacking the U.S. or Israel.

The near-simultaneous attacks coming in the middle of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan also appeared calculated to elicit maximum shock among Iranians.

The parliament is widely respected as a voice on domestic policies even though Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has the final word on most international and security issues. The shrine of Khameneis predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, is a centerpiece of homage to the 1979 Islamic revolution, which overthrew Irans Western-allied monarchy.

[Trump turned his Saudi trip into a rally against Iranian influence]

The timing, meanwhile, could have been intended to boost the Islamic States stature among backers as it faces a two-pronged assault against its key urban strongholds: Mosul in northern Iraq and Raqqa in Syria. An expanded offensive by U.S.-backed forces against Raqqa, the Islamic States de facto capital, began Tuesday.

It is indeed a boost to ISIS morale, especially given that its the first successful attack in Iran, said Dina Esfandiary, who studies global security issues at the Center for Science and Security Studies at Kings College. The Islamic State is also known as ISIS.

Iranian state TV quoted Khamenei as dismissing the attacks as mere fireworks that would not weaken Irans fight against groups such as the Islamic State.

The Islamic States Amaq News Agency claimed that the group carried out the attacks. The Islamic State, however, is often quick to take ownership of spectacular assaults without providing evidence.

But the news agency also circulated a 24-second video that purported to show a fighter walking near a body during the attack on the parliament.

Oh, Sunni people in Iran, dont you feel the pain from those shackles that are tied around your wrists and ankles? one militant said in the video, calling on Sunnis to wage battle against Shiites in their dens and gatherings in Tehran and other Iranian cities.

The Islamic State also began distributing its online magazine Rumiyah in Persian late last month.

Iran views its parliament, or Majlis, as a symbol of participatory government in contrast with its main regional rivals, including Saudi Arabia and allied sheikhdoms in the Persian Gulf. Last month, Irans president, Hassan Rouhani, won reelection in a race against hard-line challengers.

[Irans election is over, but bigger issues of leadership loom]

The parliament has very specific meaning for Iran after the recent election. Its democracy was attacked, said Marc Martinez, a senior analyst and Iran expert at the Delma Institute, a political consultancy in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

The expansive complex around Khomeinis tomb is a spiritual and political testament to the Islamic revolution. The huge courtyard and buildings, including blue-tiled domes that tower over the mausoleum, are particularly filled with visitors during Ramadan, which began two weeks ago.

Attacks of this kind are rare in Irans capital, where security forces are deployed at prominent sites. The Revolutionary Guard Corps also maintains a vast network of informants and allies through a volunteer paramilitary force called the Basij.

The parliament building is in the center of the city, and Khomeinis tomb complex is about 12 miles to the south.

Iran has suffered terrorist attacks in the past but rarely in cities or the capital. Separatist groups and Sunni extremists have carried out bombings in the border region near Pakistan, including a suicide attack in 2010 that killed 39.

Paul Schemm in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Loveday Morris in Irbil, Iraq; and William Branigin and Carol Morello in Washington contributed to this report.

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The Latest: Australia condemns attacks in Iran - Washington Post

Terrorist Attacks Pour Gas on Saudi-Iranian Rivalry and Gulf Tensions – New York Times


New York Times
Terrorist Attacks Pour Gas on Saudi-Iranian Rivalry and Gulf Tensions
New York Times
The attacks in Tehran threatened to escalate the broader regional conflict between the two heavyweight powers, Iran and Saudi Arabia, at a time when the Western-allied gulf bloc is divided against itself. And Saudi Arabia, under the two-year-old reign ...
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Terrorist Attacks Pour Gas on Saudi-Iranian Rivalry and Gulf Tensions - New York Times

Bucking Bernie Sanders, Democrats Move Forward On Iran Sanctions After Terror Attack in Tehran – The Intercept

In the wake of an alleged ISIS terrorist attack on the Iranian parliament, the U.S. Senate is marking the tragedy with twin resolutions: one to express condolences, the second to move forward on a bill to hit the country with new sanctions.

By a vote of 92-7, the Senate opened debate on the sanctions resolution Wednesday. But the resolution expressing condolences is still being worked on, one senator said.

On a day when Iran has been attacked by ISIS, by terrorism, now is not the time to go forward with legislation calling for sanctions against Iran, Vermonts Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders said on the floor before the Senate did just that. Let us be aware and cognizant that earlier today the people of Iran suffered a horrific terror attack in their capital, Tehran.

The vote also came in the face of warnings from former Secretary of State John Kerry that a new sanctions bill could imperil the nuclear deal.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said that it was still time to move forward. After all, it could be a chance to hit Russia. I think we have an opportunity on the Iran sanctions bill to amend it to include strong Russia sanctions; Im determined that we get that done. Thats foremost in my mind, said Coons.

I appreciate the fact that when the United States was attacked on 9/11, Iran expressed concern and solidarity with us. I do think its important for us to express our condolences to the Iranian people for their being victims of an ISIS and I believe that resolution will be adopted today. It seems a bit of a mixed message to me to try and combine those two.

A number of Sanderss Democratic caucus colleagues, including Californias Diane Feinstein and Delawares Tom Carper, joined him in arguing that the bill should be delayed in light of the terrorist attack. On her way into the vote, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., told The Intercept she agreed with Sanders that it should be delayed, but didnt think it would be. She was correct, and cast her vote in favor.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, a member of Republican leadership, disagreed. I hope not, he said of the possibility of a delay, his further thoughts being cut off by the closing of the door of an elevator taking him to vote on the measure.

Shortlybefore the vote to end debate on the bill,New Yorks Sen. Chuck Schumer who leads the Senate Democrats came out and argued forcefully in favor of the sanctions, showing no concern aboutimperiling the nuclear deal or the terrorist attack.

Democrats will vote to advance this bill to the floor because we support most of us support the bill, he assured the Senate.

Sixty votes are needed to achieve cloture and close debate; only seven senators opposed the cloture vote: Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand, Dick Durbin, Carper, Jeff Merkley, and Tom Udall as well as Republican Rand Paul and Sanders.

President Donald Trump added insult to injury when the White House released its own statement on the Iranian terror attack on Wednesday. We grieve and pray for the innocent victims of the terrorist attacks in Iran, and for the Iranian people, who are going through such challenging times, it read.

However, it then pivoted to blaming the victims. We underscore that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote, it concluded.

A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., referred questions on the condolences resolution to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A spokesperson there didnt immediately reply to a request for Congress.

Top photo: Sen. Bernie Sanders arrives for a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 25, 2017.

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Bucking Bernie Sanders, Democrats Move Forward On Iran Sanctions After Terror Attack in Tehran - The Intercept