Are We Hearing the Echo of War?

The newspaper Jam'e Farda, in a report titled "Are We Hearing the Echo of War?", refers to the "absence of regional dialogue in the absence of moderates" as one of the main reasons for the escalation of the crisis in the Middle East. It states: "There is no comprehensible diplomatic dialogue between Iran and Saudi Arabia; what exists is the sound of war that grows louder by the moment. A cold war has long been established between Iran and Saudi Arabia, but it seems the situation is changing, and with the entry of new players like Israel and Saudi Arabia, the war may take on a more serious form." According to this newspaper, "Saudi Arabia and Iran have long played similar roles. Iran tries to export its dialogue in the region, while Saudi Arabia, benefiting from significant financial resources, has attempted to play a similar role in a different way, not only in the Islamic world but also actively present from Indonesia to the Balkans and the Tora Bora mountains." Furthermore, "global and regional changes have also played a significant role in the expansion of competition between Tehran and Riyadh." "There is no comprehensible diplomatic dialogue between Iran and Saudi Arabia; what exists is the sound of war that grows louder by the moment. A cold war has long been established between Iran and Saudi Arabia, but it seems the situation is changing, and with the entry of new players like Israel and Saudi Arabia, the war may take on a more serious form." Jam'e Farda emphasizes that "with the rise of Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia was revitalized," stating: "They wanted to end the cold war and, if necessary, engage in a hard war with the Iranians. Trump also, since he did not see the JCPOA as beneficial for the U.S., was not averse to heating up the atmosphere." The newspaper notes that "the Russians are also involved," writing: "The Russians would not mind if Iran and Saudi Arabia went to war," to the extent that a member of the Russian Defense Ministry's advisory board, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Moscow Times in 2013: "If the U.S. arms Ukraine, Moscow will respond positively to the Chinese's long-standing request for advanced defense technologies," adding that "we can encourage Iran to go to war with Saudi Arabia or support them in this battle; in this case, oil prices will rise significantly." Jam'e Farda, while emphasizing that "the Iran-Saudi competition for regional hegemony is not a new issue, but it has now spread to various parts of the region," quotes a German expert on Middle Eastern affairs as saying: "The atmosphere is even more dangerous than since the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The region is a powder keg that can only be saved from collapse by a common dialogue based on interests and norms. If war occurs in the region, it will affect everyone, a war whose end is uncertain for all players." The newspaper Etemad dedicated the front page of its Tuesday issue to Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, with the headline "A Dangerous Game," discussing "Saudi Arabia's objectives from military confrontation plans" with Iran. Following the missile attack by the Houthis from Yemen on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday night, it noted that "while the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen has taken on a military aspect for two years, Riyadh now intends to use this missile attack as a tool to pressure Iran and perhaps to form a consensus against Tehran." The newspaper pointed out that "on Monday morning, the Saudi-led coalition accused Iran of being involved in the missile attack on Riyadh's international airport, stating that this attack could be considered an act of war," and considering "Iran's role and its direct command over the Houthis in this matter, it is clearly an aggression against neighboring countries and threatens peace and stability in the region and the world," adding that "the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reserves the right to respond to Iran at an appropriate time and manner." Etemad wrote that "in recent years, there have been occasional reports of small arms transfers from Iran to Yemen, but there has never been a report of missile transfers from Iran to the Houthis, which has diminished the credibility of the Saudi claims." Simultaneously, "some analysts claim that Iran may not be responsible for the missile transfers to Yemen, but there is a possibility that Iran provided technical assistance for the use of these missiles to the Houthis." Davood Hormidass Baavand, a professor of international relations, in the editorial of this newspaper emphasized the "necessity of avoiding reckless actions," writing: "In the past three days, Saudi Arabia has used every excuse for verbal attacks against Iran. They have even attributed the missile launch from Yemen into their territory to Iran. The important issue here is that despite the definitive denial of any connection to Iran by high-ranking military and foreign policy officials, one of the major newspapers in the capital (Kayhan) has covered this news in such a way that another city will also be next after Riyadh." The editorial of Etemad stated that "such statements are playing into the hands of Saudi Arabia's claims and accusations. When a media outlet close to the Iranian government publishes supportive statements regarding such actions that have been strongly denied by official authorities, it is an unwise act," and "we must be cautious of such foolish behaviors domestically." Kayhan, whose front page headline on Tuesday titled "The Next Target of Ansarullah's Missile is Dubai" was deemed "against national interests and security" by the Press Supervisory Board in Iran and received a "warning," wrote in its Wednesday headline: "National interests lie in supporting the oppressed in Yemen, not in worrying about Dubai's towers." This newspaper, published under the supervision of the Supreme Leader's representative, stated: "Kayhan, in its Tuesday front page headline referring to the missile threat from Ansarullah and its realization regarding Riyadh, predicted based on the previous positions of Yemeni fighters that the next target would be Dubai in the UAE, but this headline did not sit well with some, and some claimed that this headline is against national interests and benefits." Kayhan also emphasized in its editorial that the resignation of Saad Hariri, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, the missile attack by Ansarullah on Riyadh's international airport, and the detention of several Saudi princes by "Mohammed bin Salman, the Minister of Defense, Crown Prince, and all-powerful man in Saudi Arabia, are three very important events," writing that Mohammed bin Salman "sees the need for more power and authority to implement his ambitions against Iran and its allies and what is dictated to him, and thus removes any obstacles in his way," but "the missile launch at Riyadh's international airport could disrupt Saudi calculations." This newspaper also wrote: "The essence of these developments and mischiefs reveals another important truth, that today the situation of Iran and its allies in the region is excellent due to resistance, and equally, the situation of the adversary is dire, and the enemy is doing everything possible to change the conditions in its favor," and now "the key question is; in which of these cases has the enemy held the upper hand and in which has it failed? In cases where negotiations occurred or in cases where resistance was shown? The answer is clear. Sometimes the cost of negotiation is much higher than the cost of resistance, isn't it?" The newspaper Shargh reported on a letter from Hassan Rouhani to the Supreme Leader regarding the "suspension of the Zoroastrian member of the Yazd City Council." The newspaper Shargh reported on a letter from Hassan Rouhani to the Supreme Leader regarding the "suspension of the Zoroastrian member of the Yazd City Council," stating: "On Tuesday, during a meeting with the President and members of the City Council and the Mayor of Tehran, regarding the issue faced by the Zoroastrian compatriot member of the Yazd City Council, he said that the Constitution has clarified the matter and the constitutional law, citizens' rights, public trust, and community unity must be respected." The newspaper quoted Ali E'ta, the spokesperson for the Tehran City Council, stating that in this meeting "Mr. Rouhani provided explanations about the situation of Sepanta Niknam and mentioned that he has written a letter to the Supreme Leader, stating that this issue is against the law and expediency, and expressed hope that they will pursue this matter until a result is reached." Shargh reminded that "Sepanta Niknam is the only Zoroastrian member of the fifth Yazd City Council, who was also present in the fourth council; however, this time, Branch 43 of the Administrative Justice Court suspended him from the council due to a complaint from someone who lost in the elections, citing his Zoroastrianism," and "the Guardian Council also declared in a letter that Sepanta Niknam's presence in the City Council is against Islamic principles." The newspaper Shahrvand reported on its front page that "the law adding one article to the Anti-Narcotics Law has been approved and is now enforceable," thus making "the execution of drug offenders limited and conditional." According to this newspaper, "in the previous law, 12 types of executions were defined in various articles and provisions, but in the new law, under Article 45 of the Anti-Narcotics Law, execution is conditional on the cases of clauses a, b, p, and t," while clause a of this law includes those who "are direct perpetrators of the crime or at least one of the accomplices, during the commission of the crime, brandished a weapon or intended to confront officials with a firearm or hunting weapon." Clause b of this law refers to "cases where the perpetrator plays a leading role or financially supports or invests in trafficking or uses children and adolescents under 18 years or the mentally ill to commit the crime, which will be subject to execution." According to this newspaper, "in the previous law, the basis for the death penalty was over 30 grams, but in the new law, 50 kilograms of traditional drugs and two to three kilograms of industrial drugs will be the basis for execution," but the legal deputy of the Drug Control Headquarters emphasizes that with the implementation of this law, "the level of access to drugs in society will increase, and the increase in the level of drugs in society will also change the prevalence and abuse rates." The newspaper Shahrvand pointed out that the "punishments" for drug offenders have been "qualitatively refined and formulated according to Sharia rulings," quoting Jalil Rahimi Jahangabadi, the secretary of the Legal and Judicial Commission of the tenth parliament, stating: "We have not eliminated the death penalty; we have targeted it. We have created an opportunity for those who have taken a wrong path to have a return; we have left the path of repentance open for these individuals, and we have converted the death penalty for these individuals to life imprisonment and 25 years in prison to allow for the opportunity of repentance." This parliament member stated: "Families whose heads have been executed are not in a good situation; officials should go and see what happens to them and what damages they suffer; the police and the Drug Control Headquarters, which criticize the implementation of this law, should see what the death penalty does to these families and what additional damages it brings to them." The newspaper Arman reported that "the scenario of violent confrontations with street vendors continues, and in recent days, a video was published on social media showing municipal sidewalk enforcement officers in Miandoab clashing with a street vendor. The inappropriate handling of this street vendor, who ultimately also had his fruit stall overturned, sparked significant criticism, and labor and social activists, as they had previously protested against such behaviors, also protested against the treatment of the Miandoab fruit vendor." According to this newspaper, the municipality of Miandoab issued a statement regarding the details of this incident, announcing that "the case has been referred to the Miandoab prosecutor's office and is under investigation, but the offending sidewalk enforcement officer has been dismissed and removed from that location." The newspaper Arman also reported that Vahid Asghari Pour, the acting mayor of Miandoab, "while apologizing for the inappropriate behavior of the officers," stated: "The injured individual initially insulted the officials and colleagues and attacked the municipal officers who were present to remove the obstruction, and the confrontation occurred thereafter; however, nonetheless, the action taken by the municipal officer is in no way acceptable," and "legal action will certainly be taken against the offending individual." This newspaper wrote: "While once again the confrontation with a street vendor has become newsworthy, in recent years, we have repeatedly witnessed violent confrontations with street vendors in Tehran, Ahvaz, and other cities. The violent confrontations of Tehran's municipal officers with street vendors during Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf's tenure sparked a wave of criticism. Although it is claimed that street vendors should be organized, especially the activities of street vendors in the Tehran metro have become a significant problem, the method of organization should be such that the human dignity of individuals is not compromised."