A Regime at War With Its Own People
By Ahmad Barakizadeh
As the Islamic Republic faces setbacks in the war, domestic pressure and repression at home have intensified, and ordinary Iranians are paying the price. Amid continuing strikes spreading across southern and central provinces, officials insist that conditions remain normal. They withhold reliable information regarding targets, casualties, or damage; and state-run media repeat propaganda about “national heroism” and “mass loyalty.” Workers are required to report to job sites, including those near strike targets, and students have been required to sit final exams that have not been suspended. Denial, secrecy, propaganda abroad, with increasing repression at home: this is the Islamic Republic’s approach to governance in Iran.
Welcome to the Kayhan Life Week in Review
This week, the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran fully broke down, leading to attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on commercial ships, U.S. airstrikes, and a new American blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Energy infrastructure came under attack, while a deeply buried, fortified facility linked to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program was threatened with a strike. Tehran also threatened to extend the conflict to the Red Sea, as Mojtaba Khamenei’s prolonged absence deepened uncertainty over who was leading the regime. Meanwhile, Britain and the U.S. took steps to stop sanctions evasion, illegal technology transfers, and the IRGC’s efforts to intimidate people abroad. Beyond the conflict, the death of Senator Lindsey Graham prompted tributes, while exhibitions and performances celebrated Iranian artists Manoucher Yektai and Sahar Dehghan.
►The week began with questions about who was making decisions in the Islamic Republic and whether its third Supreme Leader was still alive. Mojtaba Khamenei’s eventual written pledge to avenge his father did little to resolve the uncertainty. Meanwhile, executions continued inside the country.
Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Pledges Revenge for Slain Father and Predecessor
Iran Executes Two Men Convicted of Links to Islamic State, Mizan Reports
►With diplomacy falling prey to infighting in Iran’s power circles, strikes on regional states and commercial vessels marked the formal resumption of U.S. hostilities. Washington reinstated its naval blockade and expanded its military campaign, while the Islamic Republic threatened regional energy supplies.
Iran, US Step Up Attacks, Though Release of American May Signal Path to Climbdown
US Strikes Iran as Tehran Says Strait of Hormuz Closed Amid Regional Escalation
Countries Must Reject Islamic Republic Efforts to Control Hormuz, UN Agency Document Says
Germany, France and UK Condemn Iran’s Attacks in Strait of Hormuz and Across Region
Americans Expect Prolonged US-Iran War as Ceasefire Falters, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds
Trump Sends Congress Formal Notice That Iran Conflict Has Resumed
Tanker Hit by Missile Southeast of Limah, Oman, UKMTO Says
UAE Says Iranian Missiles Struck Oil Tankers in Strait of Hormuz, One Sailor Killed
Trump Resumes Iran Port Blockade and Threatens Strikes on Energy Targets
U.S. Launches Fresh Strikes Against Iran as Escalation Threatens Shipping
►As the battle for Hormuz intensified, the Islamic Republic signaled that it could use its Houthi allies to threaten the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a maritime chokepoint linking Europe and Asia through the Red Sea and Suez Canal and critical to global trade and energy supplies.
ANALYSIS—After Hormuz, Iran Turns to Red Sea Gateway as New Pressure Point
EXCLUSIVE-Iran Tells Houthis to Close Red Sea Gateway if US Hits Power Network, Sources Say
►President Donald Trump threatened to attack Pickaxe Mountain, a deeply buried and fortified facility near the Natanz nuclear complex.
Trump Says the US Will Take Out Pickaxe Mountain in Iran
What Is Pickaxe Mountain, the Iranian Nuclear-Linked Site Threatened by Trump?
►Meanwhile, Western governments increased pressure on the Islamic Republic’s financial, technological and overseas networks. Britain acted against the IRGC and an affiliated group, while U.S. lawmakers sought stronger penalties for foreign agents engaged in intimidation on American soil.
U.S. Issues New Iran-Related Sanctions and a General License
Iranian-Born Engineer Convicted in US of Exporting Technology to Iran
UK Bans Support for Two Iranian Groups Over Antisemitic Attacks in Britain
Lawmakers Seek to Counter China, Iran Repression Tactics on U.S. Soil
OPINION: UK Decision to Proscribe the IRGC Is Welcome
►The week also brought the death of Lindsey Graham, a pivotal Republican voice on U.S. foreign policy and a staunch supporter of Iranians fighting for justice.
Pivotal US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham Passes Away at 71
►Finally, in the arts, an Iranian performer paid tribute to David Hockney, while Manoucher Yektai’s contribution to Abstract Expressionism received renewed recognition in Miami, Paris and New York.
Sahar Dehghan, Who Performed in David Hockney’s Paris Show, Pays Tribute
ICA Miami Exhibits Iranian Artist Manoucher Yektai; Mennour Gallery to Represent Him
Updates from Kayhan Life’s Social Media:
Treat of the Week
Forbidden Black Rice with Pomegranate Molasses
From all of us at Kayhan Life, we wish you a peaceful weekend.
